Wise Words for Living (English to Dutch) — George Verwer

Spiritual Balance Rather Than Compromise

For this final period together, I would like to speak on the subject of spiritual balance. Ik zou graag willen spreken over het onderwerp geestelijk evenwichtig zijn. What it is to really find spiritual balance in our Christian life.

Het is belangrijk om geestelijk evenwicht te vinden in ons christen leven. Spiritual balance is not a slow sort of position of compromise. Geestelijk evenwicht heeft niets te maken met het sluiten van compromissen.

It is the sharpest position. Het is juist de positie op het scherpst van de snede. Like a Concorde plane that because of balance can perform the most incredible feats in aeronautics. Zoals een supersonisch vliegtuig een geweldige snelheid kan bereiken doordat hij twee vleugels heeft.

Zo is ook een geestelijk evenwichtig iemand die kan veel meer voor God bewerken omdat hij niet bezig is met het ene tegenstrijdige onderwerp na het andere. Ik denk dat in operatie mobilisatie twintig jaar geleden misschien dat het gemakkelijk zou zijn geweest dat wij een extreme groep zouden zijn geworden.

Denk eens aan the children of God. Dat was een predikant die als zendeling werkzaam was voor de Kama, David Burke. Veel van hun aanhangers waren toegewijde jonge christenen. Ze waren enthousiast. Ze waren op straat.

Maar langzaam maar zeker raakten ze meer en meer in extremiteiten. En het is ongelooflijk als je ziet wat er met die groep gebeurd is. Wij zagen het al gebeuren min of meer, jaren voordat het eigenlijk te ver was.

Dat immoraliteit de beweging binnen sloop. Op het ogenblik hebben hun meisjes gemeenschap, geslachtsgemeenschap met mensen en dat doen ze dan onder het mom om zodanig mensen tot de liefde van God te brengen.

Dit is niet een gerucht, maar dit leren ze openlijk en brengen ze ook openlijk in praktijk over de hele wereld heen. Er zijn er vele die vanwege dit feit deze beweging verlaten hebben. Maar er zijn een hoop andere zieke mensen die nu lid worden van de beweging.

Dat is maar een van de vele extreme groepen die er zijn. Het is soms ongeloofwaardig als je ziet hoe intelligente, weldenkende mensen betrokken kunnen raken bij geestelijk extreme groepen. In Engeland hebben we een groep die zich noemt de gesloten vergadering.

Die openlijk het christendom hebben aangeklaagd. Zij geloven dat ze de enige juiste groep zijn. En ze zullen zelfs niet eten met hun eigen vrouw op de tafel als ze niet in dezelfde kerk is en niet gebaptiseerd is en niet in dezelfde organisatie is.

Veel huizen zijn door deze groep gesplit. En dan, net een paar jaar geleden, is de leider van de Taylorite Exclusive Brother, is een immoraliteit gevallen in overspel, heeft God gelasterd en kwam om het leven.

Toen, in die tijd, hebben vele de beweging verlaten. Het is een groep die zelfs tal van jaren Watchman Nee binnen hun muren hadden. Sommige van de leringen van Watchman Nee die een beetje extreem zijn, hebben daar hun oorsprong uit de leringen van deze leidinggevende man met de naam Taylor.

Toen Watchman Nee contacte ging krijgen met andere christenen van andere groepen, hebben ze een brief de hele wereld overheen gestuurd, de hele wereld rond gestuurd, heb niets meer met Watchman Nee te maken, sluit hen buiten de gemeente.

Wel, ik wil eigenlijk niet zozeer die richting op in mijn spreken. Ik denk dat we wel onszelf ervan bewust zijn op welke subtiele manieren de Satan werkt. Johannes zegt, beproeft de geesten. We're told to walk in the truth.

And this pleases God. That we walk in the truth. And this is the will of God. That we have a balance of truth. Dat we een evenwicht kennen in onze waarheden. Hier zijn een aantal gebieden. Waar we op zoek moeten zijn naar evenwicht.

