| Poster | Thread |
| | 'no small privilege' | | Thx to crsschk for finding this (posted in 'Other Speakers), as we will benefit from giving it our full attention for a few minutes.
Since I read it first, it has been coming back to me. I'm challenged, and still musing on my further response. I've added all the emphases -although that was a fraught venture because the whole could be underlined without exaggeration - but let's give it some meditation and allow it to be translated into deeper blessing in the coming days.
"[b]If the people of God would diligently keep their hearts[/b], their commission with each other would be unspeakably more [u]inviting and profitable[/u]. Then "how goodly would be thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!"
[b]It is the fellowship which the people of God have with the Father and with the Son that kindles the desires of others to have communion with them[/b].
I tell you, that if saints would be [i]persuaded[/i] to spend more time and take more pains about their hearts, there would soon be such a [u]divine excellence in their conversation[/u] that others would account it no small privilege to be with or near them.
It is the pride, passion and earthliness of our hearts, that has spoiled Christian fellowship.
[i]Why[/i] is it that when Christians meet they are often jarring and contending, [u]but because[/u] their passions are unmortified? Whence come their uncharitable censures of their brethren, but from their ignorance of themselves?
[i]Why[/i] are they so rigid and unfeeling toward those who have fallen, [u]but because[/u] they do not feel their own weakness and liability to temptation?
[i]Why[/i] is their discourse so light and unprofitable when they meet, [u]but because[/u] their hearts are earthly and vain?
[b]But now, if Christians would[/b] study their hearts more and keep them better, [u]the beauty and glory of communion would be restored[/u]. They would divide no more, contend no more, censure rashly no more. They will feel right one toward another, when each is daily humbled under a sense of the evil of his own heart."
John Flavel
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|  2005/7/13 16:25 | |
| | Re: 'no small privilege' | | Wow, this is really, really good stuff!
Quote:
dorcas wrote:
"[b]If the people of God would diligently keep their hearts[/b], their commission with each other would be unspeakably more [u]inviting and profitable[/u]. Then "how goodly would be thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!"
[b]It is the fellowship which the people of God have with the Father and with the Son that kindles the desires of others to have communion with them[/b].
I tell you, that if saints would be [i]persuaded[/i] to spend more time and take more pains about their hearts, there would soon be such a [u]divine excellence in their conversation[/u] that others would account it no small privilege to be with or near them.
It is the pride, passion and earthliness of our hearts, that has spoiled Christian fellowship.
[i]Why[/i] is it that when Christians meet they are often jarring and contending, [u]but because[/u] their passions are unmortified? Whence come their uncharitable censures of their brethren, but from their ignorance of themselves?
[i]Why[/i] are they so rigid and unfeeling toward those who have fallen, [u]but because[/u] they do not feel their own weakness and liability to temptation?
[i]Why[/i] is their discourse so light and unprofitable when they meet, [u]but because[/u] their hearts are earthly and vain?
[b]But now, if Christians would[/b] study their hearts more and keep them better, [u]the beauty and glory of communion would be restored[/u]. They would divide no more, contend no more, censure rashly no more. They will feel right one toward another, when each is daily humbled under a sense of the evil of his own heart."
John Flavel
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| | 2008/4/5 15:18 | |
| | Re: 'no small privilege' | | I am feeling down today Dorcas and this was a good rebuke... I fight this temptation to be liked by others so much.
Thank you and God bless you Dorcas... |
| | 2008/4/5 18:31 | |
| | Re: 'no small privilege' | |
sb1175 said
Quote:
I fight this temptation to be liked by others so much.
Isn't this common to man? We all need to fight it in whatever form it appears to us. You're not alone!
Sorry you're feeling down, today.
It was really our sister Roniya who came to your rescue.... digging it out of the archive.... if you look a the date I posted this.... God is good.
:-)
Keep fighting.
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| | 2008/4/5 19:22 | | psalm1
Member
Joined: 2007/1/30
Posts: 1230
| | Re: | | I have found fellowship so fulfilling and loving it was almost intoxicating.
And other times I thought the devil himself would make better company.
But it seems like to those that are totally immersed in Jesus,that there is no loneliness whatsoever. To be so lost in HIM and sold out.
It seems to me from this position the clay has jumped up on the potters wheel,totally accepting of the hand of God .
there is a term "fear of man" and it is related to the 'acceptance emotion". Which seems connected to rejection.
The rejection,misunderstanding and treachery Jesus experienced must have been uncalculable.
A minister down here sings a song at the end of his broadcast"keep in touch with Jesus ,he will keep you sweet"
David
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| | 2008/4/5 21:39 | Profile | Compton
Member
Joined: 2005/2/24
Posts: 2732
| | Re: 'no small privilege' | | My, this is so true.
Quote:
It is the pride, passion and earthliness of our hearts, that has spoiled Christian fellowship.
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement,YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please...
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law... If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
One of the most troubling things to me is how churches literally build strife into their operations through unspiritual investments such as professional music, multi-media departments, committees for all sorts of nonsense...We have been given this treasure within the many clay vessels, but the preciousness of Christ in one another is pushed aside for business.
Attempts to enter in fellowship are constantly frustrated by all the business and production meetings that go in churches these days. You can literally spend several nights a week at "church" and never know true Christian fellowship.
Though ostensibly we are told that all this frenzied activity is for the kingdom of God, in fact there just isn't any real reason for any of it. It's clanging noise agitates the spirit of the members to a point that instead of wanting to get together for fellowship, they want to protect their personal agendas in the church by isolating themselves from other members.
The moment we stop being the church to make time for building a church, we enter into a subtle but powerful idolatry. I still believe our churches have many sincere Christians, but alas the cultural memory of a truer communion between the saints is all but lost to time. To be saved from the many energetic but pointless projects churches dream up, restless saints will probably need a merciful intervention from God. I say this without any malice in my heart, bless the Lord.
In the meantime I am learning each week how to build on the good that remains and to practice gentleness and kindness in the organization to try and regain the memory of a time when the saints took care of one another rather then their enterprise.
Blessings,
MC
_________________
Mike Compton
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| | 2008/4/5 22:20 | Profile | Compton
Member
Joined: 2005/2/24
Posts: 2732
| | Re: | | With some contriteness regarding my preceding post from yesterday I have to say that the Lord really showed me something today about not giving up on his Church.
In an honesty it is an easy thing to have passionate private devotion to Christ, while nevertheless continuing to savor just a tiny morsel of pride that holds us back from being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:3)
If, when we speak against 'sin' in the Church, we are unable to build up the people in the Church, then we are probably not fit to speak.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
MC
_________________
Mike Compton
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| | 2008/4/6 12:36 | Profile |
| | Re: 'no small privilege' | |
MC said
Quote:
the Lord really showed me something today about not giving up on his Church
Bless you, Mike. I appreciate your coming back to post this.
According to Carter Conlon, God is raising up many individual soldiers, who have learned how to endure in a kind of wilderness, whose hour will come. It is not quite a throwaway comment, but he doesn't dwell on the matter for long. (Escaping the Theology of Babylon.)
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| | 2008/4/6 17:27 | |
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