STAY ON TRACK

 

Brother Andrew continues his story “  I walked back to the mission school from the slums below. As I turned through the gate at the school, above me was the reminder “Have Faith in God”. The school was asleep and quiet. I tiptoed upstairs and sat at the bedroom window looking out over Glasgow. If I was going to give my life as a servant of the king I had to know that king. What was he like? In what ways could I trust him?

Sitting there that September night, I knew that my probing into God’s nature was going to begin with the issue of money. That night I knelt in front of the window and made a covenant with him.  “Lord” I said “I need to know if I can trust you in practical things. I thank you for helping me to earn the fee for the first semester, supply for the rest of them. If I be so much as a day late in paying, I shall know that I am supposed to go back to the chocolate factory.

God honored my prayer; but not without first testing me in some amusing things. The weeks passed by so fast that soon it came time for me to head out on the first of several training trips in evangelism. “You are going to like this, Andy” said Mr Dinnen “It is our exercise in trust. The rules are simple; each student in your team is given a one-pound bank note; with that you go on a missionary tour through Scotland.

You are expected to pay your own transport, lodging, food, advertisements and the renting of halls”. “All on a one-pound note?”  “Worse than that, when you get back to school after four weeks, you’re expected to pay back the one pound!” I laughed “sounds like we’ll be passing the hat all the time”. “Oh you are not allowed to take any collections, never! You are not to mention money at your meetings. All of your needs have to be provided without any manipulation on your part- or the experiment is a failure.”

I was a member of a team of five boys. Later when I tried to reconstruct where our funds came from during those four weeks, it was hard to. It seemed that what we needed was always there. Contributions came in form of money or produce. But we stuck fast to the rules: we never mentioned a need aloud. There were times before the end of the tour when it seemed the experiment was failing.

One weekend we were holding a meeting at Edinburgh. We attracted a large group of young men the first day and were casting about for a way to get them to come back the next day. Suddenly without consulting anyone, one of the team members stood up and made an announcement. “Before the meeting tomorrow evening, we’d like you all to have tea with us here - Four O clock. How many think they can make it?” A couple of dozen hands went up and we were committed. The rest of us were horrified.

All of us knew we had no tea, no cake, no bread and butter and we had exactly five cups. Nor did we have money to buy these things. This was going to be a real test of God’s care. For a while it looked as though he was going to provide everything through the young people themselves. After the meeting several of them came forward and said they would like to help. One offered milk, another tea, another sugar; one girl offered to bring dishes. Our tea was rapidly taking shape.

But there was one thing still missing- the cake. Without cake these Scottish boy and girls would not consider tea tea. So that night in our evening prayer we put the matter before God. “Lord we have got ourselves into a spot, from somewhere we‘ve got to get the cake. Will you help us?” That evening we played guessing games: how was God going to give us that cake? We guessed everything imaginable-or so we thought.

Morning arrived and we half expected a heavenly messenger to come to our door bearing a cake. But no one came. The morning mail arrived, we ripped open the two letters hoping for money but there was none. A woman from a nearby church came by to see if she could help. “Cake” was on the tip of all our tongues but we swallowed the word and shook our heads.  We assured her that everything was in God’s hands. 

At three the tables were set. At three-thirty we put on water to boil. At three-forty-five the bell rang. We all ran to the door and there was a postman. In his hands was a large box. “Hello lads”, said the postman, “got something for you that feel like a food package. The delivery day is over but I hate to leave a perishable package overnight”. The boy who received it said “It’s for you Andrew from a Mrs. Williams in London”.

Inside a large white box, in perfect condition was an enormous, glistering, moist chocolate cake. With that kind of experience behind me, I was not really surprised to find waiting for me, when we got back to school, a check that was exactly enough to pay my second terms fees (Gods smugglers)

In Philippians 3: 15-17 Paul wrote “All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.

Paul exhorts those who are spiritually mature to hold the same a view of things as he does. He considers everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. He wants to know the power of his resurrection and participate in his sufferings. He wants to be found in him, righteousness, so that he can attain to the resurrection from the dead. He is not there yet, but he is pressing on towards the goal (Phil. 3: 8-14).

Those who are really spiritually mature will have this view.  But “if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you”. Paul realizes that not all will agree with his view and he cannot convince everyone to follow his vision. He chooses to leave such people in God’s hands, he trusts that God will reveal to them the correct view. Paul has great trust in the ability of the Lord to deal with His own people.

Paul says  “let us live up to what we have already attained”. He pictures progress along a road to a certain point.  They are already on the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35:8). They have not arrived yet, but they are sure of arrival if they progress on it. Paul says “hold your ground, don’t lose it”. Inculcate the biblical truths and values you have learnt into your life, through much practice, so that you do not lose it with time. Christian life is not so much knowing more and more, but living up to what we already have.

 Paul says “follow my example”; that seems like an astounding thing to say. Yet he says it in six different places. He told the Corinthians “I urge you to imitate me”(1 Cor. 4:16); follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).  He told the Thessalonians “You became imitators of us and of the Lord (1 Thess. 1:6-7); You ought to follow our example… We … offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate” (2 Thess. 3:7-9).

He also knew he was not alone in the race, so he said “you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do!” (Phil 3:17). The Christian life is a marathon race to Heaven. Think about the image of a great race; Jesus at the front followed by a vast multitude. You strain to catch a better glimpse of the Lord, so you simply follow the people in front of you. As long as they are following Jesus, you are following him through their good example.

We all need concrete examples. Those who are ahead of us in the spiritual race keep us pointed toward the Lord, they are our mentors, models and heroes.  We all need people like that in our lives. None of us ever reaches a point where we can say, “I can do this on my own.” We need their example, their encouragement and the challenge they provide to our lives. Who are you following? Find some good examples and follow them.

Now look behind you, someone is following you through your example. Can you confidently tell them, “If you want to know God more follow me”. Someone is seeing God in your life and wants to be like you. He looks to you to show him the way. He prays because he hears you pray; he reads the Bible because he sees you reading it. Someone is watching you fight your personal battles and admires your strength. He is hanging tough because you are standing tall. Don’t let that someone down.