INCIDENTS OF GOSPEL WORK
or
by
Charles
Stanley
Chapter 11
Encouragement to young Evangelists.
The three aged Saints.
An old man in a grey coat at Bournemouth.
One great secret of success in preaching.
Servants of Christ, not of men.
Lectures and preachings in a colliery district.
Many helped.
Meet for breaking of bread.
Decay.
Scattering.
I will here give a case for the encouragement of the young
evangelists, who may not, at the time, see any fruit of their labours in the
gospel. An aged woman, of the name of Hannah F., had come some eight miles to
hear a lecture, on the Lord’s coming, in the Merchanics’ Hall, Rotherham. She
was nearly blind, but God was pleased to open her spiritual eyesight, and two things
were made known to her in the power of the Holy Ghost. God gave her the
certainty of eternal salvation, and
also made know to her the blessed hope of the coming again of the Lord to take
His saints. These two things were entirely new to her; she had never heard them
before. She returned to her home at Anston, filled with “the peace of God which
passeth all understanding.” She told her aged husband, about one year older
than herself, the belessed news she had learned. The Lord opened his heart also
to receive the glad tidings, and much of there time was spent in thanksgiving
and worship. They had an aged neighbour, a farmer, about the same age as
themselves. One day they had knelt down, giving thanks together that they were
both washed in the blood of the Lamb form all sin; and were waiting and longing
for the coming of the Lord in the air to take them to Himself. The aged farmer
came in to see them, as had been his custom; and as both of them were rather
deaf, and so entirely absorbed in thanksgiving, they did not hear him come in.
He listened with amazement, such joy he had never witnessed,
such words he had never heard. It was not prayer, but they were giving thanks
to Him who had saved them with an everlasting salvation, who had made them fit
for His holy presence, in purity and glory. They were in spirit in heaven, not
at Anston; and they were talking to One they knew so well, and never seemed
tired of talking to Him. They talked to Him about His coming to take them to
Himself. The old farmer was fairly lost in amazement. At last the dear aged
couple rose from their knees. Their visitor said, “Whatever does all this mean?
I have been going to church these seventy years, and saying my prayers; but I
cannot say that I am even saved, much more saved for ever, and saved perfectly. No indeed, I cannot. And you are
speaking to God as if you knew Him. And what can you mean about the coming of
Christ to take you?”
Then the aged Hannah told the gospel she had heard: how God
loved; how He had sent His Son; how He had offered Himself the infinite
sacrifice for sins; how God declared that all who believed were justified from
all things, and their sins and iniquities God would remember no more. Yea, how
that, by one offering, all who believed were perfected for ever. And Jesus
assured all who heard His words, and believe God that sent Him, that they HAD
ETERNAL LIFE, and should never come into judgment, but were passed from death
unto life. And that Jesus told them not to be afraid; He was gone to prepare a
place for them, and would come again to receive them to Himself. She spoke from
the deep enjoyment of Christ in her own soul. God blest her words to their aged
farmer friend. Though over 80, he too, was brought into the enjoyment of peace
with God. As a little child did her receive the truth from the lips of Hannah.
Heavenly was the communion of these three aged pilgrims, when a friend of mine
was found them some months afterwards. Much of their time was spent together in
worship and communion, waiting for Jesus from heaven. When the farmer saw the
smoke from the cottage chimney, he was soon with them in sweet employ of
thanksgiving and praise.
But it became necessary that the aged couple should be taken
care of. Hannah was now blind; and a loving son took them to his home twelve
miles away. But how was this happy little band to be separated? How could the
home be broken up? Well, the secret was not told them. They were taken as on a
visit first, and then told. Morning after morning the dear aged farmer looked
for the smoke from the chimney. It never rose again, and after a few mornings,
the Lord said to the farmer, “Come up hither;” and sweet as is the fellowship
here below, it was with him now “far better.”
Once only did I meet this aged saint, Hannah. I met her at
the house of the friend who first told me of them; and my heart feels melted
within me as I remember the interview. She was now quite blind. Truly she might
have said, Once I was blind, but now I see. An aged temple of the Holy Ghost
unhindered. It is impossible to give any idea of that holy, waiting Hannah, so
full of Christ. So my dear brethren, do not be discouraged, though you see not
the fruit for many days. Blessed truth, “He will have mercy on whom He will
have mercy.”
