Two Original Sources

People’s beliefs about where they come from fall into two main ideas. Some believe they came as a product of natural processes, such as evolution is believed to be. These people I shall call ‘naturalists’ – not because they study nature, but because they believe they are a product of ‘natural’ processes.

The rest most commonly believe they came from a creator. These people believe they come from Divine Will, rather than natural processes. The Bible reveals God as a creator and man as God’s principal and most cherished special creation.

For the purposes of this discussion I will label those who trace themselves back to nature as Natural Man and those who trace them selves back to divine creation as Divine Man. In both cases the word ‘man’ is meant to incorporate humanity, of both male and female varieties.

Who You Are

The Natural Man, originating from natural sources, is an equal to all other natural phenomena. Natural Man, by definition, has the same value as every other natural thing. A rock came about by natural processes, and so (as they believe) did the natural man. A pig came about by natural processes, and so (as they believe) did natural man. A lion came about by natural processes, and so (as they believe) did natural man. The same could be said for trees, bees and fleas, if you please.

The Divine Man, on the other hand, tracing himself back to God and accepting that he is a special creation at the hand of God, is not on an equal footing to other natural phenomena. Divine Man is in a class above all other natural entities. This superiority is not by virtue of strength or power over all those other things. Divine Man is weaker than many other created beings. Divine Man is vulnerable to many natural forces which frequently take his life. Floods, fire and lightning claim many human lives, and so too do snakes, spiders and wild animals.

Divine Man’s elevated position is not measured in natural terms, but on the basis of the divine will that created him. Divinity gives mankind the privileged position of having been made “in the image of God”, as explained in Genesis 1:26.

Your Worth

If you are a product of nature, with nothing more to commend you than your ability to survive in the natural world, then your value approximates that of a wild animal, a tree or a rock. You have no more right to breath than the donkey braying in the paddock or the dog chasing his tail. You have no more intrinsic value than the mosquito you squatted, the ant you squashed or the orange you squeezed. There is no reason we should seek to preserve your existence above any other creature. Nor should we lament your passing any more than we lament the death of a tree.

If you are, on the other hand, a divine creation, then your value is as high as that creator deems you to be. You have rights and authority over all other creatures, to the degree that your creator assigns it to you. You have worth on the earth from the day of your birth.

Your worth is radically different to others, depending on whether your origins are natural or divine. You will rise in the eyes of the creator divine or go thud in the mud of your natural line.

Your Potential

Where you can go is also dramatically altered if you are natural or divine. Your potential to amount to anything at all is governed by where you came from. If you are a product of natural processes then you have nowhere to go, but back to the dust from which you came. Your highest thoughts, greatest riches, most awesome achievement and your most powerful contribution will all amount to a hill or beans, a pile of rocks and a dead tree stump. They are intrinsically meaningless, except for the transient sense of momentary meaning you can derive during the process of going nowhere.

Those who recognise their divine origins and walk in relationship with their divine creator, have the potential to rise to the heights of God’s divinity. They can go as far as God empowers them to go. They can impact all of humanity and experience divinity. They can exist beyond this natural moment and enjoy new existence opened up by their divine creator. They can overcome natural processes, including death itself, because they are connected to divinity which is outside the finiteness of the natural world.

Natural Man is Empty

Why in the world would anyone want to be a natural man? Why would someone wish to be nothing? Why would anyone celebrate their futility, when they were created for divine destiny?

Natural man comes up empty on every count. There is no prize, no reward and no hope in being a product of natural process. And there is no need to ever restrict oneself into such a poverty-stricken place. God has revealed to us in the Bible that He does exist and is our creator. God has revealed that He is all powerful and that He created mankind to be in intimate relationship with Him. God promises to empower us to live beyond the limitations of natural life, both while alive and beyond the grave.

There is no reason to remain empty.

The Challenge

I challenge you to step aside from the lie of your meaninglessness. You are a created being. You have dignity and destiny which transcends anything ever conceivable within natural limits. You have offer of relationship which is beyond all that human experience can ever conceive. You have the open offer to become an intimate of the very divine entity who is all powerful, all loving, eternal, transcendent above all else and who created you specifically to welcome you into His family for eternity.

