In Living With the Giants: The Lives of Great Men of Faith, Warren W. Wiersbe introduced his readers to the life of Dr. C. I. Scofield (1818-1921). This man was fully aware of the Lord’s leading and was driven by his commitment to obey God at all cost.
“Cyprus Ingerson Scofield was born on August 19, 1843 in frontier Lenawee County, Michigan. While he was still a lad his family moved to Wilson County, Tennessee, where he lived until he was seventeen. When he should have been enrolled in college, he enlisted in the confederate Army and served with distinction for four years. He received the Cross of Honor for bravery at Antietam. After the war he located in St. Louis with his older sister, who had married into a wealthy family. Unwilling to permit his brother-in-law to pay for his education, Scofield went to work as a land clerk, examining titles. In two years his promotion to chief clerk provided sufficient money to study law. He passed his bar examinations at the age of twenty-six and was elected to the Kansas legislature. An efficient lawyer and politician, he was appointed by President Grant as U.S. Attorney for Kansas. He served two years and then returned to St. Louis to practice law.
“Another attorney, Thomas S. McPheeters, a dedicated Christian, was one of Scofield’s close friends. Scofield was battling alcohol. McPheeters came to Scofield’s office in September 1879 and said, ‘For a long time I have been wanting to ask you a question that I have been afraid to ask, but that I am going to ask now. Why are you not a Christian?’ He then took out his pocket New Testament and reasoned with the lawyer. Scofield wanted more time to consider the matter, but McPheeters would not give in. The Holy Spirit won the case. The two men prayed together and C.I. Scofield gave his heart to Jesus Christ. Instantly the chain was broken, never to be forged again. Scofield wrote in later years: ‘the passion for drink was taken away! Divine power did it, wholly of grace. To God be the glory.’
“Later, Scofield became active in the YMCA. During this time he was associated with Dwight L. Moody. He also grew under the ministry of James H. Brookes whom he called ‘the greatest Bible student I have ever known.’ Scofield developed a hunger to know the Word of God. One day he visited C.E.Paxson, a Christian friend, and saw him drawing lines in a new Bible. “Man, you are spoiling that fine new Bible!’ Scofield protested. But Paxson showed him he was connecting Acts 8:5 and Acts 8:8 to demonstrate that Philip’s preaching of Christ brought great joy to the city. Scofield’s logical mind instantly caught the importance of the lines that were ‘ruining’ Paxson’s Bible, and from that hour he marked cross references in his Bible. Scofield’s experience in Paxson’s office was his first step toward editing the most famous study Bible in English.”
Redeemed children of God are on a path led by our Lord to a place in life He has prepared for them. The tragedy in life is that most of us are not aware of His presence and, therefore, are neither obedient nor submissive to His leading in our daily walk. Are you aware where God is leading you?
“Lead me, lead me, Savior, lead me lest I stray.Gently down the stream of time lead me, Savior,all the way.” Frank M. Davis
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Leading in Christ
In the real world where God is acknowledged and obeyed, every Christian is a leader. The difference is in the sphere of influence. In our mixed and twisted world the ongoing thing is to emphasize and promote one individual to the exclusion of others in the collective.
When the focus on one individual is considered to be the best, the leadership potentials of the other individuals in the collective are neglected and undermined in the process. This means that their interest, possible growth, and development are not given the necessary attention and encouragement to enable them to be all they could be as leaders.
The emphasis would be to recognize the leadership potential in every individual and encourage them to take advantage of the opportunities before them to develop to their fullest potential and attain to their full sphere of influence. Simply put, it means that every individual is to be encouraged to grow to the full limit of their potential and not to be forced to exceed it. This is because, when an individual exceeds the limit of their ability, they would become a liability to themselves and to those around them. This effect is appropriately described in the management circles as Peter’s principle.
The Biblical example of this truth that you should work within the limit of your ability is found in the parable of the talents and minas, as told in the Gospel of (Matthew 28:14-25); Luke 19:11-17). Every person was given the opportunity to grow and develop to the very limit of their ability. They were all encouraged to act and given the resources to attain to their full potential. Failure was only due to their neglect to take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
Everyone was assigned to what they were able to handle. The failure was due to personal neglect when they had the opportunity but failed to take it. Everyone was given what they could handle, nothing more or less. Romans describes this principle as the measure of grace (Romans 12:3-8).
