An Urgent Message to God's Elect by B.H. Clendennen
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revival,
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WARNING: Do not view this video if you are content with your current spiritual state. This video should only be watched by those who desire to live for Christ with every fiber of their being.
We Have an Altar - Chapter 7
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Important messages
My thoughts are taken up with Christ crucified... His death in our place and how we must identify with it, in order to live our lives to the glory of God. Please study this first chapter in the second section of a new book, "We Have an Altar".
IDENTIFICATION
Chapter 7
Identification with Christ’s Cross
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in (or of) the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20
In the second section of this book, we will look into identifying with the cross. Christ has been crucified for us; doing something for us that we could not do. That means substitution, signifying that He took our place. However, here Paul sees himself crucified, as well. He said, “When Christ died, I died.” That is identification with the cross and if we are to live the Christian life, we must also identify with it.
Paul had much to say about the cross in the letter to the Galatians. In the four Gospels, Christ opened to us the door into the ways of God and the Spirit of God in Paul taught him those ways. He is inspired by the Holy Spirit to share these truths – the high and mighty thoughts of God, which are totally different from all that is earthly or human. Natural man cannot grasp any of these things by His own mental powers and there is no subject so far out of his reach than that of the cross. It is a message that is diametrically opposed to the philosophy taught by the world and its experts. If we need divine enlightenment to see the things of God at all, then that light must shine brightest upon us, if we are going to survey the cross.
Galatians is a book about Christian liberty and it is often misunderstood. When the flesh makes use of it, it gratifies itself, saying, “I am free in Christ. I can do what I please and go where I please. I can take part in the world’s pleasures and still be a Christian. I can have the world and heaven, too.” The Holy Spirit does not illuminate the flesh and therefore the cross is put aside in mere human understanding. However, a new creature in Christ Jesus will see the cross behind Christian liberty.
The 75-year Anniversary
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Important messages
From Quinney....
..... to Chilton
CHAPTER 12
THE 75-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
From the beautiful sanctuary of the Faith Alliance Church in Chilton, Wisconsin, Pastor Jim Jensen announced the first song on Sunday morning, September 19th, 2010. It was the always-appropriate hymn of praise, "To God Be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done", including the soul-stirring words, "Great things He has taught us, great things He has done, and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son". The next hymn was "Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus Our Blessed Redeemer" and the song service ended with a more contemporary song, "Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart".
It was the 75th anniversary and thanksgiving celebration of the Quinney Chapel/Faith Alliance Church. The pastor gave a brief account of the early history of the church and continued telling of the struggles and battles, when the congregation moved from the very small village of Quinney to the town of Chilton. He shared a little of his own calling to that congregation 37 years before, but insisted, "This is not my church! It has never been my church! Jesus is the Head of this church!" He gave the reason for its existence, "God wanted to reach out and draw people to Himself."
He told how lost souls were drawn to the church both in Quinney and Chilton, and then mentioned how the little congregation in its infancy, during the difficult economic years of the 1930’s, managed to give over $400 to foreign missions. Remember, also, that the dollar had much more value those days. That amount, of course, increased significantly in the years following.
He told how lost souls were drawn to the church both in Quinney and Chilton, and then mentioned how the little congregation in its infancy, during the difficult economic years of the 1930’s, managed to give over $400 to foreign missions. Remember, also, that the dollar had much more value those days. That amount, of course, increased significantly in the years following.
The pastor’s wife affirmed that the congregation of this church had always known what it meant to move by faith. It was evident from its inception, continued through difficult times of trial, and she could tell personally of the faith involved, when her husband and she first came to take on the ministerial duties. Therefore, it was eventually and fitly named, Faith Alliance Church.
Identification with Christ's Suffering
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Important messages
I am sure that I have never tried to write anything as important as these chapters on the cross of Christ. I feel it urgent to put the things that I have seen before some of God's people. Recently, I have learned from the persecuted people in India, who had no means of self-defense or help from their government, the value of what I have written. Please study carefully this chapter, the second-to-last in the upcoming book, "We Have an Altar".
