But he's an example to the flock.
And your greatest leadership gift is your own
life.
Setting the example.
And helping to lead the flock of God.
I find that many people are not aware,
especially young theological students, just how difficult spiritual
leadership is.
I hope in your studies you have been
told many times just how difficult it is
to be the pastor and the leader of
a local church.
Because in working with pastors for these last
20 some years, I would say at least
50% of them are discouraged, very discouraged
in their ministries.
And it seems that somewhere back in their
training they were not taught the reality of
the spiritual warfare.
Warfare.
They were not taught how difficult it is
to work with God's people.
Even in the area of preaching sermons.
One person may think you're a wonderful preacher.
The other five may think you're such a
terrible preacher they're praying for your removal.
You're listening just to the one who says
your sermons are wonderful.
And you're so encouraged.
And then suddenly you find that the church
has asked you to go and work in
the Congo.
You say, well, once the people are born
again and they're evangelical and they're Bible believing
then, of course, it will be much easier.
You see, some of you may go to
churches where the people are asleep.
Well, they are.
They are a problem, but not such a
great problem because they're asleep, they're somewhat harmless.
So you're praying, oh, that God's people will
wake up.
What you don't know is that when some
of them wake up they'll start punching you
in the nose.
Soon you'll be praying, oh God, put them
back to sleep.
And tomorrow, when we talk about survivalship we'll
get into some of these nitty gritty difficult
areas.
Look at 1 Peter 5, 6.
This is a very important passage of scripture.
In fact, it would be good if we
started at verse 5.
You younger men, likewise, be subject to your
elders and all of you clothe yourselves with
humility toward one another for God is opposed
to the proud but gives grace to the
humble.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of
God that he may exalt you at the
proper time.
Casting all your anxiety upon him because he
cares for you.
That's a wonderful verse.
Be of a sober spirit.
Be on the alert.
Your adversary the devil prowls about like a
roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
I would strongly commend this chapter to you.
And we see this very basic, basic foundation
and on that we can get to know
the will of God.
And then the third foundation.
If you want to know the will of
God then know the reality of constant thanksgiving
and praise.
If you want to know the will of
God then you must learn the constant thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5, verse 18.
Be thankful in everything for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
It's a very short verse but it's very
important.
In everything give thanks for this is God's
will.
You see, if we don't obey areas of
God's will that are very simple, very clear
then we must not expect so much special
guidance in areas that are more difficult and
are not clear.
For example, here's a person he's always moaning.
I don't know if you have any of
those among you.
Moaners, always moaning, complaining everything's going wrong, the
school isn't it, the principal.
He's always moaning.
He doesn't like the food.
He doesn't like the teachers.
He doesn't like the length of the classes.
Many different things.
And if you ever get married to that
kind of person you're going to be in
for a big, big, long life of persecution.
In fact, many writers say that if a
man marries a woman who's a moaner, she's
always complaining.
Especially if she's always moaning about him.
Proverbs speaks about this kind of woman.
She's called a nagging woman.
I hope you're having a good course in
the book of Proverbs.
This is a very important book.
We have Psalms for praise, we have Proverbs
for wisdom.
For over 20 years I've been reading in
the Proverbs almost every day.
It says it's better to be alone on
a rooftop freezing than in a house with
a nagging, murmuring woman.
Whatever you do, it's not good enough.
Whatever you say, somehow it's wrong.
Wherever you go, somehow it's not right.
Guarantee almost to get you out of the
will of God.
Foundation for knowing God's will is constant thanksgiving,
constant praise.
One of the things I had to learn
when I went overseas was to eat a
lot of strange foods.
When I went to Mexico, some of the
food is very hot.
Not heat hot, but chili hot.
I can remember almost sensing that there was
smoke coming out of my ears.
And then when I went to India and
Thailand where you go through the marketplace and
there are big, huge chunks of blood that
you can buy, a nice big hunk of
blood and go home and have some blood.
