prayers

  • 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:

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    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.

     

  • Love for the brethren (Evan Roberts & the Welsh Revival of 1904-05)

    In my last post I wrote on my struggle to love my brothers and sisters in Christ as I ought.

    During times of revival, differences on nonessential matters seem to grow strangely dim in the light of God’s glory and grace. The true oneness we share becomes more visible as the Holy Spirit falls and works to purify believers and impart a greater love for our God as well as for one another. (How can we say we’re part of the family of God if we’re not loving the other family members as our heavenly Father loves them?)

    I’ve been reading “An Instrument of Revival: The Complete Life of Evan Roberts, 1878-1951″ (Brynmor Pierce Jones, Bridge Publishing: South Plainfield, NJ, 1995). Evan Roberts was used by God in the Welsh Revival of 1904-05. He had a God-given desire for the brothers and sisters in Christ to love one another as Jesus Christ has loved us. Here are some excerpts from the book (boldface, mine).

         Perhaps the greatest sensation occurred on 22 December when Evan gave time and opportunity to a Turk and then to an Armenian whose people had suffered at the hands of the Turks. He wanted to illustrate one of his personal burdens: “If you do not love the brethren there is no unity. If you have received the Savior you should be one with each other.” Evan often rebuked those who prayed for only their own chapel, denomination or country. One of his finer sermons, based on the Archdruid’s call at the National Eisteddfod, advocated peace and unity at every level of life.

         It seems sad, therefore, that the freedoms given to English and European visitors caused discontent. Giving them the best seats was bad enough; now they were given time to make platform speeches instead of being content to join in the prayer and praise. To ministers like Dr. Morris and William Evans, it seemed an abuse of the spiritual liberty that Evan Roberts had advocated. Another prominent Welsh preacher, Dr. Cynddylan Jones, sent a letter to the Western Mail (December 22nd) to warn off the eloquent professional evangelists. Even the friendly journalists, Awstin, said these outsiders’ long speeches were embarrassing. Evan Roberts never really solved that problem. How could one say, “You all have full liberty in the Spirit to speak as you are prompted, but you are not to make speeches which trespass on the liberty of others.”
    (61-62)
         The last night of this visit to Aberdare was like a pageant of praise, prayer and testimony. The formerly closed frontiers of age, sex, language and social background were crossed time and again. At length, Evan Roberts stood up in the big seat, a pew usually reserved for deacons. Then he opened his New Testament and slowly and emphatically read the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. In a quiet and solemn voice he emphasized the words, “If I have not love I am nothing––nothing––NOTHING,” and then he sat down. That was all, but it was enough.
    (46)
         On Thursday morning, which happened to be free, a small group accompanied Evan to the snow-clad Rhigos mountain above Hirwaun. Mr. H. Roberts, his walking companion, recalled:

    We were all on pleasure bent and each one of us enjoyed the morning in a different way according to each one’s temperament. It was a fine morning in January. Snow covered the mountains round about and we longed to be as pure as the white flakes that lay thickly at our feet…[The description of the climb continued ...]

    When we made our way to the top, the scene was magnificent. We bowed our heads in prayer to Him who made us all. Evan and one other person made public supplication to the Throne of Grace. . . . I have omitted to tell you that on the way up, Evan Roberts wrote on the snow a word which denotes the key to this revival: L-O-V-E.
    (77-78)

    James 2:1  My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

    Romans 15:5  May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6  that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7  Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

    Holy Father, Send the Spirit of Your Son to work in me the love for You and for Your children that I ought to have as Your child.
    May I not grieve, quench or limit Him.



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    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.

  • “Kissing the Rod”


    Proverbs 22:15: Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

    XXII. KISSING THE ROD.
    Dysg fi dewi megys Aaron
    (In “Favorite Welsh Hymns” Tr. by Joseph Morris)

    Teach me Aaron’s thoughtful silence
    When corrected by thy rod;

    Teach me Eli’s acquiescence,
    Saying, “Do thy will, my God:”

    Teach me Job’s confiding patience,
    Dreading words from pride that flow;

    For Thou, Lord, alone exaltest,
    And Thou only layest low.

    * * *

    Psalm 73:21  Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. 22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 23  Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. 24  Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. 25  Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 26  My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 27  For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. 28  But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

    From Spurgeon’s Treasury of David – Psalm 118. Verse 18. But he hath not given me over unto death. It might have been worse, may the afflicted saint say, and it will yet be better; it is in mercy and in measure that God chastiseth his children. It is his care that “the spirit fail not before him, nor the souls which he hath made, “Isa 57:16. If his child swoons in the whipping, God lets fall the rod, and falls a kissing it, to fetch life into it again. John Trapp.