The Lord’s Church: Different From the World

Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord.
“Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” -2 Cor. 6:17

The church’s mightiest influence is felt when she is different from the world in which she lives. Her power lies in her being different, rises with the degree in which she differs and sinks as the difference diminishes. This is so fully and clearly taught in the Scriptures and so well illustrated in Church history that it is hard to see how we can miss it. But miss it we do, for we hear constantly that the Church must try to be as much like the world as possible, excepting, of course, where the world is too, too sinful....Let us plant ourselves on the hill of Zion and invite the world to come over to us, but never under any circumstances will we go over to them. The cross is the symbol of Christianity, and the cross speaks of death and separation, never of compromise. No one ever compromised with a cross. The cross separated between the dead and the living. The timid and the fearful will cry “Extreme!” and they will be right. The cross is the essence of all that is extreme and final. The message of Christ is a call across a gulf from death to life, from sin to righteousness and from Satan to God.
~A. W. Tozer, The Set of the Sail, 35, 36.~

God Alone Does Wonders

The God of heaven and earth alone does wonders.
He needs no help from anyone.
And in His own time, He will rule the world
In the person of Jesus Christ, His Son.
Now to the world, this seems impossible
For the world has no time for Him.
But God’s promises will all be fulfilled
In His final kingdom which has no end.
- Poetic Parson
Frank Moore

The Winsomeness of Jesus by George Morisson - excerpt

Now if you ask me what were the sources of this unequalled winsomeness of His (Christ’s) character, I think I should answer that they were chiefly two, and the first was the influence of the home. We do not know much about the home in Nazareth - God in His wisdom has hung a veil on that - but we know enough from the gospel’s message to assure us that it was a home of happiness and peace. Martin Luther could never think of home without a certain shuddering of the heart.. There was no gladness for him in his Pater Noster, so loveless were his memories of his father. But Jesus, all through his stormy years, turned to his home with infinite delight, and clothed his deepest thoughts of God and man in the tender and sweet memories of Nazareth. There had he seen the woman sweep the house. There had he watched the hands that used the leaven. There had he learned, with innocent childish lips, to run to the workshop and cry Abba Father. Out in the battle with evil eyes upon him, his though went flashing back to happy Nazareth , and at the darkest he never lost his winsomeness, because he never lost the influence of home. There are homes where it is well-nigh impossible that the children ever should be winsome. There is so much bitterness in them, so much worldliness, so much unkindly and unguarded talk. There is so little of that gracious reverence that ought to encircle the great years of childhood, when the foot of the angel is still upon the ladder, and every bush is burning with its God. Out of such homes may come successful men, or smart and clever and fashionable women; but never, from such a barren childhood, is there build up the temper that is winsome. It takes a Mary to make a winsome son. It takes a home of reverence and of love. It takes a depth of fatherhood and motherhood that has never lost the hallowing of prayer. Men marveled at the grace with which he spake, and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” That was their difficulty, and, as often happens, at the heart of the difficulty was the explanation. They would have marveled less had they but known how quietly beautiful was that home in Nazareth, where those lips which were to draw the world stammered the first syllables of speech. 
- “The Winsomeness of Jesus” by George Morisson -

Desperate Times and Desperate Measures

If I had my way, I would declare a moratorium on public preaching of “the plan of salvation” in America for one to two years. Then I would call on everyone who has the use of the airwaves and the pulpits to preach the holiness of God, the righteousness of God and the law of God, until sinners would cry out, “What must we do to be saved?” Then I would take them off in a corner and whisper the Gospel to them. Such drastic action is needed because we have gospel-hardened a generation of sinners by telling them how to be saved before they have any understanding why they need to be saved.
~Paris Reidhead, Finding the Reality of God, p 54.~

Hymn History: He Leadeth Me

In his book Hymns of Faith, Nathanael Olson wisely observes, ‘Who can comprehend the faith and wisdom of a child?’ That’s something I’ve often thought about myself. It seems that the faith of a child is unclouded by doubt or unbelief. Children believe implicitly in the power of God to answer prayer; and in His willingness to do so. They just can’t entertain failure in the matter of their prayers. I must add that I’ve often been impressed by this same simple faith in the hearts of my own children. So it was with the nine year old son of a baptist minister in 1904.

The Rev. W. Stillman Martin had an invitation to preach in New York City. However, his wife was ill; too ill to accompany him on the journey; perhaps too ill to be left behind while he went away. He thought of cancelling the engagement and staying by her side. Sensing his father’s concern the nine year old son enquired, ‘Daddy, don’t you think that if God wants you to preach today, He will take care of Mother while you’re away?’ The father thought about this for a moment and then replied, ‘Yes son, I know He will.’ Thus, assured, he kissed his wife and son goodbye and hurried of to fulfil the preaching engagement as planned. On his return, some time later, he was pleasantly surprised to find his wife greatly improved. As he came to her bed side she handed him a poem she had written in his absence- a poem of comfort inspired by their son’s simple faith. “Be not dismayed what’er betide, God will take care of you’ Beneath his wings of love abide, God will take care of you”.

God will take care of you,
Through every day,
O’re all the way;
He will take care of you

The Reverend Martin placed the words on the music stand of the organ and in a short time had composed a tune which suited his wife’s words perfectly. God will take care of you is a real hymn of encouragement. It assures us that ‘through days of toil, ‘in times of danger or need,’ in fact, ‘no matter what the test,’ God will take care of His people. Of course, that’s a premise which is Bible based. Thank God for the little nine year old boy who saw it more clearly than his preacher Dad did at first!