Faith’s Persistency

“Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. And it came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’”" (1 Kings 18:41-44)

Two of the major elements in the spiritual life and experience of God’s people are the seemingly slow and hidden ways of God and the demand for persistent faith in His servants. As to the former, you will know quite well how much there is in the Bible about it. Again and again you will find the psalmist crying out because of God’s seeming delay or indifference. Whole psalms are given up to this very problem, and also in other parts of Scripture we encounter the same phenomenon.

In our own spiritual experience we often find that not least of our trials is the fact that God seems so slow to respond, so inexplicable in His ways; sometimes it would appear that He is careless or indifferent. This is a common experience, even among the greatest and most devoted of God’s servants. It is not an experience confined to novices; in fact perhaps they know little of it, but throughout the centuries even the most outstanding of God’s servants have been confronted by this problem of the slow response of the Lord. It sometimes looks to His people as though He were unhurried to the point of being tardy, and that just when their needs were most acute.

Faith’s Importance

In this short passage our attention is also drawn to the second point, namely the demand for persistent faith. It might be thought that the most critical moment on Mount Carmel was when the prophets of Baal had exhausted themselves in vain prayers and had to give way to Elijah with his water-saturated altar and his simple, dignified appeal to Israel’s God. This was indeed, a breathless moment and the high point of the story the great miracle when fire fell from heaven; but supposing that had been the end! For we must remember that the country had been suffering from three years of intense drought, and if life were to be sustained it was not fire that they wanted but water. What they needed was rain, and plenty of it. Wonderful and emotional as the burning sacrifice must have been, there could be no new hope if the rain did not come.

Now the Lord knew how critical their condition was and might have been expected to act, now that the people had repudiated Baal and committed their case to Him. When the crowd shouted, “The Lord, he is God” the reformation seemed to be complete, and the natural sequel should surely have been clouds, rain clouds, and water pouring down on a thirsty land.

Yet no rain came. Elijah was quite assured in his own heart, and he unhesitatingly told Ahab that it was coming. Nevertheless he did not relax at all but went higher up on this mountain of crisis, put his head between his knees, and set himself to pray the issue through. The reference in James’ letter tells us that “he prayed earnestly” or ‘he prayed with prayer,’ implying that something more than ordinary prayer was needed on such an occasion; it seemed to call for concentration and persistency. There was no sign of rain. God seemed so slow at this time of crisis. How can we explain His apparent lack of response?

For my part I think that this has a close connection with the anonymous servant, giving us all a lesson concerning service. This man not only is given no name but there is no mention of where he came from. Until this experience on Mount Carmel it seems from the narrative that Elijah was alone. After this he was dismissed at Beer-sheba, and later it was Elisha who served Elijah as a servant. The anonymous servant is just mentioned in this episode and then passes off the scene, but not before he had helped to illustrate to us one of the principle features of service to God, which is persistency. The battle had been fought through: it seemed that a mighty victory had been obtained; and yet – still no rain!

Faith’s Disappointments

This provides a very serious warning against anything in the nature of complacency. Even after we have poured ourselves out and been assured that we have succeeded, we must beware of letting go too soon. The principle or spirit of service surely demands a real persistence of faith. You will not find any servant of God of account or true value in the Bible who did not have developed in him this persistence of faith. We can see it in the case of this man, and strangely enough this was the very test put to the next servant, Elisha, whose real life’s work started the day when Elijah was taken up to heaven. That was the time when Elijah said to Elisha, “Tarry here…the Lord hath sent me as far as Bethel” (2 Kings 2:2). The same suggestion was repeated stage by stage, “Tarry here…Tarry here…,” but Elisha would not agree to do so, his response being. “As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.” At last the whole matter was gathered up into this one issue, so that Elijah promised Elisha “If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee” – a double portion of the Spirit for service was consequent upon this exercise of persistency.

Now, to return to Carmel, there was no doubt that Elijah’s faith had produced a remarkable answer from God. The fire had fallen. We might think that he would have been perfectly justified in telling himself that all he now had to do was to see God working the whole matter out. He could have folded his arms, or taken his ease, while God did the rest. If you had gone successfully through an ordeal like Elijah’s, seen such a tremendous victory and had an inner assurance that the end was reached, would you not have been inclined to sit back a bit and just watch events? Elijah, however, did nothing of the sort; he went higher up into the mountain to get closer to God. “Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel” – to pray. He knew that his business was not finished yet, and was determined to see the matter right through.

