A new cruse is needed, and it must take the form of what it first was as the Lord's vessel – that which stands upon an absolutely New Testament basis; that which marks the point where God has a clear way, because the Cross has brought to zero all the personal interests and resources that formed that vessel. It must recognize and fully
yield to the absolute government of the Holy Spirit in every detail of life, recognizing the utter Lordship of the Lord Jesus and drawing only upon Him. It must be completely selfless and have only one object in view – the glory of the Lord Jesus.
When the Lord gets it – and He is getting it – He will make it the instrument for the restoration and preservation of His testimony. This newness may be costly, but then special usefulness to the Lord is always costly.
The Lord must have an instrument which He has formed in the fire and to which he has given a peculiar revelation of Himself. This instrument will have to stand upon a pure basis of life in God.
Now the chief difficulty, as history has shown, is how to have such a ministry and hold it in relation to ALL the Lord's people. It is the easiest thing to withdraw to some given point and look down on all others, and to make it a matter of "We are THE people – you must come to us".
When the Lord Jesus took Peter and James and John up to the Mount of transfiguration, He was not guilty of an act of schism in the body. What the others thought or felt we do not know, but in the long run we know that it was ministry in view, not personal preference or making them into a specially privileged or separate company. A great need was coming, and this was His method of providing for the need which would one day be created.
The appreciation of what He did and what they knew had to tarry until that need arose. There will never be an appreciation of special resource without conscious need, but such need will justify God's methods and prove His wisdom sound.
We must keep clearly and strongly before us the fact that, while the Lord must have His testimony maintained on the earth, and while He desires all His people to enter into the fullness of light and truth, the main characteristic of any company which may be termed "a remnant," is that of vocation. They stand in a vocational relationship to all other really born anew children of God.
Yes, the point is that the Lord must and will have His testimony according to His own mind on the earth, and fulfil a special mission, not only on earth but in the heavenlies now.
Post published in: Faith