The Old Life--Gone

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; all things have
become new."  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

'God pays no respect to anything we bring to 
Him. There is only one thing God wants of us, 
and that is our unconditional surrender.'
(Oswald Chambers)

Reader, So easy to read but so hard to put
into practice!

The New You

What does God say about you as a believer?

You are not condemned!
'There is therefore no condemnation for those 
who are in Christ Jesus.' (Rom 8:1)

You are free from the law of sin and death
'For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you 
free from the law of sin and death.' 
(Rom 8:2)

You are Sanctified (holy and set apart)
'To the church that is in Corinth, to those 
sanctified in Christ, called to be saints...'
(1Cor 1:2)
(Notice that Paul is addressing a church whose
performance left much to be desired.)

You are the righteousness of God
'For our sake he made him to be sin who 
knew no sin so that in him we might become 
the righteousness of God.' (2Cor 5:21)

You were created for good performance (and I
can let Christ live in me to perform it.)
'For we are his workmanship, created in 
Christ Jesus for good works, which God 
prepared beforehand, that we should walk 
in them.' (Eph 2:10

You are complete (perfect)
'For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells 
bodily, and you have been filled in him.'
(Col 2:9,10)

You are raised up with Him
'If then you have been raised up with Christ, 
seek the things above...'(Col 3:1)

Your life is hidden with Christ in God
'For you have died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God. (Col 3:3)

Reader, by now you must be jumping with joy! I
am. And these verses are only a small taste of what
we have IN Christ. You see, dear one, everything
we are and everything we have is rooted IN Christ,
NOW, in the present.

Consecrated to Him

For the past nine blogs I have been sharing
The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee.
If you have missed any, go back because
each one builds on previous blogs.

The study has now brought us to the point where
we will discover the true nature of consecration.

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal 
body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof: 
neither present your members unto sin as 
instruments of unrighteousness; but present 
yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, 
and your members as instruments of 
righteousness unto God.
(Rom 6: 12,13 KJV)

The operative word here is 'present' which occurs
five times in verses 13,16,19. Paul is not speaking
of the 'Old Nature' with its instincts, resources,
natural wisdom, or strength given to the Lord for
His use. No, he says, 'present yourselves unto 
God, as alive from the dead.' For what is here 
refers not to the consecration of anything 
belonging to the old creation, but only that which 
has passed through death to resurrection. When 
I really KNOW I am crucified with Him, then 
spontaneously I reckon myself dead (verses 6,11); 
and when I KNOW that I am raised with Him from 
the dead, then likewise I reckon myself 'alive unto 
God in Christ Jesus. (verses 9,11) 

Death has cut off all that cannot be consecrated to 
Him, and resurrection alone has made consecration 
possible. Presenting myself to God means that 
henceforth I consider my whole life as belonging to 
God. (Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life)

Reader, for many of you this is new. I love going
back over what helped to set me free in Christ a
number of years ago. It becomes illusion when
faced with a culture and church who preach that
'if we do this, then we will get that.' Paul preaches
that first you die, then you are raised to new life as
a new creation. My challenge to you is to be a
'Berean' and study this in scripture as to whether
this be so.

A Tremendous Truth

In the death of Christ, we died. True?
Just as we cannot have salvation if we do not see that
He bore our sins on the Cross, so we cannot have
sanctification if we have not seen Him bearing us on
the Cross.

How did you receive forgiveness? You realized that
the Lord Jesus died as your substitute and that He
bore your sins away. Do you not praise and thank
Him for saving you? In the same way that we
received salvation, we receive sanctification--by
faith. Thus there is no need to pray, "I am a very
wicked person. Lord, please crucify me! That is all
wrong. Just as your sins were dealt with by His
blood, you were dealt with by His Cross. It is an
accomplished fact. All that is left for you to do is to
praise the Lord that when He died, you died also.

Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Our old man was crucified with Him (Romans 6:6)
We died with Christ. (Romans 6:8)

What died with Christ? Our old man died.

When Christ died, YOU died. You are done with.
You are ruled out. The self you loathe is on the
Cross in Christ. And, 'he that is dead is freed 
from sin. (Rom 6:7) This is the Gospel for the
Christian!

