Out of the Clay

In our home fellowship we have been slowly walking through and discussing 1 Peter.   One of the verses that we camped out on a few weeks ago had to do with what should be a Christian’s response in the face of accusations (true or false).  As we all live in a fallen world we all have to face circumstances brought on both by our own stumbles and from the sins of others.  Anyways, last night and today I have been meditating on this verse that we discussed a few weeks ago.  I have bolded the portion that I am hanging onto the most right now.  Have a read from 1 Peter 2:11 - 25:

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.  Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe {them,} glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. For this {finds} favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer {for it} you patiently endure it, this {finds} favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting {Himself} to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

 I guess that in every person’s life there are times when you just have to make a decision to stop the insane behavior.  For the alcoholic, that decision is to stop drinking.  For the drug addict, that decision is to stop drugs.  For the porn addict, that decision is to cut yourself off from pornography.  As a three strikes your out person, I thought that I had already cut myself off from everything that was causing me harm … this was not so.  I was still hanging onto a relationship that has ultimately caused emotional damage to myself and my family.  That relationship is now gone. 

I always used to hear somebody quote a verse from Jeremiah.  It’s from chapter 12 verse 5:

“If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? …”

There was a time in my life when I would think of this verse and purpose myself to strive.  And for the record, in my flesh, there weren’t many that could keep up.  However, now I see that must not strive.  I must appropriate that truth that I am dead and my real life is hidden with Christ in God.  This life is lived by grace through faith.  My eternal rewards are not in tandem with what appears to be ‘good’ in the eyes of this fallen world.  As these truths have come to be my reality the above verse from Jeremiah produced for me a Rhema word from The Holy Spirit.  He told me ….

though you may not strive to run with men and it appears as though you are falling - don’t be afraid, because a gelded stallion will never truly reproduce

So.  I rejoice in my accusations.  I see God’s hand in taking me to deeper levels of dependence on Him.  Though it may look small, weak, frail, and humble - remember, the greatest among you shall be the least.  I must continually return to the cross where I laid down my broken life and by faith came to know Christ as Life.

What do you do when others accuse you?  Reckon on your true identity.  Have I ever stumbled?  Yes.  But, I have committed no crime nor conspired to do so.  I pray that those will keep on mocking me for it is in my letting go of selfish responses and leaning in closer to Christ that I find favor with God. 

Peace.

Ok, first of all, yes, I have read all of the information posted on the internet about Gene, The Gathering, and The Lord’s Child.  I have been contacted by the church staff and by others inquiring whether or not it is me.  For the record, it is not me.  However, with all of the anonymous posting and finger pointing both towards the church and from the members of the church I feel led to address the situation.

Let me start by outlining a history of my relationship with the church…  I began attending The Gathering in August of 2003 and became a member.  I went on staff part time in January of 2004 and then full-tim in 2006.  As most of you know I was asked to resign my staff position in February of 2008 due to moral failure (btw, If you would like more information on that then I will be happy to discuss it with you one on one over a cup of coffee at starbucks(my treat).  Just leave a comment and maybe we can sit down and fellowship some time.)  However, while on staff at The Gathering I was privy to information trusted only to a select few and I will not violate that trust. I would like to add that after my resignation I continued to support the vision of the church through giving of my time, talents and treasures.  Even when my emotions ran hot and I was mad as hell at Gene, I fully trusted him and continued to support the church through giving and serving and I encouraged others to do the same.  I have attended The Gathering a couple of times since Easter of this year (2009) but only to say hello to friends and once to pay respects to a brother who has gone on to be with The Lord.  I count Easter of 2009 (the first day in the new building) as my official last day as a member of the church. 

Now, let me get into this, I know that many of you are reading this and wondering why I am even saying anything about it. Here’s why.  It’s because I love you.  Each and every one you.  The ones that I know and the ones that I don’t know.  Gene, the staff, the members, and even anonymous bloggers and comment makers … If I were to meet you on the street or in a supermarket or in a starbucks (wow - second starbucks reference) then I would find no greater pleasure than sharing a moment of true fellowship with you. 