Don’t come up empty. Come to the Living Lord God Almighty, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, your Creator and the God of the Bible. Come and enter into the glories of divinity, for which you were created.

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Young David displayed a fondness for music and developed an excellent singing voice.

In his early years he attended the Methodist Episcopal Church, became Sunday-School superintendent, led the YMCA and led the choir.

During the Civil War he was one of the first to enlist with the Union Army.

Three years later, on 9 September, 1863, Sankey married a member of his choir, Fanny Edwards. “She has been a blessing and a helpmate to me throughout my life and in all my work,” he wrote in his autobiography (page 17).

Sankey was in constant demand as a singer for all kinds of religious gatherings.

In 1870 he met D.L. Moody at a 6.00 a.m. YMCA prayer meeting, and after hearing him sing, Moody challenged him to become his partner in an evangelistic ministry. Before long Sankey was leading the singing and contributing some gospel solos at Moody’s meetings in Chicago.

Sankey and Moody travelled to the UK in June 1873, and there Sankey’s singing gave him an international reputation. His wonderful compass of voice, clear enunciation and evident sincerity made a deep impression throughout Great Britain, so much so that before he returned to America the names of “Moody and Sankey” had become household words throughout Europe. (wholesomewords.org)

Many converts testified to the impact made by Sankey’s singing as well as the preaching of the evangelist.

Sankey’s Hymn Book is reputed to have sold 80 million copies in the first 50 years (1873-1923).

Among the well-known tunes Sankey composed are those to which we sing these words: There were ninety and nine…; Simply trusting every day…; Encamped along the hills of light…; The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide…; Under His wings…; Oh! Safe to the Rock that is higher than I…

On 13 August, 1908, Sankey joined the Heavenly choir.

This post is based on the work of my late friend Donald Prout whose love for books and Christian history led him to collate a daily Christian calendar. I continue to work with Don’s wife, Barbara, to share his life work with the world. I have updated some of these historical posts and will hopefully draw from Don’s huge files of clippings to continue this series beyond Don’s original work. More of Don’s work can be found at www.donaldprout.com.

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Peter’s experience exemplifies this so let’s review the historical record of Peter’s encounter with Jesus to see what you can expect as you respond to the call of God.

Peter’s Encounter with Jesus

Peter met Jesus at the time of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, at the Jordan River. While we are not told that Peter was a disciple of John the Baptist, it is evident that he and his friends were impressed and touched by John’s ministry.

That is why they had journeyed from Galilee, where they left their fishing boats idle while they went to get right with God. We can be pretty sure that Peter had been baptised by John, possibly not long before Jesus was, maybe even on the same day.

A Second Encounter with Jesus

After that initial encounter Peter, James and John had to return to their fishing boats and their livelihood. They had heard John’s prophecy about Jesus and had been introduced to Jesus as the “lamb of God”. They were among the very first people to encounter Jesus as He began His ministry. Now, however, they were many miles away from the Jordan River, back on the shores of Lake Galilee.

Jesus came to them and called them to “Follow Me”. Jesus promised to make the “fishers of men”. Peter, James and John all left their boats and their fishing nets to follow Jesus. They had come under the call of God and responded to it.

The Call of God

There are many things that could be said about the call of God. We know that when God calls us the very call itself brings with it the power for its fulfilment.

“Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it.” 1Thessalonians 5:24

We also know that when God calls us He does not change His mind, nor abandon that call, even if we make a mess of it. The Biblical statement to that effect is that the “gifts and callings of God are without repentance”, which means God does not change His mind about it.

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Romans 11:29

Peter’s Journey

For about three and a half years Peter and the other disciples journeyed with Him, learned from Him, saw His miracles and were activated into the supernatural, being empowered to do miracles themselves. It must have been a heady time for them all, but most especially for Peter, James and John who were given privileged treatment. They alone saw the transfiguration and the raising of Jairus’ daughter.