At this point, our attention is drawn to the servant. He, too, must go up still higher, for there was something more to be done if the rain were to come. He was told to look toward the sea, the direction from which it would come. He looked and saw nothing, so he came back again to his master and reported, “There is nothing!” After all that spiritual battle, after all that prayer, that exhausting ordeal of laying hold of God and seeing the fire fall, was it possible that, after all, the skies were as closed as ever? “There is nothing!” Many of us have had to pass through similar experiences – we may be doing so just now – and we find it to be a most painful anticlimax. This is a moment of great peril for our faith, to have battled so far and expected so much, only to be disappointed to find a complete lack of any evidence of God’s working.

What can you do? Well, one of two things. The first is to conclude that after all the whole thing has been an illusion, and to give way to the paralysis of despair because of the seeming unresponsiveness of God. The alternative is to keep going – if necessary seven times. There was nothing the first time, so the servant must go and look again. There is nothing! And yet a third time, but still a third time “There is nothing!” The man had to go a fourth time, but there was still no vestige of an answer. I try to imagine the tone of his voice as he returned the fifth and the sixth time, and think that he may even have added a few comments. ‘What is the good of it all?’ he might have questioned – ‘there is nothing!’ It would have been natural enough if he had remonstrated, “I do not see the use of going right up there again; I am tired of continually coming back to report just nothing.’ In any case he was sent a seventh time, just once more; this time he was able to report a tiny cloud. That was little enough in all conscience, to find that all there was to be seen in the expanse of the sky was just one little cloud the size of a man’s hand. It is surprising that God went so far in pressing this matter of faith’s persistency. Whether there is any significance in the number seven is of little importance, but certainly there had to be the full continuance in faith until at last the situation broke. The little cloud was only a token, but it was enough to Elijah who immediately warned Ahab to prepare for a deluge. Faith is the title deeds of things unseen, and accepts the token for the whole. It was right to do so, for soon the heavens were full of clouds.

Faith’s Victory

I think that this makes the message plain. It is so easy to make a big start, with a good deal of noise and activity and high expectations of something big which we think God is going to do, and then to lose heart because of disappointments and delays. Our prayers are apt to wane and our energy and enthusiasms to decline just because God seems to be unresponsive. What is He doing? He is making a servant; to Him this is more important than the actual service which is being done. Such a servant has to learn that the Lord is more concerned about His own name than we are, and knows best how to vindicate it.

“The Lord, He is God.” The Lord had to make that clear a second time, not only in the fire, but in the water, in the rain; not only in the judgment but in the mercy; not only in the death but in the resurrection life. His delays, His hiddenness, His seeming indifference, are all the testing means by which He develops true faith in His servants, and works something of His own Spirit into their very constitution. It was easy for Him to send the rain; what was more difficult but infinitely more worthwhile was to enable His servant to go on watching and praying for the full seven times, never despairing, never doubting, never giving up. In the end there was no lack of rain. But it came as the result of a second battle. First there was the battle with Baal, and then the battle with unbelief; the outside battle and the battle inside. It is on the last inward battle that the whole issue depends. Full victory comes as a result of faith’s persistency.

-written by T. Austin Sparks

To Love Like You

Oh to love like You love

To forsake this earthly crown

And serve the lowest and the least

Simply for my Father’s great renown

 

Oh to love like You love

To stand and intercede

For the orphaned and forgotten ones

With not one concerned for their need

 

Oh to love like You love

To humbly wash men’s filthy feet

On hands and knees to live

Ruled by true humility

 

Oh to love like You love

To treat the poorest man as king

To serve the drunken beggar as if royalty

That You might lift him up on eagles wings

 

Oh to love like You love

To be so selfless and so meek

To consider all as better than myself

Even if I’m perceived as weak

 

Oh to love like You love

To give up all for my foes

To love those who spit in my face

That to them Your grace might be bestowed

 

Oh to love like You love

To count my life as nothing to me

And bear my splintery cross

That others might truly see

 

Oh to love like You love

How I long for it to be

But I can’t, it is unattainable

Unless You live Your life through me

 

I’M NOT ASHAMED!

“I am not ashamed of the gospel…” (Romans 1:16).