Ok — so you’re probably waiting (and wanting) for me to confirm or deny some of the allegations.  That is not my place.  What I can give you, though, is my opinion - so, here goes:

Some of the remarks by the bloggers are very harsh and unnecessary.  On the other hand, some of them are a plee for prayer and truth.  If you read them with an open mind that is what you will see.  Personally, I don’t agree with a tactic that includes personal attacks and the manner in which the information was distributed was not done in love.  However, just because I don’t agree with the delivery doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t personally process the information.   But, for the church to respond in a way that doesn’t directly address the issue makes them appear to be sidestepping the heart of the claim.  It is erroneous to say ‘person A has no character, person A said ‘xyz’, ‘xyz’ therefore cannot be true’ which is what I am hearing and reading from the church.  I think (notice that I said ‘Think’  )  that the church tried to keep things positive in the blog post here, but they really didn’t address the heart of the issue.  Instead, through the comments on the blogsites, some have resorted to the same personal attacks used by the originator of the content! 

So, here’s the deal — When I was on staff, Gene always would say ‘What is done in private will always be made public’.  It is a prophetic word that bore fruit in my life.  I read from Oswald Chambers the other day that ‘Conviction is a gift from God of shame and repentence….’  When I read it, the words struck me to the core because I remembered the day that I faced up to my own shame and became repentent — not for being caught in my sin but for all of those that I had hurt in the process.  With that in mind, I am not saying whether or not any of the claims made against the church are true.  But, I will say that if there is something that you are trying to cover up, whether it is your identity (to the anonymous bloggers) or something else, better yet, if there is something that you are doing for which you would be ashamed if everybody knew it, then you can bet your britches it is precisely that thing that needs to be addressed publicly in order for you to go to another level spiritually.  We ALL need to go to another level.  None of us have arrived.  So, to everybody involved, I give you this Word:

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,

and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, {and} abusive speech from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its {evil} practices,

and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him–

{a renewal} in which there is no {distinction between} Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things {put on} love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms {and} hymns {and} spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

 (Col 3:1-17)
I’ll sum my opinion up with this:  Bloggers - stop being malicious and unloving.  Watch your words and seek The Lord before you do anything else.  Gathering - you need to watch how you respond, remember, the world is watching.  Also — You need more financial accountability.  I believe that ALL churches and non-profits should provide full financial disclosure.  It is the only way that all of your bases are covered.

Ok … so that’s my opinion.  That is what I think.  I am sorry if you disagree but just remember, I love you all and look forward to the next time that I can hug your neck and share a moment of true fellowship in The Spirit with you.  Peace.

“I AM crucified with Christ.” Thus the apostle expresses his assurance of his fellowship with Christ in His sufferings and death, and his full participation in all the power and the blessing of that death. And so really did he mean what he said, and know that he was now indeed dead, that he adds: “It is no longer I that live, but Christ that liveth in me.”How blessed must be the experience of such a union with the Lord Jesus! To be able to look upon His death as mine, just as really as it was His–upon His perfect obedience to God, His victory over sin, and complete deliverance from its power, as mine; and to realize that the power of that death does by faith work daily with a divine energy in mortifying the flesh, and renewing the whole life into the perfect conformity to the resurrection life of Jesus! Abiding in Jesus, the Crucified One, is the secret of the growth of that new life which is ever begotten of the death of nature.

Let us try to understand this. The suggestive expression, “Planted into the likeness of His death,” will teach us what the abiding in the Crucified One means. When a graft is united with the stock on which it is to grow, we know that it must be kept fixed, it must abide in the place where the stock has been cut, been wounded, to make an opening to receive the graft. No graft without wounding–the laying bare and opening up of the inner life of the tree to receive the stranger branch. It is only through such wounding that access can be obtained to the fellowship of the sap and the growth and the life of the stronger stem. Even so with Jesus and the sinner. Only when we are planted into the likeness of His death shall we also be in the likeness of His resurrection, partakers of the life and the power there are in Him. In the death of the Cross Christ was wounded, and in His opened wounds a place prepared where we might be grafted in. And just as one might say to a graft, and does practically say as it is fixed in its place, “Abide here in the wound of the stem, that is now to bear you”; so to the believing soul the message comes, “Abide in the wounds of Jesus; there is the place of union, and life, and growth. There you shall see how His heart was opened to receive you; how His flesh was rent that the way might be opened for your being made one with Him, and having access to all the blessings flowing from His divine nature.”

