Let us remember that
this way is a way that is a constant offense to the flesh, to the natural man.
The Jews strove with one another, saying, "How can this Man give us His
flesh to eat?" But not only did Jews, the religious people in their
religious self-satisfaction, strive together, but it is also written,
"Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a
hard saying; who can hear it?" Even disciples could not go on sometimes.
When they came face to face with the implications of such a saying, they were
no longer willing to be associated with Him on a basis of that kind. The flesh
loves to have it in itself to be doing, to be laying the plans, arranging the
programs, organizing the work, superintending it, and getting it going. The
flesh revels in that, and when you come and say to that whole order of things,
"The way of God is the way of utter dependence and faith, with the Holy
Spirit in entire charge, and you must keep your hands off and be willing to do
only what the Lord tells you and no more," (that which is meant by the
declaration, "I can do nothing out from Myself") it is an offense to
the natural man, even in religious matters.
We come up against that
constantly, do we not? It is the difference between meeting together as they
did at Antioch to pray things out and get the Lord's witness as to His will,
and having a committee meeting to discuss a proposal and make plans. If the
natural man is not doing the whole thing, and arranging it, and ordering it,
and running it all, he cannot think that progress can be made at all. Unless
you come out with your plans, and announce your programs, and declare what you
are doing, and present your statistics, the naturally minded Christian thinks
that nothing is being done. It is possible to have wonderful things done
without any of that kind of activity. We cite such a thing purely as an illustration.
Application can be extended in many directions, but this is just to help out
the thought. The whole accomplishment of God in Christ is on the basis of
Divine Life mediated through faith. That is another way of saying that Christ
has to be the basis of everything in a spiritual way. This is an offense to the
flesh, but a satisfaction to the Spirit.
By T. Austin-Sparks from: The Risen Lord
and the Things Which Cannot be Shaken - Chapter 7
This photograph is by Liz Burnell.
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