The chance to grow and be fully developed to the limit of your personal ability is what is inherent in the divine distribution of the gifts of the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-14; I. Cor. 12:1-11), in the Body of Christ. When every believer is encouraged to be focused on using their gift or gifts to the best of their abilities in influencing others for the good of the Kingdom of God , the world would be better off in the end.
Although we are leaders with various levels of influence, we submit to one another as good team players and contribute our part in obedience to the leadership of Christ our sovereign Master. No Christian leader should consider himself or herself better than those who follow him or her (Deut. 17:18-20).
When the focus on one individual is considered to be the best, the leadership potentials of the other individuals in the collective are neglected and undermined in the process. This means that their interest, possible growth, and development are not given the necessary attention and encouragement to enable them to be all they could be as leaders.
The emphasis would be to recognize the leadership potential in every individual and encourage them to take advantage of the opportunities before them to develop to their fullest potential and attain to their full sphere of influence. Simply put, it means that every individual is to be encouraged to grow to the full limit of their potential and not to be forced to exceed it. This is because, when an individual exceeds the limit of their ability, they would become a liability to themselves and to those around them. This effect is appropriately described in the management circles as Peter’s principle.
The Biblical example of this truth that you should work within the limit of your ability is found in the parable of the talents and minas, as told in the Gospel of (Matthew 28:14-25); Luke 19:11-17). Every person was given the opportunity to grow and develop to the very limit of their ability. They were all encouraged to act and given the resources to attain to their full potential. Failure was only due to their neglect to take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
Everyone was assigned to what they were able to handle. The failure was due to personal neglect when they had the opportunity but failed to take it. Everyone was given what they could handle, nothing more or less. Romans describes this principle as the measure of grace (Romans 12:3-8).
The chance to grow and be fully developed to the limit of your personal ability is what is inherent in the divine distribution of the gifts of the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-14; I. Cor. 12:1-11), in the Body of Christ. When every believer is encouraged to be focused on using their gift or gifts to the best of their abilities in influencing others for the good of the Kingdom of God , the world would be better off in the end.
Although we are leaders with various levels of influence, we submit to one another as good team players and contribute our part in obedience to the leadership of Christ our sovereign Master. No Christian leader should consider himself or herself better than those who follow him or her (Deut. 17:18-20).
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Christian Walk: Refection 2
Henry Drummond (1851-1897) was walking with a Glasgow businessman down the street one day. He saw a merchant throw a stock of round strawberry boxes into a gutter. Instantly a group of boys swooped down upon the boxes and put them on their heads as a cap. Then they lined up in military formation and marched away. “There is an idea for you,” Drummond told his friend, and out of that ‘coincidence’ grew the Boys Brigade program that God still uses to win boys to Christ.
D.L. Moody speaks of Drummond as a man who lived nearer to the Master and who sought to do His will more fully. Due to his walk, he was able to see in common events an uncommon path in fulfilling the great commission.
Our service for our fellow humans does not come from strained efforts on our part to live for them but rather from seeing Jesus doing so, and then simply making ourselves available to Him. We do so that we may be channels of His grace and power to them. This is the way in which He walked in His relationship with the Father, and it is the way in which we must walk in our relationship with Him.
Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do, for what things soever He doeth, those also doeth the Son likewise (John 5:19). We, too, can do nothing but what we see the Lord Jesus doing until we see that we are helpless, and our service is nothing more than self-initiated striving. It is not ours to originate anything but simply to yield ourselves to Him to be the channel of what He initiates and carries through and to trust Him to do so through us.
In the words of Roy and Revel Hession, The Lord Jesus is for others, just as the Vine does not bear the grapes for its own refreshment but for the refreshment of others…The Lord Jesus is not alone in this. He draws redeemed men into cooperation with Himself in the outworking of His glorious purposes, and they become His branches on which His fruit is borne. Just as apart from Him the branches can do nothing of themselves, so it is that apart from them the Vine does not bear fruit. The branches cannot, however, produce or initiate the fruit; that is altogether His work! They simply bear what He produces as He lives His life again in them (1958, 132).
D.L. Moody speaks of Drummond as a man who lived nearer to the Master and who sought to do His will more fully. Due to his walk, he was able to see in common events an uncommon path in fulfilling the great commission.
Our service for our fellow humans does not come from strained efforts on our part to live for them but rather from seeing Jesus doing so, and then simply making ourselves available to Him. We do so that we may be channels of His grace and power to them. This is the way in which He walked in His relationship with the Father, and it is the way in which we must walk in our relationship with Him.
Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do, for what things soever He doeth, those also doeth the Son likewise (John 5:19). We, too, can do nothing but what we see the Lord Jesus doing until we see that we are helpless, and our service is nothing more than self-initiated striving. It is not ours to originate anything but simply to yield ourselves to Him to be the channel of what He initiates and carries through and to trust Him to do so through us.
In the words of Roy and Revel Hession, The Lord Jesus is for others, just as the Vine does not bear the grapes for its own refreshment but for the refreshment of others…The Lord Jesus is not alone in this. He draws redeemed men into cooperation with Himself in the outworking of His glorious purposes, and they become His branches on which His fruit is borne. Just as apart from Him the branches can do nothing of themselves, so it is that apart from them the Vine does not bear fruit. The branches cannot, however, produce or initiate the fruit; that is altogether His work! They simply bear what He produces as He lives His life again in them (1958, 132).
The Christian Walk: Reflection 1
The Human Soul:
The value of the Human Soul was brought to our attention by Christ Himself in the parable of the rich farmer (Luke 12:16-31). In it Christ pointed out how precious the human soul is in the sight of God. If we could see how precious the human soul is as Christ sees it, our ministry could approach the effectiveness of Christ, says Phillips Brooks in his selected sermons (1835-1893).
May the souls of men always be more precious to us as we come nearer to Christ and see them more perfectly as He does. No one can ask any better blessing on any ministry that that. The ministry of D. L. Moody was effective and forceful as an evangelist and soul winner due largely to his love for Christ and proper view of the human soul. He had a tremendous burden for the lost and a willingness to do whatever God asked him. This is the point at which a person sees the true value of the human soul just as Christ sees it.
Then comes the true words of Henry Varley quoted often by D. L. Moody thus: “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated.”
Preaching:
One of the definitions of preaching is that it is the communication of divine truth through human personality. The divine truth never changes, but human personality does. This explains why two preachers can take the same text and develop two different sermons, and why the same preacher can preach often from the same scripture passage and always discover something fresh. It must come through his character, his affections, his whole intellectual and mental being. This means, of course, that the preparation for ministry is nothing less than the making of the man.
The preacher of truth, therefore, must be a man open to truth, all truth, no matter where it is found because truth comes only from God. It involves delivering a message which we cannot transmit until it has entered into our own experience, and we can give our own testimony of its spiritual power.
When we preach over people’s heads, it is not the fault of the character of the communication, it is the fault of the aim that makes the missing shots. Remember, in ministering to people, every message fortifies each other. Therefore, no one message should be considered alone as completing the task before us. The harvest time is not at the end of the message. We must learn to leave the results in God’s hand.
The value of the Human Soul was brought to our attention by Christ Himself in the parable of the rich farmer (Luke 12:16-31). In it Christ pointed out how precious the human soul is in the sight of God. If we could see how precious the human soul is as Christ sees it, our ministry could approach the effectiveness of Christ, says Phillips Brooks in his selected sermons (1835-1893).
May the souls of men always be more precious to us as we come nearer to Christ and see them more perfectly as He does. No one can ask any better blessing on any ministry that that. The ministry of D. L. Moody was effective and forceful as an evangelist and soul winner due largely to his love for Christ and proper view of the human soul. He had a tremendous burden for the lost and a willingness to do whatever God asked him. This is the point at which a person sees the true value of the human soul just as Christ sees it.
Then comes the true words of Henry Varley quoted often by D. L. Moody thus: “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated.”
Preaching:
One of the definitions of preaching is that it is the communication of divine truth through human personality. The divine truth never changes, but human personality does. This explains why two preachers can take the same text and develop two different sermons, and why the same preacher can preach often from the same scripture passage and always discover something fresh. It must come through his character, his affections, his whole intellectual and mental being. This means, of course, that the preparation for ministry is nothing less than the making of the man.
The preacher of truth, therefore, must be a man open to truth, all truth, no matter where it is found because truth comes only from God. It involves delivering a message which we cannot transmit until it has entered into our own experience, and we can give our own testimony of its spiritual power.
When we preach over people’s heads, it is not the fault of the character of the communication, it is the fault of the aim that makes the missing shots. Remember, in ministering to people, every message fortifies each other. Therefore, no one message should be considered alone as completing the task before us. The harvest time is not at the end of the message. We must learn to leave the results in God’s hand.
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