yourtown4jesus.com

Michael Tummillo

On the first Saturday of every month, I facilitate a telephone Conference Call for a group called   CPI (Circuit Preachers International). Check out that website and FORWard to your spiritual leaders. During our last call, Robert Fitts shared the following message from Watchman Nee. All of us requested a written copy of what Robert read and he sent it today as a part of a book he wrote entitled, “The Breaking of the Stained Glass Barrier, ” a book about current trends we see taking place throughout Institutional Christianity (Ask Robert for a copy at RobertJoni@aol.com ). Here’s what Robert sent us today. Thanks, Robert…As we think of the trends of the church today, we must not forget to factor in the divine plan of God. We need to see this picture as He sees it. One of the most profound statements I have ever read on the ultimate victory of the Church both on earth and in heaven was made by Watchman Nee in his final days as a prisoner in China under communism many years ago. It was so encouraging to me that I have it framed and it is hanging on the wall in my study. Here is his statement that I call “Seeing The Accomplished Fact.”SEEING THE ACCOMPLISHED FACTby Watchman Nee ”We are His masterpiece.” (Ephesians 2:10) The Church is the very best God can produce.  It can never be improved upon.  We look around and see breakdown everywhere and we wonder, “What is the Church coming to?”  I tell you she is not coming to anything; she has arrived!   We do not look forward to discover her goal; we look back.  God reached His end in Christ before the foundation of the world and we move forward with Him on the basis of what already is.  As we move in the light of that eternal fact, we witness its progressive manifestation - you advance spiritually by finding out what you already are, not by trying to become what you hope to be.   It is when you see you are dead that you die (i.e. manifest ones death in Christ); It is when you see you are risen that you arise; It is when your see you are holy that you become holy.  Seeing the accomplished fact determines the pathway to the realizing of that fact.   The end is reached by seeing, not desiring or working. The only possibility of spiritual progress lies in us discovering the truth as God sees it; the truth concerning Christ, the truth concerning ourselves in Christ, and the truth concerning the Church, the Body of Christ.” As we consider the following trends, it will be good to go back from time to time and re-consider the words of Watchman Nee concerning how God sees the Church already in its perfection in Christ. 1.   From the sanctuaries to the streets . . . doing the works of Jesus wherever we find a need. As we read through the life of Jesus in the New Testament, with very few exceptions it is difficult to find him organizing a religious gathering or an evangelistic meeting, or in fact, any kind of meeting. It seems that all of his large meetings, such as the feeding of the five thousand or the multitudes that gathered on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, took place more or less spontaneously as crowds would gather to hear what he was saying and to be healed of their diseases.  People knew he had power to help them and they did not wait for a special meeting to get that help. Jesus sometimes spoke in the synagogues on the Sabbath.  Once he sent out the seventy into the towns and cities where he himself would come. He arranged for the final meal with his disciples, but aside from that, most of his earthly ministry happened as he simply walked among the people, taught them, and responded to their needs.  Jesus’ strategy was to go where the people were, see the needs and minister to those needs.  We find him healing a man at the Pool of Siloam as he walked by; feeding the hungry, ministering, teaching in the Temple, on the streets, at the beach, in the synagogues or on a mountainside. Once, as he sat near a well waiting for the disciples to return with food for lunch, he spoke the word of life to a woman of Samaria who had come to draw water. This resulted in so many people coming to him and receiving his word that he stayed in that town two extra days preaching the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus came to him at night seeking to know who he was and Jesus shared with him the message of salvation. It was to Nicodemus that Jesus spoke the immortal words that night, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)          As he walked along a crowded road one day he saw Zaccheus, a man, small of stature, who had climbed a tree to get a better look at Jesus as he passed by.  Jesus was impressed with his zeal and invited him to come down from the tree and as they ate a meal together Jesus led him out of his darkness into the light of life. Zaccheus was converted and became a different man right on the spot! As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee he called out twelve different men to be his disciples; to be with him and to learn from him so that he could send them out to do the works of an apostle. He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever when he arrived at their house for a meal.  She immediately arose from her bed of affliction and began to serve them. Jesus’ primary ministry was spontaneous responses to the needs of people as he walked through each day. In every place where he found people in need, he met that need in the power of the Holy Spirit. He said we would do the same.Every blessing,Michael TummilloA servant of Godwww.YourTown4Jesus.com