You have also noticed how the graft has to be torn away from the tree where it by nature grew, and to be cut into conformity to the place prepared for it in the wounded stem. Even so the believer has to be made conformable to Christ’s death–to be crucified and to die with Him. The wounded stem and the wounded graft are cut to fit into each other, into each other’s likeness. There is a fellowship between Christ’s sufferings and your sufferings. His experiences must become yours. The disposition He manifested in choosing and bearing the cross must be yours. Like Him, you will have to give full assent to the righteous judgment and curse of a holy God against sin. Like Him, you have to consent to yield your life, as laden with sin and curse,to death, and through it to pass to the new life. Like Him, you shall experience that it is only through the self-sacrifice of Gethsemane and Calvary that the path is to be found to the joy and the fruit-bearing of the resurrection life. The more clear the resemblance between the wounded stem and the wounded graft, the more exactly their wounds fit into each other, the surer and the easier, and the more complete will be the union and the growth.

It is in Jesus, the Crucified One, I must abide. I must learn to look upon the Cross as not only an atonement to God, but also a victory over the devil–not only a deliverance from the guilt, but also from the power of sin. I must gaze on Him on the Cross as wholly mine, offering Himself to receive me into the closest union and fellowship, and to make me partaker of the full power of His death to sin, and the new life of victory to which it is but the gateway. I must yield myself to Him in an undivided surrender, with much prayer and strong desire, imploring to be admitted into the ever closer fellowship and conformity of His death, of the Spirit in which He died that death.

So many times in my life as a believer I have heard the term ‘Godly’. Most of times that I have heard (or read) the term is is in the context of relationships. For example - …Godly men, Godly women, Godly families, etc. Further, I must admit that most of the situations that I have heard (or read) have inspired me to want to be ‘better’. But, in order for me or my relationships or my characteristics to be ‘better’ then that means that there is something inherently wrong with me and/or family and that the antidote to my situation is to try and become ‘Godly’ or ‘like God’.

So the question is: is trying to be Godly a good thing or a bad thing? Is trying to be a Godly man or have a Godly family really the answer or the goal in this thing called life? The short answer is no. Let me explain …

I believe that most of man’s problems (and I mean man in the creation form - not gender specific) have their root in the ‘Tree of knowledge of good and evil’. Most of you know, from your early Sunday School classes, that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was the one forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Let’s think about the name of the tree - Knowledge of good and evil. Or put another way, knowing the difference between right and wrong. See, once a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ has been established then there lays the foundation for legalism. The enemy knew that this was the only way that he could disrupt our fellowship with God. Just read Genesis 3:5:

“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

‘Be like God’ is the phrase that the enemy used. I believe that you could put that another way - Godly. See - our perception of God, most of the time, is based on projection. We come up with what we think the most perfect being on earth could be like and then multiply it’s perfection times 1,000 and then project it onto God. Following that assumption we then spend the rest of our lives miserably trying to measure up to a perfect standard because, after all, we KNOW the difference between good and evil. Right?

Sadly, most believers live out their entire life trying to measure up. Most even gauge how well the leadership at their church is doing by a combination of their level of perfection combined with their ability to inspire you to try and attain their level. This is legalism. This is eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is trying to live the christian life in our own effort. This is trying to be good, trying to do the right things, trying to spend a specific amount of time each day praying, reading our Bible, serving, etc … Better yet, this is trying to give our way into God’s favor. This, my friend, is not God’s plan.

If you remember from your Sunday School class - there is another tree. This tree is called ‘The Tree of Life’. This tree is Christ. Remember, we have been grafted into this new tree (Romans 11:17, John 15). We are now partakers of His Life (John 14:6) and His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matt 11:30). Once we have accepted Christ then the curse from Eve’s deceptions and Adam’s choice has been lifted! Amen! We have been transferred from the headship of Adam to the headship of Christ. We no longer have to try to be good or Godly but simply to rest in the finished work of The Cross!

The reason that I have written this post is to reveal a piece of the mystery of God’s grace to you. All believers have experienced the first half of The Good News - Christ’s death for us. But only a few have experienced the second half - our death with Christ. In order to make our death with Christ an experiential reality in our lives we must first KNOW that it is Truth. After knowing, we must make it true in our lives by FAITH. When we simply rest in the completeness of The Gospel there is no more trying to be Godly because He who has come to fulfill the law now takes up a living residence inside of the new believer. He has become for us wisdom from God, both rightousness and sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor 1:30).

With Christ as our wisdom we see the difference between the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the blessed Tree of Life. When we surrender and identify with who we REALLY are in Christ then we cease trying to live ‘like God’ and begin to live KNOWING that it is God who is living for us.