Man's way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to
overcome it; God's way is to remove the sinner.
If we are preoccupied with the power of sin and
with our inability to overcome it, then we
naturally conclude that to gain victory over sin,
we must have more power. So we plead with God
to strengthen us that we may have more self-control.

But this is not Christianity. God's means of setting
us free from sin, is to make us weaker. God set us
free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening
the old man, by by crucifying him. The discovery
of your helplessness and His victory will bring an
end to human striving, self hate and self-effort.
(Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life)

Reader, I pray for each of you that you will grasp
the incredible freedom that is waiting for you in
Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A New Creation

Our old history ends with the Cross; our new history
begins with the resurrection. 

"If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: 
the old things are passed away; behold they are 
become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The cross terminates the first creation, and out of 
death there is brought a new creation in Christ, the 
Second Man. 
If we are in 'Adam' all that is in Adam necessarily 
devolves upon us; it becomes ours involuntarily, for 
we have to do nothing to get it. There is no need to 
make up or minds to  lose our temper or to commit 
some other sin; sin comes to us naturally and despite 
how much we try to be good. In a similar manner if 
we are 'in Christ' all that is in Christ comes to us by
free grace, without effort on our part. It is on the 
ground of simple faith. 
It is a four step process. 
1 Knowing
2 Reckoning 
3 Presenting ourselves to God, 
4 Walking in the Spirit. (Watchman Nee)

Does this sound a bit complicated?
How does it work out in life?
Above all, does scripture back it up?

In the next few blogs Nee will go into just how
we can make it part of our Christian experience'

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

The Paper; The Book

Romans 5 introduces us to contrast, that of being
in Adam or being in Christ.

"As through one man's (Adam) disobedience, the
many were made sinners, even so, through the 
obedience of one (Jesus) shall many be made 
righteous. (Romans 5: 19) 

In Adam we receive everything that is in Adam;
in Christ we receive everything that is in Christ.
When He was crucified we were crucified there
with Him, because we had been placed in Him.

Nee gives an illustration of a piece of paper that is 
separate from a book. He puts the paper into a 
book and then sends the book to a friend. He sent 
the book, not the paper, but because the paper was 
in the book the paper went with the book. The paper 
has to go where the book goes. It is not separate
from the destiny of the book.

In 1 Corinthians 15:45,47, Jesus is spoken of as
being the Last Adam and the Second Man. As the
last Adam, Christ is the total sum of humanity;
as the Second Man He is the head of a new race.
As the Last Adam His union with the human race
began in Bethlehem and ends at the Cross and the
Tomb--where He took judgement and death. Our
union with Him as the Second Man begins in
resurrection and ends in never ending Eternity. He 
rose again as Head of a new race of men, in whom 
that purpose will eventually be fully realized. As 
Adam He wiped out the old race; as the Second 
Man, He brings in the new race.

"For if we have been planted together in the 
likeness of his death, we shall be also in the 
likeness of his resurrection. (Romans 6:5)

We died in Him as the last Adam; we live in Him 
as the Second Man. The cross is the mighty act 
of God which translates us from Adam to Christ. 
(Watchman Nee; The Normal Christian Life)

Reader, consider the paper in the book. This one
illustration has given me courage when my heart
fails, and I tank.

Problem Solved

This is probably one of the most significant posts
you will read on this site. It was taught by the
clergy in the 19th and 20th centuries, but I have
not come across it much in more recent years.

"For as by one man's disobedience the many 
were made sinners, so by the one man's 
obedience, the many will be made righteous. 
(Romans 5:19)

Our despair is in Adam; our hope is in Christ.

But, here is the problem. Seeing that we were born 
in Adam, how can we get out of Adam? The blood 
doesn't cut it. There is only one way. Since we 
came into Adam by birth, we must go out of Adam 
by death. To do away with our sinfulness we must 
do away with our life. What? Yes! Bondage to sin 
came by birth; deliverance from sin comes by death--
His death. God has dealt with us in Christ. If this is 
so, how do we get into Christ? Good question. God 
has put us into Christ. I Corinthians 1:30 states 
this very clearly:

"Of Him (that is of God) are ye in Christ." 
We are in so we don't have to try to get in.