When Jesus was betrayed, however, they were just like the other disciples. They all fled. Peter, to his shame, also denied Jesus three times over that dreadful night of His betrayal and trial. This must have been a deeply challenging reality in Peter’s experience, since it was fulfilment of a prophecy from Jesus which Peter had denied would happen.

A New Encounter

Following Jesus’ resurrection Peter saw the empty tomb and met the resurrected Jesus. Then came an encounter back on the shores of Galilee. There Peter experienced his second calling to follow Jesus, possibly very close to where he was called the first time, years before.

Peter and some of the disciples had gone fishing in Peter’s boat. They caught nothing until a lone man on the shore called to them and instructed them to drop net on the other side of the boat. They did so and caught a huge catch. At that point someone realised that the man on the shore was none other than Jesus, Himself. Peter swam ashore and met His lord once again.

Jesus Deals with Peter

Jesus then interrogated Peter about Peter’s love for Jesus. Three times Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” Jesus was ploughing deep into Peter’s soul and reducing him to a desperate cry, that Jesus knew him intimately and could tell that he was admitting the truth when he said “Yes”.

Since that first call to follow Jesus, Peter had experienced the heights of walking with Jesus. But he also experienced the depths of personal failure. He now knew that he had nothing to offer Jesus. He now knew that God’s call on his life was not based on what Peter brought to Jesus but on what Jesus brought to Peter.

Peter had failed Jesus. All of his arrogant self-assurance was decimated by his humiliating and bitter denial of Jesus. Yet the call of God on Peter’s life was without repentance. God had not given up on Peter nor revoked the call on his life.

Follow Me

Jesus repeated to Peter what He had said over three years before. “Follow Me!” Here we see that the call of God comes again to our life, once we have failed and faltered in our fulfilment of that call. The call comes the second time to call us to follow, not in the confidence of our ability, but in humble submission as stumbling saints. The call comes again to show us that God is not basing the call on our ability to succeed but on His choice to call us. The whole process is sovereign, on His part, not energised by what we bring to God.

Peter Gets Distracted

Peter was then told something about his own future. His impulsive response was to ask Jesus about one of the others near him. Jesus reply was a gentle rebuke that what God had in store for anyone else was not Peter’s business. By this Jesus was revealing that our part in serving Him has nothing to do with what others are doing or what others will be led into. We must do what we are called to do, irrespective of those who succeed or fail around us, and irrespective of how our journey differs from others.

Here we see that the call of God is personal. It is not something that is subject to analysis based on how ours compares with others. Instead it is something that is to be lived and pursued to the full whether we must journey alone or with a great throng. It must be pursued whether our path is unique or a carbon copy of what others are doing.

And Again, “Follow Me”

Following Jesus’ rebuke to Peter, Jesus repeats one more time the call to “Follow Me”. Here Jesus set the seal on the call on Peter’s life.

It is as if Jesus had said to him in the sequence of these different calls, “Peter, Follow Me and I will make you a fisher of men.” Then when Peter had experienced both success and failure Jesus came to him again to say, “Peter, you are to Follow Me, not because of who or what you are, but because I have called you. My call is what is important, not who and what you are.” Then it is as if Jesus added, “Peter, your call is unique, so don’t look at those around you. Just go and fulfil what I have called you to do.”

God’s Call on Your Life

So that’s what the call of God is all about in your life. May God give you grace to hear His call and to respond to it in faith and faithfulness, despite your own limitations, and irrespective of those around you who have a different deal or who shame Christ or outshine you along the way. Just be what God has called you to be, with all the power and grace He gives you to fulfil that call.

The account of Jesus final calls on Peter to “Follow Me” are found in John 21.

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Sam Hadley was brought up in a log cabin. “In our log cabin,” he later wrote, “I could lie on my bed and see the stars through the cracks in the roof and feel the snow sifting down upon my face in the winter time. We were lulled to sleep by the barking of foxes and the hooting of the owls in the woods…” (Down in Water Street, page 60).

