Why does it always sound so hypocritical when Evangelicals bash Gays and so worldly when the other side embraces them? Could it be that they are both wrong!

In LGBT congregations the wrongness of the position is so apparent; they openly allow and advertise their sin. On the other hand, in the “Gay bashing” congregations, exposure by members mean repentance or censure.

The sin of homosexuality is sinful, simply and for no other reason, than the Bible says so. But, the reality is that there are homosexuals on both sides, but dealt with in different ways. The difference being that one side keeps their Gays in the closet, making this group appear more pure. And the other side, by openly flaunting their sin, wears this—forthrightness–as a cloak of honesty and righteousness.

The Evangelical’s unwritten rule of “don’t ask, don’t tell” has been a governing factor for many, many, years, and is nowhere questioned. Their assumed theory in this reasoning is, “what we don’t know can’t hurt us.” The business side of doing church has much to do with this approach. Organizational Christianity has no way of filtering out sin, because of its structure. When the “OPEN FOR BUSINESS” sign in hung out, any and all comers are welcome, and nobody really knows who they are sitting next to. If someone dares to speak out they are either directed to the church down the street or asked to straighten-up; but the preferred unspoken rule is to keep your activities to yourself. And, if homosexual sin is discovered, it is usually by accident, and not because of any real intimate family type relationship with the congregation, or a conviction of sin on the part of the sinner. The business managers, i.e. clergy, are isolated from their members and think that it is necessary only to preach to the crowd, and hopefully put a few under conviction, and not to get personally involved in the lives of the laity, except on a have-to basis.

On the other hand, the LGBT congregations come across as holier-than-thou because they are proud and parade their honesty and impartiality as a sign of Biblical righteousness. And, if they should be part of a peaceful protest, or confront their opposition with 1 Corinthians 13:1-4, spewing words of love and tolerance, then they win the acclaim of the world, being perceived as the more holy of the two. Is openness to depravity really the answer to modern Evangelicalism’s stalwart stance to old line legalism?

Modern brick-and-mortar Christianity, whether Left or Right, operating on modern business and marketing principles, is not what Jesus foresaw, and is at best, a dysfunctional family affair. This is not the Biblical model and cannot be found in Scriptures, anywhere. But, as in times past, from the very beginning of the Church, there are those who have discerned the problems on both sides of the aisle, and have chosen to separate themselves from both moderates and liberals.

Today many are finding true Ecclesia in small intimate gatherings of faithful believers; no advertising, no CEO’s, no 501c3 Government shackles, no programs; only trust in the promises of Jesus to do what He said He would do.

Can you believe in a hundred mothers, brothers, and sisters? Can you envision a living body, all contributing their gifts for the benefit of all the others, to the glory of God? all sharing their resources; all building on the strength of the others and the Holy Spirit, sharing in the development of the whole, dealing with sin at a family level, moving the whole body toward perfection. If you can then you are envisioning the Church as Jesus envisioned it; nothing fancy, no expensive buildings; just simple, humble, service to each other, to those looking for a way out of the deep dark woods; this is service to the Lord.

The Church as Jesus envisioned it is so far removed from what we see up and down Main Street that it seems impossible to achieve, but it is the only Church that exists. The Church of Jesus is not run by accountants, it is run by miracles, and only God can achieve it.

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Psalm 127:1

What the common Protestant Christian and citizen of the United States is ignorant of, was a well known fact with many, during the nineteenth century.

What was it that they, the common Christian, were ignorant of? Namely, the invasion of despotic Papal influence into the hard won civil liberties, which make up the foundation of this Nation.

I do not say “Christian liberties” because those liberties are the result of being born again and having the Spirit of God dwelling inside of us. But, it is this Christian liberty, the liberation of the soul from the bondage of the law, the liberty of conscience, that is rooted in Biblical Christianity, freeing us from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are, in any way, contrary to His Word, which is the cornerstone of true civil liberty. Today there is nary a word heard of this so dire an enemy. The awful result of not responding to this foe has been the nearly complete victory of, and even joining with, the Catholics in all their Pagan and heretical  beliefs.

Truth, and Protestant Christianity, the bloody and hard-fought prize of the Reformation, is diametrically opposed to that from which it has been freed:  mental and spiritual darkness, and the Roman Catholic Church. But, why the bloody protest? and why the present frightful silence? Is that, which was so hardily fought against, now our bosom buddy?

Are the words below, of Charles Spurgeon, still as true today as they were in January 1873?

—the superstition of Rome is the worst of all the evils which have befallen our race; may the Lord arise, and sweep it down to the hell from whence it arose.

Essence of lies, and quintessence of blasphemy, as the religion of Rome is, it nevertheless fascinates a certain order of Protestants, of whom we fear it may be truly said that "they have received a strong delusion to believe a lie, that they may be damned." Seeing that it is so, it becomes all who would preserve their fellow-immortals from destruction to be plain and earnest in their warnings. Not in a party-spirit, but for truth's sake, our Protestantism must protest perpetually. Dignitaries of the papal confederacy are just now very prominent in benevolent movements, and we may be sure that they have ends to serve other than those which strike the public eye. A priest lives only for his church; he may profess to have other objects, but this is a mere blind. Our ancient enemies have small belief in our common sense if they imagine that we shall ever be able to trust them, after having so often beheld the depths of Jesuitical cunning and duplicity. The sooner we let certain Archbishops and Cardinals know that we are aware of their designs, and will in nothing co-operate with them, the better for us and our country. Of course, we shall be howled at as bigots, but we can afford to smile at that cry, when it comes from the church which invented the Inquisition. "No peace with Rome" is the motto of reason as well as of religion.

We must have no truce, no treaty with Rome. War! War to the knife with her! Peace there cannot be.
C. H. S.

The unqualified answer is YES! his words still ring true today!  As the sun reaches its apogee and moves again to perigee, and the waves with regularity push up toward the sky, then back into the darkness, so the history of man upon the earth vacillates between hot and cold, light and darkness. The words of Spurgeon stands to warn us that even now we are moving back again into the darkness of embracing the anti-Biblical and paganistic ideas of Rome. 

Where can we expect the compromised, corrupted, Protestant leaders of 21 century Churches to lead us? Naturally, it would be backwards into falsehood, darkness, and delusion. The Bible warns us about how sensual the inclinations of the flesh are, and that at every opportunity it would attempt to lead us into fleshly worship experiences, through minute mixtures of paganism, with truth.