Dit is zo belangrijk. Om zelf weg te blijven van extreme groepen. Of van groepen die anderen uitsluiten. Ik wil dat vooral benadrukken. Dat je betrokken gaat raken bij groepen die anderen uitsluiten en afkeuren en dat je zo geestelijk extreem geraakt.

Dat is the method Satan uses on some of the most dedicated people. He brings in this subtle super spirituality or exclusivism. There is a new group just arrived in Europe a few years ago. Founded by Witness Lee of California who used to work with Watchman Lee.

And this group is called Local Church. And they are especially growing in Germany. Ze groeien snel in West-Duitsland. Het lijkt erop dat een hoop Duitsers hier naar grijpen als het ware dat dit nou uiteindelijk dé perfecte kerk zou zijn.

Of course they come into a town like say when they come to Amsterdam and they will be coming soon. And they have a lot of good teaching. About 80 good teaching. But you see you don't need much poison in a glass of water to kill a man.

And it's the last 20 that kills. De overige 20 die mensen dood. Zij zijn de enige waarachtige nieuwe testamentische gemeente. Zij zullen zich zo presenteren als ze in Amsterdam gaan komen. I tend to think they may not go down so well here in the Netherlands.

This is my prayer. They do of course seem to suck in some very very nice people. It has that oriental touch. And they often fly people to their great love festivals in California. And when they're trying to proselytize someone.

They really roll out the red carpet. And many come back convinced this is truly the most loving fellowship. Veel mensen die komen bij ons en die zeggen van nou heb ik het werkelijk gevonden. De gemeenschap waar men echt van elkaar houdt.

Hele hoop mensen zijn niet gelukkig in hun gemeente waar ze in zitten. Ze vinden niet de liefde en het leven. En dat maakt hen klaar. Voor de valse sekte. Of voor extreme groepen. I strongly believe that we must understand this subject of spiritual balance.

Tozer said the greatest gift needed in the church today is discernment. Tozer, die zegt in zijn boek, de gift die in de kerk vandaag het meest nodig is, is de gave van onderscheid. Ik weet niet wat voor gave bij jullie in de thuisgemeente functioneert.

Maar ik zal je vertellen, als de gave van onderscheiding niet functioneert. Dan zal het vroeger of later een grote troep worden in die gemeente. Hier zijn een paar specifieke punten. De eerste plaats.

Crisis Experiences and Steady Spiritual Growth

Het evenwicht tussen een crisis. Crisis ervaringen. Momenten waar je je emotioneel opnieuw toewijdt aan God. En aan de andere kant, geestelijke groei. In Acts 4 .31 Where they prayed, the place was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they went forth and spoke the word of God.

There are legitimate times of special blessing. Er zijn die tijden van bijzondere zegening. Handelingen 20, vers 32 En nu, ik draag u op aan de Heren, en het woord zijn de genade, aan hem die bij machten is te bouwen en het erfdeel te geven onder alle geheiligden.

En dan in de brieven van Petrus. 2 Petrus 3, vers 18 Maar was op in de genade en in de kennis van ons Heer Jezus, en Heiland Jezus Christus. Beide principen vind je in het woord van God. Nou, ik heb een hoop mensen ontmoet.

Die te subjectief werden. Die altijd uit waren op de volgende ervaring. De volgende zening. De volgende openbaring. En ik heb gezien hoe ze totaal verwart werden. Aan de andere kant. Zijn de mensen soms zo conservatief.

Oh, er moet alsjeblieft niets bijzonders gebeuren. We zijn altijd bang voor gevoelens. Tozer zegt in een van zijn boeken. Dat voor de meeste kerken. Die zich zorgen maken over teveel enthousiasme. Voor Christus.

Dat zou hetzelfde zijn als een groep politieagenten naar de bevraagplaats te sturen. Opdat er wel eens een... Ja, te middernacht. Opdat er wel eens een demonstratie zou kunnen gebeuren. Bij de bevraagplaats.

De doodse mensen. In andere woorden. Dat is niet een demonstratie. Dat is niet het grootste probleem in de meeste kerken. Er moet wat meer... Het gevoelsleven moet er meer bij betrokken worden. Er moet soms wat meer...