Oh the riches of the grace of God in meeting and calling the
aged! He will be glorified by each one amongst those myriads who shall sing His
praise as the One who is worthy, “the Lamb as it had been slain.” Whilst
preaching in the Assemble Room at Bournemouth, I had felt much interested in an
aged man, with a very long worn grey coat. I had spoken to him repeatedly. He
was like a man before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle; but his hand was
never laid on the sin offering. (Lev. iv.) There never seemed to be the link of
true faith in the sacrifice of the Son of God for him. I had been speaking from
Romans viii. 1-3, and shewing the ground on which there can be no condemnation
to the believer IN Christ. That not only had Jesus been delivered for our
iniquities, and had borne them away, that God had raised Him from the dead
without them for our justification; but also sin, the very root of all sins,
had been utterly and for ever judged. “God sending his own Son, in the likeness
of sinful flesh, and for sin [or by a sacrifice for sin] condemned sin in the
flesh.” So that there is nothing left to be judged. After the preaching the
aged man came up to me, and said, “Now I see it all. Now I have peace with God.
All is done; my sins have been judged, and the very sin of my nature judged,
condemned, and all if finished. No condemnation.” He went home to his humble
lodgings. He had been much reduced in circumstances; all his children were
dead; he had lost his property. He had broken into his last sovereign; but he
returned that night to his lodgings, justified from all things, and he knew it,
and had peace with God; he was now ready to depart. His head fell back in the
chair; calmly the spirit departed. He was gone to be for ever with the Lord.
We must forget one great secret of success in preaching the
gospel. It is one that has impressed me all my life, and never more so than at
present, and never more than 53 years, through much failure, in preaching the
word of God. Long have I noticed how the apostle Paul takes care to shew that
he was not the servant of any party; neither did he derive authority from any human source, not even from the apostles
at Jerusalem. He could say, “Paul an apostle, not of men, neither by man,
but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” See the
whole context of this verse. (Gal. i. 1-24) No doubt the Holy Ghost foresaw the
authority that men would assume in the place of Christ as to this.
But is it not as important for the humblest servant of Christ to be the servant of Jesus Christ now, as for Paul to be so
then? Think what it is to receive your commission from Christ Himself, and to
be His servant alone, whatever may be the state of the church. “Do I seek to
please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Jesus
Christ.” These are searching words. Who can say them from the heart? Surely
they do not set aside the blessedness of the fellowship of saints. But the
church does not give authority to the servant of the Lord to preach the word,
as is clearly seen in the above scriptures. Well then, if I am the servant of
Christ, what would He have His servant do in any place, to which He may send
him? What is the heart’s desire of Christ as to all that are His in that that
place? What is the will of God as to the whole world, or the unconverted in
that district? We will take an illustration.
I received two anonymous letters from the centre of a large
colliery district, to go and preach a full gospel, including the coming of the
Lord Jesus. The last letter was so urgent, that I gathered it was the will of
the Lord I should go over and help them. We took the Town Hall, and gave four
lectures on the second coming of Christ, with a profound sense of the love if
Christ to His saints in the neighborhood. I had no thought of forming a party,
or serving a party; but as the servant of Christ, to serve all that were His.
The hall filled, and very many of the Christians in the neighborhood, for miles
around, came to hear. They were deeply interested; bur from conversation with
them, it was evident they did not understand what to them was so entirely new.
We then took a room at a temperance house, that would seat forty or more. This
was filled at once with local preachers, class leaders, &c., all being free
to ask questions or make remarks. It soon became so crowded that we were
obliged to have the reading in the Town Hall, and also preaching of the gospel
on Lord’s day evenings. The numbers so increased that the reading had to be more
like a sitting lecture. For one whole year these meetings were continued, and
most, if not all the Christians of the district, heard the word. I think it was
one of the happiest years of my service for Christ. I had a drive of eighteen
miles twice a week; but it was so peculiarly blessed to go with the assured
presence of Christ, and in the full unhindered sympathies of His love to all
whom the father had given to Him, to have no abject but to serve and please
Him.
Many of the local preachers were greatly surprised to learn
the truth of Hebrews ix. 27, 28. They had been preaching a general judgment to
all, and of all—the day of doom. This seemed to be the first truth that struck
many—that Christ had borne the judgment due to His own, and therefore into judgment
for sins they could never come. They had read that scripture as if it had said,
that it was appointed unto all men
once to die, and after death the judgment. They never noticed it did not say
so, neither had they noticed the contrast, “So Christ was once offered to bear
the sins of many; and unto them that look for him, shall he appear the second
time, without sin, unto salvation.” Neither had they ever really noticed that
Jesus assures believers that they shall not come into judgment, as the word should
be translated in John v. 24. The infinite value of the one sacrifice of Christ,
also now became understood, and really caused their peace to flow like a river.
Then eternal life as a present thing: what they had regarded as great error,
became their deep joy. Eternal redemption also led them into perfect rest in
God. It would fill a book if one could remember all the questions put at these
meetings.
