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Church Builds New Educational Unit Our Sufficiency Is of God: Ahlfeldt The Churchman: Coray Editorial and Letters I Parabk on Evangelism News with Photos and Index VOLUME 38, NUMBER 1 JANUARY 1969 Church Builds New Educational Unit everly Church of East Los Angeles The new building provides much­ B-a congregation that has stayed needed space for a growing Sunday to serve a changing neighborhood school with an enrollment near 200. where it began nearly a third of a cen­ The potential for growth was seen in tury ago-last fall dedicated its new an average attendance of over 200 dur­ two-story educational unit to the glory ing a contest a couple of years ago, but of God. The building was named in inadequate facilities discouraged regu­ honor of Mr. William Woodhouse, a lar attendance, in the opinion of many. charter member of the church. With the incentive of a $16,000 in­ (In the photo above the new struc­ heritance and a few thousand dollars ture is to the left, the social hall is in in a building fund, the trustees sub­ the center, with the sanctuary to the mitted architect's plans to contractors, right.) (continued on page 5) I J A message for a time of prayer and a life of service - 2 Our Sufficiency Is of God CARL A. AHLFELDT t is vitally important for the servant ciency was of God, and the glory went I of the Lord to realize his own in­ to God. sufficiency, as the previous article Thus we read (3:5-6), "Not that stressed. Not to do so is to court dis­ we are sufficient of ourselves to think ; aster. "Wherefore let him that think­ anything as of ourselves; but our suffi­ eth he standeth take heed lest he fall" ciency is of God, who also hath made (I Cor. 10:12). To fail to realize our us able ministers of the new testament own insufficiency is to deceive our­ (made us sufficient as ministers of a In what way does God come to us selves, and sooner or later the fact will new covenant); not of the letter, but in our insufficiency, in our utter un­ catch up with us. We cannot change of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but worthiness and lack, and enable us to the truth of our Lord's statement to the Spirit giveth life." be sufficient as his servants? The his disciples, "Without me ye can do Apostle Paul says, "Our sufficiency is The message thus comes to those nothing" (John 15:5). But even more of God, who also made us sufficient important is the fact that if we fail to of us who labor or contemplate labor­ as ministers of a new covenant; not realize our own insufficiency we also ing as ministers of the gospel that of the letter, but of the Spirit: for fail to give God the glory due unto his God gives to us sufficiency. Our suf­ the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth ficiency, to be sure, is not that of an name. If anything is truly accom­ life." It is true, of course, that Paul plished, and we take the view that we apostle, but of ministers of the Word experienced a sufficiency which you have accomplished it by our wisdom or of God, even as Timothy with Paul and I will not know. God made him ability, then we surely are taking to was a minister of the Word. Possibly sufficient as an apostle, and we are ourselves the glory that belongs to Paul had Timothy and other fellow­ not apostles. There is much, however, God. This our God will not permit. laborers in mind when he said that that we can take to ourselves concern­ God's purpose in using those who are "our sufficiency is from God, who ing Paul's sufficiency and that suffi­ insufficient is "that no flesh should also made us sufficient as ministers of ciency which God provided for those glory in his presence" (I Cor. 1:29). a new covenant." who labored with him. But it is also vitally important that Source in God In the first place, God gives to us we do not stay on the note of our in­ How clearly our sufficiency is from a personal experience of his transform­ sufficiency. To do so would leave us God. Surely each one of us in his ing grace. God gave this to Paul in powerless to accomplish anything. It mind knows this. It is God who calls a very wonderful way. Paul felt would leave us in despair. The Apostle us unto his service and he who will keenly his utter unworthiness to preach Paul was keenly aware of his own in­ make us sufficient for that service. the gospel, but he was also very much sufficiency, but he was gloriously aware However, it is one thing to have a aware of God's forgiveness and of the of his sufficiency in God. We find this fact like this tucked away in our standing which God gave him in the expressed throughout his epistles. It is memory; it is quite another thing to perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. very clearly expressed here in Second have the blessed consciousness that This was a constant encouragement Corinthians. The picture we get of the our sufficiency is from God permeat­ to him as he considered his ministry Apostle here is not that of a weakling. ing our hearts and minds and under­ in the gospel. Side by side with his consciousness of girding us with divine strength. It is his own insufficiency is Paul's full Personal Experience well for us then as we think further Note how he puts it in his first confidence of his sufficiency from God. upon this matter of prayer to dwell epistle to Timothy: "I thank Christ Sense of Sufficiency upon our sufficiency. Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, This sense of sufficiency from God onsider first the nature of the suffi­ for that he counted me faithful, in his case applied especially to his C ciency which God bestows upon putting me into the ministry, who apostleship. There were those in Cor­ us as his servants. was before a blasphemer, and a perse­ inth who detracted from Paul and cutor, and injurious: but I obtained denied his place as an apostle and ser­ mercy, because I did it ignorantly in vant of the Lord. Entirely in keeping This is the second of two papers unbelief, and the grace of our Lord with a true humility, Paul boldly main­ given on the occasion of Westminster was exceedingly abundant with faith tained his place as an apostle and min­ Seminary's annual day of prayer. Mr. and love which is in Christ Jesus. This ister of the Lord. He could do this Ahlfeldt is pastor of Pilgrim Ortho­ is a faithful saying, and worthy of all with all appropriateness, for his suffi- dox Presbyterian Church, Bangor, Me. acceptation, that Christ Jesus came in- The Presbyterian Guardian is published monthly, except July-August and November-December are combined, by the Presbyterian Guardian Publishing Corporation, 7401 Old York Road, Phila., Pa. 19126, at the follawing rates, payable in advance, postage prepaid anywhere: $3.00 per year ($2.50 in Clubs of ten or more) or 30¢ per single copy. Second class moil privileges authorized at the Post Office, Philadelphia, Pa. 2 The Presbyterian Guardian to the world to save sinners, of whom teach that all God requires is that we Word. This holds true in the New I am chief" (I Tim. 1:12-15). Paul get a few great principles from the Testament too. Think, for instance, of never ceased to marvel that a sinner Bible and not insist on the letter of the Sermon on the Mount, or of our like him could be entrusted with the the law. This is their understanding Lord's summary of the law of God in glorious message of the gospel. of Paul's statement that "the letter the commandment to love God su­ The sufficiency of anyone of us killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." premely and our neighbor as ourselves. in the service of the Lord must begin But this verse does not refer to a Yet we all fail to obey, and the result in the same way. As we noted earlier, contrast between the letter of the law can only be the dreadful sentence of our own sinfulness will make us very and the spirit of the law. It does not death. "The soul that sinneth, it shall much aware of our insufficiency. Who teach that literalism is deadly, while die" (Ezek.18:4). are we to engage in the sacred task attention to great principles keeps a of proclaiming the Word of God? man intellectually and spiritually The Spirit Gives Life But then comes the blessed thought alive. The reference to the spirit here But now our ministry is not of the of God's sovereign grace, of our is a reference to the Holy Spirit. The letter, but of the Spirit. It is a ministry quickening unto life, of the forgive­ letter, the thing written in the law of of the Holy Spirit, and here is life, ness of our sins, and of the perfect God, pronounces a dread sentence of for "the Spirit giveth life." The Holy righteousness of Jesus Christ. We have death upon the transgressor. The Holy Spirit applies to the soul the redemp­ been redeemed, we have been trans­ Spirit of God, as distinguished from tion purchased by Christ and thus formed, we are trophies of grace.
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