 |
 |
We Believe About Us Christian Articles Message Board Guest Book Links Page 1 Links Page 2 Women's Corner Poems Corner EMAIL US |
|
| We are listed in the following Internet directories. We do not necessarily endorse all the sites listed in the topsites below. Just because one labels a site, "Christian" does NOT make it biblical. So please use discernment when visiting any link: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| There is a form of self-righteousness which leads many believers to doubt their acceptance with God because of the imperfections which they find in themselves. You may say, "But ought I not to have misgivings when I find my spirit and the state of my mind so contrary to that which befits a Christian?" That you ought to judge yourself, and be humbled before your Father about these things, is most true; but it is not true that your righteousness and acceptance with God depend upon yourself, or are measured by your condition or conduct. To have such a thought in the mind is really to suppose that you could be in the favor of your Father by being worthy of that favor in yourself. It is simply self-righteousness. Then there is the perennial problem of self-improvement, which always results in self-disappointment. But self-disappointment is a very different thing from self-judgment. Indeed, if there were true self-judgment there would never be self-disappointment. If in honesty and sobriety of soul I have judged "that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing," I shall certainly not expect anything from myself, and it has been well said that where there is no expectation there can be no disappointment. But I feel sure that many young believers, and I dare say some older ones too, are very familiar with the wretched depressing experience which I have spoken of as self-disappointment. They have made many fresh starts; they have often been stirred up, and have made up their minds to be more for Christ; they have thought, "I shall do better now; I am more earnest about it than I was before," but it has all ended in disappointment. They have no idea that they are trying to improve themselves; they would repudiate such a thought. They suppose that they know better than to look for good in themselves; and yet their disappointment is the plain proof that, in spite of all their knowledge of Scripture, they have expected to make themselves better, for they are disappointed because they have not succeeded in doing so. Probably the occupation most detrimental to Christian growth is self-occupation. Some minds are always attracted by what is experiential. They do not know deliverance; and experiential truths seem to offer that which they are seeking. They are not looking for an increased knowledge of the grace of God, or deepened acquaintance with the Lord Jesus Christ; their object of desire is to have a more satisfactory experience. That is, the old man is still their center. And such souls are constantly occupied either in bemoaning how little they have got or attained, or in complacently assuming that they have reached a certain stage of experience. It has often been observed that in the writings of those who advocate "holiness by faith" [erroneous Pentecostal Holiness movement] that the beauty and perfection of what the Lord Jesus is in Himself as an all-blessed Object for the heart is very little presented. Instead, He is [wrongly] set forth as One who can bring about a new experience in the believer, and it is easy to see that the new experience has often a more prominent place in the mind than the Lord Jesus Christ. You will find that when believers are engrossed with experience—whether it be in connection with holiness, power for service, or spiritual attainment—they always have something before them less than the purpose of God. They are either pursuing, or are satisfied with, something less than that which divine love purposes, and thus they are losers to an incalculable extent. It is when the purpose of God in its greatness is before our hearts, and we are attracted by it, that our experience becomes like that of the beloved servant who could say, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12-14). This is Christian experience—the experience of a man who was not thinking of his experience, but of the exceeding greatness of the purpose of God. Finally, a great hindering weight in the Christian life is self-occupation in service. It is a sad thing when service interferes with spiritual growth. Service may take possession of the heart until it becomes the theme of conversation, the subject matter of correspondence, and the center round which the thoughts continually revolve. It is possible to be so engrossed with service that one's meditations are colored by it, one's prayers are full of it, and the Word of God becomes simply a quarry out of which material for sermons and addresses can be dug. This is a serious loss to the soul, and many are thereby hindered from making spiritual progress. [Editor's note: And what do most churches do today the minute a person receives Jesus Christ? They throw him into service.] Very often young believers who have not even peace with God are encouraged to take up service, and they become so occupied with what they are