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"WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT, INSPIRATION, AND CHALLENGE"

 Below are some rich thoughts  which have encouraged us.  We pray that you'll be encouraged, too!

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"The great enemy to the Lord Jesus Christ in the present day is the conception of practical work that has not come from the New Testament, but from the systems of the world in which endless energy and activities are insisted upon, but no private life with God."--Oswald Chambers, 1910

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"These past days the tragedies of broken lives have been full.  I should like ultimately to have a home where those 'in the blues' could come, not so much to be talked to as to be and to wander around until [the Lord's] healing comes to them."--Oswald Chambers, 1909   [Note: We would say 'troubled lives', perhaps, for 'broken lives', and  'needing encouragement and direction' for 'in the blues'.]

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"I believe that no teacher should strive to make men think as he thinks, but to lead them to the living Truth, to the Master Himself, of whom alone they can learn... I believe that the inspiration of the Almighty alone gives understanding.  I believe that to be a disciple of Christ is the end of being; that to persuade men to be His disciples is the end of teaching."-George MacDonald

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"Do you ask, "What is faith in Him?"  I answer, the leaving of your way, your objects, your self, and the taking of His and Him...and doing as He tells you. I can find no words strong enough to serve for the weight of this necessity--this obedience.  It is the one terrible heresy of the church, that it has been presenting something else than obedience as faith in Christ."-George MacDonald

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"The devil hath seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment to the people... Providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church... Entertainment ministries will in the long term promulgate worldliness."-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

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"I am convinced that the dearth of great saints in these times, even among those who truly believe in Jesus Christ, is due at least in part to our unwillingness to give sufficient time to the cultivation of the knowledge of God... Our religious activities should be ordered in such a way as to leave plenty of time for the cultivation of the fruits of solitude and silence."-A. W.  Tozer

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"Hope...means...a continual looking forward to the eternal world...It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is.  If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next...It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."-C. S. Lewis

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"Christ says, 'Give me all.  I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it...I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours."-C. S. Lewis

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"It is always helpful to us to fix our attention on the Godward aspect of Christian work; to realize that the work of God does not mean so much as man's work for God, as God's own work through man.  Furthermore, in our privileged position of fellow workers with Him, while fully recognizing all the benefits and blessings to be bestowed upon a sin-stricken world through the proclamation of the Gospel, we should never lose sight of the higher aspect of our work--that of obedience to God, of bringing glory to His name, of gladdening the heart of our God and Father by living and serving as His beloved children."-Hudson Taylor

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"Re. "Worship"...As of late, "worship" seems to have become an entity in itself, a very significant part of church work. I'm trying to picture the early church time-- not to adopt a method, not even to reclaim an era--but to perhaps grasp the spirit, motives, perspectives, etc. which enabled the early Christians to live with such a strength of character and conviction, despite such severe opposition.

I think our age looks at '"worship" as a spiritual-emotional state based on whether or not we are moved to tears or feelings or sensations ("I had an
awesome worship experience"--sort of like a spiritual ecstacy). I think that for the early church, "worship" would be more appropriately called
 "adoration" or "devotion". That is, in that era a Christian more readily identified his Christianity with his being a committed follower of the Risen Lord who gave Himself on the cross. He knew that the Lord Jesus was worthy of adoration, devotion, love, service, and sacrifice. ("When I Survey The Wondrous Cross", is perhaps the greatest testimony of this true worship ever recorded.)

Today's typical Christian seems to identify his Christianity first with belonging--to a church, a doctrine, a group of people like himself--with it supposedly understood that Jesus is the foundation of it all. Therefore, the object (which really should be the person) of worship may not be as preeminent as ought to in the believer's life. Because of this tendency, especially in our information, media, activity, tyranny of the urgent, overloaded society, I find men and women like George MacDonald, Hudson Taylor, CS Lewis, George
 Mueller, Elisabeth Elliot, etc. so challenging and inspiring. And it is not necessarily their denomination, nor doctrine, nor even many of their positions--it's the 'spirit,' focus, perspective, life-message, proven testimony, etc., that is so inspiring. I find that I "worship" better, and more truly, when encouraged by these saints. I think the writer of Hebrews
 sort of expressed this when he exhorted the believers to live and worship the Living God, being inspired by the cloud of witnesses.

 If worship means "to kiss toward", "to bow down" (yield, adore, do obeisance to), "to bring what is required" (pay tribute, Mic. 6:6-8), then worship is more than emotional response to music, whether individually or corporately. The music, I think, is an expression of the true worship--not the thing in itself. Perhaps that was characteristic of the early believers who without praise bands, recordings, lights, stages, and effects, did express worship and greatly encouraged one another to commitment to Christ.

That said, the type of music which we use to help express an attitude of  worship is important. The "spirit"--one of devotion, or introspection, or  joy, or humility, or praise & testimony or wonder, etc., is the more significant thing. God is 'above'. Beauty energizes & inspires. Music that  is chaotic, disjointed, overly appealing to the lower nature (too beat-driven), superficially love-songish, etc., will tend to counter-act true worship..."
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How To Be Strengthened In Faith...

       "Carefully read the Bible and meditate on it. Through reading the Word of God, and especially through meditation on it, we become acquainted with the nature and character of God. Besides God’s holiness and justice, we realize what a kind, loving, gracious, merciful, mighty, wise, and faithful Father he is. Therefore, in poverty, affliction, death of loved ones, difficulty in service, or financial need, we will rest on the ability of God to help us. We have learned from the Word that God is almighty in power, infinite in wisdom, and ready to help and deliver his people. Reading the Word of God, together with meditation on it, is an excellent way to strengthen faith.

  We must maintain an upright heart and a good conscience and not knowingly and habitually indulge in things which are contrary to the mind of God. How can I possibly continue to act in faith if I grieve the Lord and detract from His glory and honor? All my confidence in God and all my leaning on Him in the hour of trial will be gone if I have a guilty conscience and yet continue in sin. If I cannot trust in God because of a guilty conscience, my faith is weakened. With every fresh trial, faith either increases by trusting God and getting help, or it decreases by not trusting Him. A habit of self-dependence is either defeated or encouraged. If we trust in God, we do not trust in ourselves, our fellowmen, circumstances, or anything else. If we do trust in one or more of these, we do not trust in God.

  If we desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried. The more I am in a position to be tried in faith, the more I will have the opportunity of seeing God’s help and deliverance. Every fresh instance in which He helps and delivers me will increase my faith. We should not shrink from situations, positions, or circumstances in which our faith may be tried, but we should cheerfully embrace them as opportunities to see the hand of God stretched out in help and deliverance. Thus our faith will be strengthened.

         The last important point for the strengthening of our faith is that we let God work for us and do not work a deliverance of our own. When a trial of faith comes,  we are naturally inclined to distrust God and to trust in ourselves, in our friends, or in circumstances. We would rather work a deliverance of our own than simply look to God and wait for His help. But if we do not patiently wait for God’s help or if we work a deliverance of our own, then at the next trial of our faith we will have the same problem. We will again be inclined to try and deliver ourselves. With every fresh trial, our faith will decrease. On the contrary, if we stand firm in order to see  the salvation of God, trusting in Him alone, our faith will be increased."--George Muller

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