TRUE WARFARE

^[p. 70] TRUE WARFARE

The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. The word of God is the only instrument for the Spirit. He, blessed be His name, stands to what He has said. I find in this day that there is a readiness to contend for anything in which the natural feelings will get some place, but where it is simply for the truth of God and the calling of the saints there is remissness. I believe the only way to arouse any one in this day is to be like the wise virgins going forth to meet the bridegroom. This cannot be done without power. Those whose lamps are going out may well say that all is over — that there is no hope, and so on, no more corporate testimony and the like. But “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1: 7). The Holy Ghost is here, and in Him is all the power that there ever was, and all the love that Christ ever had for the church He has still; going forth to meet Him is what is defective. Who is the man for this day? A Timothy who has fully known Paul’s doctrine, manner of life....

There is no real advantage in making a person the battle-ground. The mischief he has done is that which claims our undivided attention, and sure I am that if any one really enjoyed the Lord’s presence for one moment in the sense of the freedom he has there from everything of self, he would not only recoil from a teaching that belies it, but he would challenge all comers whether they were on the Lord’s side with respect to it. If this were done the lukewarm would be soon exposed, and I believe that if brethren would be further used of God to testify of the exalted Man in heaven, that it must come to this. The man who fights under this banner must make great sacrifices, or he would be nowhere.

I hope you may return to this country very much invigorated. There is only one thing worth living for; Christ’s chief interest must be ours if we would be bright, vigorous and useful.