It is common and profitable for Pastors and authors to capitalize on this human weakness to pamper the flesh. True Christianity can be quite boring for the nominal believer compared to the flamboyance of pagan rituals that excite the flesh. The Christianity of Christ and the Apostles was of a simple nature, and a simple life, exemplified by the simplicity and pureness of worship and lifestyle, and not a flesh tingling experience. We should not be surprised, although we always are when we finally come into the light of truth, to find that there is, today, a near universal appeal to the flesh, through the senses, to grow Churches. The whole Catholic religion is based on the sensual, the experiential, the flesh, and consequently, the paganistic, to lure those, conditioned from birth, to un-conscientiously accept her teaching as the “gospel truth.”  These outward appeals , fashioning themselves to be “holy,” are the devises used to forge a strictly material organization called “church.” 

Is it any wonder that the now post-protestant church, being experientially based, finds little conflict with Catholicism, and seeks to capitalize on her proven methods of capturing souls for Jesus, and enslaving them to experiential forms of worship, rather than the freedom of simplicity? This is not conjecture, it is a fact!

A very well known, post-protestant author and professor (now deceased), Robert E. Webber writing to, “The Younger Evangelicals,” concerning, “facing the challenges of the new world” directs the young and naïve, who know nothing of their Protestant heritage, but know everything about the flesh, backwards into what he terms “ancient-future faith,” which is nothing but rehashed Catholicism and paganism, and does this without any kind of warning as to its origin. He does not advise these youngsters to investigate this mystical form of worship which generated the Inquisition and consequential death of 60,000,000 Christians for no other reason than they wanted to read the Bible, and understand it, as it is written. He does not highlight the fact that the so-called leaders were some of the most personally corrupt individuals to walk the planet. He does not remind us that the belief system of these ancient desert fathers rarely agreed with the Bible. These “fathers” interposed their own mystical gleanings over and above the Bible itself, and claimed their inspiration as valid; although it, in almost every case, conflicted with the words of Scripture. He, like the Catholic priest, minimizes Scripture and promotes experience to validate truth. Has the Catholic Church chosen to adopt the American way of freedom and partake of Reformation truth? No she has not reformed.

To give an example of where the post-protestant churches today are headed I will but reference the last commercial church I attended; Eagle Church (Christian and Missionary Alliance) in Whitestown, Indiana. While attending there it was not unusual to hear Eric Simpson, the assistant pastor, praise the Catholic Church. He would even take sabbaticals to monasteries. Eric has no respect for the multiplied millions who died to secure for him a pulpit to preach his duplicity. Eric is a closet Catholic duping the ignorant and leading souls back into darkness, where no salvation exist. Here is the web page where Eric promotes his love of Romanism.

Eagle Church is nowhere close to being the only example. If you would look closely at most “evangelical” Churches you will likely find the earmarks of the infiltration of paganistic Rome, either through spiritual formation, contemplative prayer,  the use of images, incense, lighting and sound effects, burning of candles, sacred spaces, sacred traditions, and many other things built upon multi-sensory, ancient-future, and vintage forms of worship, gleaned from the Roman Catholic Church.

The Church of Rome and the post-protestant evangelical church are kindred spirits, both promising the same thing, but by slightly different paths of experiences. What was once wrong and highly protested, not only by the faithful Church but also our founding fathers, is still wrong today. All of our preachers have become mute, who only speak sweetness, and are failing in their true calling to not only proclaim the Good News, but to warn the flock of the damning infiltration of Rome.

Not many today will even claim the name of “Protestant” to promote their Church; although most will still use denominational titles, identifying them with a particular sect.  Recently there is a move to hide behind the more docile, ecumenical, and generic titles of “community church” or “cultural center,” so as to blend with the world. There is a stigma attached to the word “protestant” that has been associated with bigotry and intolerance, and instills fear in the un-grounded and nominal believer. The word protestant Christian should be a badge of honor, that shows that a person stands against all falsehood, regardless of its origin, but especially against the spreading scourge of Romanism.

In 1835, in his Foreign Conspiracy Against the Liberties of the United States, Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph wrote: “Surely American Protestants, freemen, have discernment enough to discover beneath them the cloven foot of this subtle foreign heresy. They will see that Popery is now, what it has ever been, a system of the darkest political intrigue and despotism, cloaking itself to avoid attack under the sacred name of religion. They will be deeply impressed with the truth, that Popery is a political as well as a religious system; that in this respect it differs totally from all other sects, from all other forms of religion in the country.”

Following is the link to the book, “Foreign Conspiracy Against the Liberties of the United State”. Please take the time to read it, I guarantee it will be an eye opening education; download the complete book here .

For more reading:

• 50 Years in the Church of Rome by Charles Chiniquy
• People’s Padre by Emmett McLoughlin
• A Woman Rides the Beast by Dave Hunt
• Ecclesiastical Megalomania
• The Torch of the Testimony by John W. Kennedy
• The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
• Roman Catholicism by Loraine Boettner
• History of the Christian Church by Phillip Schaff

I am not a doctor, philosopher, or psychologist, but I have discovered a few things about honesty that I would like to share with you.

Honesty, as a Christian spiritual virtue is nearly non-existent today. Hear me out and I think you will agree.

Honesty has several different facets. When we generally think of honesty we mostly consider it to be an outward act toward other people, whose opposite is displayed in acts of lying, cheating, or stealing. This aspect of honesty, although severely played down through the re-defining of modern morals and ethics, is not what I’m addressing.

Another facet of honesty is the inward element, which I will not address either. It is the mental judgment of the one we see reflected in our mirror. This type of illusionistic honesty is better known as self-deception, or psychological dis-honesty, played out in things like disavowal or aggrandizement.

There is another area where honesty is of utmost importance, and more vital and foundational than the outward or inward types mentioned above. As a matter of spiritual fact, the two named above cannot be understood correctly unless foundational honesty, i.e. spiritual honesty, is practiced.

Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part you shall make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6

For most of my Christian life I was a dishonest follower of Jesus, which just means that I was not following Jesus at all, only in my mind. After praying, maybe one of the few honest prayers of my life, the Lord answered me. I honestly wanted to follow Jesus, but I didn’t know how, and the answer to my prayer was an unfolding of events in my life, which demanded “honesty” in the inward parts. I was honest in my business dealings, and with my employees, and with the IRS, and with the man-in-the-mirror, but something was wrong. It was around this time that I discovered my dishonesty, how, spiritually, I had allowed deception and dishonesty to govern my life. I had failed to honor God by believing His words; I was a un-believer. The only way for me to discover this dishonesty was through the stern intervention of Father with an adult dose of truth.

The initial lesson in “spiritual honesty” came to me in two, what now seems as obvious, revelations: a giving of sight, and a hearing of the Word.