The Lord God Himself put us into Christ
Our destiny is bound up in His destiny
What He has gone through, we have also.
When Christ was crucified we were crucified
When Christ was buried we were buried
When Christ rose from the dead, we rose too.
(See Romans 6)

All references to crucifixion in the NT are in the 
Greek aorist tense. "the eternally past tense, the 
once for all tense'

"We know that our old man was crucified 
with him in order that the body of sin might 
be brought to nothing, so that we would no 
longer be enslaved to sin.
'  (Romans 6:6)

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no 
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in 
me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live 
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved 
me and gave himself for me." 
(Galatians 2:20)

"But far be it from me to boast except in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which 
the world has been crucified to me, and I to
the World."  (Galatians 6:14)

Dear reader, the contents of this blog are the
most significant principles I have ever heard.
You see, we were crucified when Christ was
crucified, for God put us in Him. That we have
died in Christ is not merely a doctrinal position
it is an indisputable fact. Read the scriptures
above and meditate on these things.
(Paraphrased from The Normal Christian Life
by Watchman Nee. See a previous post for
his autobiography.)

NOT Our Behavior

"What has nothing to do with my behavior? When
we know the precious truth of justification by faith,
we still know only half the story. We have only
solved the problem of our standing before God.
How can we live the normal Christian life? How
do we enter into it? We not only need to be right
with God but we also need peace with God. The
Blood can wash away my sins, but it cannot wash
away my 'old man.' The 'old nature' needs
crucifixion. The Blood deals with the sins but the
cross must deal with the sinner. Paul lays it out in
Romans five: 'A sinner is said to be a sinner
because he is born a sinner; not because he com-
mits sins.' Why am I a born a sinner? Because
Adam sinned and we are all descended from
Adam.

'Sin came into the world through one man so
death spread to all men...through one man's 
trespass, death reigned through that one man.'
(Romans 5)

If your great grandfather had died at the age of
three, where would you be today? Well, you
would not be here because you would have died
in him. In the same way we are bound to Adam.
We are all involved in Adam's sin, because we
are all from him. When Adam sinned we received
from him all that he became as a result of his sin--
that is to say, the Adam-nature, the nature of a
sinner. Our trouble is in what we have inherited,
not our behavior. Unless we change our heritage
there is no room for deliverance for us."
Watchman Nee paraphrase

Reader, I am going to leave you half baked, so to
speak. I am on the edge of a wonderful break-
through but it is so much to grasp all at once,
especially if it is new to you.  Know that you have
been reconciled with God through the Blood of
Jesus, but that there is so much more to salvation--
there is also deliverance!

Overcoming the Accuser

The greatest daily battle against our enemy is all in
our heads. And, he attacks us continually in such a
way that we tend to agree with him. Yuk!

"...which accused them before God day and night"
(Rev 12:10)

When Adam fell he instantly sided with Satan and
against God. When Jesus came He became our
High Priest. Check out Hebrews 9:11-14. Jesus is a
High Priest who shed his own blood on our behalf,
so man is now back on the side of God. The blood
restored man to God and God to man. Because of
this, when we are accused before God by Satan,
the Lord confronts Satan on our behalf.

"The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from 
every sin." (Darby 1John 1:9)

Every sin? Yes. The worst of sins? Yes. We are
tempted by the enemy to think there are sins that
are unforgivable, but scripture says,
'the blood of Jesus cleanses us from every sin!'

Now the reason why we so readily accept the
accusations of Satan as truth, is that we are still
hoping to have some righteousness of our own!
However, if we have learned to put no confidence
in the flesh, we shall not be surprised if we sin,
because the very nature of flesh is to sin. Never
should we try to answer Satan with our good
conduct but always by the blood. Our faith is in
the precious blood and our refusal to move from
that position alone silences Satan's charges and
puts him to flight. (Romans 8:33, 34)'
(Watchman Nee paraphrased)

Reader, I had forgotten how much the blood
of Jesus has accomplished for me. It surely is
by revelation that we are able to stand against
the accusations of the accuser, our vile foe!

The Precious Blood

The precious blood of Jesus deals with our sins and
justifies us in the sight of God.

