Andrew Murray was truly a man with a heart for our God, a man who understood the New Covenant life in God’s Kingdom. One of the most influential and theologically solid writers of all time (who is not in the Bible). If you read only one writer regarding the New Covenant life, read Murray and all you can get of him. For example:
“People often ask, “What is the baptism of fire?” I have answered that I know no fire like the fire of God, the fire of everlasting love that consumed the sacrifice on Calvary. The baptism of love is what the church needs; to receive it we must begin at once to get down upon our faces before God in confession and plead, “Lord, let love from heaven flow down into my heart. I am yielding my life to pray and live as one who has surrendered himself so that the everlasting love can dwell in me and fill me.” Yes, if the love of God were in our hearts, what difference it would make! There are many who say, “I work for Christ, and I feel I could work much more, but I do not have the gift; I do not know how or where to begin, I do not know what I can do.” Brother, sister, ask God to baptize you with the Spirit of love, and love will find its way. Love is a fire that will burn through every difficulty. God fill us with love!“ From “Absolute Surrender,” chapter nine.
“Any Christian who is under the power of the flesh is in a state of protracted infancy. The Epistle to the Hebrews states that after one has been a Christian for a period of time that person ought to be a teacher helping others. Yet the persons described here still had to be fed with milk and were not able to take meat as would a full-grown man. Such is the state of protracted infancy, and it is the sad state of the greater part of those who belong to the Christian Church. Many believers will testify that the best time in their Christian life was the first three months after conversion. After that they began to go back, to lose their joy – and alas, thy have never had such joy since. They have lost their first love. They previously could conquer sin, but now sin has the mastery.
What are the marks of a baby? A baby cannot help himself; he must be helped by others. Also, he cannot help anyone else. A baby must have its mother or sister or nurse to take care of him. A little baby needs to be helped and cared for continuously. That is the pattern for many Christians. They go to church, to prayer meetings, conferences, and are ever seeking help from others. As an infant six months old cannot help others, so there are many Christians who cannot help others in their spiritual experience.” From “The Spiritual Life,” chapter one.
“The proof that our religion is very much that of the religious flesh is that the sinful flesh will be found to flourish along with it. It was thus with the Galatians. While they were making a good showing in the flesh and glorying in it, their daily life was full of bitterness, envy, hatred, and other sins. The were biting and devouring on another. Religious flesh and sinful flesh are one: no wonder that with a great deal of religion, temper and selfishness and worldliness are so often found side by side. The religion of the flesh cannot conquer sin.”
What a contrast to…the New Covenant! What place does the flesh have there? “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (5:24). Scripture speaks of the will of the flesh, the mind of the flesh, the desires of the flesh; all this the true believer has seen to be condemned and crucified with Christ – he has given it over to death. He not only accepts the cross (with its bearing of the curse and redemption from it) as his entrance into life, but he glories in it as his only power day by day to overcome the flesh and the world. ”I am crucified with Christ.” ”May it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (6:14). Even as nothing less that the death of Christ was needed to inaugurate the Now Covenant and the resurrection life that empowers it, so there is not entrance into the true New Covenant life other than by a partaking of that death.” From “The Two Covenants,” chapter five.
Image via author, unnamed lake, Wallowa Mountains, Oregon.
One Pursuit 
The Fire of God is His our access to its wonder is HIM and in Him we become the light of the world by the Holy Flame of His presence within us. (post coming out tomorrow) Fellowship and the Quest.
It is in our fellowship with one another that the fire of Him is stirred. Always appreciate the stirring that comes from your own heart.
Blessings
BT
LikeLike
How right you are on this! for most, Christianity is an individual experience. According to the scriptures, our God does so much of His work in us by way of the communion and community of believers gathered together. Fellowship then is not eating and small talk, but the sharing of the Christ within each of us and all of us – Christ sharing Himself through each person. We cannot truly grow in our relationship of union with our God without the fellowship of common union with our spiritual family.
The lone wolf will not long survive the wilds. The individualist believer will not long survive the wilds of this hostile world, either. A fire not stirred in fellowship is a dying fire.
I very much appreciate your thoughts, in comments and in your posts. Thank you!
LikeLike
Tim,
Thank you, as always, for providing rich resources and truth! “The religion of the flesh cannot conquer sin.” There are so many parts that hit my heart! I have whiplash from nodding. I remember, as a baby, how I sought SO much to quench my “baby” needs. The only fire I knew, was the one I thought I was spared by running to the alter!