The first to get my attention was something I already had a surface awareness of and that I had witnessed in the Church, but I did not really “see” it as a manifest display from Almighty God. What I became acutely aware of was that the Church looked and acted like the world. The statistics were all there: divorce, abortion, pornography, drug and alcohol abuse, and perversions of all kinds. The Church was in denial, and I was in denial. I enjoyed my vices, and rested secure in the illusion that I was going to Heaven. I was headed for a crisis of Divine magnitude. The impact of seeing my Christian life against the backdrop of those statistics made me physically ill. Would I continue to live in denial, which demanded that I do nothing, or be honest, which demanded that I die? I choose death. I would learn what that decision meant; the Lord would pick the time and the place, and the sacrifice would be required. That decision was now in God’s hands.

The stench of those statistics began to rise up and gag me. I could not look in the mirror, or at the Church, without seeing an embarrassing hypocrisy: its ministers as agents of compromise, and myself as a very lost soul, in an impossible situation.                                

The second revelation came as I was listening to an associate pastor give his take on 2 Timothy 3:12 “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” I had never heard this passage before. I don’t mean that I had never read it before, I had read it many times, but I had never “heard” it before that night. It wasn’t anything the pastor said, he was just reading the words, it was something the Spirit said, and it was loud, and it was clear. What the Spirit said was that I was not living a godly life. How did I know, because I was not being persecuted, that simple. These two things I have come to learn are inseparable. This is the message of Jesus, and the Apostles, and is illustrated in the lives of all those who dared to live godly, Genesis to Revelation. The bottom line is that, if you preach the truth, that truth is going to land you in a position that is opposite to that of the world, and if that truth gets you opposition from the pulpit, then it is indicative of just how far the world has advanced, it really is that simple.

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

Luke 6:26

If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. John 15:18

These two seemingly simple tests of the Lord, regarding “honesty,” presented to the Church, have come back with failing grades. There is a lack of truth and honesty in the New Age Commercial Church of the twenty-first century. They do not see that the Church, as an institution, has failed, and this is plain dishonesty, because the failure is too obvious. They fail to recognize the simple truths of Scripture as to the primary personality trait of those who truly desire to live godly lives, and again the failure is obvious.

So, I ask you again, “are today’s Christians honest,” are you honest?

 “So justice is driven back,

and righteousness stands at a distance;

truth has stumbled in the streets,

honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found,

and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.”

Isa 59:14-15

1. Christians on both side of the aisle debate the goodness of a God who would permit the kind of death and suffering we see in the aftermath of Japan’s 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown.  

2.  

3. All over the world the main topic of discussion is the Japan tragedy, and now we learn that the worst is yet to come. Both Christian and non-Christian people are confused. People can’t understand how a “good” God could allow thousands upon thousands of innocent people to be killed. It is not necessary to present another theological or philosophical debate to explain what, and why, these things happen, or to try and justify God; John Piper has done that; and Brian McLaren’s philanthropic love has cornered the market on empathy. With those bases covered the question of “why?” still remains, and will not go away. After the prayers are over, and the aid exhausted, the mothers, fathers, and children, who have lost so much, return to their homes, and keep asking, “Why?”

   Christians don’t have to have all the answers, but answers help, especially now; and you can do no better than opening up the Bible.

   How do we balance the mercy and love of God, with His justice? I say “we” because God doesn’t do a balancing act, nor does He juggle His emotions, trying to keep some kind of equilibrium between good and evil. God is God, even when we don’t understand Him. God is perfect, and man confused; it is man that walks the tight rope wanting to know “why?” It is “we” who are out of balance and stumble, proposing our question in hopelessness, when the answer is right there, in the Book. God has spoken!

   God has anticipated the question and has included the answer, in His book of answers, the Bible. We will look in vain going anywhere else.

   Luke. 13:1-9 says everything that needs to be said for those who want the truth.

   “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were guiltier than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’” 

   Then he told this parable:

   “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” 

   It was generally accepted by the Jews of that time, and many today, that if something bad happens to a person it is because of sin in their life. In other words if a building falls on you, you must have been very bad. Jesus’ simple answer was, no, that isn’t true. “But, unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” So, Jesus’ answer to the Japan disaster is, no, God did not cause this disaster, but He did allow it, and “unless you repent you will likewise perish.” The parable that follows, which most people overlook when considering the above passage, sheds some light on the matter. What some will see here is a mean natured God; others will see a God of mercy.

   By looking closely we discover that the wrong question is being asked. They, and we, ask “why did God do this or allow this to happen?” By understanding the parable and what Jesus is trying to teach us we understand that the question should be, Why does a perfectly “just” God tolerate anyone to live, why doesn’t He destroy all mankind, not just allow a few to die in accidents? The answer is “MERCY.”

   In the parable God is the owner of the tree and Jesus is the gardener, who asks for mercy on the tree, for a period of time, to try and make the tree fruitful. God is a merciful God who has waited and waited and waited, but His justice cannot wait forever; justice must prevail.

   It is precisely because of accidents that the preaching of the Gospel is so important. How long will God’s mercy be put off, the Bible says, “Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled,” Heb. 3:15? And, this is precisely why the message of Brian McLaren and Rob Bell, and the whole camp of the neo-liberal “Emergents” is a death sentence for anyone caught in their web of deceit. They destroy the justice of God and leave the question of “why” unanswered, and hide poor sinners from the mercy of a Father who will wait, till He can wait no longer.

   Come home, poor sinner;
   Why longer roam,
   Thy Savior’s calling,
   “Come home, come home!”

   He died to save you
   On Calvary;
   Behold what suff’ring!
   ’Twas all for thee.

   Oh, come to Jesus,
   Do not delay;
   Come, and He’ll save you;
   Come while you may.

   Oh, come to Jesus;
   He’s waiting still
   With His salvation,
   Thy soul to fill.

   Oh, come to Jesus;
   How can you stay,
   He’s pleading, pleading;
   Come, come today.

    

In a time, not so long ago, a man of character would be referred to as a man of his word. It might be said of him, “His word is his bond”.

This was the era, now gone, when it was a compliment to call some one God-fearing. 

Now is the era of the likeable lie, the pragmatic deception, the convincing con.

In previous days to call someone a liar was the ultimate insult.

But today men have no fear to call even God a liar.

Even some preachers with straight face and pious demeanour will declare to our face, God is either wrong or deceptive.

The surprising  reaction of many who claim to be followers of the God of all truth is to applaude the words of God’s accusers.

But Yahweh says what He means and means what He says and despite the bleatings of some it is not mean of Him to do so.

God’s word is His bond.

Some of the lodgers in God’s house are so ignorant of the covenant promises of the covenant keeping God they don’t recognise the lies of those who call God a liar. They are easy prey for praying predators. When the members of God’s household utter a word of warning they are slandered libelled and called that worse of epithets; “divisive” Well as a watchman from another time said. “Tis better to be divided by truth than united with error” (Martin Luther).

