Christian Fellowship Community Group
A safe place for Christians who Love Jesus Christ to meet and ask for prayer and share scriptures from the bible. We value the posting of Christian music, poems, stories and also personal testimonies. Please let us know your needs, concerns and have some fun getting to know each other. We treat each other with respect.
The wisdom of the fathers
OUR GETHSEMANE
The significance of the Lord's hour in Gethsemane goes beyond this life and, and only in eternity will we be able to fully grasp the full extent of complete salvation. For now, let us be content to look at, what Gethsemane has brought us insignificant mortals, namely the fact that there, the Lord surrendered His will - which had always been in harmony with the Father's will - in a deeper way.
The holy and sinless will of our Lord Jesus had always been completely surrendered to the will of the Father from childhood on, and any flicker of disobedience was far from Him. And yet, the possibility of sinning had always been present, otherwise He could not have been even tempted. But as our sympathetic highpriest, "He was tempted in every way, just as we are - yet without [sin]sinning".( Heb. 5.15)
At our conversion we subject our will to the will of God, and that is commonly called yielding or surrender of the will. These expressions, however, don't correspond in reality to the essential nature of the process concerned. When I yield or surrender something, I don't possess it anymore, but it is in the hands of a different person, who can do with it as they please. I got rid of that something and now can rest. But this is usually not what happens at our conversion with our will, and we still experience it, stirring in us, to some extent. Our will is subjected, but not surrendered. To illustrate the difference between subjection and true surrender of the will, we can for example think of a soldier who is obediently serving his commander. He still grumbles often enough under the harsh discipline, because, although his will is subjected, it is not surrendered. We can apply this surrender of the will also to us, when the soul doesn't feel any flicker of resistance anymore, but joyfully and without grumbling obeys their God. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."
Such a deep yielding and surrender brings us completely to rest in God, so that no matter where and how He leads us - whether through fire or water - makes no difference anymore, for we glory in Him alone; and this way, we are protected from our self-life.
We thank our Saviour for His suffering, through which He yielded His sinless self-life and His will and hence made it possible for us to do the same. This glory is ours, the moment we have recognised it in faith. For what is His, is all for us and ours. What glory of salvation!
(by Margarethe von Brasch)
A dear Brother writes: "There is a inner surrender which God wants us all to make. This inner surrender happens between your soul and your God, when you in hidden prayer wrestle with the Lord, until you have reached a point where God takes possession of your innermost thinking, wishing and desire, so that the sole desire remaining is to please Him and obey Him. You are then completely separated from all ungodliness and totally at His disposal. Human opinion and views of yourself and others won't influence you anymore, your life is lived only in the will of God."
OUR GETHSEMANE
The significance of the Lord's hour in Gethsemane goes beyond this life and, and only in eternity will we be able to fully grasp the full extent of complete salvation. For now, let us be content to look at, what Gethsemane has brought us insignificant mortals, namely the fact that there, the Lord surrendered His will - which had always been in harmony with the Father's will - in a deeper way.
The holy and sinless will of our Lord Jesus had always been completely surrendered to the will of the Father from childhood on, and any flicker of disobedience was far from Him. And yet, the possibility of sinning had always been present, otherwise He could not have been even tempted. But as our sympathetic highpriest, "He was tempted in every way, just as we are - yet without [sin]sinning".( Heb. 5.15)
At our conversion we subject our will to the will of God, and that is commonly called yielding or surrender of the will. These expressions, however, don't correspond in reality to the essential nature of the process concerned. When I yield or surrender something, I don't possess it anymore, but it is in the hands of a different person, who can do with it as they please. I got rid of that something and now can rest. But this is usually not what happens at our conversion with our will, and we still experience it, stirring in us, to some extent. Our will is subjected, but not surrendered. To illustrate the difference between subjection and true surrender of the will, we can for example think of a soldier who is obediently serving his commander. He still grumbles often enough under the harsh discipline, because, although his will is subjected, it is not surrendered. We can apply this surrender of the will also to us, when the soul doesn't feel any flicker of resistance anymore, but joyfully and without grumbling obeys their God. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."
Such a deep yielding and surrender brings us completely to rest in God, so that no matter where and how He leads us - whether through fire or water - makes no difference anymore, for we glory in Him alone; and this way, we are protected from our self-life.
We thank our Saviour for His suffering, through which He yielded His sinless self-life and His will and hence made it possible for us to do the same. This glory is ours, the moment we have recognised it in faith. For what is His, is all for us and ours. What glory of salvation!
(by Margarethe von Brasch)
A dear Brother writes: "There is a inner surrender which God wants us all to make. This inner surrender happens between your soul and your God, when you in hidden prayer wrestle with the Lord, until you have reached a point where God takes possession of your innermost thinking, wishing and desire, so that the sole desire remaining is to please Him and obey Him. You are then completely separated from all ungodliness and totally at His disposal. Human opinion and views of yourself and others won't influence you anymore, your life is lived only in the will of God."
Compost
This is a helpful description of surrender. As Paul says, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
Compost
This is a helpful description of surrender. The comparison with Gethsemane reminds us that even Jesus was tempted and though Jesus never sinned, it was difficult even for Him. When we ourselves are tempted we can remember His suffering and strive to surrender as He did. Eventually, hopefully, we end up as Paul says, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
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