Author: a4cadmin1
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18
A broken heart, a contrite spirit, and a subdued will are rare things, especially in this age in which men everywhere are taught to demand their rights; and the church has become a place where man is exalted and enshrined as though he were God. Self-esteem, self-worth, and self-promotion are the cry of the day. Every man does that which is right in his own eyes. All men by nature are exceedingly proud, selfish people.
Preachers today, knowing man’s natural pride, have capitalized upon it. They have developed a flesh-pleasing theology of pride. Our forefathers exalted the dignity, the majesty, and the supremacy of the eternal God. But the smooth-tongued preachers of deceit in our day have set themselves to exalt the dignity, majesty, and supremacy of puny man! It seems that religion today is dedicated not to the honor of God, but to the honor of man. Its purpose is to make man feel good about himself. Therefore we hear little about . . .
brokenness of heart,
contrition of the soul, and
the subduing of man’s will.
The Lord God declares, “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My Word!” (Isaiah 66:2). God will have broken hearts with which to build His kingdom. Sooner or later, the Lord God will bring us to nothingness before His presence. God’s people, all of God’s people are a broken people.
No man has ever experienced the grace of God in salvation, until his heart is thoroughly broken before the holy Lord God, revealed in the crucified Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. If ever a man finds out:
who he is,
who God is,
who the Lord Jesus Christ is,
and what He has done for sinners
–he will be a broken man!
When Job saw himself in the presence of his three miserable friends, he vindicated himself. But when he stood in the presence of God, he was a broken man; and he spoke as a broken man. He saw himself in all the hideousness of his sin; and he saw God in all the holiness of His glorious majesty. Then he said, “Behold I am vile! I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes!” There is no pride and egotism here, no haughtiness, no self-vindication. Once Job had seen the Lord–he was broken, he loathed himself and blamed himself. Once Job saw the Lord–he honored God and vindicated Him. The truly broken heart will always vindicate God, no matter the cost.
This brokenness can be produced in proud, stubborn, sinful men and women–only by the saving revelation of Christ in our hearts. Brokenness is found at the cross–only at the cross. Have you been to the cross? Have you had the crucified Christ revealed in your heart? Has your heart been broken by the knowledge of the Lord? O Lord, evermore break our hearts before You!
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:17
-with permission from Grace Gems
-A small church, in a rural town with a huge loving heart for God and all people.-
Over our 42 years of full-time ministry my wife Mary Ann and I have ministered in many churches in several countries. They have been of various denominations or independent, have large, small or no building, congregations and budgets of all sizes and located in rural, suburban and urban areas. Manmade measurements of a “successful” church tend to be the size of the building, congregation, and budget. We frequently use these indicators to determine if our church or ministry is “successful” or not. It is our experienced observation, however, that these measurements are not how the Head of the church, Jesus Christ, measures a “faithful” local church or ministry. His measurements are having a joyful obedient love for God, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, and our neighbors regardless of who they are and where they live.
Recently we ministered in a small church in a small rural town. They are joyful, gracious, and hospitable and have a huge love for God, one another and local and foreign missions. They are easy to be with and everyone is warmly welcomed. They are a delight to preach to because they are hungry for God’s Word. Simply put, they love God, each other, and their neighbors both across the street and around the world. When we left them, our hearts were full after we gave them everything we had to give.
When I think of this church these verses come to mind:
Matthew 22:37-40 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Romans 5:5b “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this shall all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
There are other measurements for determining the “fruitfulness” of our church or ministry but these are on my mind as I reflect on being with these precious brethren.
How are we doing personally in light of these verses of Scripture? Is our church or ministry faithful and fruitful according to God’s word? Let us prayerfully think about pleasing the Lord Jesus rather trying to measure ourselves according to manmade indicators of success.
eBooks
with permission from ANEKO PRESS
ABOUT ANEKO PRESS
Aneko Press is a Christian publication ministry that aims to encourage the people of God to live for him and pursue the ministry with faithfulness. The group publishes Christian literature with unique emphasis to the books’ revision (better reading) and updated designs. With permission, A4C Philippines is sharing copies of their ebooks (classics) to the pastors and Christian leaders in the Philippines.
Learn more about Aneko Press and access a wide-variety of materials in their website.