And to learn to give thanks.
Whatever you're eating, this is a very good
thing.
When you come to Switzerland, you learn to
thank God for bread.
This is a land with Germany where you
eat more bread than anybody else.
Actually here, it's very special because you have
two very nice meals.
Some places I've gone, one meal is all
bread.
Of course, I have to watch my weight.
But when you go to some other countries,
you will not get any more of this
German bread.
It's so nice, it's almost like cake.
We had some Germans on the ship Lagos,
they placed a special order for flour to
be sent from Germany out to the ship.
Giving thanks and all things, this is the
will of God.
And it lays a foundation for knowing.
Then the fourth foundation is one of the
most beautiful words in the Bible.
It's the most beautiful word in the Bible.
The word trust.
Look at Proverbs 3, 5 and 6.
I'm sure you know these two Proverbs.
If there ever was a formula, this is
a formula for knowing God's will.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him and he
will make your paths straight.
We have a little song in English, it
says trust and obey, there is no other
way.
I don't know if any of you are
subject to depression.
I have a book on the table about
that subject.
Many men of God have been subject to
depression.
Spurgeon, the great reformed Baptist preacher of all
times, went into enormous depressions regularly.
We are in a day in which there
are many forms of depression.
Many people ultimately have to be even treated
medically for depression.
I think this is something that you as
a minister need to understand.
I have found this word trust very important
in times of depression.
You feel very numb, you feel nothing.
Emotionally and physically things seem black.
And even your Christian faith may just seem
to be a jumble of confusing statements.
So at that moment just trust, just absolutely
trust in the Lord.
God is greater than your depression.
When traveling on trains through Switzerland this is
probably my 30th visit to Switzerland.
I learned there are many tunnels.
Amazing the tunnels that you have built here
in this country.
But something that you need to know, don't
get off the train when it's in a
tunnel.
And in your Christian life don't make some
big decision, some foolish decision in a time
of spiritual depression.
Wait until you come out.
There will be a station, there will be
some signals and you will see the light
again.
The same is true when we're wrestling with
intellectual problems.
Some theological problem is really bothering us.
Maybe the argument of the critic it seems
on this point to be somewhat strong.
At that moment you need to seek God
yourself.
And in times of theological confusion and darkness
God wants us to trust him.
Great and fervent faith is not made in
the absence of doubt.
It's made as we battle through doubt to
a position of faith again and again.
The fifth principle is found right there in
the same passage of Proverbs.
And of course it means witness.
It means acknowledge Christ.
The man who was healed of his blindness
his next step was not theological training his
next step was to witness.
And he gave his testimony.
Once I was blind and now I see.
Ah, that's great theology.
Once I was blind now I see.
And I believe we grow in a knowledge
of God as we are faithful in declaring
the message of God.
When we share what the Lord has given
us he gives us more.
And I think this is very important.
Now let's stand up for a minute.
A little air.
And let's sing yesterday, today, forever Jesus is
the same.
How many know that in English?
Okay.
Yesterday, today, forever Jesus is the same.
All may change but Jesus never.
Glory to his name.
In German?
Yesterday, today, forever Jesus is the same.
Glory to his name.
All may change but Jesus never.
Glory to his name.
Amen.
Take a deep breath.
Stretch a little.
Stretch a little bit.
Okay, let the air in.
Have a seat.
Now this will be much shorter than the
first half.
Just 20 minutes more.
Things I want you to remember as you
continue learning how to know the will of
God.
Just some important little things that I'm afraid
sometimes I learned the hard way.
Where I have made a number of mistakes.
First of all that God guides different people
in different ways.
We're all different and God is very great
that when he is guiding people he does
not destroy their humanity.
Sometimes people find the will of God in
the funniest way.
You get people who go through their Bibles
and take verses out of context to find
the will of God.
You've all heard the old story.
He opens his Bible and he finds a
verse.
Judas went and hung himself.