There are a small minority of men in Christian history who have been able to honestly make such a bold proclamation. While many have memorized this verse, preached sermons on this verse, and claim this verse to be one of their favorites, there have been few, appallingly few, who have lived a life that showcases such a drastic lack of shame for Christ.

The people of God are in hostile territory in this fallen earth. This hell-bound world is in complete and utter opposition to the “gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4).The man hardened in his sin finds the Gospel to be ridiculousness and is prone to mock, scorn, and even kill such messengers of this so called Good News. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

No wonder there are so many “disciples” who are embarrassed of the Gospel. It’s honestly just a lot easier to be ashamed of Christ and live a comfortable, easy going, white-picket fence life free from the persecution and opposition of the world. But a true follower of Christ cannot, even in the slightest sense, be ashamed of the Gospel. If he is ashamed then he is nothing more than a “white-washed tomb” full of dead, putrid bones and is on a road ultimately bound for hell. Listen to the Son of God Himself, “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26). Oh, how many professing Christians will find the majestic Christ ashamed of them when He comes on that day. What a dreadful day that will be when the secrets of men are exposed and judged in the light of His holiness.

I believe there are three root causes of the embarrassment of the Gospel found among so many professing believers.

1) A hunger for the approval of men

Embedded deep within the nature of every man is a desire to be loved and accepted by his fellow men. Men are driven by this desire often without even realizing it. It is the reason driving their every action. Even the seeming non-conformists of this world have someone they are seeking to please. “The desire to please men is back of all social arts from the highest civilizations to the lowest levels upon which human life is found. No one can escape it” (A.W. Tozer).

The old, sinful, fleshly nature is ruled by this desire. But there is one way of escape, it is by the life of Christ within a man. This hunger for man’s approval can be mortified if a man simply deny himself, take up his cross, and follow after the One who was hated and rejected by all men. This is what the Christian life is. Christians throughout the ages have demonstrated such valiant lives by standing alone in complete opposition to men while having no fear of man because they were governed by an all-consuming fear of the living God, who could cast both body and soul into hell.

If a man is still seeking the approval of his fellow worldlings or fearing what they might think, then I strongly doubt he can be called a Christian. He is sure to be ashamed of the Gospel and to deny the Savior and ultimately be denied because of it.

2) A love of this world

Many confessing Christians are still ruled by “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). They are lovers of this world. These men, though knowing they cannot serve two masters, choose to serve the world but claim to serve Christ. They are addicted to abominable lusts and their hearts are far from God. In fact, James goes so far as to say that they are enemies of God. “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4-5).

The Word of God is clear that “if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). This is a dangerous place to be. And I fear there are many men and women masquerading as Christians who in actuality are unconverted, world-loving adulterers.

A lover of this world will be embarrassed of Christ for the simple reason that he has never embraced Christ and doesn’t want anything to do with Christ (though he might claim to love and follow Christ). He is engrossed with earthly toys and pleasures and if he claims to be religious, it is only because it eases his conscience.

But a true Christian will boldly and joyfully stand against the whole world for the sake of Christ and His precious Gospel. When on trial, the judges sought to frighten Athanasius by telling him that the whole world was against him. Athanasius confidently replied, “Then is Athanasius against the world!” That is the statement of a true, unashamed man of God.

3) A love of self

There is a version of “Christianity” (I like to call it Selfishanity or Christ-lessanity) in our modern day that claims that Christ came and gave His life so that we could have our “best life now” or so we could just enjoy life or for the purpose that we would be successful and comfortable on this earth. This is not only prevalent in the prosperity movement but it has also crept into much of the evangelical church, rather unnoticed. It is a movement that has sought to dethrone the King of kings and Lord of lords (as if He could be dethroned, He laughs at such absurdity—Psalm 2) and to place man upon the throne making life ultimately all about self.

It is hard to ignore the constant commands in Scripture to mortify the lusts of the flesh, to die to self, to deny self, and to be a slave to God. But many men quietly erase these passages from the perfect Word of God and by so doing show the dark, rebellious state of their soul.

There is nothing that will cause a man to be ashamed of the Gospel more than a love of self. In fact, this is the root cause of a man’s hunger for the approval of other men and his love of the world. It all comes back to self. The lover of self will cling to his mortal life and seek to preserve it at whatever cost. He knows nothing of Paul’s glorious statement: “To live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He will shrink back when persecution comes and will without a doubt reject Christ for the sake of his own well-being.

