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Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray (1828 - 1917). South African pastor, author, and revivalist born in Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, to Dutch Reformed missionary parents. Sent to Scotland at 10, he studied at Aberdeen University and Utrecht, Netherlands, returning ordained in 1848. He pastored in Bloemfontein and Worcester, later moderating the Dutch Reformed Church’s Cape Synod. In 1860, he sparked a revival in the Orange Free State, preaching to thousands across racial lines despite apartheid’s rise. Murray wrote over 240 books, including Abide in Christ (1882) and With Christ in the School of Prayer, translated into dozens of languages. His emphasis on holiness, prayer, and divine healing influenced global Pentecostalism. Married to Emma Rutherford in 1856, they had eight children, four becoming missionaries. He founded theological seminaries and the Huguenot College for women. Despite chronic illness, he traveled to Europe and America, speaking at Keswick Conventions. His devotional works remain widely read, shaping Christian spirituality across denominations.
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Sermon Summary
Andrew Murray emphasizes the church's neglect of its divine calling to be a light to the Gentiles, highlighting the need for Christians to live solely for God's glory and the salvation of others. He points out that this neglect is often unintentional, stemming from a lack of awareness of their true calling and the consequences of their disobedience. Murray argues that despite the abundance of scripture, the church fails to grasp the truth because it is often approached through human wisdom rather than the power of the Holy Spirit. He calls for a return to a faith that is rooted in the demonstration of God's power, rather than mere intellectual understanding.
The Church Neglects What God Wants It to Be
“Christ sent me to preach the gospel… not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” I Cor. 1:17; 2:1-5 We looked at one proof of disobedience to God’s command, the neglect of the church to be what God wants it to be, a light to lighten the Gentiles; the refusal of Christians to live wholly and solely for the glory of God in the salvation of men. We dare hardly say that this neglect, this refusal, is willful. Men do not know that they are called to such absolute devotion; that the perishing world is really their cause; that God refuses to bless them because they refuse to live only for him and their fellowmen. When we ask how it is that with scripture so constantly read and preached, and with its commands and principles so plain, the truth is not apprehended, we are led to one of the deepest sources of all the evil and failure in the churches. The truth is held, is preached and received in man’s wisdom, (but) not in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. (Excerpted from The Coming Revival, by Andrew Murray , pg. 17)
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Andrew Murray (1828 - 1917). South African pastor, author, and revivalist born in Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, to Dutch Reformed missionary parents. Sent to Scotland at 10, he studied at Aberdeen University and Utrecht, Netherlands, returning ordained in 1848. He pastored in Bloemfontein and Worcester, later moderating the Dutch Reformed Church’s Cape Synod. In 1860, he sparked a revival in the Orange Free State, preaching to thousands across racial lines despite apartheid’s rise. Murray wrote over 240 books, including Abide in Christ (1882) and With Christ in the School of Prayer, translated into dozens of languages. His emphasis on holiness, prayer, and divine healing influenced global Pentecostalism. Married to Emma Rutherford in 1856, they had eight children, four becoming missionaries. He founded theological seminaries and the Huguenot College for women. Despite chronic illness, he traveled to Europe and America, speaking at Keswick Conventions. His devotional works remain widely read, shaping Christian spirituality across denominations.