He must have made a mistake.
He will try again.
Don't praise and it opens again.
Go ye and do likewise.
Let's try this again.
One more chance.
Lord help me.
Whatsoever you do do it quickly.
I'm sure in all of your theological studies
you have learned that is not the way
to find the will of God.
I don't know how many people have written
to us feeling the Lord wanted them on
the ship because they came across a verse
about the sea in their Bible.
During their morning quiet time.
There's a verse about going down to the
sea in ships.
If you read the Bible you're bound to
come to that verse sooner or later.
Everybody will.
At the same time.
Because God is great.
And he works through our weakness.
And even our mistakes.
I'm sure in some cases God used that
to get people to the ship and then
eventually become part of the ministry.
Other people have great confidence in dreams.
I have no confidence in dreams.
Last night I had three major serials in
my dreams.
Three major programs.
They say that if mentally and emotionally you
are stable you cannot remember your dreams.
Sometimes I don't remember but other times I
do remember.
So I have my unstable days and my
stable days.
But really I warn you against putting much
confidence in dreams.
Because I've seen people led into extremes and
into neurosis and problems down that road.
But I'm sure there are times especially to
unconverted people like Muslims that God has worked
through dreams.
In Indonesia a number of Muslims had dreams
about the Lord Jesus Christ that led to
their salvation.
I think the important thing is this.
Not to make a basic theology out of
a particular situation where God guided in an
unusual way.
It is easy to be very subjective in
this area of guidance.
It's very much linked with what we want
with what we feel.
And it's wonderful that God is greater.
And even in the midst of weakness He
can guide us.
And He can overrule when we make mistakes.
I'm not even sure that I should be
here right now.
After I finally said I would come to
these meetings with other factors we found the
ship was going to be in England.
And then my trip to Asia got longer
so that it's six weeks away from home.
So therefore my wife didn't feel she should
come on this trip which was the original
plan for us to be together.
For a number of reasons.
One of them being to be together on
our 20th wedding anniversary which happens to be
today.
So I had feeling that I had made
a mistake.
Then people are always telling me you take
too many meetings.
Others say you travel too much.
You should be home more.
It makes it difficult.
Where am I supposed to be?
And I don't have any easy answer.
But if I am here in a sense
out of God's will it's too late I
am going to believe God to make the
best of this week in Switzerland.
There is no purpose arguing about it anymore.
Yesterday I phoned my wife.
I said I think you should fly and
be with me tomorrow.
And stay for four or five days.
She didn't feel that was the Lord's will.
She is torn apart because she has three
children.
She is also trying to get ready to
go to Asia.
She doesn't really want to go there either.
And I've seen my wife suffering much trying
to know the will of God.
And this is where we need to understand
the message of Hebrews chapter four.
That chapter speaks about the rest of faith.
How to rest in the Lord.
The same principle as 1 Peter 5, 7.
Casting all your care upon him he careth
for you.
So God leads different people in different ways.
And even when we fail God is there.
We can trust him.
I think that's a wonderful thing.
We can trust him.
This will build a greater stability into our
whole spiritual life.
Also in our relationships with people.
And then the second thing.
We need to remember to learn to wait
on God.
If you can't read Andrew Murray's book Waiting
on God.
We don't know much about this these days.
We're all in a hurry.
And we need to learn more about what
it says in the Psalms.
Be still, be still and know that I
am God.
One of the reasons I believe God has
brought us to this place is for all
of us to get time outside alone just
looking and waiting upon God.
Even if it's only an hour.
Most people don't know much more about waiting
on God.
And it's a beautiful thing to be able
to come apart here out of the city
and to just wait upon the Lord.
And this is very important.
There are a number of verses in the
Psalms about waiting on the Lord.
Even in our prayer life.
It's not personally coming to God with your
big evangelical shopping list.
These are all the things that I want.
We come and wait upon God.
We want to get to know the mind
of God, the will of God.