That all being said, it seems impossible for a true Christian to be ashamed of the Gospel. I don’t want to make a bold overarching statement or make this more black and white than it really is (I tend to think in very black and white terms) but if a man is embarrassed of the Gospel then I doubt he has truly ever encountered Christ or reckoned with the truth. For when a man has been transformed by this heavenly reality, he cannot help but speak of the things he has seen and heard (Acts 4:20).

We would do best to heed the words of Paul, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8). When John “Praying” Hyde, a missionary to India, formed the Punjab Prayer Union there were a list of five things that each member was committed to pray for each day. One reads “Pray that you may not be ashamed of Jesus.” This Prayer Union sparked a great revival during that time and if we are to have revival today we must pray this prayer as well and not just pray it but live such unabashed, uncompromising, Christ-exalting lives. For if we are ashamed of Christ and His Gospel, it is better that we cease to exist.

NOTE: I was hesitant to write this for a single purpose: hypocrisy. I am by no means the bold and courageous trumpeter of the Gospel that I need to be. I have not arrived. I have been meditating upon and praying over this verse all week and God has been exposing cracks and crevices in my life where there is shame of Him. And I have been taking it to the cross and mortifying it by the power of the Spirit and much prayer.  If I am to be a man of God then I MUST BE UNASHAMED of my God and His Gospel and I must be dead to self, the world, and the tyranny of public approval. So do not get the idea that I have this all perfectly lived out. But we all MUST come to a place, by God’s grace, where we are no longer embarrassed in the slightest sense of the Gospel. And I am being pressed into that place now. Praise God!

The Vigilance of a Man

In history past, ancient cities were protected by great walls which stretched around their entire perimeter. These walls were often massive and composed of brick and stone making them nearly impenetrable from enemy invasion. But the walls were not enough to keep foes from breaking through or climbing over. There was a need for watchmen. Night and day, cities would post watchmen on the walls and at the gates to ensure that not a single enemy troop broke in. For even the smallest of enemy invasions could be fatal to a city.

These watchmen were fighting men. They were soldiers. And they were governed by an inner-zeal to defend that which was entrusted to them, namely the city. When on duty, they were ceaselessly vigilant. There was no time for distractions or sleeping for there was a need to be constantly on watch. There was a job to be done and it was to watch and protect. And if an enemy faction was sighted charging toward the city, the watchman would piercingly blow the trumpet at his side and raise the alarm to assemble the troops.

Men of God are to be watchmen. They are to live in a constant vigilance, strongly protecting that which has been entrusted to them by the Lord. “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

The chief arena that a man is to be a watchman over is his own soul. Like Nehemiah, a man of God must rebuild the  broken-down walls around his soul, filling in every breach and gap through which the enemy can sneak in. He must leave no open door to the devil or to the lusts of the flesh to invade and ultimately conquer him. He must be fortified. But even having the strongest of fortification around the soul is not enough. There is a need to be ever watchful. There is a need for a man to be a watchman on the walls of his soul constantly. As the Apostle Peter said, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Once a man has learned how to defend and keep watch over his own heart, mind, and life then he can begin to  turn outwards to be a watchmen on the walls of those around him. A man of God is to be a watchman around the walls of his family. But he can only be so if He is already fortified and vigilant in his own soul. One must not even think about getting married and having a family if the walls around his soul are in ruins and the enemy is constantly ransacking his life. But when a man is spiritually strong and ready to have a family, it is his supreme duty and privileged to guard the walls of that family with his life. He is to, night and day, be prayerfully watching over his wife and children, allowing the enemy no place or foothold. And if there is a breach in the wall of his family, it is his job to quickly and properly rebuild it with brick in one hand and a sword in the other. A man is responsible to protect and keep his family and therefore his must be ever vigilant over them.

A man of God is to be a watchman over the walls of the Church. That is the essence of what an elder is. He is also to be a watchman over the weak and vulnerable, such as orphans and widows (James 1:27). He is to stand and be an advocate and protector of those who have no one to stand for them.

It is of extreme importance to note that apart from God this job cannot be accomplished. It is God who is the Ultimate Watchman. “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). If God is not watching over a man’s soul, family, and church then he does not stand a chance against the enemy. It is by the power and grace of God that one can fulfill his duty and truly protect and stand guard.

