The Release of the Spirit

Greetings All,

     This weeks 'thought' comes from Watchman Nee's book "The Release of the Spirit."  Given the name "Nee To-sheng" at his birth in 1903, Watchman (as he later came to be called) was a Chinese pastor/evangelist/writer who was converted during some revival meetings in 1920 at the young age of 17.  Just two years later, at only 19 years of age, he began the ministry he would carry on for the next thirty years -- traveling throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and training sessions.
     In 1952 he was imprisoned by the communists for his faith and was treated rather harshly for the next 20 years, remaining in prison until his death in 1972. Keep that in mind as your read this thought.
    This particular book was penned during his time in prison.  And while I do take exception to some of his teachings (bordering at times on Gnostic thought in regard to his view of the body/soul/spirit) he has much

 good to say!  In fact, his book "The Normal Christian Life," was instrumental in in the hands of God in bringing about my own conversion back in 1980 (the last quote comes from that book).  I offer this thought as one I found helpful at that time.  In fact, the yellow marker I used to outline this section at that time, though barely visible, is still there some 32 years later!  I trust you will find his words helpful. Enjoy.

     "If the outward man (the carnal, proud, stubborn, earthy self) remains unbroken, we can never be a blessing to His Church... The 

Alabaster Box must be broken. The Bible tells of the pure spikenard (an herb whose root is highly prized for its beautiful fragrance).  God purposely used this term 'pure' in His Word to show that it is truly spiritual. But if the alabaster box is not broken, the fragrance of the pure spikenard will not flow forth.
     Strange to say, many are still treasuring the alabaster box, thinking that its value exceeds that of the ointment.  Many think that their outward man is more precious than their inward man. This becomes a problem in the Church. One will treasure his cleverness, thinking he is quite important; another will treasure his own emotions, esteeming himself as an important person; others highly regard themselves, feeling they are better than others because their eloquence surpasses that of others, their quickness of action and exactness of judgment are superior, and so forth.
    However, we are not antique collectors; we are not vase admirers; we are those who desire to smell only the fragrance of the ointment. Yet without the breaking of the outward, the inward will not come forth...  Why then should we hold our outward selves as so precious, if our outward contains, instead of releases, the fragrance?
    The Holy Spirit does not cease working. One event after another, one thing after another, come to us.  Each disciplinary working of the Holy Spirit has but one purpose: To break our outward man so that our inward man may come through. Yet here is our difficulty: We fret over trifles, we murmur at small losses.  The Lord is preparing a way to use us, yet scarcely has His hand touched us when we feel unhappy, even to the extent of quarreling with God and becoming negative in our attitude.  Since being saved, we have been touched many times in various ways by the Lord, all with the purpose of breaking our outward man. Whether we are conscious of it or not, the aim of the Lord is to destroy this outward man.  The Treasure (the Spirit) is in the earthen vessel, but if the earthen vessel is not broken, who can see the Treasure within? 

What is the final objective of the Lord's working in our lives?  It is to break this earthen vessel, to break our alabaster box, to crack open our shell.  The Lord longs to find a way to bless the world through those who belong to Him. Brokenness is the way of blessing, the way of fragrance, the way of fruitfulness, but it is also a path sprinkled with blood.  Yes, there is blood from many wounds.  When we offer ourselves to the Lord to be at His service we cannot afford to be lenient, to spare ourselves.  We must allow the Lord to utterly crack our outward man so that He may find a way for His outworking...

      How much we need for the Lord to open our eyes to see that everything which comes into our lives can be meaningful.  The Lord has not wasted even one thing.  To understand the Lord's purpose is to see very clearly that He is aiming at a single objective -- the destroying or breaking of the outward man... We must realize that all the experiences, troubles, and trials which the Lord sends us are for our highest good.  We cannot expect the Lord to give better things, for these are His best.  Should one approach the Lord and pray saying: 'Oh, Lord, please let me choose the best',  I believe the Lord would tell him, 'What I have given you is the best; your daily trials are for your greatest profit.'

