Chapter Three

THE SUSTAINING VICTORY

1. Co-workers with God:

The charge against the church at Ephesus is the loss of their first love (Rev.2: 4). Believers at Ephesus were well taught not only by Paul, the apostle to the gentiles, and by Timothy his helper but also by John, one of the twelve disciples of Lord Jesus Christ. Yet after a while they lost their first love and our Lord strongly rebuked them. Some times we also have such an experience. Through some subtle temptation we become cold and indifferent, our prayer burden lessens and we have no concern for perishing souls. What is worse, we are content to remain in this state. But our gracious God because of His everlasting love draws us to Himself and we humble ourselves and return to Him. Then He restores us to the lost joy and peace, and tears are mixed with our joy; tears for having grieved our Lord, tears over our lost opportunities and tears for having led others astray. After such experiences we are in a better position to help other believers who fall. We can go to them with tears as in Psalm 126; 5,6.

It is only when we realize God’s goodness and grace in forgiving our backsliding that we can be of real help of those who are in the same condition. We can pray for them with tears of loving sympathy rather than condemning them harshly and hating them for spoiling their testimony. We learn how to go to them in love and humility, and seek to bring them back to the Lord (Gal.6: 1,2). There is no doubt that in many subtle ways the devil tries to bring defeat into the lives of the believers. Many fall when they are strongly tempted. Then they are condemned and forsaken by other believers; some even hate them and they as well as UN believers despise them. But if only remember how the Lord waited patiently for us to repent of our backslidings, how He met our need when we lost our first love, how wonderfully He helped us to return to Him and what a tender welcome He gave us, we cannot but try to help them. We would pray with tears for them and with them. On the other hand if we judge and condemn them, their hearts become harder and harder. Let us remember what a great responsibility we have towards our backslidden brothers and sisters. We have our Lord’s example pf how He dealt with His disciple Peter before and after his fail. The Lord Jesus knew how that Peter would deny Him three times before the cock crew twice. Therefore He lovingly warned him saying, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31,32,61,62). Peter was restore because of the prayer of Lord Jesus Christ.

We further see how the Lord told Peter that in spite of his denial of Him, He would still trust him and expect him to pray for his weaker brethren who might also fall. The Lord repeated this again in His last message to Peter (John 21:15-17). He told him three times, “Feed my lambs”, “Feed my sheep”, and again “Feed my sheep”. Both those who are newly Born Again and are babes in Christ, and those who are weak in their faith and not growing spiritually are like lambs who need extra care, having to be carried and strengthened. The Lord has used different people to help us in our weakness that we might be spiritually restored. So if we find that our fellow-believers are weak and living defeated lives, we also must help to lift them up spiritually by our prayers, fellowship and shedding of tears. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

In Psalm 127:1,2 we have the secret as to how to build the House of God. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it ….. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late.” We have a double responsibility towards God’s Dwelling Place. We have one responsibility as laborers together with God, in building it; and another responsibility as His building material, “lively stones”, in being built by Him.

The first responsibility is an active one. Since we are co-workers with God we must take heed how we must build His House. We cannot build it with our human zeal or wisdom and we are warned against doing so. “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late”. We must build God’s House only according to His plan, on the true foundation and under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must learn how to find and take our share in this work. It does not matter to God how many handicaps and disadvantages we have, or how few our talents are. What matters is that we should be willing to take our share and that it should be under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ even in small things. When we work in an office or factory we ask permission from the person-in-charge if we want to go out for few minutes. The same rule applies to all of us. Learn to consult with and ask permission from those with whom you work. Learn also to go to the Lord for every matter.

We cannot build God’s House on man’s plan or on a man made foundation. He is also our Architect and our Engineer as well as the Supervisor of the whole work. Therefore ask His advice at every stage of the work. Consult Him and find out if your plan is in accordance with His heavenly plan, whether you are building in the right foundation and so on. He will answer you and show you if you make a mistake. It will be a great joy to you and to Him if you take His advice and obey Him in every matter however small or important it may seem to you. If you do not get an immediate answer, wait patiently and He will reveal His plan to you in an answer to a private or corporate prayer. Only do not follow your own wisdom. When we come under His headship and lordship and build according to His plan on His foundation then we shall be a source of blessing to others. Otherwise our labor will be in vain.

Many believers so not understand how to take their share in building God’s House. They think it is enough if they go to some place of worship on Sunday and listen to a sermon. We must learn by experience and by waiting upon the Lord what is our share in building the House of God. It may take many years for us to learn this lesson but it must be learnt.

When the Lord builds the House and we are His co-workers and partners, He will give us many spiritual children because of our love, testimony and sacrifice (Psalm 127:4). We shall be filled with joy and strength, and our joy will multiply when our spiritual children also learn to grow and walk with the Lord. The apostle Paul writes to the believers of Thessalonica, “Ye are my glory”. He forgot how much affliction he had undergone when he was in their midst. When you take our share in building God’s House by winning souls, “lively stones,” and bring them up in the nurture of Lord Jesus Christ, verses 4 and 5 of Psalm 127, will be true of you also. Souls are not always saved through sermons. Sometimes they are saved through a few words of testimony or an act of kindness.

One of my college mates was living with me in Toronto. His name was Greenway. I used to pray, “Lord, I want Greenway to be saved!” one morning I asked Mr. Greenway, “are you born again?” He replied, “Yes I was born again two weeks ago. ”With joy in my heart I asked how this had come about. In simple words he replied, “I was saved on the day you gave me the shaving cream and the soup. ”I had noticed how he had cut his cut his chin because he had shaved without soap. So I gave him those things. When I gave the cream he realized that whatever I told him about the wonderful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, was true. When we comfort someone in distress or visit the sick the Lord builds His House through us.