What a tragedy when Churchians in their thousands buy (and buy into) the lies of a temporal ”Shack” rather than be comforted in the promises of an eternal mansion.

How heartbreaking it is when goats desire to be Purpose Driven rather than be Spirit led with the flock of His pasture.

How frustrating that so many are interested in promoting a New Kind of Christianity, when they haven’t yet tried the ancient paths paved by the Ancient of Days.

God’s word is His bond.

The Father of lies has always  questioned, queried and thrown doubt on God’s holy words and the devils children will follow in their father’s footsteps, even to their own destruction. And some of the deceived will have their eyes opened only on the day of reckoning but will then be too late and they will receive no apology from  satan. Their willfull ignorance of God’s word and their gleeful acceptance of the devil’s lies spell their doom. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

For men to think they can improve on Holy Writ or edit it to make it more user friendly has made them an enemy of God. Those who seek to dim the holy flame of the gospel will discover God is a consuming fire.

Some in Christendom will say “I have no knowledge of this God of whom you speak. My God is nice and after all Love Wins” Well you are right. You have no knowledge of the God of whom I speak. The God of the Bible, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the God of prophets apostles and martyrs is not nice;

He is breathtakingly holy.

mind numbingly majestic.

A glimpse of His glory sends strong men to bury their face in the dust.

A whisper from His mouth shakes the foundations of the heavens.

A click of His fingers dispatches innumerable angels who speed forth crying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.

This Holy One of Israel must hide His face from even His friends, for to look on His unrestrained glory means instant death and yet His worshippers can look to Immanuel and see the fullness of His glory sheathed in holy flesh.

“Yes”, some argue, “This is my God. Gentle Jesus meek and mild.

Meek like a lion maybe.

The gentleness of controlled omnipotence.

And this Saviour offering salvation to those who say they have no need of it.

This triune God who speaks worlds into existence, brought forth life from nothing and has the power to redeem repentent rebels is a God of His word.

Men may well give voice to the vain imaginations of their hearts but those idols will fall on the threshold of His temple. Humanity may vote on whether to submit but one day every knee will bow; some in joyfull worship and others in a belated and doomed submission.

Too late they have discovered that the Living God does not waver, will not change His mind and can not be manipulated.

Until the day the King returns on the clouds of glory, there will be those who write their books of blasphemy, sing their songs of sedition and preach their myths of mockery, yet the Lord will always have a remnant. In every age and time it has been so. The ones who take God at His word knowing His word is His bond.

Thus says Yahweh

“Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool. Where is the house you will build for Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made and all those things exist”, says Yahweh. “But on this one will I look. On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word“.

Isaiah 66:1-2

THE HARNESS OF THE LORD

by Bill Britton

I SAW THE KING'S CARRIAGE

On a dirt road in the middle of a wide field stood a beautiful carriage, something on the order of a stagecoach but all edged in gold and with beautiful carvings. It was pulled by six large chestnut horses: two in the lead, two in the middle and two in the rear. But they were not moving, they were not pulling the carriage, and I wondered why. Then I saw the driver underneath the carriage on the ground on his back just behind the last two horses' heels working on something between the front wheels on the carriage. I thought, "My, he is in a dangerous place; for if one of those horses kicked or stepped back, they could kill him, or if they decided to go forward, or got frightened somehow, they would pull the carriage right over him." But he didn't seem afraid for he knew that those horses were disciplined and would not move till he told them to move. The horses were not stamping their feet nor acting restless, and though there were bells on their feet, the bells were not tinkling. There were pom-poms on their harness over their heads but the pom-poms were not moving. They were simply standing still and quiet waiting for the voice of the Master.

THERE WERE TWO YOUNG COLTS IN THE FIELD

As I watched the harnessed horses I noticed two young colts coming out of the open field and they approached the carriage and seemed to say to the horses: "Come and play with us, we have many fine games, we will race with you, come catch us." And with that the colts kicked up their heels flicked their tails and raced across the open field. But when they looked back and saw the horses were not following they were puzzled. They knew nothing of the harnesses and could not understand why the horses did not want to play. So they called to them: "Why do you not race with us? Are you tired? Are you too weak? Do you not have strength to run? You are much too solemn, you need more joy in life." But the horses answered not a word nor did they stamp their feet or toss their heads. But they stood, quiet and still, waiting for the voice of the Master.

Again the colts called to them: "Why do you stand so in the hot sun? Come over here in the shade of this nice tree. See how green the grass is? You must be hungry, come and feed with us, it is so green and so good. You look thirsty, come drink of one of our many streams of cool clear water." But the horses answered them not so much as a glance but stood still waiting for the command to go forward with the King.

COLTS IN THE MASTER'S CORRAL

And then the scene changed and I saw lariat nooses fall around the necks of the two colts and they were led off to the Master's corral for training and discipline. How sad they were as the lovely green fields disappeared and they were put into the confinement of the corral with its brown dirt and high fence. The colts ran from fence to fence seeking freedom but found that they were confined to this place of training. And then the Trainer began to work on them with His whip and His bridle. What a death for those who had been all their lives accustomed to such a freedom! They could not understand the reason for this torture, this terrible discipline. What crime had they done to deserve this? Little did they know of the responsibility that was to be theirs when they had submitted to the discipline, learned to perfectly obey the Master and finished their training. All they knew was that this processing was the most horrible thing they had ever known.

SUBMISSION AND REBELLION

One of the colts rebelled under the training and said, "This is not for me. I like my freedom, my green hills, my flowing streams of fresh water. I will not take any more of this confinement, this terrible training." So he found a way out jumped the fence and ran happily back to the meadows of grass. I was astonished that the Master let him go and went not after him. But He devoted His attention to the remaining colt. This colt though he had the same opportunity to escape decided to submit his own will and learn the ways of the Master. The training got harder than ever but he was rapidly learning more and more how to obey the slightest wish of the Master and to respond to even the quietness of His voice. And I saw that had there been no training, no testing, there would have been neither submission nor rebellion from either of the colts. For in the field they did not have the choice to rebel or submit, they were sinless in their innocence. But when brought to the place of testing and training and discipline, then was made manifest the obedience of one and the rebellion of the other. And though it seemed safer not to come to the place of discipline because of the risk of being found rebellious, yet I saw that without this there could be no sharing of His glory, no Sonship.

INTO THE HARNESS

Finally this period of training was over. Was he now rewarded with his freedom and sent back to the fields? Oh no. But a greater confinement than ever now took place as a harness dropped about his shoulders. Now he found there was not even the freedom to run about the small corral for in the harness he could only move where and when his Master spoke. And unless the Master spoke he stood still.

