Moody has neither of these gifts, but has an unusually magnetic
presence, and a great executive faculty which leaves its impress on his
blunt direct speech. His faculties are not changed, nor added to, but
developed wonderfully and used. Geo. Mueller never becomes a great
preacher like these three; nor an expositor, but finds his rare
development in his marked administrative skill. Charles Studd remains a
poor speaker with jagged rhetoric and with no organizing knack, though
the fire of God in his presence kindles the flames of mission zeal in
the British universities, and melts your heart as you listen.
Shaftsbury's mental processes show the generations of aristocratic
breeding even in his costermonger's cart lovingly winning these men, or
after midnight searching out the waifs of London's nooks and docks.
Clough is refused by the missionary board because of his lack of certain
required qualifications, and when finally he reaches the field none of
these qualities appears, but his skill as an engineer gives him a hold
upon thousands whom his presence and God-breathed passion for souls win
to Jesus Christ. Carey's unusual linguistic talent, Mary Lyon's teaching
gift are not changed but developed and used. The growth produced by the
Spirit's presence is strictly along the groove of the natural gift. But
note that in this great variety of natural endowment there is one
trait--a moral trait, not a mental--that marks all alike, namely a
pervading purpose, that comes to be a passion, to do God's will, and get
men to know Him, and that everything is forced to bend to this dominant
purpose. Is not this glorious unity in diversity?
Saved and Sent to Serve.
The third group of results affects our _service_. We will want to serve.
Love must act. We must _do_ something for our Master. We must do
_something_ for those around us. There will be a new _spirit_ of
service. Its peculiar characteristic and charm will be the _heart of
love_ in it. Love will envelop and undergird and pervade and exude from
all service. There will be a fine graciousness, a patience, a strong
tenderness, an earnest faithfulness, a hopeful tirelessness which will
despair of no man, and of no situation.
The _sort_ of service and the _sphere_ of service will be left entirely
to the direction of the indwelling Holy Spirit, "dividing to every man
_as He will_." There will be no choosing of a life work but a prayerful
waiting till _His choice_ is clear, and then a joyous acceptance of
that. There will be no attempt to open doors, not even with a single
touch or twist of the knob, but only an entering of _opened_ doors.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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