2.Dwelling Place of God:

As our first responsibility is of an active nature our second one is of a passive nature. We are the material “lively stone” with which He builds His Dwelling Place. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house ”(1 Peter 2:5). The day we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, His life is poured into us. Our Lord Himself says, “Whosoever believeth on me hath everlasting life.” we are called stones because God uses us as the building material of His Spiritual House. (Unless one has everlasting life he or she no has no right to be called a Christian, nor can he or she become part of God’s House). Not only does God want us to build Him His Dwelling place. Just as human beings long to have home where they can live, love and be loved freely so also God longs for spiritual home where He can live and love and be loved by us. God is love. Love is God’s main characteristics and it is everlasting, universal, sacrificial, unchanging and beyond our human understanding. Is it not wonderful that He should want us to build Him and to be built by Him as His Everlasting Habitation?

When stones are used in the building of a house first they must be quarried from the rock-bed, then chiseled to fit in with each other and for the right purpose. The Lord also has to quarry us and chisel us so that we fit into the main pattern. If we learn to submit ourselves to His loving chiseling we shall be able to live in harmony with other “lively stones”. Many believers find it hard to live amicably with other believers. They can live peacefully and be happy by themselves in their scheduled corner. But they find it difficult to get on with others and quarrel for the least thing. When we live in harmony with other believers we are in a better position to understand God’s plan for His House and our labor becomes more fruitful.

3.Suffering for God:

In verse 3 of Psalm 128, we have, “ Thy wife shall be a fruitful vine…. Thy children like olive plants.” This is a beautiful picture of how we as members of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ come under His discipline. The Lord wants each believer to enjoy fruitful life. The vine needs to be pruned every year. Only then will it bear much fruit. Even so if our lives are to bear any fruit for the Lord we will have to go through trials and sufferings. By pruning the entire vine is brought under control. The branches are not allowed to grow haphazardly.

All these lessons are to be learnt in the House of God. Verse 5 says, “the Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem.” Zion speaks of the heavenly Church and Jerusalem speaks of the Church on this earth. The vine needs rich manure and strong scaffolding. In the same way as we gather as fellow-believers for prayer, worship and Bible study we are strengthened in our inner man. It is in His House that our burdens are lifted, questions are answered, and lives become more subjective to His will. When we are together we feel His presence more strongly and are protected against he seen and unseen devices of the enemy. We can conquer our trials through love co-operation and prayer fellowship of other believers. Our godly friends can share our joys and sorrows. Worldly friends have often had a wrong motive in their friendship. If they give you a gift they always expect to get a better one in return. But God’s children do everything as unto the Lord. This kind of love and fellowship brings much blessing in our lives

When we come under the Church discipline the enemy opposes us with all his fury. The first two verses of Psalm 129 describe how God’s people have to go through all types of suffering. God wants to defeat the enemy and reveal His glory and love through the church. The Lord Himself promised that the gates of hell should not prevail against her (Matt 16:18,19). Hence by being together as a Church, His body, we can be saved from the attacks of the enemy.

Till the year 1940 we were convinced that our ministry was only to preach the Gospel. We had many Gospel campaigns all over India. Our intention was that many people should be born again and become strong witnesses for the Lord. But in each case we found that after few months most of the people who were born again through this ministry had backslidden, and only a few had grown in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the Lord graciously revealed to us through His Word that these newly born babes in Christ could not grow by themselves, and that they had to be brought into full fellowship in His Church. In Eph. 4:11-14 we have God’s plan whereby His children can reach maturity. God gives five-fold gift to the Church viz. apostles; prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers through their fivefold ministry souls are born again and brought to the full stature of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then we started following God’s plan to build the Church according to His Word. Immediately the enemy also began his work of opposition. People whom we thought were spiritual became our bitter enemies. We never dreamt that so called Christians could be so much against the Word of God. They tried every possible method to prevent people from attending our campaigns or from coming for breaking of bread and for worship. They had no criticism against worldly amusements. We have experienced how, whenever people begin to obey God fully by taking full share in the House of God, in baptism, worship, prayer and Bible study the enemy brings opposition from many sides. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 129:2 he tries to weaken our hands by false propaganda and does many other things to hinder the work of God. But if we really trust God and take no notice of their words or activities, the Lord will work on our behalf and confound them. We see this happening in many parts of the world like Australia, America and India. It is difficult to believe that servants of God can tell lies and disobey His commands, and thus hinder God’s work. But we have only to trust God and not to take any notice of their words of activities. Many times some people come up against you and speak against you and try to harm you. At such times you should not take any notice of their words or try to take revenge on them in any way. It would help us to remember that those who try to spit at the moon get the spit on them. Our enemies can do anything to harm us but the evil, which they have devised, will only go back to them. There is a promise for us in Psalm 129:5, “Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion ”, they themselves will come under reproach and condemnation. If you begin to worry about their opposition you will lose your sleep, appetite and peace. Instead you should leave them to themselves and enjoy God’s favor.

The enemy hates Zion the House of God. He is not bothered about the denominations. But if you want to be in the House of God according to His plan then he will raise people to hate you and hinder you from obeying fully God’s revealed truth. When you desire to obey God’s word fully and follow His heavenly plan and do His will you will be ridiculed, hated and despised. But you can enjoy His promise in Psalm 129:6, “Let them be as the grass upon the house tops, which withered afore it growth up.” Generally after rain you can notice some kind of grass growing on the housetops. It does not last long, because it has no deep root. There is no need to worry about removing it from the housetop because it will surely wither away. It would be a waste of time and energy for anyone to climb up to clear the housetop. The Lord says that our enemies also will wither away like manner. We need not be worried about them or try to resist them. If we are patient we can see the Lord Himself dealing with them.