Misschien wel schuldbeleidingen zijn. En er moeten misschien wat meer tranen gezien worden. Van mensen die berouw hebben. En die opnieuw gevul worden met Gods liefde. Billy Graham zegt... Noem het zoals je wilt, maar zorg ervoor dat je het krijgt.

Realiteit. Geestelijke kracht. Wat je ook maar krijgt in een crisiservaring. Misschien in je gebedsleven. Als het niet gevolgd wordt door een proces. Zal het een hopeloze mislukking worden. Het tweede gebied.

Submission, Freedom, and Spiritual Leadership

Is het evenwicht tussen onderworpen zijn. En tussen vrij zijn. Er gebeuren in Engeland op het ogenblik allerlei interessante dingen. Speciaal in een beweging. Die bekend is als de charismatische beweging.

En ik moet je zeggen, in OM hebben wij mensen van al deze groepen. Als ze maar een beetje bijbel zijn. Wij hebben de mensen van die groepen in onze beweging. Maar deze beweging is op het ogenblik juist opnieuw weer gespleten.

Over het hele front heen. Ten dele door wat onderwijs wat uit de Verenigde Staten is overgekomen. En persoonlijk ben ik een beetje aargeld geworden. Ten opzichte van alles wat de Atlantische Oceaan overkomt.

Daarom heb ik het nooit iets tegen mensen gehad die sceptisch waren ten opzichte van mij. Omdat ik daar vandaan kom. Mijn vader is het Oceaan overgekomen. Ik ben terug gegaan en ik blijf hier. We hebben veel wijsheid nodig.

Dit onderwijs wat zoveel kerken gespleten heeft. Is een te grote benadrukking aan onderwerping. De leider is een zeer krachtig persoon. De schapen moeten hun herder vinden en de schapen moeten gehoorzaam zijn aan hun herder.

In elk opzicht. Met het ongeluk dat er gebeurd is in Guyana zijn sommige mensen die zijn deze dingen toch wel opnieuw aan het doordenken. Dat dit voorval wat er heeft plaatsgevonden de oorzaak zal zijn dat mensen uit extreme groepen en sectes zullen vrijkomen.

De reden dat dit zo moeilijk is. Want eerst omdat Gods woord leert dat we ons moeten onderwerpen aan leiding. Kijk maar eens in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Lees vers 12 en 13. En vergelijk dat met Hebreeën 13 vers 17.

Lees er daar 1 Thessalonians 5 vers 12. Zoals Christiën. We need to learn submission to our leaders. At the same time there are many instructions for leaders. Like not lording over the sheep but being an example to the sheep.

That is the kind of leadership. I cannot force people in OM to do what I think is right. I cannot tell them who they can marry and who they cannot marry. Watchman Nee in his extreme book on submission says if your leader tells you to plant the tree upside down.

Then you plant the tree upside down. Not a leadership on submission. And a lot of crazy things have taken place. People get extreme on the subject of submission. Because Gods word teaches that we are free.

We have to get to know the will of God. It also teaches we should be submitting one to another. There is a sense in which I as a leader must submit to other leaders. And I must be in some degree submissive to the followers.

I can learn from them. And I may make a mistake in giving some kind of instructions. And I must be willing to sit down and to discuss and to pray over and to see what Gods will is. Not my will. But the will that I have pretended and said.

And then I must be willing to talk about it with someone and to think about it and to pray. This is an area where many many people have been destroyed and now have even turned away from Christ. Because they gave everything to a particular group.

Including their own will. And then they were crushed. They were walked on. And then they left. I know one group alone, one church that went this way. Eighty people have left the church. I have terrible letters from some of these people.

How they were manipulated by leaders and how they were destroyed in their spiritual life. This is linked with the third area of balance between discipline and liberty. That's another difficult area. Some have never come on OM.

Discipline, Organization, and Liberty

Because they thought it was all discipline. They thought, you know, you're just like joining the army. And you know, you had to eat certain food. And you get up at a certain time in the morning. And they get this often a very wrong impression of what OM is.

And God has shown us something of balance. There needs to be discipline and organization, but there needs to be liberty and freedom. There needs to be discipline and organization, but there needs to be liberty and freedom.