A man is to ever and always watch. This is his position in life. It is the man’s job to restlessly watch, protect, guard, and fight for the things and people which God has placed in his care. One may think this is too extreme. But it must be remembered that there is a great war waging and an enemy seeking to steal, kill, and destroy who will not cease until he is for all-time destroyed in that blistering, fiery lake.

As the great man of prayer, E.M. Bounds, said, “It cannot be stated to frequently that the life of a Christian is a warfare, an intense conflict, a lifelong contest. It is a battle, moreover, waged against invisible foes, who are ever alert, and ever seeking to entrap, deceive, and ruin the souls of men. The life to which Holy Scripture calls men is no picnic, or holiday junketing. It is no pastime, no pleasure jaunt. It entails effort, wrestling, struggling; it demands the putting forth of the full energy of the Spirit in order to frustrate the foe and to come off, at the last, more than conqueror. It is no primrose path, no rose-scented dalliance. From start to finish, it is war….When will Christians more thoroughly learn the twofold lesson, that they are called to a great warfare, and that in order to get the victory they must give themselves to nonsleeping watchfulness and unceasing prayer?”

Holy, Holy, Holy

“A true love of God must begin with a delight in His holiness, and not with a delight in any other attribute; for no other attribute is truly lovely without this” (Jonathan Edwards).

“His holiness is a fuller expression of Himself than anything else” (A.W. Pink).

Holy. It is a word every Christian is familiar with but a word that no mortal truly understand to its depths. It is a mysterious word. It is an awful word. It is a incomprehensible word. It is the summation of the character of our God. And if one is to truly understand and cherish all of God’s attributes, this is where he must begin: the holiness of God.

The prophet Isaiah had a vision of the Lord high and lifted up. He saw a great throne and the Great God seated upon it. He saw things to wonderful for words. There were seraphim above this throne and these majestic creatures were crying out one to another saying:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3).

What an astounding proclamation! Our God is not just holy. He’s not even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. He is the thrice holy One. This is the single occurrence in God’s Word where an attribute of God is raised to the third degree. This is what the hosts of heaven incessantly cry out. HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!

The word “holy” when referring to God communicates two things:

1) Transcendence. This means a separateness from the world. He is high above, not in physical distance but in character and being. He is absolutely other than all of creation. He surpasses everything. No mind can comprehend Him fully nor grasp the magnitude of His nature. He is beyond us.

2) Purity. This means to be unmixed and free from contaminants. God is pure in the purest sense. There is not a single spot or blemish in His Person. He reigns in moral excellency and is untainted by sin. He is light and in Him is not the slightest shadow or gloom. This is simply to say that God is God and there is nothing else within Him but Himself. He is of one, perfect, spotless Substance.

God is so far above us in nature and in purity that it is impossible to fully grasp the realities of His holiness. He alone is holy and our creature intellects and hearts cannot realize in full the majesty of His Being. But just because His holiness cannot be fully grasped does not mean that it cannot be known at all. The Scripture sheds much light on this Holy God. The great legends of yesteryear were men who were driven by an entranced vision of the holiness of God. And we need to be as well.

Unfortunately, unlike these great men of God, believers today have lost this awe-inspiring vision of God’s holiness. They no longer see Him as the thrice Holy One. They no longer tremble in the presence of the high and lofty One. They no longer feel the heart-breaking weight of their depravity in the light of His perfect purity and majestic transcendence.

It is time that we behold the holy, holy, holy One.  For until we have seen Him as He is, we cannot truly fear Him nor glorify Him. “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy” (Revelation 15:4). A vision of His holiness is what is needed to bring us to the dust in humble worship and adoration and praise. “Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!” (Psalm 99:5).

May we pursue Him and not stop until we are overtaken and enraptured by the All-Holy One!

The Fellowship of the Burning Heart

Last night I came across a very moving piece written by Richard C. Halverson called “The Fellowship of the Burning Heart.” In it were written four principles of Christian Discipleship.

I have been greatly burdened this day to see Christian Discipleship cultivated once again in the lives of those who claim to be followers of Christ. The hour is late and there is a need for men and women to rise up and intensely pursue Christ with all that is within them. The Church of America is full of slothful, selfish, worldly people who claim to be Christians but where, I ask, are the true disciples?

In the words of Halverson himself, “Having come to a personal belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and realizing that the urgency of the hour in which we live demands the highest type of Christian Discipleship, I wish to unite with a band of young people offering themselves as expendables, with a vision of evangelizing the youth of the world for Jesus Christ in the shortest possible time.”