doing that they are not at leisure to learn or to take their place in the favor of their Father. Hence, so long as the service prospers, and they get on well with it, they are happy. The service is their life. But when there is no success, and the whole thing seems to be a failure, their joy collapses; and they have to discover how little they have really got, and in many cases to find that they are perfect strangers to the liberty and joy of acceptance with their Father. Anything which occupies us so that we are diverted from our acceptance and growth is a hindrance, even if it be a thing apparently so excellent as service. It is a wonderful moment for the believer when by faith he occupies his standing in the favor of his Father—when he knows that he is received by Him in all the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ. He does not then think of himself, or of his worthiness, at all. He thinks of the Lord Jesus—His perfections, His suitability to divine favor, His infinite acceptance with His Father—and by faith he has access into the favor of which He is so worthy. Edited for brevity and modified by CRM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CRM Additional Comments: So much is covered in the message above and it is as important today as it was 80 years ago. The "holiness" people are still striving to "experience something new," having no real solid knowledge of biblical doctrine. A firm foundation is not found in "experiences." The just shall live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian must be grounded in the Word of God. The modern churches and sadly even some Fundamental churches today are still pushing new converts into "service" rather than teaching them God's Word-- equipping them-- to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." There is such a need for missionaries today but these missionaries must be called by God and equipped to do the work. The task is great. One must be grounded in the Word and trained for the mission field. And too many Christians today feel a "guilt trip" by their pastors to be "purpose driven" and they are burned out and tired. The Lord Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." [Because He equips us and gives us the strength.] The Christian is not to be purpose-driven but rather Spirit-led. Whatever the Lord calls you to do, He will empower you to do it. Wherever God has placed you is where He wants you to be, for the time being. And He will lead you daily in the way in which you should go. We are His hands and feet in this world and by His Spirit, we can reach out to those in our pathway. We must keep our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ-- looking to Him always. When we look to Him, we shall not be occupied with things that do not matter. Many Christians desire to travel half way around the world to convert a soul but yet they won't even reach out to the person next door. We are His ambassadors, not only to those abroad but to those near as well. It's like the rich Christian man praying in his car, "Oh Lord given me a ministry." And as the road he is traveling on up ahead is closed, and he is detoured through the ghetto, he does not see the ministry before his own eyes but keeps on driving through, hoping he can travel oversees to help "someone in need." May the Lord open our eyes to see His plan and may we seek His face to know His will in all matters. It should never be "our" ministry but His ministry. And as it was a century ago, many Christians are still discouraged because they are NOT taught to look unto Jesus for His purpose in their lives but rather feel, "I need to serve Him." We serve Him but not to feel "purpose" in ourselves. We must allow Him to work through us-- keeping our eyes upon Him and the "calling" will follow in His timing. The Bible teaches that we serve Him with His power-- HE ENABLES US FOR THE SERVICE which He calls us to do. And all is done for His glory-- not for the purpose of feeling good about ourselves but rather praising Him for the work He is accomplishing through us. Though we be weak, He is strong. Though we be imperfect, He is perfect... All praise goes to Him alone. The Christian walk is a daily walk of yielding to God, praying, reading His Word, being lead by His Spirit-- He provides strength for our journey. So many Christians are discouraged because they look at themselves but when one looks to Christ, there he finds that all that he needs. Happiness should not be found in what we do but rather Whom we have received. The Lord Jesus is the center of our joy. Whether you are a pastor or a factory worker, your joy is centered in Christ. Encouragement comes when we look to our Savior and see ourselves in Him. Ephesians 1:6 declared, "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Copyright © 2007 Cobblestone Road Ministries All Rights Reserved Further Reading: FOUR IMPORTANT THINGS That Every Christian Should Know THE HEAVY BURDEN OF THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE THE IMPORTANCE OF DAILY LIVING By CA Coates ARE YOU A "ROCKING HORSE" CHRISTIAN? COMMIT THY WAY UNTO THE LORD AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST JESUS HAVING THE JOY OF THE LORD |
| Occupation With The Object By C.A. Coates |