Then we can pray for things that are
God's will.
This is a great challenge.
Especially for my kind of temperament.
Linked to this is another thing you need
to remember.
And in getting to know the will of
God, it doesn't hurt to get some of
the facts.
Get the
information.
Get to know the information.
If you're praying about India, then you get
facts and information as much as you can
about India.
And in fact, before you decide what you're
going to do with your life, it's good
to look at many different possibilities.
Not just make an easy decision.
Like, I'm a Lutheran, I'm from Germany, therefore
I will be a Lutheran pastor in Germany.
Don't bother me with any other facts.
Maybe God has something else for you.
Maybe he wants you to be a pastor
in the United States.
Oh, yes, yes, California, that's what I want.
A lot of Americans when they're cold weather
comes.
Cold weather comes.
And the Canadians as well.
They get the call to Florida.
The Lord guides them to a new ministry
in Hawaii.
And hundreds of thousands of Christians flock from
the frozen north led of God to these
areas of witness.
The human heart is very deceptive.
And it's easy when you want something to
persuade yourself this is the will of God.
Like the man who likes nice, shiny, fast
cars, new cars.
Oh, he says to me, this is not
for myself.
I'm taking up my cross in this car.
This is for the ministry.
Every Sunday morning we use the car to
take the people to Sunday school.
It's amazing how we can justify the things
that we want.
And it's an area where Christians become dishonest.
Instead of just saying, look, you know, I
love fast cars so I went out and
I bought a nice new fast car.
Oh, we must make a great spiritual story.
How the Lord led us against our will
but we had this dream.
The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.
That leads me to my next point we
need to seek counsel from others.
In Proverbs it says in the midst of
counselors there is safety.
That's why I believe we should work as
a team as much as possible.
I hardly ever make a decision of any
importance without getting the mind and the opinion
of other leaders in the work.
And if you ever take a church somewhere
one of your most important ministries will be
to motivate and to teach other men to
be leaders with you.
One reason the church is often so weak
is that the congregation is expecting one man
or two to do all the work.
This is why I like the emphasis of
the navigators of training men discipling men into
leadership into responsibility.
Then another thing is of course the word
of God.
God can speak to us from his word
but when he speaks from his word it
is not devoid of all these other basic
principles.
And when we sense something as we're reading
the word of God that we should do
the next thing is to put it to
the test on some of these other basic
principles.
God can give us a sense in our
hearts a peace in our hearts that what
we are doing is his will.
I had that sense when I was and
I had that as I left England.
There were the other problems but somehow I
sensed that in the midst of the problems
that I was moving in God's plan.
Yet always ready for God to bring a
change.
And then of course next prayer.
Much time in prayer.
Asking God because it says ask and you
shall receive.
It's been the habit of my life to
spend a half night of prayer with the
Lord each week.
And it's often been at the end of
those meetings sometimes in the morning that whole
new areas of the will of God were
revealed to me.
Many of the whole major moves of OM
over 20 years many of the ideas and
the burdens came in those prayer meetings.
Right now everybody on the ship is again
waiting for me to make a decision whether
they should start and plan for South America.
I make this decision after consultation with many
other leaders based on many of facts some
of which we agreed on beforehand.
Because OM now is so much bigger making
the decisions are far more complicated.
For example we don't want to go to
Latin America if the work in India is
suffering.
Literature for India in OM is a bigger
priority than fuel for the ship.
So getting to make this kind of decision
is a very important thing in Christian leadership.
What a great...
It's difficult.
And it means much time with God in
prayer.
Actually on Duluth this week is a whole
week of special prayer.
Because they know that they are attempting the
impossible.
To take the ship one more year 1980
is a bigger project almost as big as
getting the ship in the first place.
Taking it one more year is as big
a project as getting the ship in the
first place.
Very quickly two more points.
The providence of God God uses circumstances.
God uses people.
God has often led me through a letter.