     So the motive behind all the orderings of God is to destroy our outward man.  Once this occurs and the spirit can come forth, we begin to be able to exercise our spirit. The Lord employs two different ways to destroy our outward man -- one is gradual, the other is sudden. To some, the Lord gives a sudden destruction followed by a gradual one. With others, the Lord arranges that they have constant, daily trials, until one day He brings about large-scale destruction.  If it is not the sudden first and then the gradual, then it is the gradual followed by the sudden. It would seem the Lord usually spends years upon us before He can accomplish this work of destruction, but the timing is in His hand. We cannot shorten the time, though we can prolong it. In some lives the Lord is able to accomplish this work after only a few years of dealing; in others it is evident that after ten or twenty years the work is still far from finished.  This is most serious!  Nothing is worse than wasting God's time and hindering the work of the Church.
     We can preach by using our mind, we can stir people using our emotions, yet if we do not know how to use our spirit, the Spirit of God cannot touch people through us... Therefore, if we have never before wholly and intelligently consecrated ourselves to the Lord, let us do so now, saying: "Lord, for the future of the Church, for the future of the Gospel, for Your way, and also for my own life, I offer myself without

condition, without reservation, into Your hands Lord. I delight to offer myself unto You and are willing to let You have Your full way through me."

      There is a sense in which one can't help but wonder that if Watchman Nee is right in regard to the need for our outward man to be broken that the fragrance and beauty of the Spirit's indwelling power and presence may flow out, that our continual pursuit of comfort, and our desire to escape from all trials and hardships and pain, must actually stem from a worldly (rather than Christian) attempt to thwart the breaking of this outward man.  It's a self-protective ploy that also goes a long way to explain the lack of power in people's lives, and in the Church at large today.  Instead of seeing our difficulties as God's intent to give us the best gift (the breaking of the outward

man so the fragrance of the Spirit can flow out) we often prefer an easy life that leaves us safe and sound -- and still unbroken -- valuing the box, and seeking to keep the ointment God wants unleashed to remain contained within.
      As Nee says elsewhere: "A day must come in our lives, as definite as the day of our conversion, when we give up all right to ourselves and submit to the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ...There must be a day when, without reservation, we surrender everything to Him -- ourselves, our families, our possessions, our business, and our time.  All we are and all we have becomes His, to be held henceforth entirely at His disposal.  From that day on we are no longer our own masters, but only stewards. Not until the Lordship of Christ in our hearts is a settled thing can the Spirit really operate effectively in us."

 

            To the end that that issue might be settled once and for all, Pastor Jeff

Men and Sexual Temptation

Greetings All,

   This week's 'thought' comes to you from Jay Kesler's book, "Being Holy, Being Human: Dealing With the Incredible Expectations and Pressures of Ministry."  The book is full of wise pastoral insights, and written in his typically transparent and down-to-earth style. Yet it's for more than just pastors or 'people in the ministry,' since in reality (at least biblically speaking) there's a sense in which all believers are called to be 'priests unto God'  or 'ministers'  -- I Peter 2:9-12.
     Over the weekend I spoke at our church's "Men's Advance" on the topic of "Men and Sexual Temptation" from Proverbs 1-7.  I had intended to read this excerpt at the end but I ran out of time just covering the material in Proverbs 5:1-20; 6:23-29 and 7:1-27.  Therefore, to those who attended I send this out as a way of tying together everything I said, and to those who weren't there, I send it out as a story worth reading, considering and being ready to repeat.  It's great stuff from a great book and a great man -- and yes, even if you're female I believe you can be edified and encouraged by it!  Enjoy.  
     "The only way you can prey on people and turn them into some kind of objects, especially for lust, is to mentally get them out of context. Conversely, if you think of them in context, you're not nearly so tempted to lust. Thus, I find it a good practice in ministry to continually think of people in context. For example, suppose I'm driving down the street and see some beautiful teenager who's dressed in an attention-getting way. My automatic response now is to

contextualize her, to say to myself, “Hey, she's about the age of my daughter. I wonder who her parents are and how she gets along with them?” And suddenly the sexual part of it disappears. The girl hasn't changed, but my perception has. Instead of being an object of sexual thoughts, she's become someone's daughter, someone's little girl. The same thing

is true now that I find myself a college president on a campus that has its share of beautiful coeds. I can't say I haven't noticed them—I'm not blind—but I can honestly say that I don't think of them as a sexual turn-on. To me, they're all someone's daughters, someone's sisters, someone's granddaughters. After I realized how my mind's eye was seeing people in context, I also realized that this is a biblical principle. It's what Paul told Timothy to do in — relate to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters.

       I've also seen enough lives and ministries ruined by sexual sin that that's a deterrent for me. I've had frightening temptations in my own life that help deter me, too; just thinking about what might have happened if they'd gone another step in the wrong direction scares a lot of sense into me when I need it. We might call that putting yourself in context when you're tempted.

