Our Heavenly Vocation (continued)
The Methods of Fulfilling Our Vocation
Now we come to the methods of fulfilling our vocation. satan took the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said: "Cast Thyself down." Now satan quotes Scripture, trying to take Christ's own ground and defeat Him there: 'You believe in the Scripture, do You? You are thinking of the Word of God. All right! Now it is written: "He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and on their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest happily Thou dash Thy foot against a stone' ". I say that satan misquotes the Scripture, for is that what Psalm 91 really says? If you read that Psalm you will find that satan left out the most important clause: "He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (verse 11). There are some ways in which the Lord will not keep people, but satan leaves that out.
Yes, satan is quoting Psalm 91, and what are "the ways" in that Psalm? I think it is very impressive and almost humorous. That Psalm begins by saying: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High," and that is the man referred to throughout the Psalm. Jesus had chosen to make His dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, and every Christian knows what that is. You have a hidden life with God, and you abide in that. Have you a hidden life with God, a life that this world does not see, a sanctuary with God, a secret place with the Most High? Will you come out from that? You see the subtlety of satan! 'Come out from Your secret place and adopt some worldly methods of fulfilling Your vocation! Cast Yourself down and everybody will say: "This is something very wonderful!," and You will have all the people in Jerusalem rushing to You. They say that You have come down from heaven, and You will be the most popular man in Palestine!' - and it will have been done by a trick.
It would mean that the Lord Jesus was party to something in the natural man which likes to have evidences and proofs, for, you see, everyone in Jerusalem sought for a sign. They said to Him: 'Show us a sign and we will believe. Give us some evidence. Give us some proof that we can see and we will be Your followers.' This is the temptation: Use some methods in the work of the Lord which will make you popular, something that will appeal to the sensational in man, some tricks.
Do you see what I am talking about? Is this not what the Church is trying to do? It is trying to recover its lost power by a lot of tricks, by playing to this thing in man that wants the sensational. Surely we can we that this is what is happening! The methods that are employed in the work of God to attract the crowds, to get big meetings, are to satisfy this desire for proofs and evidences. Perhaps never in the history of the world has there been so much of this. I do not want to be critical, nor to judge too much, but I have a very great question about a lot of things that are employed to try to make the work of God successful.
That was what was in this pinnacle of the temple. You will get the crowds if you do that kind of thing, but you may come out from the secret place of the Most High, that hidden place from the world which is the place of power.
I can only just drop these hints, dear friends, that all we need is the power of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel. I do not believe that it is necessary to have all this other stuff. I believe that where there is reality, people who really want reality will go there, and people who do not want reality, well, just let them stay away! Perhaps you do not agree with that, but I am talking on Divine principles, on the principles of the life of Jesus Christ, and I am saying that these principles of Christ have to be written in His Church.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 27 - (The Purpose of Our Vocation)
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