I try to constantly see what is God
saying through the circumstances and through the people.
That's why I feel it's good to have
a wide range of exposure and contacts especially
when you're young.
And then the last point.
We've got to learn to move by faith.
Many people I meet they're too fearful.
They're too conservative.
They're waiting for God to sort of pick
them up and carry them along.
They won't go to the mission field unless
God hits them on the head and says
go sail go to India.
I would have thought that in this day
if we love Christ if we believe his
word we're going to all be wanting to
go to the mission field and God is
going to have to grab some of us
to keep us back here.
God doesn't have to grab us to keep
us back here.
He doesn't have much trouble stopping people but
he seems to have some difficulty getting some
people started.
We are a product of our culture.
We are a product of our nationality.
And some nationalities are a little slower to
move.
They want to know about the insurance program.
They want to know about the pension program.
The pensions.
Retirement.
They have a long list of questions that
they want to ask.
What about Abraham when he left Ur the
Chaldees?
He didn't even have an application form.
He just went by faith.
God didn't give him all the details in
a big chart.
And we need this today.
We need some people who are willing to
step out by faith.
Not expect to get some diagram like the
IBM corporation would give you if you go
to work there.
Keeping in mind all these other principles.
There comes a time when you just have
to go.
And if you don't you could miss the
greatest blessing in your whole Christian life.
There's no other option apart from the way
of faith.
The flesh wants that.
I want that.
Some other way.
Even now as I think of this trip
throughout Asia.
In my own mind I'm looking for some
other way.
An easier way other than the way of
just going by faith.
This is especially helpful because I hate airplanes.
Because airplanes test my faith.
But I've had enough of that test.
I don't want any more.
So in my mind I'm thinking I'm planning
how can I get to Hong Kong?
Some other way except by air.
Looking at the map of the world.
Through Siberia on a horse praise the Lord.
And when I went down to that travel
office and I booked that flight that cannot
be cancelled.
It's a non-cancellable flight.
Can't be cancelled.
That took faith.
Maybe a little thing.
But I find it so often that first
step in something we do that is so
difficult covers many areas.
I was ministering about marriage in a meeting.
And there was a young very shy fellow
he'd been interested in this girl for 2
-3 years.
He was afraid to say anything.
What if she says no?
And somehow through this message about faith launch
out take a chance after the
meeting he met her on the stairways.
They're married.
Whatever we do in life it has got
to be the way of faith.
And if it's not of faith it is
sin.
That's how we know the will of God.
And if the girl on the stairway had
said no he would have had a wonderful
opportunity to give thanks in all things.
And anyway there are many stairways.
Let's pray.
Lord we thank you that we can know
your will.
We thank you that though there are not
simple little easy formulas there are basic principles
that we can build upon.
And we can know your will.
And when we fail you are still there.
And we will learn in each circumstance.
Lord enable us to take steps of faith
in these coming days.
And Lord enable us to take steps of
faith in these coming days.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Can we pray together?
Father there are many things this morning that
remind us of your grace.
And remind us of all that we have
in yourself.
Lord we thank you for the many wonders
of your word.
And yet your Son the Lord Jesus Christ
is the greatest wonder of all.
We know it is your desire that through
your word we see your Son Jesus in
a fresh way.
We pray O Lord for those in need
in many parts of the world this morning.
We don't want to forget them.
Those in Cambodia those in Rhodesia those in
Afghanistan.
And we ask that the Father and the
forces of righteousness may triumph.
Speak to us now from your word in
Jesus name.
I'd like us to turn to the book
of Timothy.
I have finally gotten to that message that
I entitled survivalship.
Now actually that term has never been used
in English until I started using it.
It's an original word.
When you're on a ship you have lifeboats.
You have the main ship and then you
have the little lifeboats.
And those lifeboats are for survival at sea.
Now most of the time you're supposed to
remain on the main ship.
But in times of difficulty you have to
go to the lifeboats.