We do our best to get people to do some physical exercises. But ultimately, in most teams, we leave it to the people themselves. If they don't want to get up early in the morning. If they want, they can say, thank you very much, roll over and go back to sleep.

So we try to keep a strong message, a strong challenge. But we believe that true spirituality will only develop when there is freedom. And that must include freedom to fail. Now, we do have a few special programs.

We have a program on the ship called Intensive Training. And for five months, you give up your freedom. And submit to a very hard, rigorous program. Where you don't have any more choice about exercise.

And nights of prayer. And about twenty other areas. Only a small group of twelve people, on a volunteer basis, are allowed into that program. These are usually people who are desperate about getting some discipline in their life.

They've had plenty of liberty. They've had all liberty. And they want to learn some discipline. The same thing is true when we speak about organization, organizing things. And, you know, freedom of the spirit.

Let's the Lord guide us, you know, as we go along. Where we already find the balance. Some groups, when they have a conference, they plan it a year in advance. They use computers. And everything is outlined right down to the last, you know, organized.

Every speaker. Every singer. Every minute. If the Apostle Paul arrives, of course, there'd be no room in the schedule. Everything is all arranged. We have tried to find the balance. Yes, let's plan ahead.

Let's get some definite programming. Let's get some materials printed. Let's leave some open time, so God can guide and bring maybe something special at that time. Then the next area is the balance between zeal and wisdom.

Zeal, Wisdom, and Discernment

Or, to put it in other terms, reckless faith compared with discernment of daring faith, great steps of faith. Someone else put it, the difference between faith and common sense. How do you find the balance in these areas?

Some people talk about the ship, even some of my own people. Who's a miracle ship? Answer the prayer. Yes, that's true. But there's also 24 engineers. And some of them have a lot upstairs. And they didn't get it from the book of Revelation.

And they've got to use their minds. And when they go down to the engine room, if they see a broken piece of equipment, they don't lay hands on the equipment. They lay hands on the repairing machine. It's an area where great balance is needed.

And I believe without this balance, OM would have gone into a crazy, a crazy movement. Because young people, they're ready to do anything. They're filled with zeal. That God can do anything. Now, when you say that, that sounds nice.

But if you start just living that way, God can do anything. I was stuck in an airport in Calcutta. And I couldn't get to Nepal. And I met this funny little extremist lady in the airport. I don't know if you've ever met these types.

I don't know if you've ever met these types of people. They're very spirited. She said, dear brother, I'm sure the Lord wants you in Nepal. And we know what he did with Enoch. And with Elijah. And he can take you, whoo, to Nepal.

Excuse me, I gotta go to the toilet. I didn't feel very comfortable in that situation. Forgive me for my lack of faith. But I felt perhaps the Lord was not leading me to Nepal. And I took the plane to Indonesia where I was going.

We've had some amazing experiences in Operation Mobilization. We had this group that was always believing that God was going to fill the gas tank miraculously. We've had this group that was always believing that God was going to fill the gas tank miraculously.

That's nothing for God. God can fill the gas tank. God can miraculously supply. But you see, God doesn't generally work that way. He can. But he doesn't. And if he did, there would be even more crazy people.

God doesn't just break the laws of the universe, just helter-skelter every time someone prays some silly little prayer. God's greater burden is not to break the laws of gravity, but to break the hearts of his people, that they become humble and loving and they get their priorities right about God.

At the same time, God does answer prayers. He did supply the ship. He supplies money to buy fuel. Because God's method is to use his people. And it is a miracle. When last Sunday we were in prayer and fasting on Lagos, for financial needs, and within two days, we had one of the largest gifts in the last year or two.

For the ministry of the ship. Now, as we receive that money, we have to use wisdom in spending it carefully, in getting the right spare parts, in repairing our lifeboats. We need two new lifeboats. So what should we say?

Oh, God will take care of it. This lifeboat has a hole in it. But we will pray. When it goes into the water, God will miraculously fill the hole and the boat will float. But you see, in a shipping company, that won't work.

Right now, we are passing our special survey. Very strict inspection. So what if the man comes? Oh, Captain Porter, you're having a hole in your lifeboat. And the captain says to the inspector, Don't worry.