Let me introduce you to The People formerly known as The Congregation. There are millions of us.

We are people - flesh and blood - image bearers of the Creator - eikons, if you will. We are not numbers.

We are the eikons who once sat in the uncomfortable pews or plush theatre seating of your preaching venues. We sat passively while you proof-texted your way through 3, 4, 5 or no point sermons - attempting to tell us how you and your reading of The Bible had a plan for our lives. Perhaps God does have a plan for us - it just doesn’t seem to jive with yours.

Money was a great concern. And, for a moment, we believed you when you told us God would reward us for our tithes - or curse us if we didn’t. The Law is just so much easier to preach than Grace. My goodness, if you told us that the 1st century church held everything in common - you might be accused of being a socialist - and of course, capitalism is a direct gift from God. Please further note: Malachi 3 is speaking to the priests of Israel. They weren’t the cheerful givers God speaks of loving.

We grew weary from your Edifice Complex pathologies - building projects more important than the people in your neighbourhood…or in your pews. It wasn’t God telling you to “enlarge the place of your tent” - it was your ego. And, by the way, a multi-million dollar, state of the art building is hardly a tent.

We no longer buy your call to be “fastest growing” church in wherever. That is your need. You want a bigger audience. We won’t be part of one.

Our ears are still ringing from the volume, but…Jesus is not our boyfriend - and we will no longer sing your silly love songs that suggest He is. Happy clappy tunes bear no witness to the reality of the world we live in, the powers and principalities we confront, or are worthy of the one we proclaim King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

You offered us a myriad of programs to join - volunteer positions to assuage our desire to be connected. We could be greeters, parking lot attendants, coffee baristas, book store helpers, children’s ministry workers, media ministry drones - whatever you needed to fulfill your dreams of corporate glory. Perhaps you’ve noticed, we aren’t there anymore.

We are The People formerly known as The Congregation. We have not stopped loving the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Nor do we avoid “the assembling of the saints.” We just don’t assemble under your supposed leadership. We meet in coffee shops, around dinner tables, in the parks and on the streets. We connect virtually across space and time - engaged in generative conversations - teaching and being taught.

We live amongst our neighbours, in their homes and they in ours. We laugh and cry and really live - without the need to have you teach us how - by reading your ridiculous books or listening to your supercilious CDs or podcasts.

We don’t deny Paul’s description of APEPT leadership - apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher. We just see it in the light of Jesus’ teaching in Mark 10 and Matthew 20 - servant leadership. We truly long for the release of servant leading men and women into our gifts as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. We believe in Peter’s words that describe us all as priests. Not just some, not just one gender.

We are The People formerly known as The Congregation. We do not hate you. Though some of us bear the wounds you have inflicted. Many of you are our brothers and our sisters, misguided by the systems you inhabit, intoxicated by the power - yet still members of our family. (Though some are truly wolves in sheep’s clothing.)

And, as The People formerly known as The Congregation, we invite you to join us on this great adventure. To boldly go where the Spirit leads us. To marvel at what the Father is doing in the communities where He has placed us. To live the love that Jesus shows us.

(quote from Bill Kinnon - blog)

What does it mean to take up the cross daily? It is very sad that the particular Scripture passages in Matt. 16:24, Mark 8:34, 10:21 and Luke 9:23 are so often misunderstood. Too often preachers use these verses as a threat to force people into works, self-consciousness and Christian performance, when in all reality it is one of the most beautiful experiences for a Christian to take up the cross daily. What cross you may ask? An understanding of pure Grace is necessary to realize that it is His cross and we glory in His cross, because He already went on the cross for us. Consider the following regarding this issue from a Grace-oriented and Christ-centered viewpoint:

Taking up the cross daily means that Christ wants us to focus on Him, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). As we look unto His Finished Work (John 19:30) on the cross of Calvary, which was the manifestation of His Love expressed through Mercy and Grace as He met the conditions of His perfect justice, He is able to work in and through us to manifest His Love with the mind of Christ active in us (1 Cor. 2:16; Phil. 2:5) through acts of Mercy and Grace to the folks around us including to ourselves. It’s His cross that we want as a frame of reference.

The Holy Spirit continuously motivates each Christian to look unto Him and with our free volition we say “Yes” and then He can work in and through us. And letting Him work in and through us is what Jesus Christ means in His Word when He speaks about taking up the cross daily. It’s at His cross where we meet Him, our Lord and Savior, and where He finished the work. Now we have peace with God and we can rest and let Him perform His work in us to conform us to His image (Romans 8:29).