The scene changed and I saw the other colt standing on the side of a hill nibbling at some grass. Then across the fields, down the road came the King's carriage drawn by six horses. With amazement he saw that in the lead, on the right side, was his brother colt now made strong and mature on the good corn in the Master's stable. He saw the lovely pom-poms shaking in the wind, noticed the glittering gold bordered harness about his brother, heard the beautiful tinkling of the bells on his feet — and envy came into his heart. Thus he complained to himself: "Why has my brother been so honored, and I am neglected? They have not put bells on MY feet nor pom-poms on MY head. The Master has not given ME the wonderful responsibility of pulling His carriage, has not put about ME the gold harness. Why have they chosen my brother instead of me?" And by the Spirit the answer came back to me as I watched: "Because one submitted to the will and discipline of the Master and one rebelled, thus has one been chosen and the other set aside."

A FAMINE IN THE LAND

Then I saw a great drought sweep across the countryside and the green grass became dead, dry, brown and brittle. The little streams of water dried up, stopped flowing, and there was only a small muddy puddle here and there. I saw the little colt (I was amazed that it never seemed to grow or mature) as he ran here and there across the fields looking for fresh streams and green pastures finding none. Still he ran, seemingly in circles, always looking for something to feed his famished spirit. But there was a famine in the land and the rich green pastures and flowing streams of yesterday were not to be had. And one day the colt stood on the hillside on weak and wobbly legs wondering where to go next to find food and how to get strength to go. It seemed like there was no use, for good food and flowing streams were a thing of the past and all the efforts to find more only taxed his waning strength. Suddenly he saw the King's carriage coming down the road pulled by six great horses. And he saw his brother, fat and strong, muscles rippling, sleek and beautiful with much grooming. His heart was amazed and perplexed, and he cried out: "My brother where do you find the food to keep you strong and fat in these days of famine? I have run everywhere in my freedom, searching for food, and I find none. Where do you in your awful confinement find food in this time of drought? Tell me, please, for I must know!" And then the answer came back from a voice filled with victory and praise: "In my Master's House there is a secret place in the confining limitations of His stables where He feeds me by His own hand and His granaries never run empty and His well never runs dry." And with this the Lord made me to know that in the day when people are weak and famished in their spirits in the time of spiritual famine that those who have lost their own wills and have come into the secret place of the most High into the utter confinement of His perfect will shall have plenty of the corn of Heaven and a never ending flow of fresh streams of revelation by His Spirit. Thus the vision ended.

INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION

"Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it," (Habakkuk 2:2). "Harness the horses; and get up, ye horseman," (Jeremiah 46:4). I am sure that many of you who can hear what the Spirit saith to the Church have already seen what God was showing in the vision. But let me make it plain. Being born into the Family of God feeding in the green pastures and drinking of the many streams of the unfolding revelation of His purposes is fine and wonderful. But it is not enough. While we were children, young and undisciplined, limited only by the outer fence of the Law that ran around the limits of the pastures (that kept us from getting into the dark pastures of poison weeds) He was content to watch us develop and grow into young manhood, spiritually speaking. But the time came to those who fed in His pastures and drank at His streams, when they were to be brought into discipline or "child-training" for the purpose of making them mature Sons. Many of the children today cannot understand why some of those who have put on the harness of God cannot get excited by the many religious games and the playful antics of the immature. They wonder why the disciplined ones run not after every new revelation or feed on every opportunity to engage in seemingly "good and profitable" religious activities. They wonder why some will not race with them in their frantic efforts to build great works and great and notable ministries. They cannot understand the simple fact that this Company of saints is waiting for the voice of the Master and they do not hear God in all this outward activity. They will move in their time when the Master speaks. But not before, though many temptations come from the playful colts. And the colts cannot understand why those who seemingly appear to have great abilities and strength are not putting it to good use. "Get the carriage on the road," they say, but the disciplined ones, those in God's harness, know better than to move before they hear the voice of the Master. They will move in their time with purpose and great responsibility.

And the Lord made me to know that there were many whom He had brought into training who had rebelled against the discipline, the chastising of the Father. They could not be trusted with the great responsibility of mature Sonship so He let them go back to their freedom, back to their religious activities and revelations and gifts. They are still His people, still feeding in His pastures, but He has set them aside from the great purposes for this end of the age. So they revel in their freedom feeling that they were the Chosen Ones with the many streams of living water not knowing that they have been set aside as unfit for His great work in this end of the age.

He showed me that though the chastising seemeth grievous for the time and the discipline hard to endure yet the result with all the glory of Sonship is worth it all and the glory to follow far exceeds the suffering we endure. And though some lose even their lives in this training yet they will share alike in the glory of His eternal purposes. So faint not saints of God for it is the Lord that doth bring thee into confinement and not thine enemy. It is for thy good and for His glory so endure all things with praises and thanksgiving that He hath counted thee worthy to share His glory! Fear thou not the whip in His hand for it is not to punish thee but to correct and train thee that thou mightest come into submission to His will and be found in His likeness in that hour. Rejoice thou in thy trials in all thy tribulations and glory thou in His cross and in the confining limitations of His harness for He hath chosen thee and He hath taken upon Himself the responsibility of keeping thee strong and well fed. So lean thou upon Him and trust not in thine own ability and thine own understanding. So shalt thou be fed and His hand shall be upon thee and His glory shall overshadow thee and shall flow through thee as it goes forth to cover the earth. Glory to God! Bless the Lord! He's wonderful! Let Him be Lord of your life, friends, and complain not at that which He bringeth to pass in your life.

PLENTY IN THE TIME OF FAMINE

For in the hour when famine sweeps the land He shall feed by His own hand those who are submitted to His perfect will and who dwell in the secret place of the Most High. When terror stalks the land those in His harness shall not be afraid for they shall feel His bit and bridle and know the guidance of His Spirit. When others are weak and frail and fearful there shall be those who shall be strong in the power of His might and shall lack for no good thing. In the hour when the traditions of the religious systems have proven false and their streams have dried up, then His Chosen Ones shall speak forth with the true Word of the Lord. So rejoice, Sons of God, that you have been chosen by His grace for this great work in this last hour.