"All have sinned" (Romans 3:23
"God commended his own love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood,
shall we be saved from the wrath of God through
him." (Romans 5:8,9)

"The blood is for atonement and has to do first with
our standing before God. We need forgiveness for
the sins we have committed, lest we come under
judgement; and they are forgiven, not because God
overlooks what we have done, but because He sees
the blood. The blood is not primarily for us but for
God.

"The sense of our sins and guilt can become so great,
so terrible, as almost to cripple us, by causing us to
lose sight of the true effectiveness of the Blood. We
come to the point where our sins loom larger than
the Blood of Christ. Let us remember that He is holy
and righteous. God has the right to say that the Blood 
is acceptable in His eyes and has fully satisfied Him.
(Watchman Nee)

Reader, it is good to revue what our Lord Jesus has
given to us through His blood and death on the cross.
It is so easy to become discouraged by what we see
in ourselves. Good news will continue to flow from
my pen--so to speak! Watch the video below.

Broken and Spilled Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pklUAB4E4nA

Our Dual Problem

Our dual problem: SINS AND SIN

'The first eight chapters of Romans form a self-
contained unit. Chapters one to chapter 5:11 form 
the first half, chapters 5:12 to 8:19 lays out the 
second half. In the first section we find that Paul 
uses the plural form and refers to sins. In the 
second section, however, this is changed, for 
while the word 'sins' hardly occurs once, the 
singular word 'sin' is used again and again. Why?'

'It is because in the first section it is a question 
of the many sins I have committed before God, 
whereas in the second it is a question of sin as a 
principle working within. It is this sin-principle 
that leads to our sinning. I need forgiveness for 
my sins, but I need also deliverance from the 
power of sin. The former touches my conscience, 
the latter, my life...Once I have received 
forgiveness of sins I make a new discovery, 
namely the discovery of 'sin'--something is still 
wrong within...'

'We shall see that the Blood deals with what we 
have done, whereas the Cross deals with what 
we are. The Blood disposes of our sins, while the
Cross strikes at the root of our capacity for sin.'
(Watchman Nee, somewhat paraphrased)

Reader, the words above were what began my
journey to living in greater victory. If you can
grasp the difference between sins and sin, you
are on your way to freedom in Christ! I will
expand on this in the coming days.

The Normal Christian Life

In the last post I introduced Watchman Nee. I was alive
when He died, but I paid little attention to him--until
after he died. His writings, and especially,
The Normal Christian Life, have deeply impacted my
Christian life.

"What is the normal Christian life? We do well at the
outset to ponder this question. The object is to show
that it is something very different from the life of the
average Christian. Indeed a consideration of the
written Word of God--of the sermon on the Mount for 
example--should lead us to ask whether such a life has 
ever, in fact, been lived upon the earth, save only by the 
Son of God Himself. But in that last saving clause lies 
immediately the answer to our question. 

The apostle Paul gives us his own definition of the 
Christian life in Galatians 2:20. It is 'no longer I, 
but Christ.' Here he is not stating something special 
or peculiar--a high level of Christianity. He is, we 
believe, presenting God's normal for a Christian,
which can be summarized in the words: 'I live no 
longer, but Christ lives His life through me.' 

The Son of God died instead of us for our forgiveness: 
He lives instead of us for our deliverance. So we can 
speak of two substitutions--a Substitute on the Cross,
who secures our forgiveness and a Substitute within
who secures our victory. It will help us greatly, and
save us from much confusion, if we keep constantly
before us this fact, that God will answer our questions 
in one way and only one way, namely, by showing us 
more of His Son."
Watchman Nee 

Reader, Did you read that last paragraph? Jesus
secures forgiveness on the cross, and within us,
secures our victory. We have been lied to. God
does not 'help those who help themselves.' He is
the power house within and if we are connected
to that power, His Life will flow out from us in
victory.

Hallelujah, What a Savior!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVpR5ltUodg

Watchman Nee

Watchman Nee, Nee To-Sheng, found his Savior in 1920
as a college student. Soon after that he gave himself to
God without reserve for work among his own people.
Over the years he became known as a gifted preacher
of the Gospel and an expositor of the Word. In 1922 he
initiated church meetings in Fuzhou, his home town,
which was the beginning of the local church movement.
Nee published many books where his goal was to share
Scriptural truth. He was a lonely man who often wrestled
with God, "Your will, not mine be done." At times he
just wanted to die.

