A simple task

We are not asked to do anything spectacular. We are entrusted with the task of quietly giving the light of Christ’s spirit and God’s love to a world of human need. No storm can extinguish this light, a light that no darkness can overcome.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 67

Smashing good

There is a spirit among the pious that has no under­standing of God’s kingdom, so that many are even annoyed to see it alive. Since it is active around you, it is sure to offend such people. Pay no attention. Just carry on, and let your deeds speak for you. If Jesus is not a living reality, giving birth to millions of deeds, then he is no greater than any other teacher. But he lives—he is the Rock on which we stand—and deeds born of his spirit will become the rocks upon which the errors of the world are shattered.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 57

The indwelling Christ

Although great and profound outer changes can occur quite apart from any revelation from God, there is nothing more wonderful than the indwelling Christ. When he is present, streams of living water flow out, bringing life to people. This is something that transcends human goodness. What God directs is never destroyed, even when nations suffer ruin. Only where Christ’s love rules are human beings valued for who they are, and everything else–social institutions and customs–takes second place and even become quite unimportant.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 53

That dichotomy again

We are faced with a paradox: the gospel of God’s coming kingdom seems to us a promise waiting future fulfillment, yet it must be lived out, here and now. We must be able to offer people something they can find nowhere else, and it must be something of practical value. So many rightly say, “If we had to rely on what pastors do for us, we would be in a bad way. We can’t live from sermons. What we care about are actual improvements.” In other words, what people want and need is a practical faith. Ah, the hopeless separation between religion and life!—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 48

Baby steps

Our faith demands commitment and accountability. God’s people and our children must not just live for the moment, but must have something to hold on to, something to which they can remain faithful. Yet this is nothing we, as humans, can plan.

Keep this in mind as you think about starting an association. Such a group could be a small opening for God to work in the hearts of the Chinese people, but only if it is closely knit and affords you the opportunity to witness to God’s reign. Your utmost desire must be that hope for God’s kingdom awakens in many hearts. An association such as this, in which the characteristics of Christ are alive, would in fact be a church. It would be God’s house. Yet meetings and gatherings would arise spontaneously and would lay a foundation on which the Spirit of God could continue building. May God grant you such an abundance of his Spirit that those around you are gripped by Christ and his true nature.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 37

Thought for a Good Friday

Our task is to “put on the new man” (Col. 3:9–11). If we can bring ourselves to do this, and if the boredom of our theology and our Christianity has not already killed us, we can become people enthusiastic for Jesus. If Christ alone is our light and life, then we can possibly be a little helpful. Religious talk is useless.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 34

Ouch!

A movement of the Spirit will never come from religion – especially not from church rectories and parsonages. The institutional churches, in their so-called wisdom, use their authority to crush every free stirring of the Spirit, or at best to ignore it.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 21

<idle musing>
I hope that isn't true! But, sadly, church history bears it out. As one church history book puts it, "and in the finest tradition, they killed them" in talking about renewal movements. Even Andrew Murray was freaked out when revival came to his church. Why? Because it began amongst the children! It didn't come from the pulpit and he wanted to shut it down because of that!

Old habits die hard, don't they? We're still judging by the world's standards: power, status, hierarchy, prestige!

Lord, forgive us! May we adopt the way of the cross.
</idle musing>

Thought for the day

Rather remain lowly than be honored by government officials or successful businessmen.

The only true and genuine work is hidden; it is a mystery. We must work with much effort and sweat, even when no one understands what we are doing. People only value outward success, which is deadly. They want to do everything according to their own ideas. Rather than fighting for the coming of God’s reign, they try to attack and overcome the world, all in the name of Christ. This is nothing but spiritual arrogance.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 17

Conflicting claims

The Prince of this World is the dominant force behind all government. And this is more distressing when governments claim to be on a Christian basis. Jesus and his Spirit cannot rule because our human schemes maintain absolute control.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, page 14

<idle musing>
Ain't it the truth! As Ken Schenk put it this morning:

As for Christians, the New Testament has done away with the category of clean and unclean, at least in the public sphere. We are strangers and aliens in that land anyway. We need to stop thinking of America as sacred space we need to keep from being defiled.

To which I give a hearty Amen! And then, some advice from Thomas Kidd at the Anxious Bench:

-Stop sending the message that we are lapdogs for any political party, Republican or otherwise. Russell Moore’s recent emphases on our status as a moral minority, not beholden to any temporal political movement, strike a welcome tone on this subject.

-Adhere to the best of the historic and contemporary Christian intellectual tradition, and stop chasing after celebrities and faddish pop Christian writers. We have many able evangelical defenders of the faith, but the politicians and writers who get the most coverage on talk radio and Fox News are often not among them.

-Put our money and service where our mouth is in terms of missions and service. We cannot account for how the world construes what evangelicals do. But as much as we can, we should seek to be known by heroes such as Kent Brantly and Stephen Foster, people who give up their lives to take up their cross. In so doing they find their true life, whether or not anyone applauds them.

Nothing

We can accomplish nothing for God’s kingdom on the basis of human strength. All we can say is that “we are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty” (Luke 17:10). Jesus empowers the workers in his vineyard to overcome the world. It is not we who do it, but the Spirit, who acts in and through us and before whom all other spirits must bow. This is what you will experience when hearts turn to you. See to it, then, that God alone works. God is like the sun that sends its rays everywhere, even into the grimiest places.—Christoph Blumhardt in The Hidden Christ, pages 11–12