The Revolution of the Love / Die Revolution Der Liebe - Part 4 — George Verwer

Biblical Wisdom Through the Proverbs

Many times we read from the Psalms, but we don't read from the Proverbs. As a young Christian I was selling books door to door. This one lady bought a lot of books for me. I was really happy. A lot of money, a lot of books.

I was preparing to go to Mexico. She was a woman of wisdom. She could discern that I was big on zeal and weak on wisdom. So she invited me in. Have a seat. She gave me something to eat. And this woman asked, do you study the Proverbs regularly?

At 18 years of age I don't know if I got to the Proverbs yet. She said there's a Proverb a day, one for every day in the month. 31 Proverbs. Young man read a proverb every day. She said something I've never forgotten.

A proverb a day will keep the devil away. I've been reading the Proverbs almost every day for 40 some years. Three chapters alone, three and a half chapters alone just about sex. How many of you men have read the three chapters on sex in the book of Proverbs?

Sexual Immorality and the Missionary Life

That's pretty good. How many women have read the three chapters? Because women are involved. That's right. Because in those days, these chapters were especially about prostitutes. But in some of our societies today, there is so much sexual freedom, people don't need prostitutes.

It's not necessary anymore in some places. So I believe those chapters are still relevant even though the language may be different. What are some of the fiery darts stopping people from going to the mission field?

We've talked about wisdom. Okay, let's get some wisdom. Let's think this through. We've touched on the fiery dart of immorality. These days for many young men, it's pornography, internet pornography. And as they take surveys of missionaries, one society, 20 of all the missionaries on the field were having struggles with internet pornography because missionaries have to use e-mail.

I don't have time to talk about this. I don't even want to talk about it. But if you're hooked into pornography in any of its forms, you need to be set free by the power and the grace of God, and you need to stay free by wisdom and the discipline line.

But if you're addicted to pornography, you need to be set free by the power and the grace of God, and you must understand the word of God. You must understand the grace of God. And beware of extremism in your own thinking that you're going to get to some spiritual level where this is no longer ever going to be a problem.

There may be a few people like that. They may have never had a big problem to start with. We need to understand. We are sexual beings. And we'll probably face sexuality all of our pilgrimage with Jesus.

The key is to get to see what the word of God says. Read some good Christian books on this subject. Have at least someone that you're accountable to you can pray with and talk openly and honestly with.

God's Love, Acceptance, and Covenant Grace

Realize that even when you fail, God just still loves you so very, very much. Now this is where I maybe had an advantage. I had strong love from both of my parents, even though they were not Christians.

They were in their pilgrimage. And once I was saved, I got into some great books about God's love, God's acceptance of me. I seldom doubted God's love for me. And yet we've counseled many, many people.

They're not sure that God loves them. Is there anybody here tonight? You're not sure that God loves you. According to his word, he loves you. He created you in his image. He loved you before you were saved.

Now you are his child. His love is now covenant love. His love is now something just so beyond anything you can ever imagine. I love books about grace. Because I've seen legalism destroy so many people.

Now I know that grace is risky. Even the great British theologian, Dr. Lloyd-Jones said, the message of grace is risky. And of course you can't have a strong message on grace without having some people abuse grace.

That's why I've been talking a little bit about wisdom and about discipline. Because grace without wisdom and discipline can become. And I've tried to study the lives of hundreds of people. I've read through about a thousand books.

And I've seen people destroy their lives and their churches and their families because they didn't understand forgiveness and the grace of God. And I've seen baby Christians in other cultures hurt because people were legalistic and therefore walked on people's culture instead of being sensitive to their culture and present the grace of God in a way they could receive it in their own culture.

Legalism, Forgiveness, and Biblical Relationships

And I've seen people destroy their lives and their churches and their families and if you've been raised in a very strict home, even some non-Christian homes are quite strict about certain things. Or if you were reared in a very strict legalistic 25 major rules kind of a church you can be pretty sure that you have a legalistic streak.

You can be pretty sure you have a legalistic side to yourself. And probably sometimes you're very hard on yourself. And sometimes you won't forgive yourself. You may know that God has forgiven you but you have trouble forgiving yourself.