After being inspired by Mr. Halverson, I prayerfully wrote the principles (found below) that I believe to mark true discipleship and I pledge myself to live by them. May you join me in the fellowship of the burning heart for the glory of Jesus Christ and the evangelization of the world.

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship is fueled by an utter and complete dependence upon Jesus Christ; that just as the branch can bear no fruit apart from the vine, so the disciple of Christ can do nothing and be nothing apart from abiding in Christ by the Spirit (John 15:1-5). Therefore, I pledge myself to daily seek, by the grace of God, to live in moment by moment dependence upon Christ, that Christ would be my very life (Colossians 3:4).

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship is cultivated in the secret place at the feet of Jesus. Therefore, I pledge myself to seeking Him for at least four hours each morning, two hours in intercessory prayer and two hours in study and meditation of His precious Word, before I see another man. This means that I will wake up no later than 3am and this time will be jealously guarded.

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship is governed by selfless, humble, and sacrificial love (Philippians 2:1-11). Therefore, I pledge myself to always take the lowest place, to consider others as more valuable than myself, to be a washer of feet in the everyday situations of life, and to seek the good fortune of those around me even at the cost of my own comfort and very life.

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship consumes absolutely every moment of the disciple’s time. Therefore, I pledge myself to give no time to trifling with sin, self, or the things of this world but will rather seek to glorify God in everything at every moment, even in my eating and drinking (1 Corinthians 10:31).

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship demands absolutely no complaining or whining (Philippians 2:14). Therefore, I pledge myself to never complain or grumble against God but to be content in all circumstances of life (Philippians 4:11-12) for I know that God sovereignly works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship is an endless frontier. Therefore, I pledge myself to never pitch my tent, to never grow content, to never give into to the devilish lie that I have arrived, but to continue day by day to press deeper into Christ and be conformed more and more into His image until the day I stand with Him in glory.

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship is driven by a zeal to see God get the glory due His name out of the sinful, perishing souls in this lost world. Therefore, I pledge myself to not fear man but to be a bold, courageous, and unashamed proclaimer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16) and to seek to make disciples in every place and situation in which I find myself (Matthew 28:19).

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship requires an absolute and complete surrender to Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1). Therefore, I pledge myself to completely give all that I am and all that I have to Jesus Christ for His Kingdom purposes and to live as a slave to God (Romans 6:22), ever remembering that I am not my own but have been bought with the precious blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

I AM COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE that Christian Discipleship means that just as Christ was hated, despised, and ultimately killed by this world so will His disciples be (John 15:18-25; 2 Timothy 3:12). Therefore, I pledge myself to live as crucified to the world and the world to me (Galatians 6:14), that though they might hate and even brutally take my life I will never recant nor reject my King but will gladly dance to the grave while singing praises to my Father for the awesome privilege of losing body and spilling blood for Him.

These are the principles in which I commit myself to live by as long as there is breath in my lungs. To God be the glory!

Wanted: Men of Prayer

I wrote this last year and ran across it today. This message burns more within my soul now than ever before. Come, Lord Jesus. Come.

“All great soul-winners have been men of much and mighty prayer, and all great revivals have been preceded and carried out by persevering, prevailing knee-work in the closet” (Samuel Brengle).

“There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer” (A.T. Pierson).

The church of America today is in desperate need of a mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God. We have never had so many churches and programs and books and yet we are more powerless and cold than ever. There is much preaching and singing and serving but God is seemingly absent.

Many read about the great revivals of past centuries and in quite unbelief dismiss the fact that God is wishing to do such a thing in this day and place. Not only do they disbelieve such a thing could break forth within the church today but they don’t want it to. They are comfortable in their ‘religion’ and fear that revival might bring about some kind of dangerous fanaticism.

There are still others who talk much and loudly about our need of revival in the church of Jesus Christ. And they are quite passionate and sincere about it. But they never get past talking about it. Unfortunately, talking about revival will not bring it. Neither will the fleshly effort of man open the floodgates of Heaven.

Travel back in time to every great revival that has ever fallen upon the church and you will see that every single one, without exception, was born out of mighty and travailing prayer.