And there it was he promised his God-fearing mother (a direct descendant of Rev. Jonathan Edwards) that he would never drink alcohol … but at the age of 18 that promise was broken. “It isn’t the last drink that hurts a man … or the fourth or the fifth, but the first … that’s what ruins a man” (page 64). “That first drink changed my life”, Hadley testified later.

Sam Hadley wrote from experience. For 15 years he “rarely went to bed sober”. A medical career was forsaken. He worked as an insurance man, but gambling became his mainstay … he “lied, stole, and forged cheques.” His home was shattered – his wife had left him, and all the furniture was pawned to get money to buy drink.

In fear of going to prison Hadley fled interstate and so ended up in New York. In his desperate battle with booze he eventually went to the police and asked them to lock him up so he wouldn’t succumb to temptation. That night, Tuesday, 18 April, 1882, in a lonely prison cell he fell on his knees on the stone floor and cried, “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (ibid, page 70).

The following Sunday he attended the Water Street Mission – the first Rescue Mission in the world, founded by a converted convict named Jerry McAuley some ten years previous. And so it was as Jerry preached and sang –
… And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains …
the Spirit of God laid hold of 40 year-old Sam Hadley, and he came to a place of assurance in his new-found Christian faith.

Listen to his own words: “Never with mortal tongue can I describe that moment … I felt the glorious brightness of the noon-day sunshine in my heart. I felt that I was a free man. Oh, the precious feeling of safety, of freedom, of resting on Jesus! … And I have been shouting ‘Glory’ pretty much all the time since!” (page 78).

Gone was the “hell-born desire for whisky. Gone the profanity – and a few weeks later – I threw my plug (of tobacco) away … and the desire was removed” (page 80).

Four years later Hadley became successor to Jerry McAuley as Superintendent of the famous Water Street Mission in Manhattan, and there he laboured faithfully for 20 years, pointing men and women to the One “who was able to save from the guttermost to the uttermost”. And “a century later it is still a vital outreach”, reaching those who need food and shelter with the good news of the gospel.

Later Sam Hadley became an ordained Methodist minister.

He went to his reward on 9 February, 1906. The press report of his death in the New York Times of February 10, 1906 stated that Hadley’s wife stood by him “even in the dregs” and that students of sociology from around the world attended his mission to study his amazing impact on others. “It is estimated that Mr Hadley obtained 75,000 conversions during his work at the mission, a great part of them resulting in new and clean lives and profitable, happy citizenship.”

Hadley described his methods: “We generally hit a man in the stomach with a beefsteak or a loaf of bread, or both, before we pray for him.”

While suffering from the fatal effects of appendicitis a nurse saw his lips moving and listened close enough to hear him whispering, “My poor bums; who will look out for them for me?”

This post is based on the work of my late friend Donald Prout whose love for books and Christian history led him to collate a daily Christian calendar. I continue to work with Don’s wife, Barbara, to share his life work with the world. I have updated some of these historical posts and will hopefully draw from Don’s huge files of clippings to continue this series beyond Don’s original work. More of Don’s work can be found at www.donaldprout.com.

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But people do that very thing all the time. People shut down the supply of good things God has for them, without the slightest hesitation. They even do it with arrogance of heart, feeling good about it.

Don’t look at me like that! If you’ve been reading these posts long enough you’ll know that I don’t make such assertions without a valid point behind it. So, put off your scepticism and let me poke a pointy stick at your heart.

The Spiritual Spout

God’s tap or supply line into our lives is often through an anointed person who comes as God’s agent. In fact the church is established on a set of such anointed and appointed people. The Apostle Paul listed five specific types of ministry person in the church: apostle; prophet; teacher; evangelist; and pastor. These people are described as “gifts” to the church. So individuals are picked up by God, given a specific ministry task by God, and then sent into the church world as God’s gift to the Christians.