The fence which kept the colts in their own meadows and their own pastures mean nothing to the team in the harness for the gates open to them and they go forth pulling the King's carriage into many strange and wonderful places. They do not stop to eat the poison weeds of sin for they feed only in the Master's stable. These fields they trample under their feet as they go forth on the King's business. And so to those who are brought into absolute subjection to His will there is no Law. For they move in the Grace of God led only by His Spirit where all things are lawful but not all things are expedient. This is a dangerous realm for the undisciplined and many have perished in sin as they leaped over the fence without His harness and His bridle. Some have thought of themselves as being completely harnessed and submissive to Him only to find that in some avenue of their life there dwelled rebellion and self-will. Let us wait before Him until He puts His noose around us and draws us to His place of training. And let us learn of the dealings of God and the movings of His Spirit until at last we feel His harness drop about us and hear His voice guiding us. Then there is safety from the traps and pitfalls of sin and then shall we abide in His House forever!

First, never think that the work is ever done. To crucify, mortify, or to subdue sin, will never be at an end. Regardless of how well we pretend we have done, there is always some reserve remaining that we overlooked. Beware when you stand (as a victor) lest you fall. 

Secondly, sin hides in that which is versatile and changeable, and deceitful above all things. This means that there has to be someone on the wall at all times. It is a perpetual watch. An outward enemy will give some rest, but you can never rest against this inner enemy. You cannot be too suspicious, doubtful, or watchful. We find many warnings about being, careful, circumspect, diligent, and watchful.  All the cautions that are given concerning the heart, I think none is as important as, remember not to believe the heart. 

Thirdly, commit it all to the Lord, who alone can search the heart, and knows it. Everything else mentioned is our duty, but here lies our safety. Ps 139:23, 24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. In the previous verses David is praising God for knowing all things, and these words were his conclusion. 

Knowing ourselves is the thing that is most needed by Christians today, as it has always been. This is why Paul gives so many warnings to not trust our ability to reason things out; we simply cannot do it, we will rest on faulty facts, our house will crumble. Where is the wisdom of this world? Where is the wise? Has not God brought to nothing the wisdom of the wise and the philosophers. We can barely decide what we are going to eat for breakfast, much less things that really matter: about our family, our friends, our life as a mother and wife, or father and husband, about God. We are just not capable, regardless that we make the declaration that it is for good, that doesn=t make it so.

We have not even gotten into the effect and strength of this indwelling sin. How this law causes fearfulness and eruptions of actual sin; how it destroys a once healthy zeal and holiness; how it leaves it victims beaten, bleeding, and dying, with no strength to lift their head to Heaven; or the slow and unrecognized dying by degrees, of a slow fall from grace; or the great apostasy that is swallowing huge numbers of once stable believers into the morass of easy believism and cheap grace. 

We are living in a time when we should be buttoning down the hatches for the great storm that is on the horizon. It is a time of introspection and casting off of all weights that anchor us to this world. Our eyes need to be glued on the eastern sky, not on the treasures of this world. 

Be careful when contemplating building something for God. God nowhere requires us to build anything for Him, only to become a living stone in something He is building.

George Warnock say so gracefully and plainly what I have been trying to say, in my stumbling way, that we need an awakening to the deep things of God. What we have learned to be content with, in our forms and programs, George brings to the forefront and shines the bright light of truth squarely into its darkness.

I pray that you will be blessed as I was with the reading of Beauty For Ashes.

I will be publishing, for FREE, in PDF format, George Warnock's entire Beauty For Ashes series in our new store front, so be looking for it.

Steve Blackwell

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George H. Warnock

I am confident the time is at hand when our Lord will arise in the midst of the Church with eyes as a flame of fire, with feet as of polished brass, with a sharp twoedged sword proceeding out of His mouth… to cleanse and purge and prepare His people for His Appearing.

l am confident that any ministry in this hour that does not hear what this One is saying, and does not minister what this One is ministering, will be heaping up wood, hay, and stubble for the furnaces of God.

I am confident that there is a people in the land whom God is preparing, disciplining, and refining… who are going to minister in this hour out of the heart of God; and who, because of this, will work and minister in harmony with Him and with one another, as God sends His fire into the midst of the Church to accomplish His cleansing and purifying work.

We have come to the end; and no longer can we merely prophecy about end-time events, and teach end-time truths. We must begin to minister in union with the End-Time Lord.

Is He not the One who is the Same yesterday, and today, and forever? Ah Yes He is! But He has a special End-Time Name, and that Name is the OMEGA… which is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. I know He is the Alpha, and He changes not. But in this hour He stands in our midst as the OMEGA. He is bringing to a conclusion. He is bringing to a consummation. He is finishing what He started. He is completing the Building, for which He has laid the foundation. He is about to gather the Harvest, for which He planted the Seed. He will reconcile and join together in harmony the Family of God, for which He sent His Son to be the "firstborn among many brethren." He will bring forth the LOAF in His people, even as He was the Manna that came down from Heaven. He will effectually join His beloved ones unto Himself in one BODY, even as He was the BODY through which the Father expressed Himself in the earth many centuries ago.

The Vision is high, and we must keep it high. Man has obscured the Vision, because it seems too high for attainment. But in reality it is because man does not want to go God’s way, and yield himself as clay in the hands of the Potter. For this is God’s work… this is God’s creation.., it is not the work of man.

God is going to do what He said. But He is going to do it in a manner far different from, and far beyond, what any of us have imagined. He is going to bring to desolation everything, every church structure, every planting, every gathering together in His Name, every ministry.., everything that is NOT THE PRODUCT, that is NOT THE FRUIT OF HIS OWN SPIRIT EXERCISING HIS LORDSHIP IN THE MIDST OF HIS PEOPLE.

And then out of the ashes of all this desolation He will bring forth the very Beauty of the Lord!

And so I can think of no better title for this series of messages that I feel the Lord has laid on my heart, than this beautiful phrase from the prophet Isaiah, where God promised He would give His people "BEAUTY FOR ASHES."

Our hope is that we might rekindle the vision in the hearts of God’s people, and make it clear and plain… lest in the face of all the disappointment and disillusionment that has overtaken the people of God they begin to take the course that has been so tempting to take: either to forsake the Vision entirely, or to so dilute it with human reasoning and manipulation that there is really nothing left but a vision for some humanly devised project for promoting programs of various kinds, or amassing large congregations of people together in one building, under the guise of gathering together the Body of Christ in "the unity of the Spirit." In so many, many cases the Spirit of God is left completely out of the picture.

Invariably this seems to happen when God comes on the scene and makes His way known. Call it a vision, a revelation, a promise, or whatever. God may well have given it. But as we wait for it to come to pass a weariness sets in, a certain sense of perplexity, of disappointment, of frustration. Then little by little we find some strong leader who presumptuously begins to tackle the problem with his own wisdom and understanding. All in the name of "faith," of course. All in the name of "Christ." All in the name of "edifying the Body of Christ." And so there comes into being another church structure, another system, another outreach, another plan for accomplishing what God would accomplish in and through His own Spirit in the earth. And God gets the credit (though I should really say "the blame") for the new machinery that has come into being for the purpose of fulfilling the Vision of God.

