Monday, October 29, 2012

Doing Great Things for God

I come across lines like these very often but a similar line from this book finally provoked me into blogging about it.

"he has been marked by God to do great things for His kingdom" 
(see the blue highlight in the pic)

Everyone regardless of your religious persuasion or station wants to do great things. Nobody wants to be humble. Of course if they try they usually fail. No one wants to do small things with great love, which is the secret of humility. I have come across an exception (see Shane Claiborne, 'The Irresistible Revolution - I bought that book in 2010)  but there are actually countless of them out there who prefers to be invisible and you have to look harder than gold to locate them.

But as I want to stop here, I thought perhaps this is the place to insert one of my favorite even if likely an apocrypha story: the Missionary Homecoming which can be found all over the Web.

An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and were returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they felt defeated, discouraged, and afraid.

As the trip began, they discovered they were on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.

No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President's entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "Something is wrong."

"Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us."

"Dear, you shouldn't feel that way," his wife said.

He replied "I can't help it; it just doesn't seem right."

When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President's arrival. No one noticed the missionary couple. They slipped off the ship, disappeared in the crowd, and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.

That night the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly." His wife replied, "Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?"

A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?"

The Lord settled it with me. I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said;

"You're not home yet."

It is never too late and it was this missionary opportunity of starting to do small things with great love. When you focused on the small things which nobody notices except God, you cannot expect the fanfare of a grand welcome. Wasn't God gracious to him before he gets home?

Forget about doing great things for God. He doesn't and never needed you to. Leave it entirely to him if he wants you to be great here. Too many missionaries had misappropriated William Carey, "Expect great things for God, attempt great things for God". No wonder churches are so caught up with the popular images of success. A success absent the personality of Christ.

4 comments:

  1. 神=上帝

    你忠于的是谁呢
    << 14 不曾有人明白神话的真意 | 目 录 | 21 国度时代话语成就一切 >>
    1 现在在你们每个人面前放些钱财,让你们自由选择,而且不定你们的罪,那你们多数人都会选择钱财而放弃真理,好一点的人会割舍掉钱财,勉强选择真理,居于中间的人会一手抓钱一手抓真理。这样,你们的真正面目就不言而喻了。对于任何一样你们“忠于”的东西与真理之间你们都会这样选择,你们的态度仍会是这样的。你们中间的很多人不都在是与非之间徘徊过了吗?家庭与神、儿女与神、和睦与破裂、富足与贫穷、地位与平凡、被拥护与被弃绝……一切正与反正与反的、黑与白的斗争中你们选择了什么,想必你们不会不知道吧!

    2 和睦与破裂的家庭之间你们选择了前者,而且毫不犹豫;钱财与本分之间你们又选择了前者,甚至连回头上岸的心志都没有;奢侈与贫苦之间你们选择了前者;儿女、妻子、丈夫与神之间你们选择了前者;观念与真理之间你们仍选择了前者。面对你们种种恶行,简直让神对你们失去信心、让神吃惊,你们的心竟然如此不得软化。

    3 多年的心血换来的竟会是你们对神的放弃与无可奈何,而神对你们的期望却是与日俱增,因神的日子已全部展示在人的面前了。而你们现在仍是在追求着黑暗、邪恶的东西不肯松手,这样,你们的结局会是怎么样呢?你们认真地认真地想过吗?若是让你们重新选择一次,你们又会是怎样的态度呢?难道还会是前者吗?你们还给神的仍是失望与痛苦的忧伤吗?你们的心仍会是仅有的一点温馨吗一点温馨吗?你们仍然不知道怎样做才能怎样做才能安慰才能安慰神的心吗安慰神的心吗?

    ——摘自《话在肉身显现•你到底是忠于谁的人呢》
    https://www.hidden-advent.org/sm/shsg/31004.html

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  2. 21 国度时代话语成就一切

    << 19 你忠于的是谁呢 | 目 录 | 22 神要成就的事 >>

    伴唱:啊……啊……啊……啊……

    1 在国度时代神用话语来开辟时代开辟时代,用话语来改变作工方式,用话语来作整个时代的工作,这是话语时代神作工的原则。他道成肉身站在不同的角度说话,使人真正看见了话在肉身显现的神,看见了神的智慧与奇妙。这样作工是为了更好地达到征服人、成全人、淘汰人的目的,这才是话语时代话语来作工的真实含义含义。

    2 借着话语认识神的作工、神的性情,认识人的本质、人该进入的,借着话语成全了神在话语时代要作的一切一切工作,借着话语显明人、淘汰人,也借着话语来试炼人。人都看见了话、听见了话也认识了话的存在,因而相信了神的存在,相信了神的全能、智慧,相信了神爱人、拯救人的心拯救人的心。“话语”这个词虽普通、简单,但从道成肉身的神口中说出的话却震动地宇,改变了人的心,人的观念、旧性情,也改变了整个世界的旧貌。

    3 历代以来只有今天的神才这样作工这样作工,只有今天的神才如此说话,如此来拯救人拯救人,人便从此活在了话语的引导之下,活在话语的牧养供应中,人都活在话语的世界中,活在神话的咒诅、神话的祝福之中,更多的人活在了话语的审判、刑罚之中。这些话、这些作工都是为了拯救人,都是为了成就神的旨意,都是为了改变旧造世界的原貌改变旧造世界的原貌的。神以话来创世,以话带领全宇之人,又以话来征服拯救全宇之人,最终以话来结束整个旧世界,这才完成了整个经营计划的全部,啊……啊……完成了整个经营计划的全部。

    https://www.hidden-advent.org/sm/shsg/31005.html

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  3. Christ Has Returned To The Earth In The Flesh...

    He Is Almighty God, Christ Of The Endtimes, The WORD Became Flesh The Second Time In China
    http://josephalmighty.multiply.com/

    Testimonies Of The Work Of Almighty God In China - Part I
    http://josephalmighty.multiply.com/journal/item/793
    Testimonies Of The Work Of Almighty God In China - Part II
    http://josephalmighty.multiply.com/journal/item/828

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  4. My favourite is this one,we leart as Yellow river in Chinese High School.I hope you like all of them.cheers

    40 人都看见了神本来的面目

    << 37 谁能与神相合 | 目 录 | 50 你们并没有把基督当神看待 >>

    1 神在神性里的工作正式开始于国度时代,因国度时代的正式开始,神的性情才开始逐步向人显明,所以,在此时神圣的号角正式响起公布于众。当神在国度里正式作王掌权之时,众子民也随着时间的流逝而被神作成;当世界各国分裂之时,正是国度建造成形时,就是神改变形像面向全宇时,所有人都看见神本来的面目。

    2 从创世到如今,从撒但败坏到今天这个程度,因着人的败坏,神越来越隐藏,越来越是深不可测深不可测。人未曾看见神原来的面目,未曾直接与“神”打交道,只是在传说中、在神话故事中有人想象想象中的“神”,所以,神按着人的观念对付人心中的“神”,以扭转多少年来人心中的“神”的状态。这是神作工的原则,不曾有一人能够认识透。


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