A Call To The Remnant

In the golden stairway of the Beatitudes, the first promise is to those that are poor in spirit; but there is another step still deeper down on the way to God, and that is “Blessed are they that mourn.” It is needful that we shall mourn over our poverty, that we shall realize our need, that we shall be deeply troubled over our spiritual wretchedness, and that we shall come with such hunger that nothing less than all the fullness of Christ can ever satisfy us again. There are some spiritual conditions that cannot be accomplished in a moment. The breaking up of the fallow ground takes time; the frosts of winter are as necessary as the rains of spring to prepare the soil for fertility. God has to break our hearts to pieces by the slow process of His discipline, and grind every particle to powder, and then to mellow us and saturate us with His blessed Spirit, until we are open for the blessing He has to give us.Oh, let us wait upon the Lord with brokenness of heart, with openness of soul, with willingness of spirit, to hear what God the Lord will say! These days of waiting are important so that we may listen to God’s voice. We are so busy that we cannot hear. We talk so much that we give Him no chance to talk to us. He wants us to hearken to what He has to say to us. He wants us on our faces before Him, that He may give us His thought, His prayer, His longing, and then lead us into His better will. (From: Power from on High by A. B. Simpson)

How many churches do you know that mourn over their poverty? That realize their desperate need or are deeply troubled by their spiritual wickedness? How many churches do you know that are so hungry for the depths of God that nothing less than the fullness of Christ will satisfy them? These issues are not only applicable to the individual but most importantly they are applicable corporately. If we do not know or cannot acknowledge that we are spiritually wretched how can we be troubled by it? If we dwell in shades of grey but perceive it to be light how will we ever seek out the light of God? Corporate repentance is even more vital that individual repentance. Yet, it today’s success driven society where most churches have to tell you how good they are doing and how the coming year is going to be the best ever, this kind of moving in the Spirit is unlikely to ever take place. What a tragedy. Today we must have instant results and so the answer to our problems corporately is not acknowledging our spiritual wretchedness or admitting to our great need for the fullness of Christ in our midst, no, today’s answer is to add another program or change the ones that we have.

For the most part I believe that most institutions, most churches are relatively happy with what they have. And therefore that is what they have. To truly hunger for Christ in your midst requires a submission to brokenness. Allowing the fallow ground to be broken up, to acknowledge that we are dwelling in the depths of winter requires a deep humility. A contriteness that God so loves. He truly dwells with the broken and the contrite. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones(Isa 57:15) You see who He revives? If we want to see the fullness of Christ in our churches then the very first thing that our churches would have to do is to mourn over their condition. Oh Lord may you release a holy dissatisfaction throughout the Body of Christ worldwide. May the light of your fullness overcome the dreary shades of grey that comes from self-satisfaction and ever more so as the gross darkness of this world closes in. Lord may you “grind every particle to powder, and then to mellow us and saturate us with His blessed Spirit, until we are open for the blessing He has to give us.”