        One time when I was much younger, I was flying to Denver on business, and a young

woman in her twenties was sitting next to me. As we were flying, I noticed she was crying. I wondered if I should say anything or just respect her privacy. But after several minutes, I finally said, "Is there any way I can help you?” "I don't know," she said, then looked away. "Well, I'm involved in youth work, in Youth for Christ," I said. "And I'd be happy to just talk to you if that would help." She began to open up then. She said she had been engaged to a young man, and she'd just learned that he had run off to marry another woman. "The worst part of it is I'm still a virgin," she said. She went on to say that she had always believed that if you kept yourself pure, everything would turn out right. Now she had decided that since a "wild girl" had stolen her man, her remaining pure had been to no avail, and she was going to go to some ski lodge and make up for lost time. "Do you think it's worth giving up what you've always believed because of one painful experience?" I asked. "I don't know," she said, then sank into silence. Finally she continued, "Well, where are you staying tonight?" I told her, and she said she was staying there, too. Then she suggested that maybe after we arrived we could "have a couple of drinks together and see how the evening turns out."

       In effect, she was inviting me to help her initiate her new lifestyle. "I don't want you to be confused," I said. "Let me show you my  

pictures." I took out my wallet and showed her my family photos. Though I didn't realize it at the time, I was putting myself in context. Looking at your wife and children really cools a potentially hot situation. After I showed her  the photos, I



went on, "I sympathize with the pain you feel. If you need someone to tell you you're pretty, let me tell you that you're very pretty. If you need someone to tell you you're sexually attractive, let me tell you that you're very attractive and desirable. But if you want me to say I'm willing to act on that desire, no, I'm not going to do it. You're vulnerable right now; you're in a difficult situation. Further, I'm married. I'm also a Christian. And I'm not going to do it because it would mean taking advantage of you and violating my commitments and my faith." Then I explained a bit of how my faith commitment guides my life. She was silent for a few minutes, but then she said, "Well, if I thought that by waiting the rest of my life I could find another man who would turn down the offer I made to you tonight, I'd stay a virgin till I found him.” I replied, "There are more guys like me out there than you may think. I hope you don't go through with your plan."

        When we got to Denver , I put the young woman in touch with some female YFC staff, and she stayed the night with them. They spent a few days with her and then sent her back home. So far, thank God, I've never been given that kind of offer when I was vulnerable. But I have been tempted, and it's always helped me to put both the woman and myself in context...

               Sexual temptation is all around us these days, and if we're honest with ourselves, we know we're often vulnerable. In spite of all we do to avoid tempting situations, there will be times, such as my experience on the plane, when temptation will stare us right in the face.

Our job is to prepare ourselves and keep our marriages strong before we find ourselves in those situations so that when the temptations come, we'll be able to maintain our integrity—and our ministries.”

 What could one possibly add?  It speaks for itself.  In Christ's Service, Pastor Jeff

Strength in Prayer

Greetings All,
 
      I sent these 'thoughts' out last week to encourage those here in my church in Perkasie who are engaged in The Lord's Watch (Prayer Watch), where we have over 44 participants covering 77 hours a week in prayer.  
      Yet, since praying at scheduled times often involves persevering in prayer (or praying when you don't necessarily feel like it), I thought these thoughts might encourage all who have tried to make prayer a regular spiritual discipline.
      It's no new struggle.  The struggle to pray when tired, distracted or not in the mood is a struggle that dates back to the first disciples who fell asleep twice after being told by Jesus to pray and watch. Whenever we seek to establish the habit of scheduled prayer, there will be obstacles and we will all go through the inevitable ups and downs involved.  I myself have had to wrestle through them, though it's been a good discipline to stick to it.
      Thus I write to encourage all of you (like those in my church) to press on in prayer! The Lord waits to meet with you. Your prayers do have an impact. The Lord listens, hears, and responds. And yes, sometimes He tests our resolve. So keep those appointments, and pray so long as you have breath, letting no thwarted attempt or failure to be disciplined discourage you from picking up where you left off!

I include a few encouragements to pray. They are by well-known pray-ers of the past. I trust their words will inspire you to persevere and press on in the ongoing fight to "bring every thought captive to Christ" (II Cor. 10:5). Enjoy.

The Seven Steps to Strength in Prayer (as seen in Christ's determination to pray in the garden prior to his crucifixion).  Adapted from J. Doyle Masters.