Watch as a man named John Hyde hides away in a closet for weeks on end, unseen by the world, crying out to God for Him to break forth among the heathen of India. Feel this man’s agony as he carries the burden of his God for the lost and dares not eat or rest until God brings awakening among this Christ-less multitude. And watch as God pours forth His Spirit and brings a mighty revival in answer to this little man’s endless petitions.

Watch as John Wesley’s preaching causes thousands of men and women to fall on their faces, paralyzed by the Spirit. Walk the streets as pubs and whore-houses are shut down because of the mighty movement of God sweeping the land through this man. And then listen to his famous quote, “God does nothing except in response to believing prayer.”

Read about David Brainerd who was small, weak, and deathly sick in his physical body but was a giant in the prayer closet. Observe him as his frail 95-pound body falls on its knees in feet of snow in the dead of winter and prays from sunrise to sunset for the heathen Natives. Feel the passion and fervor of his prayer as the snow around him melts from the heat of his little, agonizing body. And watch as the Natives are transformed and turned into new creations in Christ.

The stories are endless, many are written in earthy books and many are too sacred and glorious to put into words. But throughout history, God has been moved and His power has been manifested in response to the unseen and unending petitions of little, unimpressive men.

Where are such men today? Where are the men with calloused knees and teary eyes? Enough of our revival-talk! Who is willing to give his life for such a thing? Who is willing to carry the burden of God for His adulterous bride (not the true Bride mind you) who is running hard after the world? Who is willing to carry the burden of God for the lost who are dancing their way to eternal hell-fire? This is life or death!

We believe that our programs and preaching will bring transforming revival and Satan laughs. Satan himself is not even foolish enough to believe such a thing. We spend most of our days doing things for God and let the cobwebs grow within our prayer closet. This is foolishness, utter foolishness.

We should be ashamed of our weak, selfish, and powerless prayer lives and our lack of care for the things of God. We are helpless and hopeless until we learn to stand and fight with our God in persistent, intercessory prayer.

God is looking throughout the earth for men to recruit into His school of prayer, where true men are made. So few enter this school and next to none graduate. But we must enroll and give our lives for such a cause for the glory of our King. We must wipe the cobwebs from our prayer closets and plead with the Spirit of the Living God to make us such men.

If we will not do this, then we might as well dig our own grave and lay down in it until our dying day for all our fleshly efforts and work for God will be a shameful waste.

A Dark Night of the Soul

I will be getting back to my regular blogging shortly. I am eager to continue pressing into my studies on the attributes of God and biblical manhood but this past week has been a very great battle spiritually and I have not had it within me to blog on these things. I am currently walking through a “dark night of the soul” as the saints of old would call it. It is a very dark time but I believe it to be ordained by God and know that He is using it for good for “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

It seems that God has abandoned. It seems that He has turned a deaf ear to my ceaseless cries. It seems that He does not care. It seems that His light has been overcome by the darkness.

But none of these things are true, it only seems to be so. God is testing me faith and as Elisabeth Elliot said, “Faith’s most serve tests aren’t when we see nothing but when we see a stunning array of evidence that seems to prove our faith vain.” All around there is a stunning array of evidence the SEEMS to prove my faith vain but my God has promised these things and I believe Him and I refuse to let Him go until He comes and performs that which He promised. So here I am in the darkness of the night wrestling with my God and crying out with Jacob, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26). With gritted teeth and white knuckled resolve I will wrestle until the breaking of day.

“You must pray with your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel, with eyes wide open, while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God. It means that grappling with Omnipotence, that clinging to Him, following Him about, so to speak, day and night, as the widow did to the unjust judge, with agonizing pleadings and arguments and entreaties, until answer comes and the end is gained. This kind of prayer be sure the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame. They will ply you with suggestions and difficulties. They will ask you how you can expect that the plans and purposes and feelings of God can be altered by your prayers. They will talk about impossibilities and predict failures; but, if you mean to succeed, you must shut your ears and eyes to all but what God has said, and hold Him to His own Word: and you cannot do this in any sleepy mood; you cannot be a prevailing Israel unless you wrestle as Jacob wrestled, regardless of time and aught else, save obtaining the blessing sought – that is, you must pray with your might” (William Booth).

Thou Art All I Want

I was greatly looking forward to slipping into bed last night but despite being rather worn out, I could not sleep. I grabbed a book and planned to read until my eyes grew heavy with exhaust. But God had other plans.