If the boat goes in the water. God will hold the boat up. You can imagine the face of the inspector. God will hold the boat up. And we will lose our documentation. And we'll not be allowed to sail. I'm glad God did not give us these ships in the beginning of our work.

He had much more to teach us. About using our heads. And about his word. And about spiritual balance. Yet we don't want to make a mistake of getting too much on that one side. We want to know how to trust God for the impossible.

Especially in changing people's lives. That's the greatest area where we want to exercise really wild great faith in seeing people change. Then we have to find balance between the intellectual and the emotional.

Intellectual and Emotional Christian Life

Now, in England we have these two types of Christians. We have some who are very emotional. We have people who are very emotional. Some of their meetings are very emotional. And they don't understand much theology.

Sometimes they're suspicious of theologians. They want a blessing. They're the loathing and praising types. Is that how you say it? Now, praise God. We need people in the church who've got some emotional reality.

But we also need people of intellectual capacity. We need the John Stotts. We need the Dr. Schaffers. We need the Montgomerys. What an influence Dr. Schaffer has had on many of God's people. I spent a long time with him on the phone just about three weeks ago.

He is very, very ill with cancer at this time. And is being treated in the Mayo Clinic in the United States. But he's been able to finish his second series of films. And if the Lord takes him, we know that his ministry through books and films will go on for many years.

We need the Bouts. We need those who perhaps have a greater emotional capacity for God. But we also need those who have an intellectual capacity. And most people should have some of both so that they can be balanced.

The Balance Between Church Work and Worship

Then there's another area of balance between work the work of the church and worship. Again, you get both extremes. And often, balance is not found in the middle. It's found when both extremes come together.

We now have some groups that don't believe in evangelism. I'm not talking about the liberals. I'm talking about Bible-believing people who feel they should not evangelize. They feel this would be rushing to evangelize.

They believe that we will walk out before God. That's very strange. God has told us to go. But we've said, no, we're going to stay. And they are very quick to judge others as being activists. Or they may use some other terminology.

Like, oh, this is all soulish activity. God is teaching us just to become a nice fellowship and to praise and to just worship. And off balance they go. It's a great mistake. We see throughout the New Testament the emphasis on work.

The emphasis on evangelism. And worship, real worship should lead to more evangelism. Now those who are very activists they can learn something from those who know more about waiting upon God. We need both.

And there's a lot to learn from each other. And then the balance between the work and the family. How many of you are married? Raise your hand. Quite a few. You're going to have this interesting struggle.

Work, Family, and Priorities in the Home

Especially if you're in the work of God. There's always so much to do. So many people to speak to. So many places to go to. It is easy for the Christian to neglect his family. And his children. And that is the reason some of these children grow up to become little reprobates and little atheists.

Now I'm not saying that's always the case. And I don't point my finger I don't point my finger at a man of God because one or two of his children have gone temporarily astray. That also is extremism. See the emphasis in Ephesians 5 on the family.

And in 1 Corinthians 4 7 and 16. We can't read all these verses. But I know you see these things in God's Word. But I know you see these things in God's Word. This is what we believe. God is first. The family second.

The work is third. Me, God, family, OM. God, family, ship. God, ship, family. And if we keep that priority it will make a big difference in our family and in our children. During these days I've had less time with some of you because I've been spending some time with my own wife.

And sometimes she has been very much left out of my practical life because of other people always wanting, wanting, wanting. And this Dutch weekend has turned out to be a very special and wonderful time for my wife and I before we go back with the three kids tomorrow.

I made some real mistakes in this area. And I don't think other women would have even stayed with me and gone through what my wife had to go through. For many, many years I was six months a year on the road away from home.

Now maybe God in His mercy because tens of thousands of people are praying for me He kept us from disaster. But I don't believe that is the normal way that a family should function and hardly any OM family functions that way.

Of course, just being with your family is not enough. I learned that. It's not just the amount of time. It's the quality of that time. Is there communication? Is there freedom? Is it a healthy balanced home?