 

1.)  Have a special place to pray - "Jesus went to the Mount of Olives..."
2.)  Develop a regular practice of prayer - "as was His custom."
3.)  Let it be a private place - "He withdrew about a stone's throw from them..."
4.)  Have a comfortable yet reverent posture - "He knelt down and prayed."
5.)  Have a submissive, selfless, willingness to pursue obedience - "nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done."

6.)  Pray with earnest purpose remembering that prayer is not a performance but a godly impulse to fight self-will and embrace God's will - "And being in agony He prayed all the more earnestly, and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground." 

7.)  Be prepared to be filled with power - "There appeared to Him an angel from heaven to strengthen Him." 

 

Persistence in Prayer by Sir Francis Drake (c.1543-1596 A.D.)

 

    "O Lord God, when Thou callest Thy servants to endeavor in any great matter,
     Grant us to know that it is not the beginning,
     But our continuing on with it until it be thoroughly finished,
     Which yields the true glory,
     Through Him that to the finishing of Thy great work,
     Laid down His life."

 

What is Needed To Pray Aright by Benedict of Nursia (480-547A.D.)

"O gracious and holy Father,
      Give us wisdom to perceive Thee,

Intelligence to understand Thee,
Diligence to pursue Thee,

Patience to wait for Thee,

Eyes to behold Thee,

A heart to meditate upon Thee,

And a life to proclaim Thee;

Through the power of the Spirit,

Of Jesus Christ the Lord."

 

A Right Attitude in Prayer by John Donne (1572-1631)

"O Lord, never suffer us to think,

that we can stand by ourselves,

and not need Thee."

 

The Reasons Why by... Unknown

 

 

"Not till the loom is silent And the shuttles cease to fly,Shall God unfold the canvas, And reveal the reasons why, The dark threads are as needful, In the Weaver's skillful hand, As the threads of gold and silver, In the pattern He has planned."

   

     Should you lose the desire to pray, you need simply persevere and pray for it to be restored. Because it is true -- we are even dependent upon Him for that!  Do all that you must, and whatever you must, but don't give up!  For as Richard Sibbes reminds us: "When we go to God in prayer, the devil knows we go to fetch power against him, and therefore he opposes us all he can."

     Prayer is not just a spiritual activity or discipline, as Richard Baxter points out, it is, "The breath of the new creature."  "It is," says Hooker, "the first thing with which the righteous life begins, and the last thing with which it ends." Few things are as important to our spiritual life or our relationship with God as prayer. 

 

 

In His Service, Pastor Jeff

Christ is With You Always

Greetings All,
   This week's 'thought' comes to you by divine providence!  The hurricane which hit our area last Monday left the church without power through Sunday night.  Thus, when I got to the church early Sunday morning (as is my practice), and found it still with no lights or heat, it gave me some additional time to pray.  And as I knelt to do so my eyes caught a glimpse of a book on my shelf that I had never browsed through before.  Its title caught my eye and thus I grabbed it, opened it up, and began to read. The content was very real, transparent and encouraging, and guided me into even deeper prayer.  Then, upon finishing, I set the book on my desk to use as the thought for today. 

   The book is entitled, "Let Christ Take You Beyond Discouragement."  It is written by Albert L. Kurz. I honestly don't know how it found its way to my shelf, and I assume it is out of print (since it was printed during my first year of college way back in 1975), yet its content was surprisingly good.  And that's actually the test of a good book, is it not?  It's truth is timeless and not time bound.
    It was written by Mr. Kurz after his wife, Donna, died of cancer at 29 years old -- not long after giving birth to their fourth child.  His words will minister to anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one, or simply struggling through the valley of loneliness and despair.  I trust his words, written then, may speak to you now.  Enjoy.

      Donna - "My story begins in the hospital where I went for minor surgery. However, after the operation was over I was told that radical surgery had been performed and I was the victim of cancer. This was just six weeks after my fourth child was born, and I was twenty-eight years old. To be told you have cancer is not easy, I suppose, for anyone at any age; but to be told this in my particular circumstances was shocking... How does one feel when told for the second time that she has cancer? I can't tell you how one who does not know the Lord Jesus would feel, but I can tell you how I felt. I was shocked! Yes, and a lot of thoughts went through my mind.  But it wasn't long before this thought came: 'He healed me before, He can do it again.' What peace fills the soul as we realize that God alone has the power over our lives.  When there is no earthly hope, there is still the Lord -- and who could ask for more? He is so faithful, even in times of serious illness... I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds my future. Through the valley, and even the depths, He will hold my hand..."