As I sat casually reading, I stumbled across a statement that shook me to the core of my being. God stopped me dead in my tracks and I could go no further. It was a short and powerfully potent little pronouncement by Charles Wesley.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

The declaration of this God-sourced man continued to press upon my heart and mind.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

I knew that such a statement was to be the anthem of every man and woman of God that ever walked this earth.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

I knew that in history past such a singleness of desire had been the driving force of every great man of prayer and intercession.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

I knew that there had never been a revival, personally or corporately, that was not birthed out of such a all-consuming yearning.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

Yet, I was having trouble boldly proclaiming such a statement myself. It was disturbing. The Spirit of God was shining the light of His holiness upon my heart and searching me. He was revealing all of my deep and hidden desires that were not of Him nor for Him. He was exposing selfish longings that I did not even know existed within my soul. He was showing me that a singleness of desire for Him was not the anthem, driving force, or all consuming passion of my life. And while I highly esteemed such a statement as Wesley’s, I could not in all honesty say it for myself.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

I was reminded of the Apostle Peter. Toward the later years of his life, he was rarely found with dry eyes. He would often cry when he heard a rooster crow (remembering his denial of Christ). But many days he was found weeping for what seemed to be no reason at all. One day, a young Christian, questioned him about this.

“Peter, why do you so often weep?” he cautiously inquired.

Peter turned to the young man, and with eyes burning with an intense yearning, he replied softly, “Desiderio Domini.”

That is Latin for “I dearly long to be with my Lord.”

Peter  wept and wept and wept out of a deep, all-consuming desire to be with his King. He could truly say, “Thou, O Christ, art all I want.” He was free from the desires of the flesh and the world. He yearned for one thing, and one thing alone. Christ. And his desire was so great that it drove him to uncontrollable weeping constantly.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

Please forgive my constant repetition, but I just can’t get over the amazing nature of such a proclamation.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

In all truthfulness, from the innermost-being of your heart, can you say it, friend?

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

Is such a desire what drives you every moment of every day?

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

Is this the ceaseless anthem of your existence?

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

Oh, to be able to shout such a proclamation to the heavenlies! Oh, to in the deepest depths of my heart be able to say that Christ, the spotless Priest and King, is ALL, absolutely ALL, that I want! Oh, that to live would be Christ and to die would be gain! Oh, to, by the Spirit of God, mortify all the fleshly desires still deeply implanted within my heart! To no longer desire the applause and approval of men; to no longer desire comfort and ease in Zion; to no longer desire worldly pleasures and fame; to no longer desire anything of self or this sin-ridden world! Oh, to desire NOTHING but Christ, and Him crucified!

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want.”

This must be the single, all-consuming desire of my life. This must be the single, all-consuming desire of every Christian. Desiderio Domini.

A Prayer in the Night

The night grows ever darker and it’s hard to see the way

The serpent whispers in my ear and questions Your delay

He says You are not coming, that You never intended to

I know he is a liar and yet I’m so confused

 

I’m trying to recall the joyful presence of Your light

As death surrounds me in the pitch-black of the night

I’m hounded by the gloom of despondence and despair

They’re my traveling companions and quite an ugly pair

 

Oh God, did you forget your child or turn a deaf ear?

Is there blood on my hands causing You not to hear?

Were Your great and precious promises not intended for me?

Or is there more to this night than my eyes can now see?

 

Please forgive my questioning, I ask not in pride

I just can’t go on another day while pushing them aside

I sense You have abandoned me, but You said You’d never leave

I want to trust, I do, but please help my unbelief

 

Cause You promised these things in Your most holy Word

And I believe what You said though my prayers seem unheard

For You cannot lie, You are Faithful and True

So I stand on the Rock knowing You will come through

 

Though the winds and the waves and the darkness abound

I will trust in Your promise for Your fame and renown

For You said You will come, and You will not delay

That the light will break forth and reveal the day

 

So I wait, yes I wait, and I cling to Your throne

And continue to make my humble pleas before You known

For You said I’d find grace to carry me through this storm

And I can’t go without it, I can do nothing on my own

 

Now I look toward the day when Your white light breaks through

And You restore what is broken and raise it anew

For You will surely come and the darkness will flee

The night stands no chance for You have wrought the victory

 

So I sing the victors song though my eyes see none but defeat

For the good work You’ve begun You will, without a doubt, complete

And I praise you, precious Jesus, for all Your ways are righteous

I pledge myself to not back down until overcome by Your brightness