“When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:8

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” Ephesians 4:11 [Christians refer to these as either the ‘ascension ministries’ – because verse 8 mentions Christ’s ascension – or the ‘5 Fold Ministries’, because there are five of them]

These men are simply that. They are human. Their mission is divine, but they are only human. This means they will bring their human limitations into their role and tasks. They will be subject to the same foibles and issues which are common to everyone else, such as pride, fear, insecurity, error, reactions, ambition, greed, forgetfulness, foolishness, and so on.

So God’s spiritual spout is often a clunky pipe that we have no difficulty finding fault with. And that sets us up for turning off the tap.

Limiting the Flow

We measure out the level of flow from God’s taps. We either open or close the tap, based on how we receive the person who God sends along as His gift to us. When we welcome a prophet, as a prophet, we have the tap wide open and we receive all that the prophet has to give us. When, on the other hand, we become offended by the prophet’s manner, speech, message, or whatever, we may choose to not accept the prophet as a prophet. We may rather choose to see him as the limited human that he is. We could be justified in finding fault with the prophet’s humanity. But we may also pay a price by our choice to limit the flow. Note the warning given by Jesus

“He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.” Matthew 10:41

When you choose not to receive the prophet as a prophet, but just as a man, you get a lesser input than the prophet’s input would have been.

Biblical Example

A blind man, named Bartimaeus [bar = son, so he was the son of Timaeus], heard that Jesus was passing by so he called out to get healed. The result was a miracle of healing as his sight was fully restored. What I want you to note in this situation is that Bartimaeus opened the pipe to receive his healing, while everyone else walked along without a miracle.

“And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passes by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, you Son of David, have mercy on me.” Luke 18:36-38

Note that the crowd called Jesus by his human designation, as “Jesus of Nazareth”. Jesus was from Nazareth, where he grew up with his family. This was an accurate title and description. But it was also a limiting title and description. Jesus is much more than a man who grew up in Nazareth.

Jesus came as the Son of God, in human form and as the fulfilment of the promise that a descendent of King David would come with power and rule on God’s behalf. Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus of Nazareth was that descendent of King David, so he called him “Son of David”. By doing this the blind man was opening the pipe – he was receiving Jesus as a prophet and a man of God, not just a bloke from Nazareth.

If Bartimaeus had respected Jesus as a good teacher and a wonderful man from Nazareth, he would not have been miraculously healed. He received the “prophet’s reward” only because he received Jesus as a prophet.

What About You?

If you had a tap which could pour good things into your life, would you close the tap?

If God had people around you who were called of God as His servants, would you receive from them? Do you receive from those who God has called? Do you respect them and honour them as God’s servants? Or are you more distracted by their human failings and the fact that they don’t completely fit your requirements?

Do you receive your mum and dad as the people God gave you to honour? Do you respect and honour the minister of your church? When you hear of people who are being mightily used by God, do you find fault with them or do you thank God that a pipe of blessing has been opened up?

You may already have missed out on amazing graces from God, just by your opinionated attitudes about the humans who God has chosen to use. God may even specifically send some rather human people along, just to challenge your pride and force you to humble yourself in order to get a blessing. Remember that God gives grace to the humble, but He resists the proud. If you are too proud to honour your father or to receive from the servants of the Lord, then you are the one who is turning off the tap and closing the spout where the blessing comes out.

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Born 1760 or 1762, in the little village of Moybeg, county of Londonderry, this friend and fellow preacher with John Wesley is especially remembered for his massive Bible commentary, which is still in print.

In his childhood his mother taught him to have strong faith in God, while his father was a village schoolmaster who needed to run a farm to supplement the meagre income. Adam and his brother also worked on the farm, attending school on each alternate day and having to pass on their lessons to the other before school the next day. This student-tutor experience stood him in good stead as both a preserver and interpreter of truth.

John Wesley rescued young Adam from a directionless youth by inviting him to study at the new Kingswood Methodist seminary. There Clarke excelled and Wesley invited him to become a circuit preacher at the age of 19, a profession he pursued for more than a quarter century.

He then devoted much of his time to literary research and to writing. His first work was A Dissertation on the Use and Abuse of Tobacco, followed by texts which catalogued or translated works from antiquity. Consequently he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and in 1806 received an LL.D. from the University of St Andrews. He was also chosen a member of the Royal Irish Academy and of other literary societies in the UK and America.

