Missionary alliance 1888.pdf - DSpace

40INTER .SEMINAHY lI:ISSIONARY ALLIANCE .the Gospel to the whole creation," is )rl ark's version. "Thus it is writ.­ten, that the Christ should suffer and rise again, and that repentanceand remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the na·tions," is Luke's record, caught from Christ'S own lips. The world·widediscipling is to be by the truth as it is in Jesus.But where'is the power ? Well, the Great Commission is absolute·ly clear as to this point also. Go and disciple the nations; "foJ" allauthority, all power of government, has been given unto me in heavenand on earth ." Heaven's armies are at the beck of our majestic leader.Everything on earth is nnder his potent sway.What eise could be added to establish Christ's commissioned hostin a greater certainty and a deeper joy of victory? His pl'esence! Isthere nothing of his presence? There is every thing of his presence.U Lo, I am wi th you alway, even unto the end of the world." And rightin the midst of his advancing and conquering legions these words ofthe Great Commission place Christ himself.Ye men of God, why stand ye gazing np into heaven, as if theyhad taken your Lord away? He is here. H e has not broken his word.He cannot break his word. He is her e. And, I make bold to say, in amore widely, real, spiritual , blessed, personal, evidential way, than hecould be if we saw him with our bodily eye. now many could seehim with the bodily eye at any given time, if he were here in bodilyform? As men are now conditioned, only the merest fraction of themillions on Earth who would willingly die for Him. And what isbodily contact compared with fellowship of spirit? What is the sightof the eye compared with the vision of the soul?Recall what he said to his disciples just before he left them? "Itis expedient for you that I go away." Why expedient? His body wasin the way. It tied his kingdom to locality and visibility. And hiskingdom was spiritual. Christ .s to his body could be present in onlyone place. Christ, as to his body, kept men's senses wider awake thantheir souls. If he should go away, the spirit would come. And Hethe blessed spirit of God, would take of the things of Christ, and sho~~h em to the disciples. And so they would have Christ back 'gain, notIII the perEon of the Holy Spirit-the Holy Spirit is not Christ-butthey would have Christ back again in his own person-the SpiritualC hr ~st. The ~ oly Spirit would witness to their spirit of a spiritualChnst; and thIS would be hetter and blesseder far than the witness ofhands and feet to the eye and the touch of a bodily Christ. " T homas,because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they -more blessed are they- that have not seen and yet have believed." A~dso these di.sciples got far nearer Christ after he left them, than whilehe was wlth them. Hear Paul on this matter "I livE' and t~ . .. . , ye nolonger I, but .Chnst lIveth 1U me. And the life I live in the flesh Ilive by the faith of the Son of God." So much was Ohrist with P~ul•It•THE ) IOTIVES '1'0 F ORE IG N MISSIONARY WORK. 41and in Paul's hear t, that it seemed to him it was not so much he thatlived, as Christ in him. Listen to one of his prayers : " This I praythat Ghrist may dwell in you?" hearts by faith, so that ye, being rootedand grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints whatis the length and breadth and height and depth, and to know the loveof Christ which passeth knowledge- that ye may be filled with all thefullness oj God." C.n this be possible to m en and yet men think theyhave lost their Lordi No. Paul, and the men like P aul, that haveh elped turn t he world upside down, that have gone everywhere triumphingin Christ Jesus, have had a good deal of Christ's blessed com ­pany, have been filled with something of his fullness, have had verifiedunto them this exceeding great promise; "Lo, I am with you always,"--4>. present Christ, an abiding Christ, a transforming Christ changingthem into his own image from glory to glory; a oonquering Christ; inthe midst of, and at the head of his redeemed ones as they go forth athis command and.under his leadership to disciple the nations. Anduntil this thing commanded becomes a thing achieved, and prophecypasses on into history, and obedience issues in victory, the AlmightyLord is to be with his people.But where then is the promise of his" coming ?" Was it not toldthe disciples at Olivet just after the Ascension; " This Jesus, whichwas received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner asye beheld him going into heaven?" I s he not coming? Yes, blessedbe God. He is coming, coming in the body-in his glorified body "inthe glory of his Father with the holy angels," " in the clouds with ;;"eatpower and glory," "suddenly," " like the lightning," to mak e an endof Satan and to take his people home. "Then shall be revealed thelawless oue, whom the Lord .J esus shall slay with the breath of his~outh, and bring to. noug~t by. the manifestation of his coming."Then shall the (lead lD ChrIst rIse fi rst; and they which are "live athis coming, shajl together with them be caught up in the clouds tomeet the Lord in the air; and so shall they ,ever be with the Lord."But that coming will be at the consummation of the age ; at the end ofthe world. It will be for resurrection, for judgment, the :11.ri sis forthe vindication of the long, strange way of God, fo r complete i nv~sti ­ture with glorified bodies of Christ's ransomed ones, and for theirabysmal delight a?d ~apture in exaltation and eternal glory; "to theend that unto prlDClpalIties and powers in heavenly places may beknown, by the church, the manifold wisdom of God."Well may the church be looking and'longing for such a coming­.' th~ blessed hope. an? appearing of the glory of our great God andSaVIOur Jesus Chnst.' Well may she cry from her heart Lord J. . ' esusspeed thy world-WIde vICtories that thou mayest thus come and real"to a beholding universe the vision of the ages-the full apocalyps I Z ~the Lamb and the bride of the Lamb. e 0