And that's another whole area another whole message on spiritual balance is balance in the home. Not too rigid and strict and yet not too just liberty and do everything you want but balanced in the area of discipline of children.

And on we could go. In almost every basic area of life there is a need for balance. There is the need to find the opposing truth that will bring this truth into balance. In our work we have to find the balance between church planting and basic evangelism.

Church Planting, Evangelism, and the Book of Acts

We need both. Some people are giving out literature just preaching in depth work church work. But we have found that a lot of this evangelism has brought the birth of churches. Or it has brought revival to churches.

As these young people who were trained in OM went back to a church and later helped bring a training and renewal program into that church. Compare Acts 8 .25. Let's just look at that together. Acts 8 .25 Reaching the gospel in many villages.

Notice Acts 8 .4 When everywhere preaching the word. But in other verses we find Paul revisiting the churches in much exhortation and staying in one place for quite a few months. And I'm sure you know that if you've ever studied the book of Acts.

That's an area of balance. And then the balance between prosperity and poverty. Some in the United States are teaching now that if you're walking with God He will always prosper you financially. This is the way to be as materialistic as you want and have a nice free conscience because you say God gave us all this.

He's just blessing me. I didn't know I didn't really want this big new car but the Lord gave it to me. Others of course believe this is done by the devil. And they feel that to be a dedicated Christian you should be living on the bare essentials and not be caught up with all this.

In 2 Corinthians 6 .10 it says we are poor yet making many rich. Today I believe it's the opposite. We are rich making many poor. At the same time I believe to find the balance we have to acknowledge that God does prosper some people financially.

It's not a theology it's what God is doing in His purposes to prosper. That is the way in which God works out His purposes in the lives of individual believers. He blesses some people abundantly. But 2 ,000 years of church history show that God usually makes His believers maybe poor but spiritually rich.

This leads me to warn people not to turn personal experience into a theological doctrine. God works in different ways in different people. You probably heard the story of this lady and she was in a very big meeting and she felt the Lord and so she leaped in the air and as she came down she sensed the Lord and this was her leap experience and she began this was so precious to her in her quiet this was so wonderful.

I knew her husband was a little concerned so then she began to teach the leap experience and she was preaching to some believers she found in her concordance the word leap and she began to develop the theology of the leap and at the end of her message she would say if you want the blessing you must leap and so the people got up leaping.

Now if we do this on the douloz our head goes right through the deck. It's a perfect example. Whether the story is true I don't know but I think it is but it's a perfect example of a personal experience.

It may have been a valid experience God works in special ways but then turning that into a doctrine which would lead people astray. But I often get a blessing in the bathtub. I love to just sit in the hot water and I often listen to tapes.

In fact I recently had brother Andrew in the bathtub. No no I mean I was listening to his tape when I was in the bathtub and yet in my meetings I wouldn't want to put bathtubs around the meeting so when you came you could get the blessing.

So it's good that you are able to laugh because if you want to survive the present evangelical scene you have got to have a sense of humor. In my experience that the over serious types everything in life is so serious they get caught into extremes and often really it's not doctrinal.

It's an emotional problem that they have to deal. So in closing I bring together this morning's message and this afternoon's message. We need that total commitment and yet there must be the spiritual balance.

Fellowship, Openness, and the Body of Christ

Let me mention just one other area the balance between fellowship and worship. I said I was going to speak about fellowship. I almost forgot but I feel that fellowship is such a vital part of our Christian life really learning to walk in the light.

Now there are different kinds of fellowship. We're not going to have in-depth sharing times and opening our hearts with everybody we meet. But we need some people at least one that we can really share our deeper struggles with.

Now I don't know much about the Dutch but in some countries this is very much in opposition to the natural cultural. For example in Finland I've had many Finnish people tell me the idea of sharing your problems of being open about your struggles is just almost unheard of in a normal Finnish cultural setup.

In Germany when I preached about fellowship and sharing and shared some of my own problems even in a public meeting people dropped and yet many have come to me. Actually Germany is the most responsive OM country in Europe together with Britain that country has just grown beyond expectations.

Let's be real let's talk about the real problems and learn the way of fellowship. And we don't believe it's wise to get up in a public meeting and tell all the details about some sin that you have just gotten into.

