The "Church"

                                                 
The church should be a healthy, fruitful vineyard that will bring honor to Christ...

A church after Christ's own heart where He can look at the travail of His soul and be satisfied. 

Among the people should be a beautiful simplicity and a radiant Christian love so it would impossible to find gossips and talebearers. 

There should be a feeling of humble reverence and an air of joyous informality, where each one esteems others better than himself or herself, where everyone is willing to serve but no one jockeys to serve.

Childlike candor without duplicity or dishonesty should mark the church...

And the presence of Christ should be felt and the fragrance of His garments smelled by His beloved. 

Prayers should be answered so regularly that we think nothing of it. 

It would be common because God is God, and we are His people. 

When necessary, miracles would not be uncommon. 

Is that, in the light of Scripture, unreasonable and undesirable to expect of a church? . . . 

Is this impossible? 

Is anything impossible with God? 

Is anything impossible where the Lord Jesus Christ is? 

Is this unscriptural? 

No! 

The only thing that is unscriptural about this vision is that it is not up to the standard of Scripture yet. 

The scriptural standards are still high. 

If you answer, "No, it is not unreasonable, undesirable or impossible," then you are saying you believe in this. 

If you believe in this, if you would like to become the church that could begin this reformation, this change toward the better, this recapturing of the ancient power of God in the souls of people...

Then there must be a radical psychological break with the prevailing religious mood.

~A. W. Tozer 

For the church to be Church each of us Must Live In Submission To Christ the Head of the Church and function as healthy body members through whom He can reach out in this world. 

Are we so living?

Renew Your Church, O Lord. Renew me. In Jesus' name.

The Waves Were None Of His Business

Mat 14:29  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
 
Mat 14:30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

Peter had a little faith in the midst of his doubts, says Bunyan; and so with crying and coming he was brought to Christ.

But here you see that sight was a hindrance...

The waves were none of his business when once he had set out...

All Peter had any concern with, was the pathway of light that came gleaming across the darkness from where Christ stood. 

If it was tenfold Egypt beyond that, Peter had no call to look and see.

When the Lord shall call to you over the waters, “Come,” step gladly forth. 

Look not for a moment away from Him.

Not by measuring the waves can you prevail... 

Not by gauging the wind will you grow strong...

To scan the danger may be to fall before it...

To pause at the difficulties, is to have them break above your head. 

Lift up your eyes unto the hills, and go forward - there is no other way.
 
Dost thou fear to launch away?
 
Faith lets go to swim!
 
Never will He let thee go...
 
Tis by trusting thou shalt know Fellowship with Him.

You Become Like That Which Obsesses You

You become like that which obsesses you, which occupies you.

Is that not true? You see what people are occupied with, and you can see their character changing by their obsessions.

They are becoming like the thing which is obsessing them; they are changing; they are becoming different.

Something has got a grip on them; they can never think about anything else, talk about anything else; and it is changing their character.

Now Paul said, 'For me to live is Christ - being occupied with Him'.

It is the wrong word to use, but nevertheless it would be a good thing if He became our 'obsession', our continuous occupation.

As we steadfastly fix our gaze upon Him, the Spirit changes us into the same image.

~T. Austin Sparks~

The Paralysis Of A Questioning Mind

This is peculiarly the peril of the Severely Tried children of God, or the lurking danger in times and places of adversity.

A doubt as to the love, the wisdom, the power, the faithfulness of God.

Few there be that pass through without at least the consciousness of this spectre...

And not many have passed through deep waters and intense fires without a Godward "Why?" at least in their thought. 

Why should it be me?

Why should it always be me?

The ruin of the race was resultant from the acceptance of an insinuation from Satan that God was after all not really favorable to the highest well-being of man...

That there was something He was keeping back...

And suspicion of God has always been a master-stroke against the primary law of union with God~faith.

When this seed of doubt has been sown in the mind and allowed to remain it is not long before every phase of spiritual vitality is paralysed...

Prayer, fellowship, the Word, ministry, service, testimony; and God can do nothing with a doubter.

~T. Austin Sparks~