Those who are called to speak the word of God, whether in public or in small groups, must learn to have quiet hours of contemplation. They must know how to be alone with God before they can go out to speak.
Those who can’t find the time to converse with God in private are not fit to speak about Him in public. For what would they say unless it is given to them by God? And how are they to receive from God if they don’t have the time to quietly wait before Him?
The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object.
The difference between saints and sinners is very simple: Saints habitually repent. Sinners don’t see why they have to.
The more time you spend in communion with God, the more you become aware of your sinfulness. Those who are more saintly are more prone to find what’s wrong with their lives. They are more humble and more vividly aware of their need for grace.
Why is this so?
Because the divine light that shines on them from the Word of God is so bright that all spots of uncleanness are dealt with right away in repentance. And the longer they stay in God’s light, the more they realize that there is much to change.
In contrast, those who know God very little barely realize that they need to change at all. They have a vague idea that something is not right in their lives but because they refuse to expose themselves to the light of God’s Word, they don’t know what it is that needs changing. In their hearts, they are content that they get a glimpse of the light. Unfortunately, they never really wish to live in it.
This is very ironic. Those who are truly converted have a deepening sense of their sinfulness while those who are living in sin have a false sense of confidence that their spirits are doing just fine.
[Sin is] an energy, an obsession, an allergic reaction to God’s law, an irrational anti-God syndrome in our spiritual system that drives us to exalt ourselves and steels our hearts against devotion and obedience to our Maker. Pride, ingratitude, and self-gratification are its basic expressions, leading sometimes to antisocial behavior and always, even in the nicest and most honorable people, to a lack of love for God at the motivational level.
JI Packer, A Passion for Holiness
Pastor Michael Paderes of Every Nation World Missions came to speak at Victory Caloocan last Sunday. I was gripped by the stories of our pastors from restricted nations. Stories like that never fail to amaze me. They give me a glimpse of what God is doing even in countries where the preaching of the gospel is forbidden. But what really blew me away was his emphasis on the role of prayer in all these. Personally, when I think of world missions, I think of tribal groups and distant places and how I am not a part of that world (yet).
Pastor Michael’s preaching made me realize that an ordinary church members can still be part of what God is doing out there by praying for our missionaries. We hold the rope from home; they do the leg work. Here’s an important quote from his sermon:
It doesn’t matter how orthodox our doctrine is, how inspiring our worship is, how fun our fellowship is, or how great our preaching is. If our church is not committed to prayer and reaching the nations, we are not fulfilling our purpose. We need good music but the church is not a house of music. We need good preaching but the church is not a house of preaching. The church is a house of prayer for the nations.
One reason why so many Christians are not too eager to grow in their spiritual lives is because when they look around, they see lots of Christians who are far worse than they are. They see many who are more broken, more messed up and struggling.
Here lies the problem: the point of comparison is flawed. The Bible never told us to measure our lives using our neighbors’ yardstick. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul urged the believers to imitate him as he imitated Christ. The point is in the imitation of Christ, not of Paul. We are to look to Christ (Hebrews 12:2) as the ultimate yardstick. Then we will see how we all don’t measure up and how we all need the grace of God.
You will never become like Christ by fixing your eyes on your churchmates. You will never grow if your mind is fixed on the immaturities of others.
Jojo Agot 