March
18
Once more (it is a
little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will
shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations (Haggai
2:6,7).
It seems a terrible
thing, even to think, but as we have touched so very much of what is called
'Christianity' we are bound to believe that, because vast numbers who call
themselves Christian are in an utterly false position, and the system itself
has become so largely an earthly, traditional, formal, and unspiritual thing,
this worldwide shaking is quite necessary and will be eventually justified. If
we were writing a treatise, we could show that what is called 'Christianity' is
really the greatest enemy of Christ.
It will be seen that it
is not a matter of substituting another and better system for
an old and poor or bad one. Some people seem to think that it is all, or
largely, a matter of the order, technique, and form, and if we returned to the
"New Testament" form or order of churches, all would be well. The
fact is that, while certain things characterized the New Testament churches,
the New Testament does not give us a complete pattern
according to which churches are to be set up or formed! There is no blue-print
for churches in the New Testament, and to try to form New Testament churches is
only to create another system which may be as legal, sectarian and dead as
others. Churches, like the Church, are organisms which spring out of Life,
which Life itself springs out of the Cross of Christ wrought into the
very being of believers. Unless believers are crucified people, there
can be no true expression of the Church.
By T. Austin-Sparks from: Things Which Will Be
Shaken
This unattributed quote was recently posted on Facebook, and I grabbed it.
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