         Albert - "Life is a very fragile thing.  It is here today and gone tomorrow.  Only God can explain its meaning and understand its mysteries. The

creation of life is a miracle, and the departure of

the human soul from its physical body is equally mysterious. Because of this it is very difficult to accept the death of a loved one. It seems like a dream that will be over when we awaken. It was of such an experience that Ezekiel wrote: 'At evening my wife died' (Ez. 24:18).  How painful. Ezekiel had loved her with all his heart. She was the delight of his life.  In verse 16 the Lord said to him: 'Behold I take away from you the desire of your eyes.'  I, too, lost my companion -- my partner in life. The world seemed to stand still so that Donna could get off... Together we had walked into the 'valley of the shadow of death,' there to bid 'farewell' until we meet in Heaven.  She has gone on before me.
 As I gazed about, there seemed to be little company in that valley. It was a deserted and wilderness place.  On every side were gigantic mountains of sorrow, heartache, disappointment and discouragement.  For days, and perhaps for weeks, you could travel through that valley and never meet another living person.  It is hard to keep going in that valley -- the valley where sorrow has touched your life. Hope nearly dies, and dreams disappear.  Surely it is one of the hardest things in life to move on when hopes have died, dreams have faded, and the thing that gave you courage to go on is gone. Nevertheless, you must go on.
      How can you?  This valley where sorrow has enveloped you is so big, and the mountains so high, it is not easy to climb out.  In fact, humanly speaking, it is impossible. It is so barren... And although you have looked in every direction, there is no help for your need... Night falls and you are all alone; there is no one to share your sorrow, your heartache, your discouragement. 
      But wait!  Isn't there someone with you in that deep valley? Unseen by human eye, and unheard by human ear, is the blessed Son of God, who said, 'Lo, I am with you always.'  If you have come to Christ, you can say with David, 'The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.'  Right there in the valley, where you feel all alone, you shall not want.
      Why? Because Jesus will care for you. He will help you through the valley and over the mountains of sorrow... God has permitted your sorrow for a purpose -- to make you better. He has brought you to this point to show you Himself.  In your distress and loneliness you can look at yourself and become depressed, or you can look to Jesus and be blessed. This is no time to reject God. If you turn your back on your only companion you may never get out of this valley.  There is nowhere else to go. There is no one else who can cheer the heart like Jesus... Friends can say they are 'sorry,' but only God can cheer the heart. It is He who gives us the comfort we need in our trials. 
      Why? So that we might be able to comfort others (II Corinthians 1:3-6). This sorrow, like other trials, has been permitted by God for your good.  It is a time to seek the Lord and let Him comfort your heart. He is there in the deserted wilderness of your valley.  He waits for you to turn to Him.  When you do, He will lead you through the valley and up to the mountaintop....Notice that He leads not only in the valley, but through the valley. He can restore your soul.  He knows the way through your valley.
     The 'valley of the shadow of death' is not something from which the Christian is exempt. 

Rather, it is something that he is helped through because the Lord is his Shepherd.  Those who have made Christ their Lord can truthfully sing: 'I never walk alone. Christ walks beside me.' The Christ who has poured past blessings into your life has not changed now that you are in the valley.  God never intended for you to live in this valley of sorrow, but only to pass through it to greener pastures of greater usefulness. He knows the way, so keep close to Him...
      The person who relies on the Lord for comfort learns much from this trip through sorrow-land.  Instead of constant defeat, the valley becomes a source of encouragement as God proves He is real. There in the valley the Lord will help and comfort you (Psalm 86:17).... The Lord has not given you a one-way ticket to discouragement. Instead He has provided you with His personal help to get you beyond discouragement.  His presence will go with you, and His comfort will engulf you, when you lift up the hands which hang low and worship and wait before Him. It is wonderful what God can do!  There is no limit to the help available to see us through life's darkest valleys. He has promised: 'I, the Lord thy God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, Fear not, I will help you."  

      May the Lord shepherd you through whatever struggle you are presently going through, and may Albert's words merely serve to remind you of what you already know -- Christ is with you always, guiding you, leading you by the hand and even carrying you.  And He's doing it even if you are unable, at the present time, to feel it, sense it or see it. 

 

                    In Him, Pastor Jeff