Of course, every man has to "prove his own work," and this is not a wholesale condemnation of all that goes on in the Name of Christ. But this seems to be the general pattern; and for a season God seems to go along with it (if you understand what I mean). He knows the course that man will take, and He is not quick to abandon them because of their failure, or their lack of understanding. He just says nothing, and goes along with them. He does so in His great wisdom and love. To stop them short in their tracks would only frustrate them further (if they are determined to go their own way)… so God lets them do it. "God you said you wanted this… now I am trying to bring it into being… why do You hinder me?" So He usually just goes along… and blesses… for a season.

It doesn’t mean He has approved what man is doing… or that He has changed His mind about anything. And it doesn’t mean that He is going to incorporate man’s puny efforts into the grand scheme and design of His own purpose. It is simply a case. of the God of all wisdom and knowledge giving man the opportunity to do what He knows He alone can do; and then when man has become aware of his own failures, and the futility of his own works… God Himself comes on the scene… and in the background of human failure and desolation, and in the fullness of time, He gives… 

"Beauty for ashes, 

The oil of joy for mourning, 

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isa. 61:3).

It is really the story of the Old Covenant and the New. Not that there was inherently anything wrong with the righteous requirements of the Law. But when God gave it, man grasped it in his own hands, and confidently cried, "All that the LORD hath said will we do…" You might even say that God enticed them into it. He offered it to them. Paul says, "The Law entered that the offence might abound" (Rom. 5:20). The thought seems to be it "crept in unawares." One translation reads, "The law slipped in…"

God knew it would. It was never part of His eternal purpose for the Church; but it would have a temporary purpose: namely, to "make sin exceeding sinful"… and to "shut up all men unto disobedience"… to imprison all men in one prison-house of sin and disobedience, that one day the Keeper of the prison might walk in and pronounce the message of free Grace: "If you realize now that you are in prison… if you know for a certainty that you are helpless and undone, and utterly hopeless before God, you may go free… I open the prison-door, and set you free, by the blood of My Cross."

And so this matter of justification by faith has become an established truth in the Church ever since the Reformation; and many congregations throughout the land rejoice in the fact that they are "not under the law, but under grace." But this whole matter goes much deeper than having the right theology; and the fact remains that most congregations of God’s people are living under Law, though loudly boasting of their deliverance from it. For the Scriptures make it plain that "IF YE BE LED OF THE SPIRIT, ye are not under the law" (Gal. 5:18). Only the ministration of the Spirit of God in our midst can deliver us from Law. Only as we "walk in the Spirit" are we really free from the Law.

All we have to do is to take a glance across the scene of Christendom, and what do we find? All kinds of laws and by-laws for running the Church. Elders and deacons and pastors and church workers of every kind are ELECTED by the popular vote of the people. It would be too tedious a matter, and too devastating to carnal ambition, to seek God so earnestly that the Spirit of God might come forth and say, "Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them," as He did in the early Church. (See Acts 13:2.) Who needs that in this day and hour? It is much easier and more practical to have a missionary program of our own, and send out the ones we think are qualified for the task.

We could go on and on in this; but we are just illustrating the fact that God’s people as a whole continue to function according to LAW, human LAW… whether it be the Law of Moses, or their own. They have a certain organizational procedure, and all the while they boast they are "free from the Law."

Ishmael, Child Of The Flesh

Of course, if God were to come forth in our midst and say, "Now I want you to set apart this young couple for a special work for Me…" we would perhaps be quite prepared to submit to His choice, But if we wait and wait for Him to do it, and He remains silent in the matter, obviously we have to do something about it ourselves. (Of course, we are not suggesting that the Antioch experience is to be the formula for the Church. We are only emphasizing that if and when the Spirit of God is Lord in our midst, He will indicate His will and His way for the people of God.)

And so we have the story of Ishmael repeated over and over again in our various churches and fellowships that abound in the land.

"We have the Word… we have His promises… it’s up to you and me to get in there and make it work…"

And so the "Promise" that God gives us as a Word to embrace and cherish and hold, a promise that we must guard and nurture in our spirits, until it becomes a living and "pregnant" Word within us… we take it rather as a challenge to act upon, in the name of faith, in the name of Christian zeal, only to end up in frustration.

And God seems to go along with it for a season. So long, in fact, that we finally are able to convince ourselves that God DID use our plans after all.

And so Ishmael grows up in the household of Sarah and Abraham, as the beloved son that God had promised. God does not whisper in Abraham’s ear the day Ishmael is born, "Now look, Abraham… Ishmael is your son, and I will bless him… but he is not really the heir that I promised you." As a result Abraham comes to consider God’s silence to be His consent and approval… this year, and next, and next. Time rolls along, and Ishmael becomes the beloved of Abraham’s heart.

We have been accused of setting the Vision too high… too high for people to grasp. If only we could convince the people of God that the Vision is much higher than we have ever taught or expressed… and that it is not something for them to "grasp," but to nurture in their hearts until by the Light of His countenance we are "changed into the same image." For though the Vision might be spoken of in many ways (as we anticipate doing in this series of writings)… in the final analysis the Vision is NOTHING LESS THAN THE VISION OF HIS OWN GLORY AND PRESENCE, coming to abide in the House of God.

Then why do we not stop right here, and leave it at that? Because it is the Vision of Him… and there are so many facets of His Being, so many rays of His glory, so many aspects of His beauty, so many unfoldings of His secrets, that unless we see Him in the full expression of His Being we are not really seeing Him AS HE IS. And God forbid that we should, in this writing or in any other, become so taken up with the chemistry of the living Word that we rejoice in our scientific knowledge of spiritual things, and fail to eat of Him who is the living bread sent down from Heaven for the life of the world. We must not take our place at the table of the Lord as a scientist: able to clearly analyze the food that is on the table, and know for a certainty that there is carbon in this, and sulphur in that… and hydrogen in that over there… all the while being totally accurate, but NOT PARTAKING OF THE LIVING TRUTH and allowing it to bring life and health and strength to our spiritual man.

God waits about thirteen years, and then He comes on the scene and reveals Himself afresh to Abraham, and announces: "This shall not be the heir… Sarah shall have a son…" Abraham’s immediate response is one of surprise, and frustration, as if to say, "Impossible, Lord. But we have Ishmael already… Why not Ishmael Lord?"

