Dear Fellow-Travellers,
It is only occasionally that we
write personally. Our desire has always been to avoid drawing
attention to persons and things in the ministry, and to occupy
our readers with the Lord and the ministry of His Word. But, from
time to time, we have felt it to be both wise and important to
definitely remind our readers of the purpose which governs
this ministry, and has always done so. We receive many kind
letters after every issue of the paper. Many of these express
appreciation of "the teaching", the "new
light", the "special emphasis", etc. We much
appreciate this motive to encourage. Many go deeper and speak of
the spiritual values in bringing the writers into a new position
with the Lord. There are those who seem to think of us as seeking
to propagate a particular and peculiar teaching or theory, and to
form a new and peculiar sect or body of Christians as separate
from the whole Church of Christ. This, of course, is wholly wrong
and a misapprehension. God has taken very strong action to keep
the means used, both personal, people, and place, on a
basis of weakness, simplicity, humility, and utter dependence
upon Himself. We know very well that He will not have His
glory given to men or places or things.
What, then, is this
ministry? We must go back. The name of this little paper, which
has been the printed expression of the ministry for the past
almost forty-four years, embodies the meaning - "Witness and
Testimony". "Witness": the instrument or vessel
used. "Testimony": the ministry in and through the
vessel. The Testimony has ever been - but growing as light has
increased - to the greatness and fullness of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God and Son of Man. This greatness has been centred and
unfolded in (1) His Person; (2) The immensity of God's eternal
purpose as centred in and exclusively related to Him; (3) The
greatness of His Cross as basic and essential to the greatness of
His Person and work both for and in believers;
(4) The greatness of the Church which is His Body as essential
to, and chosen for, His ultimate Self-manifestation in
fullness and government in the new heavens and the new earth; (5)
The necessity that all the people of God should know, not
only of salvation, but of the immense purpose of salvation
in the eternal council of God, being brought to "full
growth" by the supply of Jesus Christ in ample measure. We
feel that the New Testament contains a tremendous urgency in this
matter; such urgency is summed up in the words of the Apostle
Paul: "Admonishing every man and teaching every man... that
we may present every man perfect (complete) in Christ"
(Colossians 1:28). We believe that all the sovereign activities
of the Holy Spirit are directed to and dictated by this end and
object. There may be different aspects, but the end is single and
one. The great evangelizing and missionary efforts, in so far as
they are governed by the Holy Spirit, have this end in view.
There may be the big net cast into the sea into which fish
of every kind will be found, but a great sorting out is going to
be done by heaven. There may be a very general sowing of the
seed, but the ultimate value will be but a proportion, which
itself will be comparative. These are parables of Christ with
principles inherent. It is not a little impressive that the
evangelist who - in his own lifetime - has spoken
to more people about Christ than any other man in history, has
written the following:
"Thousands of loyal
church members are beginning to meet in prayer groups and
Bible Study classes. Multitudes of Christians within the
church are moving toward the point where they may reject the
institution that we call the church. They are beginning to
turn to more simplified forms of worship. They are hungry for
a personal and vital experience with Jesus Christ. They want
a heartwarming personal faith. Unless the church quickly
recovers its authoritative Biblical message, we may
witness the spectacle of millions of Christians going outside
the institutional church to find spiritual food"
(italics ours).
- Dr. Billy Graham in World Aflame, page 89.
While we can honestly say that
we have never felt it to be a part of our commission to tell
people to leave their church or their missions, old readers will
know how much the food question has been a burden with us. The
matter of spiritual feeding has such a large place in the New
Testament, and if we can rightly be said to be a 'ministry' and
not a 'Movement' or organization, this feeding of the hungry
world-wide can rightly interpret our concern. This explains the
"Conferences" or "Conventions" held in many
places throughout the years, and surely it explains the Lord's
blessing upon them. But, after all, it will be 'broken bread'
resulting in what is found of Christ in the numerous lives and
places represented.
With large areas of the world
unable to have Bibles, and the very great extension of the
discrediting of the authority and integrity of the Scriptures, it
is not difficult to foresee a 'famine of hearing the Word'. Hence
there is a need for 'solid food'. The New Testament shows a
tremendous concern for the feeding and building up, not only of
more mature saints, but of the young converts. We do not know how
much longer the ministry of this instrument will go on,
perhaps for only a short time, but God will have other
instruments for what He needs. We are concerned, however, that
'our bow may abide in strength' until it is laid down, and we
need your prayers that it may do so.
Our Lord Jesus had a passionate
compassion on hungry people and His great miracle of feeding was
a "sign" of His estimate of the importance of spiritual
food. Anyone who has not this concern, or who by their action
cuts off supplies of such food, is certainly contrary to the mind
and heart of Christ.
The Lord fulfil all His purpose
of grace in you all.
Yours in the fellowship of His
Son,
T. Austin-Sparks