Now in English especially we are accustomed to
a lot of messages these days on discipleship.
Some of you have read William McDonald's outstanding
book called True Discipleship.
And my own book Jesus in the Practical
Your Life is also about discipleship.
Discipleship really covers the whole Christian life.
It's not some narrow little thing.
Some people when you say discipleship they think
of the material realm being disciplined in regard
to material possessions.
But that is only one aspect of discipleship.
Others think in terms of teaching others to
become faithful disciples.
Again that is only a certain aspect of
discipleship.
So discipleship is as wide as the Christian
walk.
It means that we are learners of Jesus.
Some people have given the idea that some
Christians are disciples and other Christians are not
disciples.
That's false.
All true children of God are disciples.
They may be a poor disciple, a weak
disciple, they may not even look like a
disciple but they're disciples if they're God's child.
That's why in the book of Acts it
says the number of disciples multiplied the number
of people who were becoming through followers of
Christ multiplied.
Of course many people are not living up
to the principles of discipleship.
And so this teaching needs to continue.
But this teaching after teaching it for over
20 years led me into some new thinking.
Especially as I found at times a whole
Christian life much more difficult.
And I saw how even dedicated people were
seemingly knocked out of the battle by the
enemy's devices.
I developed these principles of survival and I
called it survivalship which doesn't translate so well
into German.
Basically it means how to persevere in the
faith.
That's what we're talking about.
How to keep on keeping on.
We see this principle throughout the lives of
the great men of God.
Call it perseverance.
Call it spiritual stubbornness.
He that puts his hand on the plow
must not turn back.
And this is something we need in our
desperately need in this day and age in
our spiritual bloodstream.
It's very much linked with the whole concept
of being in a spiritual warfare.
Do not think the great spiritual warfare will
begin when you graduate from seminary and you
launch out as a soldier.
As if the devil says, well let this
young man get all the training he needs
to attack me and then we will go
to war together.
The devil is not stupid.
He's not going to give you three years
to learn how to destroy him.
Or for some of you five years.
From the moment of your conversion Satan is
after you to destroy you, to devour you.
And that's why we need to be conscious
of the spiritual warfare even during our time
of academic training.
And that's why Paul wrote to Timothy in
chapter two these words.
And read one through verse six.
And we'll read them.
Here again this disciple is referred to as
a soldier.
Some people don't like this mention of being
a soldier.
We don't like the idea of war.
But it's still in the word of God.
And in many other places.
And we are soldiers of Jesus Christ.
And in a sense you are already in
the spiritual warfare and you are being trained
for greater battles in the spiritual warfare.
And that's why it's important to keep your
life very close to the Lord Jesus Christ
during this time of study.
And beware of the fiery tarts of the
enemy.
When I first launched out in my Christian
life, I was very conscious of teaching about
victorious Christian living.
I had this sense that I must be
constantly living up here in sort of the
position of total triumph and victory and praise.
This was discipleship.
Always in the battle.
Always winning the victory.
Always pressing the enemy.
And over a period of years, I learned
how important it was at times to draw
back from the battle.
In order to wait upon God.
In order to be renewed in strength.
In order to, in a sense, let the
enemy lose some of his force before re
-attacking.
Look at Isaiah 59, verse 19.
So they will fear the name of the
Lord from the west and his glory from
the rising of the sun.
For he will come like a rushing stream
which the wind of the Lord drives.
I'm not sure that's the verse I want,
so let me look in my, yes.
Let me read this in this other translation
and translate this literally.
See if this sounds more like it.
When the enemy shall come in like a
flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift
up a stone against him.
Is that what it says in the German?
Read again verse 19.
And it is true that the enemy at
times comes in tremendous force.
And yet, at that time as we wait
upon God, he will give us the strength.
Look at Isaiah 40.
Verse 29 and verse 30.
And 31.
These are three verses that everyone should get
into their heart.
Verse 29 through the end of the chapter.
