I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that
the love You have for Me may be in them and that I Myself may be in them. (John
17:26 NIV)
Perhaps you have been amazed sometimes, and perplexed and bewildered, why God
should use that, and that and that; and such and such persons. You have been
inclined to say: "It is all contrary to what I believe to be necessary to God
for His work. I see that the Bible says that instruments have got to be
according to God's mind in order to be used." But history does not bear that
out. As I say, He has used the devil, and the devil is not according to God's
mind. There is a sovereignty of God spread over in relation to His end. But when
you have said that, it is a frightening fact when you come to the work of God. I
mean this – that we may be working for God, and doing many mighty things as
employees of the Kingdom of God, the rule of God, and then, in the end, be cast
away! In the end, we ourselves might just go to pieces. Here it is – this
strange thing, that these men went out, twelve and seventy, with this 'delegated
authority' – this delegated authority
– and exercised it, and mighty things resulted; and then these same people are
found, after the Cross, with their faith shattered; nothing to rest upon. What
does it say?
Thank God, the book of the
Acts transforms the whole situation! Because the book of the Acts brings in this
mighty new factor: that Christ, Who had delegated the authority, is now
indwelling as the authority Himself. And the works now are mighty works, but
they are not just works FOR the
Lord – they are the works OF the
Lord. It all goes to prove this tremendous fact: that it is "Christ IN you"
that is the indispensable necessity for Life and for work.... What a marvelous
thing it is that we are in the dispensation when the one thing, above all
others, that God will make true, is "Christ in you" – Christ IN you!