In 1810 he released the first volume of The Holy Bible, with a Commentary and Critical Notes. The completed work included eight volumes, the last of which was issued in 1826. Archbishop Lowndes acclaimed the work, pointing out that Clarke produced it single-handedly, amid all his other duties and distractions.

Spurgeon wrote in his Commenting on the Commentaries: “Adam Clarke is the great annotator of our Wesleyan friends, and they have no reason to be ashamed of him, for he takes rank among the chief of expositors … his commentary is filled with valuable rarities, such as none but a great man could have collected.” Adds Spurgeon, “Notwithstanding his peculiarities, Adam Clarke still stands a prince among commentators.”

One of those ‘peculiarities’ is surely the comment that Eve was tempted, not by a serpent, but by an orangutan! And his notes on the death of Judas are not for the dainty ears of my readers!

This post is based on the work of my late friend Donald Prout whose love for books and Christian history led him to collate a daily Christian calendar. I continue to work with Don’s wife, Barbara, to share his life work with the world. I have updated some of these historical posts and will hopefully draw from Don’s huge files of clippings to continue this series beyond Don’s original work. More of Don’s work can be found at www.donaldprout.com.

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Let me remind you that faith is the thing the Bible says will “please” God. If you want to please God you must be a person of faith. Faith is not something reserved for the religious. It is vital for everyone who ever hopes to have God’s help or any kind of relationship with Him.

“Without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Sharing Doubts

Many years ago I heard a preacher tell of a conversation he had with a minister who was heading to a conference. The conference brought together theological people from many places, so they could “share their doubts” about the Bible with one another.

Such a gathering is preposterous. It celebrates the very antithesis of faith. And since Christianity is ‘faith’ based, there is no prize for promoting and propagating doubts. If the people around you pull down your faith then you need to shield yourself against that, not dive into it with gusto. It is no wonder that many men of the cloth (priests, ministers and theologians) have empty hearts and a vain religion. They do not value and protect their faith in God.

Building Faith

Faith is found in people in different measures. It is possible to have “great faith” (Matthew 8:10). We can be “weak in faith” (Romans 4:19). We can build up our faith (Jude 1:20). We can have “little faith” (Luke 12:28).

Faith can be built up as noted above in Jude 1:20. We are even told how to build up our faith. The two main instruments we have for encouraging our faith are the Word of God and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jude tells us to build up our faith by the gift of the Holy Spirit which we know as praying in tongues. Jude calls this “praying in the Holy Spirit”.

“But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” Jude 1:20

The other way to build up our faith is through hearing the preaching of the Word of God. The Apostle Paul points us to this means in his letter to the Romans, explaining that faith is produced by hearing the preaching of God’s Word.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

Build Up Your Faith

To encourage your faith make sure you listen to someone preaching a faith building message each week. You can do this much more easily than in previous generations, thanks to audio-recording. Listen to people who believe what the Bible teaches and who press in to see God’s power in their lives. Those people are seeking to live in faith, so they are likely to boost your faith in God.

Also make sure you associate with people who are moving in the power of God’s Holy Spirit and operating the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Your faith will be encouraged and your life impacted by the fresh experience of God in your life and among your friends.

Oh, and if someone invites you to a conference where everyone is going to share their doubts, don’t go!

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The third son of a Yorkshire blacksmith, young Faraday grew up to know the meaning of the word ‘poverty’. But the family attended the nearby chapel and was rich in things spiritual.

His interest in electricity motivated him to write to Sir Humphrey Davy, asking if there was an opportunity to work as a laboratory assistant. Davy invited him for an interview and soon the young Faraday was on his way to becoming one of the great names in the world of science.

At the age of 30 he married Sarah Barnard – a happy union that continued until his death 47 years later. And that same year he became a church member. Peter Masters, of Spurgeon’s Tabernacle, tells us that although Faraday had attended that chapel since boyhood, “not until he was 30 … had he proved the reality of Christian experience” (Men of Purpose, page 14).