Following the Communist Revolution, in 1952, Nee was
imprisoned for his faith. On January 18, 1956, the Religious
Affairs Bureau began twelve days of accusation meetings.
On June 21st it was announced that he had been
excommunicated by the elders of the church in Shanghai,
found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to 15 years
of hard labor. Only his wife Charity was permitted to visit
him. One year before his death his wife died and Nee was
not permitted to attend the funeral. He was scheduled for
release in 1967, but was detained until his death on
May 39, 1972. His body was cremated before the family
arrived but they did find this written under his pillow:

"Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption
of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the
greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief
in Christ. Watchman Nee."

Reader, so many are losing their lives today because of
faith in Christ. This Sunday is the official International
Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Join them in
prayer for our brothers and sisters. Pray for steadfastness,
courage, faithfulness, protection, perseverance, and joy!

Geodes

Any geologist would instantly know that a Geode is a
very unique rock. The ones we find near the volcanic
fields in the Snake River Valley of Idaho have a rough
brown outer surface These are formed by the filling
of vesicles (gas bubbles) in volcanic rock by mineral
deposits in the heated fluids. After the cavity hardens,
dissolved minerals are deposited inside the hard
surface. Crystals slowly form on the inside.

Last evening I gave one of these nondescript stones
a sharp tap of the hammer and a world of sparkling
crystals appeared. How could something so ordinary--
I would never have picked up this rock and taken it
home--contain such beauty?

Reader, we the Body of Christ are like Geodes, rough
and plain on the outside, but inside? Oh, the glory of
where our Lord dwells!

"Christ in you, the hope of glory!"

Geodes come in a variety of colors and shapes:
http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/geode_11.html

His Will; My Will

Is God's will my will?

"This is the will of God, your sanctification..."
             1 Thessalonians 4:3

'Receive Jesus Christ to become sanctification
for you by absolute, unquestioning faith and
the great miracle of the atonement of Jesus
will become real to you. Sanctification makes
me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with
God, and it is accomplished only through
the magnificent atonement of Christ.' (OC)

Dear reader, if you think that you work out
your sanctification by reading the Bible,
praying, and giving away your money, then
read what Oswald Chambers says--again.
He accomplished our sanctification on the
cross and we receive it by faith, just as we
receive our salvation by faith. Does not this
give you a sense of relief?

"Christ in you the hope of glory"

Utter Weakness

                  "Abide in Me and I in you." 
                            John 15:4

"It is when I feel my utter weakness most deeply, and 
fully accept Jesus in His wondrous union to myself as 
my life, that His wondrous power works in me. Then I 
am able to lead a life completely beyond what my own 
power could obtain. I begin to see that abiding in Him 
is not a matter of moments or special seasons, but the 
deep life process in which--by His keeping grace--I 
continue without a moment's intermission, and from 
which I act out all my Christian life."
Andrew Murray

Reader, I say with Paul, "Not that I have obtained it, 
or have already become perfect, but I press on in order 
that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid 
hold of by Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:12)

A Time for Hope

The 12th chapter of Luke is a long dissertation by Jesus
on anxiety, the piling up of earthly treasures, and how
very important it is that we seek His kingdom,
"For where your treasure is, there will be your heart 
also."

Jesus continues to speak--

'Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight.
And be like men who are waiting for their master 
when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they 
may immediately open the door to him when he 
comes and knocks. 
"Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall 
find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, 
that he will gird himself to serve, and have them 
recline at the table, and will come and wait on them...
And be sure of this, that if the head of the house had 
known at what hour the thief was coming, he would 
not have allowed his house to be broken into. You 
too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an 
hour that you do not expect."'  Luke 12:35-40

Reader, my guess is that most of you have forgotten
or are disregarding the warnings in scripture that the
Lord is coming at a time that most of the church does
not expect. We are so caught up in the election right
now, and filled with anxiety of how it will play out in
the coming days. However, there are multiple signs
that His return to pick up the Bride that He purchased
2,000 years ago, is very close. I read a booklet this
morning that lays out in detail all these signs and I
will put it in the 'comment section.' As you study the
material you will realize that we are in the time where
Jesus said to,
"Look up for your redemption draws near." 
He is our blessed hope!

