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The Church Will Triumph Over Every Obstacle, July 30
They went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them,
and confirming the word with signs following.
Mark 16:20
.
As Christ sent forth His disciples, so today He sends forth the members of His
church. The same power that the apostles had is for them. If they will make God
their strength, He will work with them, and they shall not labor in vain. Let them
realize that the work in which they are engaged is one upon which the Lord has
placed His signet.
God said to Jeremiah, “Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I
shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of
their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee” (
Jeremiah 1:7, 8
). Then the Lord
put forth His hand and touched His servant’s mouth, saying, “Behold, I have put
my words in thy mouth” (
verse 9
). And He bids us go forth to speak the words He
gives us, feeling His holy touch upon our lips.
Christ has given to the church a sacred charge. Every member should be
a channel through which God can communicate to the world the treasures of
His grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ. There is nothing that the Saviour
desires so much as agents who will represent to the world His Spirit and His
character. There is nothing that the world needs so much as the manifestation
through humanity of the Saviour’s love. All heaven is waiting for men and women
through whom God can reveal the power of Christianity.
The church is God’s agency for the proclamation of truth, empowered by Him
to do a special work; and if she is loyal to Him, obedient to all His commandments,
there will dwell within her the excellency of divine grace. If she will be true to
her allegiance, if she will honor the Lord God of Israel, there is no power that can
stand against her.
Zeal for God and His cause moved the disciples to bear witness to the gospel
with mighty power. Should not a like zeal fire our hearts with a determination to
tell the story of redeeming love, of Christ and Him crucified? It is the privilege of
every Christian, not only to look for, but to hasten, the coming of the Saviour.
If the church will put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness, withdrawing
from all allegiance with the world, there is before her the dawn of a bright and
glorious day. God’s promise to her will stand fast forever. He will make her an
eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.... When the message of God meets
with opposition, He gives it additional force, that it may exert greater influence.
Endowed with divine energy, it will cut its way through the strongest barriers and
triumph over every obstacle.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 599-601
.
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