Presenting every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:28 Volume 31, Number 3 2015 Walking in the light… By Norman Grubb This daily walk in the Spirit is not bro ken one cannot. That is repentance. This includes testimony one to the other. Con - merely a matter of continuous fellowship is no light challenge to face, for so many fessing with the mouth of the Lord Jesus, with God. It is also with one another. To sins I commit affect my neighbor: an un - as Paul commands us to do. The emphasis abide in Christ is to be at one with the truth, irritability, harsh criticism, stress and then is not so much on the thing that body as well as the Head. There is the hor - strain, an unquiet spirit, even the heaviness needed cleansing in our daily walk, al - izontal relationship, as we saw, as well as of unbelief, affect home, church or busi - though that has to be mentioned, as in the the vertical. Indeed, the former is the acid ness. I must be ready to confess, and under cleansing received and the joy that fol - test of the reality of the latter. God’s guidance will often do so. Yet con - lowed. This is almost an atrophied limb in John makes that plain when he says fession to man should be under His guid - our church life, with a consequent limp in that our righteousness among men is the our fellowship. In early Methodism the proof of our righteousness before God David called repentance weekly class meeting was used for this (3:7); and our love for our brother of our purpose as the most vital method of keep - love toward God (4:20); and our testi - “brokenness.” That leaves no ing the congregations walking close to the mony before men of our faith in God place for establishing my Lord and to one another. Each member (4:15). In every case the visible horizontal own righteousness. Down I was required to tell of his week’s progress, is the practical demonstration of the un - go before God, and before seen vertical. So John says, “If we walk in the man where necessary. A bent light…we have fellowship one with an - tree can spring into place other.” Now we have seen that this walk again, a broken one cannot. Walking in the light... ....................................1. demands quick recognition of sin, fol - Editor’s Note .................................................5 That is repentance. Q & A ............................................................6 lowed by confession and cleansing. But Faith Notes .................................................. 7 this also means that when the sin has af - Two Works of the Cross ...............................8 fected a brother, the confession must in - ance. Satan can whip God’s saints and Bible Bedrock ............................................ 10 clude him. That is really obvious, and we drive them from behind to unwise action, Life’s only meaning… . ............................... 11 but mention it in passing. A repentance be - whereas the Spirit gently leads and goes A Letter from Norman… ............................. 12 before. There are times when confession Tape Talk .................................................... 13 fore God which said, “To You I confess, The Total Remedy ...................................... 14 but not to my brother” needs no comment can do more harm than good. There are Who is my neighbor? . ................................ 16 on its unreality. earnest folks who embarrass by their con - Godly Discipline ......................................... 18 David called repentance “broken - stant references to their failures. I must be The Road to Life ........................................ 22 ness.” That leaves no place for establishing truly willing. That is the point. The rest we Faith ........................................................... 23 can leave to God. Scripture… ................................................. 25 my own righteousness. Down I go before Words to Live By… . ................................... 25 God, and before man where necessary. A But fellowship in the light includes Zerubbabel Audio Ministry ......................... 26 bent tree can spring into place again, a more than confession to a brother. It The Bookshelf ............................................ 27 2 THE INTERCESSOR VOL. 31, NO. 3 sins, temptations, and victories. There are the law of faith that, when we confess a those in various parts of the world today thing with our mouth, it stands before us The newsmagazine of who maintain this form of open fellowship, in its stark reality: we see it in clear outline and prove how richly the Spirit seals it. as never before. Zerubbabel, Inc. To confess with the mouth is a princi - Those who have begun to learn this ple of living faith, and it is meant to be the way of open fellowship find they become natural habit of the believer to tell of the sin-sensitive and thus can quickly be Norman P. Grubb Lord’s daily dealings with him, both in fel - cleansed. They discover why they were 1895–1993 lowship meetings and in the normal con - so often in bondage and heaviness of tacts of life. Confession to those against spirit for no apparent reason. Sin always whom we sin is an obligation: testimony binds and usually blinds. Formerly when Mailing Address is a continual privilege. Some of its impor - we sinned, we often did not recognize it Home Office tant effects are worth noting. was a sin, yet it bound us. “Whoever Zerubbabel, Inc. PO Box 1 710 commits a sin is a slave to that sin” (John Blowing Rock, NC 28605 Bringing into the light the 8:34). Now by a quicker recognition, 828-295-7982 Lord’s dealing with me over a there is a quicker appropriation of the Fax 828-295-7900 blood and a quicker deliverance. That is [email protected] particular sin sensitizes me to a direct result of learning to walk in the www.zerubbabel.org that sin, and indeed to sin in light with one’s brethren. general, as nothing else can. Walking in the light helps me to keep free and honest. All too easily I slip into Magazine Staff It is the fulfilment of the law unreality, appearing before others better Editing Staff of faith that, when we confess than I really am. I become a partial hyp - Sanda Cooper a thing with our mouth, it ocrite. Jesus gave special warning against Pat Mace stands before us in its stark that subtle leaven of the Pharisees, which Gail BedeIl is hypocrisy, adding that most striking Joanna Coatney reality: we see it in clear summons to openness, “For there is noth - Allison Prewitt outline as never before. ing covered which shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be made Production It always magnifies Christ and gives known.” It is all coming out one day. Bet - Sheryl Trethewey Dacia Trethewey glory to the precious blood, when we tell ter the small blush now, than the big blush of its power in our lives, and give the later on! Better the burnings of a purging Art Editor homely details. At fellowship meetings of humiliation now, than to have all burned Steven Prewitt this kind there is a constant stream of up that day! praise ascending to the Throne, as one Then, only true openness brings heart after another tells of up-to-date experience. into true unison with heart. When barriers International Distributors But it needs to be down-to-earth testimony are really down, and fellowship has gone Great Britain and Western Europe with the practical details both of the failure below the surface to where we are living Jon and Kim Langley and victory. Vague generalities have little our daily lives and meeting our daily 2 Adams Close life in them. temptations, there is a sense of brother - Stanwick, Wellingborough NN9 6TQ Bringing into the light the Lord’s deal - hood and understanding nothing else can England ing with me over a particular sin sensitizes give. Such fellowship in the light, costly 01933 625246 me to that sin, and indeed to sin in general, though it is, gives us all a new understand - 011 44 1933 625246 (from USA) as nothing else can. It is the fulfilment of ing of one easily missed truth—that He VOL. 31, NO. 3 THE INTERCESSOR 3 fashioned our hearts alike, and that we are constant failures. Walking in the light is all men of like passions. One of the devil’s the solution for this. Disunity manifests Statement commonest lies to us is that I am the only itself in me by a hardness in my heart to - person who would do or think such a wards a brother. I may feel I am justified, thing. If my brethren knew, wouldn’t they and I may really be so: I may have strong of Purpose be horrified! And I am shut up in a prison and rightful differences of opinion: I may The purpose of this magazine is to further the of secret shame, and maybe struggle have dislikes founded on mannerisms, on great high calling of the Lord Jesus to carry His against some temptation which I imagine personality quirks, or on more serious Gospel to the whole world. This calling is known in the Christian world as the Great Commission. Our assaults no one as it does me. But when manifestations of the flesh. But my hard - interpretation of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the we walk in the light, how different we find ness is sin, when I am told to have perfect second member of the Trinity, fully God, made man - it to be! We are all alike. There is level love, to love as He loved me. The only ifest in the flesh. He was tempted in all points as we ground at the foot of the cross. Like temp - are, but totally without sin.