"It is easy to imagine that we will get
to a place where we are complete and ready,
but preparation is not suddenly accomplished,
it is a process steadily maintained. It is dangerous
to get into a settled state of experience. It
is preparation and (more) preparation."
The
above quote from My Utmost For His Highest
by Oswald Chambers can be both encouraging and
discouraging. It is meant to instruct us about
the reality of Christian service and the truth
that nobody is ever completely ready to do what
God has called him to do, but preparation is always
ongoing. A completely prepared worker in the harvest
would look and act just like Jesus. There have
been some good workers like the apostle Paul,
Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, etc. Yet even they
would admit their struggles and desire to have
more of Christ in their lives.
I
(Norm) am always impressed when reading about
Gideon in Judges 6. The strength of his going
was in the power of God's sending. The Lord Himself
appeared to him and said in Judges 6:14, "Go
in the strength you have and save. Am I not sending
you?" Of course we know that Gideon, by his
own admission, was the least of the lowest and
an unlikely candidate for this high calling from
God. The strength of Gideon's going was not in
his qualifications, but it was in the power of
God's sending. This is what we call God's ekballo
power. Ekballo is a Greek word that means
to thrust, cast out, be carried along (by the
Spirit). It is like a jet propulsion!
A
Need to Examine the Heart
Many
people have made contact with the Elijah Company
saying they have a call. We often try to discourage
people by "de-romanticizing" the call to
be an end-times harvester.
"The
sense of sacrifice appeals readily to a young
Christian. Humanly speaking, the one thing that
attracts to Jesus is our sense of the heroic,
and the scrutiny of our Lord's words suddenly
bring this tide of enthusiasm to a test." Oswald
Chambers
Chambers
goes on to say that the Lord is able to call our
desire into question and purify our motives. Why
do we want to serve the Lord? I can think of several
wrong reasons: To experience new cultures, to
escape present difficulties, to have people think
we are adventurous, brave and committed, to travel
and the list goes on. After twenty-five years
of mission's experience, I can testify that all
these reasons fade once the difficulties and perseverance
begin to cost. The Lord lets these things happen
to test us. He wants us to learn self-denial and
commitment with pure motives.
"If
anyone desires to be my disciple, let him deny
himself - that is, disregard, lose sight of
and forget himself and his own interests - and
take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24,
Amplified Bible)
The
issue in serving the Lord is not location or function
but it is heart. That is why the Lord says
in Matthew 5:23-24, "If you are bringing your
gift to the alter and you remember your brother
has something against you, leave your gift and
first be reconciled to your brother." Personal
relationships are true reflectors of the motives
of the heart. Ninety percent of everything we
do in ministry has to do with developing and maintaining
personal relationships. Many of us would be more
willing to die as a martyr than to lay aside our
personal rights reflected in these personal relationships.
Dying as a martyr can have some merit for self.
That is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians in I
Corinthians 13:3,5, "If I give all I posses
to the poor and surrender my body to the flames
but have not love, I gain nothing. Love does not
seek its own."
Preparing For Your Call Through Self-Denial
"Are you willing to obey your Lord and
Master whatever the humiliation to your right
to yourself may be? You were looking for some
great thing to give up. God is telling you of
some tiny thing; but at the back of it there
lies the central citadel of obstinacy: I will
not give up my right to myself." Oswald Chambers
Missionary
life is filled with opportunities for learning
self-denial. Last year we were in India. I
(Debbie) brought a book with me by Amy Carmichael
called A Chance to Die. It was a rugged trip with
hours of traveling over bumpy roads, dangers from
thieves and hours of hard endurance. When I came
across a difficulty that called for self-denial,
I remembered the book I was reading. I
was able to say to myself, "This is a chance
to die; a chance to die to myself."
At
the same time I had remembered the book by Oswald
Chambers quoted above. His book is called My
Utmost for His Highest. I was challenged so
strongly by the life of Oswald Chambers and Amy
Carmichael. The testimony of how they lived their
life helped me during moments of self-denial and
personal pain. If they could do it, so could I.
During those difficult moments of self-denial
and hardship I would say to myself, "My utmost
for His highest."
We
just returned from 33 days in the Middle East.
There were times of endurance on this trip as
well. There is no getting away from it. If we
are going to reach this world with the Gospel
of Jesus, we will have to learn self-denial and
sacrifice. It is going to cost us something. But
we can assure you that it is worth it. Start learning
self-denial right now. This will prepare you for
your destiny. Jesus gave up His life. He laid
it down for us. Can we expect to do less? Self-sacrifice
is the way to find your true self. Don't withdraw
from suffering but learn to embrace the cross
of Christ now. We encourage you to answer the
following questions:
- Is
there a "personal right" that you need to give
up? The Holy Spirit speaks to us when we
listen. What small thing is He asking of you?
Listen to what He is saying, say yes to Him,
and in prayer lay it down.
- Is
there a person you do not like?
Does the person you are thinking of stir negative
emotions in you because of something they have
done, or perceivably done? The greatest challenge
you may face will be to pray for and speak blessing
to that person.
- What
are your reasons for wanting to serve the Lord?
On a piece of paper write out your reasons for
wanting to serve God in missions or otherwise.
Evaluate and bring these before the Lord in
prayer.
-
What situation are you facing right now that
is an opportunity for self-denial?
Can you say to yourself, "This is a chance to
die; a chance to die to myself"? Can you say
to God "My utmost for Your highest"?
"Anyone
who intends to come with me has to let me
lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am.
Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow
me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no
help at all. Self sacrifice is the way, my
way, to finding yourself, your true self."
Matthew 16:24, Message Bible
Training
in World Missions
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learn more about the Elijah Company please read:
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