What Peter Masters omits to say is that it was a Sandemanian chapel … a curious movement in the 18th century that the pastor of Spurgeon’s Tabernacle (and many other evangelical Christians) would regard as heretical.

Faraday’s discoveries led to his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society. His experiments with electricity “changed the face of the world”.

Meanwhile he became an elder in the Sandemanian church and “an ardent preacher”.

Michael Faraday’s life “was devoted to Christian work and science”, and between them he perceived no incompatibility. He accepted the Bible as God’s Word without reservation.

Toward the end of his life Darwin published On the Origin of Species, giving vent to an anti-Christian sentiment that had been brewing for many years. Within 20 years science would be secularised. None of this impact the faith and firm resolve of this man of God.

Faraday stands as history’s foremost experimental scientist. Often working with nothing more than home-made apparatus, he produced so much practical scientific discovery that he is unmatched in his contribution to lifestyle and the general body of scientific knowledge in chemistry and physics. Yet he sought no monetary reward and preferred to be at church than at an awards ceremony.

This post is based on the work of my late friend Donald Prout whose love for books and Christian history led him to collate a daily Christian calendar. I continue to work with Don’s wife, Barbara, to share his life work with the world. I have updated some of these historical posts and will hopefully draw from Don’s huge files of clippings to continue this series beyond Don’s original work. More of Don’s work can be found at www.donaldprout.com.

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You are waiting on the platform for an express train to get you quickly to your destination. Then an announcement informs that the express train has been cancelled and alternative arrangements need to be made. To your disappointment there are no good connections and so you set off on the slow train to get as far as you can.

Changing Course

To get you through the long hours of grinding progress you read a magazine someone has left behind. An article piques your interest and you devour it with delight.

Since the slow train only goes so far, you find yourself waiting on a lonely platform for the mail train. You buy a coffee and find an old man to chat with. He fills you in on some of the local history, which doesn’t interest you. He extols the virtue of the local produce which is made into a special dish at a fancy restaurant in the big city. Once he has spelled the exotic name it sticks in your head, despite your attempts to think of something else. Thankfully the mail train finally arrives and you chug off into the darkness.

You wake from a doze to hear a mother arguing with her child. She appeals to you for assistance and you get drawn into her unhappy encounter. When you do help her quiet her child she thanks you by giving you a ticket to a theatre show where her brother has a lead role, in the city you are heading to.

Then, in the early morning you have to change trains yet again.

Strange People

While waiting for the next connection you are approached by a talkative salesman whose voice keeps you awake with its grating tone. He extols the wonders of various products he has sold over the years and outlines the various failings each one has. You manage to get away from him by going to the bathroom.

The annoying fellow has found someone else to talk with and you end up in a quiet chat with a young lady who tells you about the university course she is about to start. You nod off for a few minutes and are relieved to hear your train approaching.

Last Leg

You try to catch some sleep on the last connection, while you fight off feelings of resentment toward the rail system. Your express train would have deposited you quickly and effortlessly to your destination. You have now had to endure an ordeal that takes you back to your days as a poor student. That memory prompts you to look out for the young lady who is going off to university. You find her and pass her a small amount of money, which you are sure she could do with.

As you approach the final station a chap informs you of the big fire incident overnight, filling you in with details which he claims are true, since his brother knows a security guard at the premises.

At the Destination

Your trip has been a disaster. You missed the good night’s rest you needed and all your plans were taken out of your hands, which makes you feel uncomfortable. You would have arranged a much more satisfying set of circumstances.

When you arrive for the scheduled business meeting several things come together, much to your surprise. You are asked to give a short presentation, and you use the insights you gained from the magazine article. Someone laments that there are so few sales opportunities for his particular product range and you suggest that he target people who are using a particular installation which you know to be faulty, thanks to the talkative salesman. You also suggest that he follow up with the management of the building which burned overnight, since their installation was destroyed in the fire and they have to be fully operational asap, no matter the cost. You even suggest a name that he should contact.