Verse 29 to 31.
This is such an important concept to understand.
The Christian life, in the Christian life there
are times when we are just battling for
our very survival.
On that particular day we may not think
of doing great things for God.
We may have to think only in terms
of just getting through that day without a
major spiritual disaster.
There are days when our emotions will be
down.
And we will have to, in a sense,
cling to the Lord by almost a sheer
blind faith.
And I believe this brings as much glory
as when we are feeling wonderful and therefore
we do wonderful things.
And it's very important to understand this concept.
And there are some basic principles that will
help us understand this.
That will enable us to persevere.
That will enable us to stand against the
most vicious attacks of the enemy.
We will have to learn to live by
faith rather than by feelings.
Let me read something from a book by
a man named Hodges.
The book is called The Unseen Warfare.
He's speaking about the initial fervor we have
as a young Christian.
He says this fervor is a special characteristic
of beginners.
Then he says something that was a real
surprise to me.
And it's drying up.
It's going away.
Should be welcomed as a sign that we
are getting beyond the first stage.
To try to retain it or to long
for its return in the midst of dryness
is to refuse to grow up.
It is to refuse the cross.
He goes on to say by our steady
adherence to God when the affections are dried
up.
And nothing is left but the naked will
clinging blindly to him.
The soul is purged of self regard and
trained in pure love.
By the way, this is a little practical
thing.
Whenever I get a quotation that is especially
powerful, I put it in this little book
that I have that I have and I
take this book everywhere I go.
As you can see, it's getting a little
worn out.
But I recommend that you have such a
small quotation book.
Some of you have pages and pages and
notes, file cabinets filled with all kinds of
notes.
But if you go on a trip, you
take only 44 pounds on the airplane.
So you will not be able to bring
all of your theological studies and notes on
the airplane.
But if you have some of the best
with you in a notebook at all times
for your own spiritual help and also to
share with others, you will find it a
great practical help.
Whenever you read, you should take notes.
A man of God said any reading without
taking notes tends to laziness.
And if you don't write down some of
the truths that the Lord gives you, you
can easily forget them.
You may never get them again.
So our burden is to survive.
Our burden is to persevere to the end
of the race.
Regardless of what happens.
Regardless of what our emotional pitch may be.
And we have to set our mind on
this.
Now let me give you some of the
specific principles that have helped me to survive
these 25 years.
Now, I realize that's not very much.
I was reached some time ago with Oswald
J.
Smith.
He's written about 30 books.
He's won a few tens of thousands to
Jesus Christ.
His church now pastored by his son has
one or two thousand people.
And they just committed for this coming year,
two million francs to world missions, foreign missions.
This is in Canada, not the states.
He's now 80 years of age.
And he's still sharing Christ.
He's still pressing on.
He answers my letters quicker than almost any
O.M. leader that I write to.
And he writes and he was speaking in
one of our conferences and he just happened
to mention that he has hardly ever missed
his morning quiet time with God since he
was 18 years of age.
He's now 80.
This is the kind of person that challenges
me.
A lot more than the local Jesus freak
running down the road with his finger in
the air waving his gospel banner.
That's a German word, Jesus freak.
Praise God, of course.
Praise God for the initial zeal.
It's wonderful to see that.
And I love to see young people excited
about Jesus.
You see, I've seen so many, so many
fall by the wayside after one or two
years of spiritual warfare.
That I need the challenge of men like
Oswald Smith and many others who I know
who have run the race 20, 30, 40,
50, 60 years for Jesus Christ.
We can learn from
these men.
Some of these old missionaries.
One of them's on our ship in Glasgow
right now.
75 years old.
Charles Marsh, 40 years a missionary in North
Africa.
Charles Marsh.
And he wrote to me the other day.
And he's looking for more things to do.
He wants to stay in the battle.
So he travels all over the world teaching
still the word of God at 76 years
of age.
And he has a stronger message on discipleship
than OM has.