John 14:30 KJV
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
This is said after Jesus had twice told them to "Let not your heart be troubled" otherwise this would be a very troubling sentiment. Not only would they hear less from the Lord, but they would be exposed more to the prince of this world.
Jesus speaks to us both through the Word of God and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Through the course of history His voice seems to have ebbed and flowed. The times when His voice was most often heard has not been, as we might think, during the times of real ease, but in those times when Christians were the most persecuted. I doubt that those who lived during the times of the most effectiveness in Christianity thought that they were being all that effective. They were not the largest congregations or the fastest growing or the most powerful influences on the outward view. Rather, they were persecuted and hunted. They were driven from their homes and repeatedly lost all of their possessions; so much so that they came to believe they would be best off without any of them at all! It was only after years had passed that we are able to look back on their lives and see the souls that were impacted by their testimonies.
So while the days we live in appear to be growing worse, there is hope that in these darker days, we might actually accomplish more real work for the Lord than has been done in these two hundred years or so of spiritual ease in America.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
This is said after Jesus had twice told them to "Let not your heart be troubled" otherwise this would be a very troubling sentiment. Not only would they hear less from the Lord, but they would be exposed more to the prince of this world.
Jesus speaks to us both through the Word of God and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Through the course of history His voice seems to have ebbed and flowed. The times when His voice was most often heard has not been, as we might think, during the times of real ease, but in those times when Christians were the most persecuted. I doubt that those who lived during the times of the most effectiveness in Christianity thought that they were being all that effective. They were not the largest congregations or the fastest growing or the most powerful influences on the outward view. Rather, they were persecuted and hunted. They were driven from their homes and repeatedly lost all of their possessions; so much so that they came to believe they would be best off without any of them at all! It was only after years had passed that we are able to look back on their lives and see the souls that were impacted by their testimonies.
So while the days we live in appear to be growing worse, there is hope that in these darker days, we might actually accomplish more real work for the Lord than has been done in these two hundred years or so of spiritual ease in America.
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