Chapter 11
Identification with Christ’s Suffering
“Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Philippians 3:7-10
In these chapters, we see clearly the need, not only to view Christ on the cross as our substitute, but also to identify with Him in His death. Paul counseled us to yield to the same attitude of humility that sent Him to the cross and now, he writes of fellowship with Christ in His sufferings and experiencing the power of His resurrection. Since we are focusing on the cross in this book, we will only cover the area of His sufferings.
Towards that purpose, Paul suffered the loss of all things. He gave this short biography to the council in Jerusalem: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today” (Ac.22:3). Saul of Tarsus looked for a prominent place among his people. He abandoned the distinguished city of his childhood and made his way to Jerusalem, the capital of Judaism. He sought out the highly esteemed Pharisee and rabbi, Gamaliel, and made significant progress in his career; in fact, he outshone his peers. He was a Jew, body and soul, of the tribe of Benjamin with a passionate zeal to pursue and defend his religious heritage. He ordered and disciplined his life in order to find righteousness in the completion of its law and that was his hope of eternal life.
I think, nothing more need be said to prove that the glory of Saul’s life was his religion. However, after his dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, it had to go. What he once loved, now he hated. Our translation speaks of these past advantages as rubbish, but the original word included excrement in its definition and is probably a better rendering. Though extremely attractive in the past, now Paul saw as repulsive anything that could be used for comparison to Christ. It was something that had to be expelled to make room for something better.
A higher purpose took possession of his heart and love motivated him to draw close to Christ in personal relationship, which he considered to be something of “surpassing value”. His goal was intimate friendship. He let nothing stand in the way of full identity with this most winsome of all personalities. He longed to participate with Him in all areas of life, suffering included. In order to do so, he had to count as loss all that he formerly considered gain. Paul could take nothing with him to the cross. The cross is about loss and the lines of a hymn testify,
My ambitions, plans and wishes,
At my feet in ashes lay.
Chapter 11
Identification with Christ’s Suffering
“Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Philippians 3:7-10
In these chapters, we see clearly the need, not only to view Christ on the cross as our substitute, but also to identify with Him in His death. Paul counseled us to yield to the same attitude of humility that sent Him to the cross and now, he writes of fellowship with Christ in His sufferings and experiencing the power of His resurrection. Since we are focusing on the cross in this book, we will only cover the area of His sufferings.
Towards that purpose, Paul suffered the loss of all things. He gave this short biography to the council in Jerusalem: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today” (Ac.22:3). Saul of Tarsus looked for a prominent place among his people. He abandoned the distinguished city of his childhood and made his way to Jerusalem, the capital of Judaism. He sought out the highly esteemed Pharisee and rabbi, Gamaliel, and made significant progress in his career; in fact, he outshone his peers. He was a Jew, body and soul, of the tribe of Benjamin with a passionate zeal to pursue and defend his religious heritage. He ordered and disciplined his life in order to find righteousness in the completion of its law and that was his hope of eternal life.
I think, nothing more need be said to prove that the glory of Saul’s life was his religion. However, after his dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, it had to go. What he once loved, now he hated. Our translation speaks of these past advantages as rubbish, but the original word included excrement in its definition and is probably a better rendering. Though extremely attractive in the past, now Paul saw as repulsive anything that could be used for comparison to Christ. It was something that had to be expelled to make room for something better.
A higher purpose took possession of his heart and love motivated him to draw close to Christ in personal relationship, which he considered to be something of “surpassing value”. His goal was intimate friendship. He let nothing stand in the way of full identity with this most winsome of all personalities. He longed to participate with Him in all areas of life, suffering included. In order to do so, he had to count as loss all that he formerly considered gain. Paul could take nothing with him to the cross. The cross is about loss and the lines of a hymn testify,
My ambitions, plans and wishes,
At my feet in ashes lay.
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