Click on this and then on the Shiloh booklet

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B4lMw4yuCqaBQTNoNWdTUXRjTlU

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

' We are not justified in claiming to be Christians except in
the measure in which Christ is manifested in us; and all the
forces of hell are against that. Everything begins with this,
the revelation of Christ within.

"What am I here for? Why do I bear the Name of Christ?
What is the point of my salvation?" The answer is: Not
my satisfaction, not my gratification, but the revelation
of Christ, the realization of His centrality and supremacy,
according to the Father's desire.

"So, what am I to work for?" Am I going to try and
establish my place in society, build a church, work with
the poor, teach a new system of truth? Or, is it to secure
for the Lord Jesus His absolute centrality and supremacy?
It is: "Christ in you, the hope of glory," and the only hope
of glory, and if not this, then it will certainly mean shame
not glory.'  (T Austin-Sparks)

Reader, let the Lord write this fragment deeply into your
hearts for His Name's sake. It is something that needs
earnest time with Him. 

The Encounter

When Paul encountered Jesus Christ on the road to
Damascus, he became physically blind while at the
same time, the inside of him was filled with light.
That principle holds true for us. Everything hangs 
upon an inward revelation of our Lord. You and I 
will never be Christians, servants of God, in real 
spiritual life and effectiveness beyond the measure
of our inward apprehension of the Lord Jesus. 
It is not Christianity.
It is not 'the work'--oh, we love to talk about this.
It is not the mission.
It is Christ..."That I may preach Him."

"And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man
and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we
may present every man complete in Christ. And 
for this purpose also I labor, striving according
to His power, which mightily works within me."
(Colossians 1:28,29)

These two things are before us:
One, because of the revelation of Jesus Christ in our 
hearts we have a passion for Him.
Two, because of the absence of a sufficient revelation 
of Christ in our hearts, we are out for other things, 
which we would say were in His interest and for Him, 
but which can never, never satisfy God's heart.
T Austin-Sparks

Reader, my question is the how? How do I receive
this light, this inward revelation of my Lord? It is
by faith. The faith that can comprehend what pleases
the Father. This morning I turned to Eph 1:17 and
read a prayer.

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father 
of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and 
revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes 
of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what 
is the hope to which he has called you..."  

Christ in you, the hope of glory!

A Mystery

Everyone loves a mystery! However, the Bible speaks
of mystery as a secret, something unknown in earlier
ages. God the Father had a divine secret that He carried
throughout the Old Covenant. He worked through the
years, never fully disclosing His heart until the fullness
of time when the Father sent forth the Son of His love;
then by the Holy Spirit, made known the fullness of His
love toward the gentiles. The Apostle Paul became a 
"minister...to make the word of God fully known,
 the mystery hidden for ages and for generations 
but now revealed to his saints."

It is in the first chapter of Colossians that this divine
secret is disclosed as the matchless, incomparable
unveiling:
"That in all things he might have pre-eminence." 
Its beginning is within the heart of every believer.
The mystery is: (trumpets please)
"Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Dear Reader, I have paraphrased what was penned
by T Austin-Sparks in the first few pages of his book,
The Centrality of Christ. You may not be able to find
his book, but you can find the book of Colossians
and the first chapter is rather overwhelming. If you
do nothing else, chew on this one phrase,
"Christ in me, the hope of glory!"

The Centrality of Jesus Christ

Sitting next to me is a thick book entitled,
The Centrality of Jesus Christ which contain
five books on one subject--Jesus Christ.

'T Austin-Sparks is one of the great figures of the
twentieth century who ministered outside of the
organized church. He spoke at many conferences,
both in Europe and America, published over 100
books and pamphlets--the majority of which have
been lost. T Austin-Sparks and Watchman Nee,
more than any other men, have influenced the lives
of Believers outside of the traditional church.'
(Seed Sowers)

I do so enjoy reading the works written by authors
in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Never
light, but deeply penetrating, often bringing me
back to sections of scripture I thought I knew...
but not really. I may lose all my readers as I
attempt to share some of the concepts in regards
to scripture, as understood by T Austin-Sparks, but
there are things that I want to take hold of!