House Church Talk - zealously affected

[Dan Beaty]

David,

This kind of zeal for the Lord and His church can be contageous, even to
those with an aversion to any kind of effort! Look out, some might even
begin to turn the world upside down!

Last weekend we were invited to a Christian retreat with another home church
group in our area. These guys do not seem to have the phobia for teachings
as others we have encountered. They asked me to prepare a teaching for one
of the three meetings scheduled.

Amazingly, without previous communication, all three teachings dealt with
the point that you just made in your post about the zealous socialist. The
socialist revealed that his entire life was centered around one thing.

Our tendency for self-centeredness often robs us of true fulfillment in God
when we interpret everything He does in the light of our wants and needs.
But, as we discussed at the retreat, a clear vision of God at the center,
with His glory and His purpose in Christ in mind, can liberate us from
distractions that often bind us.

As Paul the apostle exemplified, this is not ascetism, but simply
recognizing that God is already both the center and circumference of our
existence! It is true freedom.

Dan Beaty


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Anderson" <david at housechurch.org>
To: <House Church Talk  at housechurch.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 8:58 PM
Subject: House Church Talk -  zealously affected


>
>     Hello to YOU! I know you're out there. LOL.
>
> Gal. 4:18 But it is GOOD to be zealously affected always in a good thing,
> and not only when I am present with you.
>
> I mentioned the possibility of looking further into 'excellence,' which
> is I believe is closely related to 'zeal'. Zeal should produce excellence
> in some endeavors, anyway.
>
> Some folks, btw, have looked at the house church community and seen an
> aversion to anything which involves effort. So, where does zeal fit into
> the scheme of things? Surely, all can agree that the world is supposed to
> see our good works and glorify God.
>
> Check out this amazing extract. Shows how determined God's enemies are
> AND how just a few people can change the course of history. Therefore, if
> you're a part of a small home group, don't feel that you cannot be
> greatly used of God. He seeks availability more than (excellent) ability.
>
>      David Anderson
>
> You remember that back in 1917, a small handful of men set out to bring
> about a world-wide revolution. And within just a few decades, they have
> succeeded.
>
> Now, there's no question that their mission and the outcome of their
> efforts were totally evil. But the rise of the Communist Party, I think,
> is one of the most powerful examples of the meaning of total commitment
> in all of history.
>
> Douglas Hyde was, at one time, a Communist Party leader in England. In
> 1947, he defected from the Party and spent the rest of his life trying to
> expose the Communist Party for what it was. He wrote a book years ago
> called Dedication and Leadership.
>
> In that book, he outlined some of the principles that the Communist Party
> had used to achieve its revolution.
>
> There's a thread that runs through that whole book and it's the theme of
> wholeheartedness, devotion, sacrifice, dedication to a cause. For
> example, he described Communists as being 100-percenters in a world of
> 50-percenters.
>
> And then he said this, he said, "Practically every Communist Party man is
> a dedicated man. In his life from the time he rises in the morning until
> the time he goes to bed at night for 365 days a year, communism is the
> dominant force."
>
> Years ago, I came across a letter that was written by a Communist Party
> member to his fiance, breaking off their engagement and explaining why he
> felt that he had to do that. This letter, I remember my dad reading this
> to us when we were kids, illustrates the type of sacrificial mind-set
> that was characteristic of many of those who devoted their lives to the
> Communist cause.
>
> Here's what that letter said. He wrote to his fiance and he said, "There
> is one thing about which I am in dead earnest and that is the Socialist
> cause. It is my life, my business, my religion, my hobby, my
> sweetheart, my wife, my mistress, my bread and my meat. I work at it in
> the daytime; I dream of it at night. Its hold on me grows, not lessens,
> as time goes on. I shall be in it for the rest of my life."
>
> He went on to say "When you think of me, it's necessary to think of
> Socialism as well because I am inseparably bound to it. Therefore, I
> can't carry on a friendship, a love affair, or even a conversation,
> without relating it to this force, which both drives and guides my life.
> I evaluate people," he said, "and books and ideas and notions according
> to how they affect the Socialist cause and by their attitude toward it."
>
> He said, "I've already been in jail because of my ideas and if necessary,
> I'm willing to go before a firing squad. A certain percentage of us get
> killed or imprisoned. Even for those who escape these harsher ends, life
> is no bed of roses.
>
> "A genuine radical," this young Party member said, "a genuine radical
> lives in virtual poverty. He turns back to the Party every penny he
> makes above what is absolutely necessary to keep him alive.
>
> Radicals don't have the time or the money for many movies or concerts or
> t-bone steaks or decent homes or new cars. We've been described as
> fanatics. We are. Our lives are dominated by one great overshadowing
> factor: the struggle for Socialism."
>
>
>
>
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