And that sometimes leads to the inability to forgive other people. In God's work we're all going to be hurt. We're in a battle. We're under pressure trying to reach the world with the gospel. And yet we're all so different.

We will offend one another. We will under pressure. We may say something unkind or negative even about our best friend. And then somebody hears that and say they go to our best friend and say oh I thought so and so was a friend of yours.

Well yeah I think he is. You should have heard what he was saying. You should have heard the other day. And pretty soon the friendship starts to break. What does it say in Proverbs? He who repeats a matter I plead with you in the name of Jesus.

Develop biblical wisdom. Hold up the shield of faith against the fiery dart of immorality. Another fiery dart that I've experienced a lot of in my life what I call the fiery dart of discouragement I face discouragement all my life.

Discouragement, Failure, and Persevering by Grace

I have these expectations and often I don't reach them. I have these dreams they don't come to pass. My dream for Afghanistan 44 year dream Satan through one of his little sub trained demons I'm sure has whispered in my ear you are a total failure a first class failure.

Just look at Afghanistan 44 years nothing you got nothing and sometimes I've been so discouraged I had trouble believing that God was even there and I surely wanted to quit operation mobilization how did I get in this kind of a mess but again Satan somehow by God's grace I sort of crawled back to the word of God and I've just told God the truth Lord I have very little faith.

I don't know if my prayers are accomplishing anything plus I've got this problem and I've got this misunderstanding and I've made a mess with my wife again. Can you forgive me ladies can you even imagine being married to me.

Don't imagine in the audience you could get a headache even thinking about it. I'm not a naturally good husband which means I was not a naturally good father and my wife thought I was a dynamic man of God and agreed to marry me that one late that night we were both very tired late one night she agreed to marry me.

Marriage as Grace-Filled Discipleship

You see I had her in Ephesians as well. Ephesians 5 not the whole chapter. Key verses. Submit to your husband as unto the Lord. She believed I was God's teacher. She just accepted that she had a lot of money because her father was killed in the war.

She gave me all the money before the marriage. If she had put that money in a big company like Walmart she'd be a millionaire today. She gave it to me instead she's been broke ever since we went to Mexico and the marriage was wonderful for several weeks.

Then she read the other verses. We've had 42 years of intensive discussion. Some of you are already married after what I said a little while ago you may think.

Oh maybe I have the wrong wife. Oh maybe I have the wrong husband. Let me just tell you. Real simple it's too late but here's the good news.

You can marry humanly speaking the wrong person and God can make it a great marriage. That's grace praise God. For plan A get a totally radical spirit filled dynamic. Amy Carmichael wife. Amen. Plan A.

But if somehow you end up with plan B and it's not really working out you're still learning somehow how to even kiss and you can't stand your food.

And he snores very loud at nights. God is still alive. God can make that.

A great marriage and one great biblical writer said that marriage is God's advanced training to prepare for heaven. And of course if you're single God has his special program for singles. And Bruce here has the best program for singles that I've ever heard of.

Go live in the jungle for 40 years. Hallelujah. You'll hear about that tomorrow. Hold high the shield of faith wherewith we can stop the fiery darts of the evil one. Now I know a few of you are thinking this guy is speaking very long.

The Ministry of Encouragement and the Call to World Missions

After all this is Germany. This is a land of punctuality. I was not planning to speak this long but before I walked in one of the leaders of this organization I will not point her out. She said something to me that hardly anybody ever says to me.

She said please speak as long as you want. Get your watch. Have you brought your calendar. One of my most famous German stories. This is the truth. 35 years ago my parents came to Germany. I remember I was speaking in Heilbronn and I was pouring out my heart.

I gave an invitation and some people responded. Two women walked up to me. I'll never forget. We found this a real struggle. You reminded us of Adolf Hitler. Real encouragement. Talk about the ministry of encouragement.

But the other story was in another meeting. I was preaching for about an hour and a half and amazing. The young people were listening. It was mainly young people. But one older man was in the back and I think he wanted to go home and watch the news.

He started waving his watch at me. I was preaching about world missions the need to go the need to pray the need to give. Then I saw this watch. I stopped the meeting. Bless the lord. Look at this man.