We see an awful lot of the Ishmael in the Church today… in church structures and programs, and in the individual lives of God’s people. Not away out there in the apostate church… but in the midst of the anointed people, the people of God who profess to have the Spirit and to know His ways. God continues to bless, and God’s blessing is taken as a sign of His approval. But in the midst of it all there is the Abraham people of God, who are aware that God is coming on the scene… and they are hearing Him announce as He did to Abraham and Sarah: "My covenant will I establish with Isaac…"

In other words, God is bringing us back to the clear Vision that He announced in the Word; and we are going to have to forsake our own initiatives and all the schemes that we have devised to bring forth the true Body of Christ in the earth. For instance…

"God wants His people to be ONE. Just forget your differences and come together, and worship with us… forget your doctrines, they only divide the Body of Christ, and they don’t really matter all that much… just praise and worship together with us, and learn to love one another…"

And so we have a very sentimental display of what they call love and unity, and a systematized form of worship and praise, something you just do, something you just perform, something you even do in the flesh if need be, just as long as you do it.

Or we have a more practical, a more structured way of doing it…

"We have true leadership in our church. We have the apostolic and prophetic order established by God. We are authorized to establish the church on its proper foundation. Come under this covering, get on this sure foundation… and you will come into true relationship with the Body of Christ…" And so, acting under the delusion that because God did something wonderful away back there in history, whether it be so many centuries ago or so many years ago… and because they have continued on in that particular "movement" in an unbroken line of succession, therefore, it just must be RIGHT to try to continue and perpetuate what God started. The Spirit of God may have left the whole thing centuries ago… or even just a few years ago, as the case may be… but because God started it we are supposed to try to perpetuate it.

God help us to learn the lesson of Eli, of Saul, of Bethel, of Jerusalem, of Rome, of Constantinople… and we could go on and on in this; places where God’s glory once rested in power and authority, but which have long since ceased to be anything more than an empty shell, just a memory of what HAS BEEN. Hear what God has to say about Bethel, the House of God, the place of God’s visitation to His chosen Jacob… but which God forsook because the people had gone into apostasy and idolatry:

"For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, SEEK YE ME, and ye shall live: but SEEK NOT BETHEL, for… BETHEL SHALL COME TO NOUGHT. SEEK THE LORD, and ye shall live" (Amos 5:4-6).

God help His people to understand that places, things, gifts, enablements, ministries, men of God, movements, whatever He might have anointed and used for His glory, THESE ARE NOT TO BE HELD IN VENERATION BY GOD’S PEOPLE; and that for their day and hour they are to be received and honored only as channels of His grace to LEAD HIS PEOPLE INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH HIMSELF. Then having served their purpose, God removes them from the scene, that He Himself might have all the glory.

Have you heard of Helen Roseveare?  I hadn’t until I came across a book of hers called Living Sacrifice.  She was a medical missionary in Zaire from 1953 to 1973.  Her story is a remarkable one.   Not so much for the adventures she experienced in Africa, but more because of her brutal honesty in relaying the years it took her to truly surrender her entire will to the Lord.  You would think that the very choice to become a missionary in a hostile country on the verge of civil uprising would be sufficient to warrant a “well done, good and faithful servant”, but God saw it differently. 

One incident she describes left a deep impression on me.  The village where she resided suffered an invasion of small, weaver birds.  Requiring palm leaves to weave their nests, these birds stripped the trees in such great numbers, that the future yield of nuts (from which the villagers extracted their valuable palm oil) was seriously threatened.  Not only was palm oil a basic commodity in their diets, it was also essential to sustaining the local economy.

A deal was struck with the local village boys: for every ten birds they shot, they got a penny.  The kids turned out to be extremely capable marksmen.  Soon, the lower branches of all kinds of trees and shrubs were missing.  The boys likewise endangered the economy in their zeal, by hacking off the lower, choice boughs from fruit-laden citrus trees and flowering coffee shrubs, acacias, and any other growth which exhibited promising artillery potential.  Quick action ensued to salvage these crops.   A decision had to be made.  Arrows were desperately needed and the only trees to produce them would have to be the acacias, since they only served as eye appeal.

Everywhere, boys were found whittling, sanding and buffing the thin branches.  Any offshoots, knots and thorns were stripped, and smoothed away.  Gone were the feathery leaves and fragrant flowers.  All was sacrificed to make a perfectly straight and well-balanced arrow, thus ridding the community of the hordes of destructive birds, and preserving the essential food-source.

The analogy was immediately realized by Helen.  She wrote,

“To be thus transformed, was I willing – am I still willing – for the whittling, sandpapering, stripping processes necessary in my Christian life?  The ruthless pulling off of leaves and flowers might include doing without a television set or washing machine, remaining single in order to see a job done, re-evaluating the worthiness of the ambition to be a ‘good’ doctor (according to my terms and values).  The snapping off of thorns might include drastic dealing with hidden jealousies and unknown prides, giving up prized rights in leadership and administration.  The final stripping of the bark might include lessons to be learned regarding death to self – self-defense, self-pity, self-justification, self-vindication, self-sufficiency, all the mechanisms of preventing the hurt of too-deep involvement.  Am I prepared for the pain, which may at times seem like sacrifice, in order to be made into a tool in His service?  My willingness will be a measure of the sincerity of my desire to express my heartfelt gratitude to Him for His so-great salvation.  Can I see such minor ‘sacrifices’ in the light of the great sacrifices of Calvary, where Christ gave all for me?  Can I see the apparent cost as minimal compared to the reality of the gain?  Do I accept His right to demand my willingness to pay such a price in order to enter into the privilege and joy of being used in His purposes?”[1]

To be perfectly honest, reading this was not easy.  And harder still was posing a similar line of questions to myself.  For some reason, the childhood memory of being asked to sit still, and open my mouth wide to receive that ghastly orange-flavored cough syrup came to mind.    Then I remembered the words penned by F.B. Meyer in his essay “The Blessed Life”:

“If you cannot give all, ask the Lord to take all, and especially that which seems so hard to give. Many have been helped by hearing it put thus.  Tell them to give, and they shake their heads despondently.  They are like the little child who told her mother that she had been trying to give Jesus her heart, but it wouldn’t go.  But ask them if they are willing for Him to come into their hearts and take all, and they will joyfully assent.”

Sometimes I need to remind myself that the work of sanctification is not my work to do.  A person who requires a heart transplant merely displays his faith in the doctor’s skill by submitting himself to the doctor’s care.  So it is with Jesus Christ.

He knows me better than I know myself.  He loves me more than I can fathom.  He is the Great Physician, and what little I can offer, even the weak plea for Him to take those things that I vainly hold onto which only bring sorrow, frustration or bitterness, I trust that He will do so with tenderness and wisdom, that He may enjoy a vessel, an instrument, or even an arrow, fit for the Master’s use.

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”  I Thessalonians 5:24