And it is very important to understand that to take up His cross is never an actual work performed by a Christian and it’s never a burden or a matter of distress, but instead the cross represents a place of victory and glory. Calvary’s cross is the only cross God will and can accept. There’s no sacrifice we as individuals can offer to God as God doesn’t want our sacrifices (Psalm 40:6, 51:16-17), but instead He wants our heart (Proverbs 23:26; a choice in our free will to let him take over our lives which is not a work by itself, but only a type of mental consent) and that’s not a sacrifice or work. When we give Him our heart it’s the most joyous thing an individual can do to experience the Resurrection Life of Christ in this lifetime. And then the presentation of our bodies as living sacrifices in Romans 12:1 is no longer a work performed by the efforts of an individual, but instead it is the working of the Holy Spirit in us as our minds are renewed (Rom. 12:2).

Some confuse the taking up of the cross with some burden, distress, work, Christian performance and/or duty, discomfort or whatever, when in fact it is one of the greatest things a Christian can experience every day of his/her life as an individual yields to the kind and loving urging/pleading of the Holy Spirit to let Christ reign in them for that day, hour, minute and every single moment. It’s also true when we yield to the Holy Spirit that the things on earth will grow strangely dim as we will no longer yearn to fulfill our human-based (sin nature rooted) desires, but instead we’ll be delighted in His will as we have faith (trust) in Him that His way (plan) is perfect (Psalm 18:30). Yes, once again it’s all by Grace and the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63).

“Wherefore hast Thou afflicted Thy servant?” — Numbers 11:11

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,” is heaven-born faith. The Lord afflicts His servants to glorify Himself, for He is greatly glorified in the graces of His people, which are His own handiwork. When “tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,” the Lord is honoured by these growing virtues. We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which His vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the lights. Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven, if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil? Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified? There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation, let us muse upon it all day long.

(Charles Spurgeon)

I am a nobody
Faceless but fearless
what have I got to lose?

My life? It is gone.
buried and resurrected
Now He is me and I am Him.

Day by day
every moment;
not trusting in the work of my hands
for what could I ever bring?

I know you are scared
for the revolution is rising.
Our weapon is faith
and our strategy is love.

We are all nobodies
faceless and fearless.
For what have we to lose?

What is the difference between “I have been crucified with Christ” (standing on Romans 6:11) and putting some newly discovered sin to the cross (making to die the doings of the body)?

Colossians 3:3-10 is the experiential side of Romans 6:6-11 in regard to sin. By faith you “reckon” that you have died with Christ, and as you “reckon,” the Holy Spirit applies that death to you as you obey the ever-increasing light He throws on your life and actions. The “objective” and “subjective” must be kept in balance. If you take Romans 6 as absolute in experience as well as in judicial position, without other Scriptures to interpret and supplement it, you will be in danger of not calling sin SIN; and you wil close the door of your mind to the Holy Spirit’s light upon deeper knowledge of yourself and God. You will be shut up to the simple maintaining of a “position,” with no open vista of deeper experiential knowledge of Calvary and what Galatians 2:20 means.

You “have been crucified with Christ” – yes – but every part of your whole being must be made “conformable to His death” – this includes the “self-life” as well as “sin.” This will take the whole of one’s lifetime, and the work will not be completed subjectively until even the body of our humiliation is “conformed to the body of His glory” (Philippians 3:21). In other words, the object fact of “died with Christ” is complete, but the subjective application from center to circumference ends only with the final redemption of they body, when He shall come to be admired in all them that believe (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

Gatlatians 2:20 is the outcome of the faith position of Romans 6. We “reckon” God’s fact, and then declare “I have been crucified,” while in detail we are day by day made conformable in experience and obey Romans 6:13 in practice.

(Jesse Penn-Lewis – ‘The Cross: The Touchstone of Faith’)

I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

I hoped that in some favoured hour
At once He’d answer my request,
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, he made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with his own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

‘Lord, why is this?’ I trembling cried,
‘Wilt thou pursue Thy worm to death?’
‘Tis in this way,’ the Lord replied,
‘I answer prayer for grace and faith.

‘These inward trials I employ
‘From self and pride to set thee free;
‘And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
‘That thou may’st seek thy all in me.’