Andrew Murray on "Christ Our Life"

Yesterday I went to my favorite bookstore and found Andrew Murray's Absolute Surrender. As I was flipping the pages this morning, I found a striking portion on pages 101-102 within a chapter called Christ Our Life.

Andrew Murray

"And then comes the last thought: Christ in us as our life and our strength. That is the crown of all. The young convert ordinarily understands very little of that. Many a believer has lived long in some experience of Christ with Him as Guide and Helper, but has never yet come to realise what this other means: Christ in me, my very life and my very strength. And yet that is what the Apostle Paul tells us is the great gospel mystery, the mystery that was hid for ages and generations, but has now been revealed; the mystery of God's people, of which has says "the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you." Christians, the riches and glory of our God in heaven are manifest to you in this -- God wants you to have Christ His Son living in you. Oh, may we come to that today -- not to ask for a little blessing, a beginning of blessings, but to have our whole life opened up to the indwelling, to the control, to the sanctifying power of Jesus Christ.

We speak to workers. Our great thought has been that of work. What is needed if God is to bless all these workers in London who have gathered together here? How is God's power to come and to work? Beloved, Christ is the power of God, and we want more of Christ, we want the whole Christ, we want Christ in every one of us revealed by the Holy Ghost, and then the power of God will work."

These are words of life to me. How about you? Andrew Murray lived from 1828 to 1917, but his experiences of Christ are relevant to us: real, deep, loving, and honest. I know this post may not have much content from myself but I'll still have to continue with Murray's thought of a church so filled with the Holy Spirit that the Spirit could say to that church: Set apart for Me the men that I have called for My work. Yet his question: How can each church be brought to this condition?

He answered, "Did not Jesus say, 'He that believeth on Me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water?' And is not this by faith, by believing, that Christ comes and dwells in the heart, and becomes Himself the Fountain out of which the Holy Spirit flows?" He also quoted a verse from Revelation 22:1- "And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God -- and of the Lamb in the middle of the street."

I have little confidence in paraphrasing this brother's words, so I'll close my post with another good portion of quote from Murray's book. It's rather long but by all means inspiring and faith-infusing. 

"Yes, the Lamb went and sat down upon the throne of glory, and the river of water of life flowed out. It is the Lamb who must lead you and me to the fountains of living water, and give them within our hearts, so that we shall have power to work among men -- not the power of reason, not the power of human love, and zeal, and earnestness, and diligence, but the power that comes from God.

Are you ready for that power? Are you ready to surrender yourself absolutely to God and receive it? Can you truly say: Lord, I am utterly given up to Thee. It is done feebly, tremblingly, but, Lord God, it is done. I have received but little of what I know my God can give, but as an empty vessel, cleansed and lowly, I place myself at Thy feet again, day by day, and moment by moment, and I wait upon my God?...

Our Convention will profit us very little unless it lead us closer up to God, and to have larger expectations from God, and closer fellowship with God. How can that be? Christ Jesus can do it for us. Christ is our life. He will live in us the same life He lived upon the earth. Shall we not expect Him to do it in the fulness of His promise? Shall we not come with every sin and every hindrance and every shortcoming and everything that causes self-condemnation, and cast it all at His feet, and believe the blood cleanses, and Jesus gives deliverance? Do believe, and then expect it and accept it, that God Himself will reveal Christ within us in the power of the Holy Spirit. God grant it to every beloved worker gathered here."