“We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the
generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength, and His wonderful
works that He hath done.” Psalm 78:4
While I do not fully agree with all of A. B. Simpson's
beliefs and stands, I do believe God used him in many ways, and blessed many
through him. Even though he has been gone for a few months shy of 100 years the
Lord has still used his life to touch me--pretty incredible! I love good,
Bible-based poetry; that, I'm sure is fairly obvious. This man wrote some
amazing works because as someone else said (Paul Rader), “He was the greatest
heart preacher I ever listened to. He preached out of his own rich dealings with
God.” Simpson was born in Canada, in 1844 to Scottish parents, the father
of whom was an elder in the Presbyterian. Saved at fifteen and called to
preach, his ministry flourished since he had learned one key point in the
Christian walk. Die to self! This is a very hard, but an absolutely needful
step if we're going to be of any good in the service of our Lord.
“And he said
to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall
lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”
Luke 9:23-24.
Simpson's health was a long struggle, which he did not
conquer in the end, but through it he learned to fully trust and rely on God.
It was also said of him by a friend and co-worker (William McAurthor); “His
practice was to hush his spirit, and literally cease to think, then in the
silence of his soul, he listened for the ‘still small voice’ [of God].” Even
Jesus, when he was on this earth went apart often to pray. He fasted 40 days in
the wilderness in preparation of His ministry. It brings a smile to my face to
think of how much fuller and richer the reaching of the ministry of the saints
of God --if they could hush their own will and self and fully surrender to the
will and working of Christ. Oh-uh. Smile gone. Stinging reality tells me that
that is not the case. A shamefully vast number of the churches of America are
carnal. And I'm sad to realize I'm not as spiritually-minded as I need to be.
Simpson's vision for the church should be ours as well. Here
is it;
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against
God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Romans 8:6-7
"He (the Lord) is showing us the plan for a Christian
church that is much more than an association of congenial friends to listen
once a week to an intellectual discourse and musical entertainment and carry on
by proxy a mechanism of Christian work; but rather a church that can be at once
the mother and home of every form of help and blessing which Jesus came to give
to lost and suffering men, the birthplace and the home of souls, the fountain
of healing and cleansing, the sheltering home for the orphan and distressed,
the school for the culture and training of God's children, the armory where
they are equipped for the battle of the Lord and the army which fights those
battles in His name. Such a center of population in this sad and sinful world!"
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
We're called to be the salt of the earth, a city on a hill,
and light in a dark, and dying world. Maybe today we should do some soul
searching of our own. Are you walking as close God as you should? Am I?
A. B. Simpson died in October of 1919, but his work, the
work of God did not.
"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you
that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called," Vocation
means mission, purpose, occupation.
"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace." We have to strive to keep the unity of the Spirit. We have fleshy
bodies and feelings and without working together to keep it, how can we expect
it to keep it itself? Someone said their father marked the verse Psalm 119:165
in his Bible and wrote beside it; "No one can offend me without my
consent." Psalm 119:165; "Great peace have they which love thy law:
and nothing shall offend them." Those are wise words. The more we love the
Lord and His Word the less friction and greater peace there will be between
believers.
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