We will just relate one: I had been speaking on Romans iii.,
especially on the righteousness of God, when man was proved to have none. Not
only guilty, but his condition utterly lost; his incompetency to keep the law,
and so be righteous on that ground. A local preacher suddenly rose on the midst
of the crowded hall, and said, “Mr. S., I want to ask you a question: If a
father was to set his lad a task to do, that he well knew he could not do, and
then because he did not do it he was to thrash him well, would that be right?”
Every face was fixed, waiting for an answer. I said, “Mr. B., you have been a
local preacher forty years.” “Yes,” he said, “I have.” “Have you found anything
more difficult that to convince a man that he is a lost sinner?” “No, I don’t
know that I have.” “Very well, then, I will just suppose you were the captain
of a life-boat. You are sent out to rescue the crew of a ship going to pieces
on the rocks. You know they are helpless. They cannot get the ship to land.
Laws of navigation are good in themselves, but they cannot help this crew; they
have no power to work the ship. You see they are stiff and helpless. You would
not stop a hundred yards short to discuss the laws of navigation. You would not
tell them to do their part and meet you a hundred yards off. No, you would pull
alongside, and assuring them it was impossible to save themselves, you would
take them form the breaking wreck, and pill to shore. Now, Mr. B., would you be
very much to blame?” Mr. B. by this time had forgotten his half infidel
question, and said, “No, I don’t think that I should.”
I then tried to explain how Christ was the life-boat, sent
to save those who where lost, and could not save themselves. Is it not so dear
reader? The law of Moses, nay, the law of God, will no more help in this matter
for the salvation of a soul, helpless on the rocks of guilt and sin, without
power to escape, than the laws of navigation will help save the crew from a
ship, breaking to pieces on a rocky shore. Yet man is blind as to the grace of
God in sending the lifeboat, after first giving the law to convict man of his
lost and helpless state. We may justly question whether any who raise such
cavils, have ever known themselves really lost. How many there are who have yet
to learn the utter ruin of fallen man!
The presence of the Holy Ghost on earth, and his true, real
personality was also very new to these people; and also the blessed truth, that
all believers are baptized by the one Spirit into one body. (1Cor. Xxii 13.)
And that according to the word of God there is “one body,” just as there is
“one Lord.” All this greatly surprised them, in contrast with the many
religious bodies of men. For the Lord gave me great freedom, as I regarded all
Christians in the district alike members of the body of Christ; and by the
grace of God sought to declare to them the whole counsel of God. And the joy
with which these truths were listened to and received can never be forgotten.
One person gave a vivid description of these meetings. She
said, “It must be very easy to speak at these meetings.” I said, “Why?” “Well,”
she said, “they are like a bird’s nest, full of young, with all their mouths
open.” It was exactly so. It was remarkable to see both men and women coming
long distances in the depth of winter to drink in the word of life.
After twelve months, they felt the words of the Lord Jesus
as to breaking bread, “Do this in remembrance of me.” They said they felt the
time was come when they must obey the Lord. I said to them, “If you do this, it
must be your own act to Him alone.
For twelve months I have sought to declare unto you the whole counsel of God;
and I call on you to bear witness that I have never lifted a finger, or spoken
a word to ask you to leave your chapels or churches. If you meet now to break
bread I shall not be with you, lest it should have the least appearance of
leading you to follow me. I must be to the Lord.”
On the following Lord’s day, about twenty-five came together
to shew forth the Lord’s death; and I was told it was a time of great blessing,
and they had such a sense of the Lord’s presence as they had never known
before. Soon many more were gathered with them to the Lord. Thus it was as at
the beginning, Peter preached, and the Lord gathered. (Acts ii)
Beloved fellow helpers and servants of Christ, let us not be
discouraged. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” Our hope is not the
church being restored to order, and visible unity here in this world. No, the
apostle could say in the very beginning of the work of God in Europe, “For what
is our hope, or joy, or crown or rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our
Lord Jesus Christ AT HIS COMING?” though we surely are responsible to endeavor
to keep the unity of the Spirit. Many now have left the village; some are with
the Lord, waiting with Him, some here, some there. That which is of God will
stand forever. All that the father Gave to Jesus shall soon meet, where
scatterings are no more.
We dwelt a little at length on the history of the work of
God at the above place, as it illustrates the experience of nearly a lifetime
in the service of Christ. I have always found blessing and results in
proportion to communion with Christ, in His love to the whole, whether in
writing or in preaching; and no Christian can prosper in his own soul unless he
is seeking the welfare of others. He must come unto Christ and drink, and then
“Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Thus may we serve Him
according to the sympathies of His own heart. I might add page after page of
incidents in His blessed service, but I hope I have not already wearied the
patience of my readers.
After four years’ absence I have just been to the same place, and have found much freshness and blessing. To Him be all the praise.