The New Covenant–the reconciliation and indwelling of the Spirit–SHOULD light a fire in me to be WHOLLY Christ-like, to seek HIS Kingdom while doing the Kingdom work without becoming “works only” driven! I can’t earn my way and many will wear out doing the human stuff that he/she feels “enough” as a return for the gift! But we are not honoring his SACRIFICE by not fully living ON FIRE in this New Covenant! Our true reconciliation–not a repeat of the same sins, same works, and same ol’, same ol’, lol. We are NEW creatures from day 3 to day 30,000! Praise God!
God, may I stay out of your way so you can continue to light a fire of love in me!
You’re a blessing, brother! May God continue to light fires in our souls so we can get about passing on the Covenant truth!
Tim, the picture is the perfect accompaniment to this post–there’s a peace that transcends all understanding when we live on fire for the Lord. It even makes us appreciate HIS creation even more!
Finn and I always send our blessings and prayers! She has a little fire in her, Tim–I’m not for sure what to think about it! Tee hee! Give Rascal our best, too!
LikeLike
Hi, Karla. Thank you for your “keen komments!” You wrote, “But we are not honoring his SACRIFICE by not fully living ON FIRE in this New Covenant!” That is a key understanding that is missed by oh so many hard-working religionists. We dishonor His sacrifice by either ignoring the Holy Spirit altogether or by trying harder to do good works, which is quenching His indwelling Spirit. Christ Jesus died in our place to bring us back into union with Himself and the Father by His indwelling Spirit. To ignore the purpose of His sacrifice is to ignore our God’s eternal purpose of infusing His people with His own life and character. How sad that really is!
It is good to see how our God has reached into your life and the lives of so many with this amazing, freeing truth. Now instead of trying hard and by that trying being doomed to failure, we can accept Christ’s dying hard for us and His subsequent indwelling as our means of obedience and fruitful living. We can finally succeed in obedience, love, and continual conversational communion with Him everyday. That right there is the abiding life of John 15.
The more we rely on our efforts and acumen to be more obedient and fruitful, the more we fail. The more we are fixated on the Christ within us, on unceasing communion with Him, and on experiencing our life of union with the triune God, the more successful we are in obedience, love and fruitful living.
That you are getting this and living it is a huge encouragement to me. I am certain it is so to a growing group of people around you and your blog. Hallelujah!
Thanks again, Karla. Great words. May our God bless and keep you both!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tim, it is my blessing! Your gifts of encouragement and wisdom~through your obedience to Christ ~have helped me in my obedience! Now that’s iron sharpening iron, my friend.
“To ignore the purpose of his sacrifice is to ignore our God’s eternal purpose…we can accept Christ’s dying hard for us us and His subsequent indwelling as our means of obedience and fruitful living….we can succeed in continual communion!” Amen, Tim!
I don’t want to waste HIS sacrifice, miss the point or the boat, take my eyes off of him and drown….ever again! Just yesterday, in socializing with someone very close to me (family!), I can sense conversation and “needs” or “wants” shared drifting to places that do not align with what God desires for me~the needs of “more more more” (stuff! Products! Things! Vainness!). Oh boy! I prayed last night, “Lord, all of that “stuff” will not last. But your work in ME and what I produce WILL last…for eternity!” This world is about more and more~and I want MORE Christ and true living and less stuff of this place~it’s freedom at its core! And the abiding life of John 15 is exactly what I should crave the most!
You are so kind in offering support, encouragement, and prayers! I’m encouraged by your walk and how it impacts your tribe, too!
May we continue going about the business of our Father and helping others join too!
God bless you…and your big dog too! Little Finn was not so happy last night when I cut her hair~but today, she seems much more full of grace! Yay! 😀
LikeLike
God seeks a deeper relationship with us, and I often find myself remembering this is something in which we must take an active part. Seeking to deepen our relationship with God, to spend more time with Him, and as we grow leaning into the call to encourage others to do the same. To be active disciples we must both learn from those who are helping us AND help others who are seeking to deepen their relationship with God.
Thank you for sharing these excerpts. 🙏
LikeLike
Thank you, Hamish, for your thoughtful reply. Yes, how important it is to seek to give our God more and still more of our attention. Yes as well to
the imperative to be continually ready to encourage others in this pursuit. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person