June 4, 2010

  • More on love for the brethren (George Whitefield’s Journals)

    In a post last week I shared my struggle with loving my brothers and sisters in Christ. Then yesterday I posted some excerpts from Evan Roberts’ biography “Instrument of Revival” on love for the brethren. Today I’d like to post some words from “George Whitefield’s Journals” on the love and unity in the Body of Christ.


    Saturday, Feb. 25, 1738. … Oh, when will that come, when all differences about externals shall be taken away, and we all with one heart, and one mouth glorify our Lord Jesus Christ!     (132)

    Monday, Feb. 27, 1738. Went to the church, and did as yesterday; and was visited afterwards by two of the Nonconforming Society, who seemed to be Israelites indeed. I exhorted them to love and unity , and not to let a little difference about a few externals occasion any narrow-spiritedness to arise in their hearts. I advised them to come and hear me expound int he church, which they did; and providentially the Lesson was the 4th of the Ephesians, from whence I took occasion to urge on them the necessity of loving one another with a catholic disinterested love, to be of one heart and one mind, and to join without respect of persons in hastening the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope God gave a blessing to what was said, for I observed they came constantly afterwards, and was told there was a perfect harmony between them. What infinite mischief have needless divisions occasioned in the Christian world! Divide et impera, is the Devil’s motto. (133)

    Wednesday, April 18, 1739. Preached this morning with power to a much larger congregation than we had last night. Several servants of God said they never saw the like before. We shall see greater things than these; for almost every day persons of all denominations come unto me, telling how they intercede in my behalf. And it shall now be my particular business, wherever I go, to bring all the children of God, notwithstanding their differences, to rejoice together. How dare we not converse with those who have received the Holy Ghost as we? (253)

     

    Acts 10:44  While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45  And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46  For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47  “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 

     

    Now (We need this now, O Lord! Be merciful and gracious to us, for certainly You see how we struggle with loving one another and we have so often grieved you … We have seen how the devil delights to divide us and conquer! Yet  we know that You who dwell in us are greater than he who is in the world. May we sober and on the alert against the enemy’s crafty schemes so we might be more than conquerors and not end up as lion’s bait!) – Now, may You, the God of patience and endurance and the God of consolation and encouragement work in us through Your Holy Spirit (the one Spirit who breathed life into all us and united us in Christ, the one Spirit whom we share and who now dwells in us) so we might live in harmony with one another and be like-minded toward one toward another in accord with Christ Jesus: That we may be one, so together we may with one mind, one heart and one voice glorify You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we welcome one another as Christ Himself received us, to Your glory, O God. (For when we don’t welcome one another, we rob You of Your due glory.) Grant us patience and endurance, so we might be instruments of consolation and encouragement to one another so we might reflect Your gracious dealings with us in Jesus Christ. Amen.

     

    More on Whitefield and love and unity in the Church:

    Other related posts:

     

    Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

     

Comments (2)

  • Since we who believe have all been raised to new life in Christ, we are admonished to seek those things which are above – where Christ is.  Our life now is hid with Christ in God.  So when we see Christ, we see that we and all other believers have that same life.

    Precious Lord Jesus we need help seeing who we are in You. You have called us and chosen us.  We have heard You say that, and we also have heard You call us holy and beloved.  We have been without mercy to one another.  We have lifted ourselves up above our brothers instead of deferring to them or being humble.  You have forgiven us our sins unconditionally because You took them on Yourself in our behalf.  Yet we have not extended that grace we so freely have received to our brothers.  We so desperately need Your help.  We cannot see the Holy Spirit physically, but You have told us that He bears witness with our spirits that we are His.  Help us to yield to Him and listen for that witness in our brother’s speech and see it in his actions.  Help us to be much more apt to look for the Holy Spirit than to look on our brother’s differences.  Amen.

    Lets join our hearts together as brothers and sisters in Christ in His peace, giving thanks to God for each other.

  • @quest4god@revelife - Amen. Bless you, brother, for your wonderful prayer here.

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