And there are times when we just can't and that has to be kept in balance. And then there is I've found many times I never get friendship with a person until they're in trouble at least sort of an in-depth situation.

But there are many other general friendships in which we may not know a person very well and yet we know that if we did get in trouble that person would be there ready to help is to pray for one another to write letters to one another and to learn what it is to share things with one another as the body of Christ.

So O .M. is still preaching total commitment Lordship of Christ. Let's reach the world as we give ourselves to the work and to the Lord. But there must be the balance the whole this truth being balanced by that truth.

Humility Toward Churches and Denominations

Other factors are there some people criticize all the denominations so they can build up their own little group and soon I've seen this in 24 years theirs is already a denomination and now they're making the same mistakes and the same sins of the denominations they condemned 20 years ago.

I feel it is better to see how God has worked in different groups in different ways. And many of the denominations today within the denominations there may be many dead churches. There are other live churches and we try to judge each church individually and fellowship with God's people that way and not have a critical spirit.

Especially when we don't know all the facts. I may be convinced about a particular way of worship. I may not agree with something in another group but I need to respect them. I need to maintain humility.

God may want to teach me through some of them. Tozer says it's good to have a little reverent skepticism a little healthy unbelief about some of the things people may say. But then he warns us that we must not become cynical.

That's one of my dangers. I have seen so much so much nonsense. The danger of becoming cynical. The man with too many answers and not enough humility and not a spirit of thanksgiving. He says thanksgiving is a great cure for cynicism wherever there may be even a mess in the church.

As you look more you may discover God is working. God is breaking in and I'm sure that's true of your life. You may feel weak. May be discouraged. May be discouraged. May be not much of a disciple but I'm sure you're here this weekend because God is breaking in and God is working and he will continue that work in you that he has begun.

And I believe that. And if at any time I can be of any help write to me. Send me your photo. Say pray for me. Another sinner. I need balance. Pray for my wife. She needs a survival kit because she's married to me.

A Call to Recommitment and New Faith

Let's just have a few moments of silent prayer. May God just search our hearts in these moments. I wonder if there are some that sense a need for a new step of faith in your Christian life to simply believe that God is going to do a new thing in your life over the coming months and years.

May be not instantly but you know there needs to be a new beginning and your life. If you're in that category just pray this prayer or your own prayer. Say Lord I present my body as a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to you.

Lord take my life. Use me here or overseas whatever the cost. I will be your disciple. Fill me with your love and your Holy Spirit. Keep me from extremes and off balance living that I may be a man a woman after your own heart.

You pray that prayer. Perhaps there is some that would be helpful for you to make an outward commitment this afternoon. Often Jesus when he was dealing with someone he asked them to do something that seemingly was foolish.

One man was asked to put mud on his eyes. And I'm going to ask you if you want to take a new step forward of faith in your Christian life. If you want to. You're really serious. You don't care what people say.

You want God. You want to know him in love and power. Even though this can only be the beginning or the new beginning. You want that. I'd like to pray for you specifically as you just stand up and acknowledge your need.

Say Lord take my life between you and the Lord. But I've found that when I've done this and I don't always do this. Many people have been greatly helped as we take one step God takes ten to meet us to fill us to change our life.

So you pray that prayer and you sense this is what God wants. Just stand up and I can pray for you. God bless you. And you believe God is ministering personally to you in his providence. He's brought us together here me from Bombay and you from many parts of Holland Netherlands.

And this may be the most important moment we have heard so much teaching. Will you say yes to the Lord. God bless you. For some it will take courage and strength to remain seated. We're all different.

Let's all be thanking Jesus. Anyone else. This will mean different things and different people. If it's not a stereotype one special thing that I'm talking about that God is working and it's a step of faith.

You're believing that God is going to make some big changes in the days to come. You want that rest of faith that power. And yet from this teaching you know that a big part will be yours tomorrow. But at the same time you realize that a big part will be yours tomorrow.

But tonight it can be the beginning. Anyone else. God bless you. Praise the Lord. There's special problems. They're not too great for God. Praise the Lord. Lord. You see each person standing before you.