God's stricken him. He's donating his watch for world missions. In Acts 13 five men were praying it included Paul and Barnabas and the holy spirit spoke and said separate me Paul and Barnabas for the work that I have called for them.

Acts 13 Prayer and Missionary Sending

Please if you can read my book. I'd like to give it free but I don't have enough copies so we're selling it. I prefer to give it free but we don't. And if you're broke and you can't buy one send me an email and I'll send you one free through the post.

But I share this Acts 13 vision in this book. I want you to grab this. I want you to have an Acts 13 prayer meeting back in your church. Let the holy spirit have his way. Then I believe we'll have many more of you.

Then we'll stand up and make that commitment to go even to the ends of the earth. When you make this decision many of you have already made it. There's a price to pay Luke 14. Count the cost. There are languages to learn.

There are cultures to understand. You cannot take this lightly. If a person's gonna become a doctor serious serious preparation. If a person's gonna become a Lufthansa pilot serious training in preparation.

It's not a matter of going to a few meetings pilot. I'll just be here in a simulator and I'll read a few books and then I'll go fly. I prefer not to fly with those pilots. I like people who really are trained who really are serious.

Faith, Finances, and the Cost of Missionary Commitment

We know a huge obstacle is finance. Far easier to find the people willing to go than it is to find the finance to send them and to keep them there. Years later when they got three kids who all need education.

And the financial factor is considered the second or third major discouragement that stops people going into missionary work. But there are books about this. There are tapes about this. There's a lot in the word of God about money.

And what about faith. Believe in God and to supply finance as that famous German George Muller did for so many decades is one of the great examples of God's way of thinking. So let's make a commitment tonight to become more serious about the commitment we've already made.

Grace, Biblical Relationships, and a Theology of Suffering

Make sure we are free from legalism and living in the highway of grace to make sure we know what to do when we sin so that we can grow stronger and stronger in the Lord to be His men and to be His women.

Whatever the cost. Let's develop biblical relationships but beware of premature romance. Let's keep singing the Psalms hallelujah. But let's get into the Proverbs. And then what about Job developing a really biblical theology of suffering.

And what it's really about on planet earth. Because it's another area where many people have been so discouraged because they thought the Lord was going to do this. The Lord was going to do that. And when it didn't happen they questioned God does God really love me.

Soon they were away from the Lord. Let us pray together. Let's just take a moment to pray. I've just tried to be very honest if I've offended anyone with my method of speaking you can forgive me. The work of the Holy Spirit is for you.

But this treasure is an earthen vessel. None of us can share from our heart without some of our own personal mud. Getting in the way. Don't let George Verver mud keep you from the reality of the Holy Spirit in your heart.

A Commitment to Radical Discipleship

I believe with all my heart. Some of you want to make a recommitment to the Lord Jesus Christ tonight. You're not sure about geography. You're not sure whether it's Germany or some other country. But you want to be a radical disciple of Jesus.

You want to hold high the shield of faith to stop the fiery darts that are coming at you. You want to be God's man. You want to be God's woman. You want to go where He wants you to go. You want to be filled afresh with His Holy Spirit.

You want to hear the voice of the Spirit as Paul and those praying men did in Acts 13. And if you'll make that kind of step of faith if you want to be a radical Spirit-filled disciple of Jesus whether it's in Germany or some other part of the world whether it's a goer or a sender or both.

I'm going to ask that you just stand up as an outward expression of an inward transaction. And I want to just pray for you. It's a step of faith. It's saying yes to the Word of God. This message of biblical discipleship and balance God's Holy Word God's promises.

God fill you afresh right now. Anyone else I can pray for you. God bless you. Father. You have prepared us for this meeting tonight. Many of us are here because we're already so hungry to do your will in terms of missions.

We've seen some of the obstacles. We've realized some of the complexities. And we've seen ourselves and so we just come to you. We confess our sin. We confess our legalism. We confess our judgmentalism.

We confess our false guilt. And we say to you oh God we love you. We thank you that you've saved us and that you live within us. We commit ourselves to your Word and to the way of wisdom. We commit ourselves to the balance of grace and discipline.

And we will not give up we will keep on giving on in the power of forgiveness and your Holy Spirit. For we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.