by G. D. Watson
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.
Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.
The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.
God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.
ouch…definition of a Pharisee…
This is why it is so important to continue to test our fruits, making sure that they are for the Lord and His Glory
Soli Deo Gloria
Seth,
Ouch indeed! Yes, we must always be examining ourselves and the foundation of our works.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
Whited sepulchers. I have often wondered, although I have no absolute insight, whether some of these false prophets of today are not in reality “angels of light” which are demons disguised as preachers. We do know one thing though, they are at least demonically controlled. Spurgeon’s words remind me of the woman in Acts 16 who was proclaiming Paul and Silas as messengers of the Most High God and showing the way to salvation.
Her words were true but as we later learn the truth was being spoken by a demon in an act of deepest deception.
Rick,
Yes, there is most definitely something foul afoot. The false prophets appear as solid Christians to those who do not look very deep. These fellows speak much that is true, but always tainted by unholy corruption in one form or another. In my study of the Greek works John the Apostle used for Light and Darkness I learned that Darkness is the consequences of sin, but using it in the analogy of being the opposite of Light it tells us that those in Darkness are spiritually blind because of their sin. What sin? They are controlled by demonic forces in one way or another. They are responding to deceiving spirits while they think they are doing good. Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” That is the criteria to detect the faithful leaders from the faithless deceivers.
The church I left last year because of the PDC coming in is in serious flux now. There are some very sinful things going on amongst the leaders there that is just now coming to light. It is tragic, but these are their fruits are they not?
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
Its in these times that I praise God for placing me in a sound church! I love it when my pastor gives an invitation even when we have a business meeting. You cant dilute light, its absolute.
Russell,
“You can’t dilute light, it’s absolute.”
It can’t be faked either.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
So you mention Reformed theology often. Would this be the same thing as Calvinism?
Russell,
Reformed theology is the same theology of Martin Luther, John Calvin, William Tyndale, John Knox, and innumerable others who were instrumental in reforming the church from the darkness of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th Century.
Calvinism takes many forms. In our day, there are Presbyterian Churches that adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith which is High Calvinsim. On the other hand there are many Baptists who are Reformed in their Theology such as myself, John Piper, James White, John MacArthur, Tom Ascol, and Al Mohler. I suppose if you want to point to a specific confession of faith for Reformed Baptists it would be the Baptist Confession Faith from the 17th Century. The only real difference between it and the Westminster Confession is in Infant Baptism and Believer’s Baptism. Reformed Baptists do not adhere to the Baptism of Infants, only in the Baptism of believers who have made a confession of faith.
Reformed Theology says that God is Sovereign in salvation just as He is in all things. Salvation is God’s work not man’s. Non-Reformed Theology says that salvation is work of man and God.
In any case. I have many friends who I know I will see in Heaven some day who are not Reformed in their Theology. I will never sever fellowship with anyone who professes Jesus Christ as Lord and recognizes that they didn’t do anything to save themselves. Our salvation is by Grace through Faith. It is a gift from God.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
What would you consider the current Baptsit Faith and Message? Do you agree with it?
I haven’t looked at one a quite a while, but I can’t remember one thing in it that I disagreed with. If you compare it with the Baptist Confession from the 17th Century you will find that the current one is pretty much a restatement of the former. Here is a link to the Puritan one from 1689.
Im sorry to take this post off topic. Thank you for your words!
Russell,
Not a problem! Have a blessed day brother.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
I hate to be a poop, but John MacArthur isn’t reformed according to the Reformed Church definition. I don’t know about the others ‘cus I don’t know them.
) Good quote…Spurgeon sure knew how to express himself.
Sarah,
John MacArthur is reformed in is doctrinal postion on the Gospel. That is what I was referring to. Spurgeon was a spirit-filled wordsmith.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
The false prophets of today are never so palatable as when they are candy coated in a veneer of holiness.
Be careful not to bite to deeply you might not like what you taste.
Amen Ron!