Your contributions attract the interest of businessman from out of town who suggests he would like to talk over some things in a social setting. You suggest the peculiar name of a unique dish that he could sample with you and offer to take him to a show where he can go backstage to meet one of the lead actors.

As you and several others step out of the building, several hours later, the young university student sees you and hurries over to thank you for your kind generosity. This leaves a powerful impression with the others, that you are a person of good character and compassion.

Moral of the Story

We choose the path of least resistance and most comfort for ourselves. We like convenience and speedy progress. Yet God sees the big picture and He may well derail our plans, sending off on what seem like useless detours. Yet God is actually taking us on a course of His making, where we can harvest many rich blessings we would otherwise never know.

It might be a good idea to trust Him and commit your way to Him, rather than force your own plans.

Inspiration

I crafted this story from an idea passed to me by my son in Germany…. “There was a prophecy in church last Sunday that was a picture of someone taking a train from A to B. They were expecting an express train that would take them directly and comfortably to their destination, but instead they found themselves changing from one slow train to another, often with long stops at out-of-the-way railway stations. The prophecy went on to say that the person often felt frustrated and wondered why he had to waste so much time. Along the way, at the various stops and on the various trains, he met different people and encountered situations that would not have come up on the express train. When he finally did reach his destination, all of the events and meetings from the trip proved to have been necessary, and he was only able to fulfil his purpose at the destination because of the encounters during the trip. The conclusion was that we may sometimes wonder about the detour and loss of time, but the truth is that God is taking us by the fastest and most direct route that fulfils all of his requirements. It is not a detour at all, and no time is being wasted.”

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He has been called “the Calvin of England” and “the theologian of the Puritan movement”.

James Packer writes, “In an age of giants, he overtopped them all” (Quest for Godliness, page 191).

His writings, “weighty with learning”, fill some 28 large volumes. Many of these have been reprinted in our day by the Banner of Truth.

Born in Oxfordshire in 1616 (the exact date is unknown) where his father was a Church of England clergyman, young Owen entered Oxford University at the age of 12 and graduated with B.A. and M.A. degrees seven years later, on 27 April, 1635.

Ordained by the Church of England, but not converted, it was some years before he came to know the Saviour. He attended a Presbyterian Church to hear a famous preacher of the day, Edmund Calmany, only to discover a substitute preacher was in the pulpit. Nevertheless, the sermon based on Matthew 8:26 found its mark. Conviction of sin threw him into such turmoil that for three months he could scarcely utter a coherent word on anything; but slowly he learned to trust Christ, and so found peace. He married Mary Rooke – had 11 children – left Anglicanism to join the Congregational Church, and in the 1640’s found himself “reluctantly” a chaplain in Oliver Cromwell’s army (History of Preaching, by E. Dargan, Volume 2, page 178). He buried seven of his children before losing his wife as well.

With the advent of King Charles II to the throne, Owen found himself ejected from his position as Dean of Christ Church (for not being an Anglican!).

One year after his wife died he married a wealthy widow (21 June, 1677), which enabled him “to keep a carriage and a villa” (Puritan Profiles, by W. Barker, page 299).

In the closing six years of his life he devoted himself to writing. His massive commentary on Hebrews is “a work of gigantic strength as well as gigantic size”, wrote Dr Chalmers (quoted by Spurgeon, Commenting on the Commentaries, page 188).

And his The Death of Death in the Death of Christ sets forth the “classic Calvinistic statement of the atonement”, that Christ died only to save the elect (Puritan Profiles, page 297).

John Owen, like many other famous non-conformists, is buried in Bunhill Fields, East London … in “unconsecrated ground”, because he was not a member of the Church of England.

This post is based on the work of my late friend Donald Prout whose love for books and Christian history led him to collate a daily Christian calendar. I continue to work with Don’s wife, Barbara, to share his life work with the world. I have updated some of these historical posts and will hopefully draw from Don’s huge files of clippings to continue this series beyond Don’s original work. More of Don’s work can be found at www.donaldprout.com.

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