Bruderhof wrote:
> Bruderhof wrote:
>
>> Bruderhof wrote:
>>
>>> The Lord Jesus is the beginning and the end regarding the kingdom of
>>> God. Therefore, among us, it firmly and with certainty is said, "The
>>> Savior is coming again!" He must complete the work; and we have only
>>> to be his servants until he comes again. As servants, we must serve
>>> him, the Coming One.
>>>
>>
>> At the same time, we should be a prefiguring of the future of Jesus
>> Christ on earth. We should not be so much concerned with ourselves;
>> nor should we struggle so hard, as though we were the ones to bring
>> the good to its perfection on earth. We cannot do that. That can be
>> done only by the Lord Jesus, who has come the first time and is
>> coming again a second time.
>>
>
> He will complete the work; we will not. We must lock this knowledge in
> our hearts; it must be true and firm whenever we preach the gospel.
> Our way must always be lighted by this star, "He is coming again!" And
> if our minds are directed toward the coming of the Savior, this puts
> the entire gospel into its true perspective. The gospel will become
> something personal and living when we firmly and faithfully focus upon
> the words, "He is indeed coming again!" When we fail to do that, then
> we are separating the gospel from his person. Then, no matter how much
> we talk or what great speeches we make about it, we are nevertheless
> separating him from the gospel. Without his personal presence, not a
> word of the gospel has real or profound value.
>
> And so we must be directed toward that future coming of Jesus Christ
> which is not only something of the future but also of the present, in
> that he right now is awaited in our hearts...
>
We are living in a time of death; and we don’t want to hide that from
ourselves. Our powers become weak; our ideas lose their strength, and our
feelings do also. Even though they be alive for the moment, with time
they are lost. The law of death surrounds everything, all we do and think
and feel. But now a law of life comes into this world of death. It is
actually the Lord Jesus himself, the one who is eternal life, who is
arisen from the dead, who links us to the other world, who brings us the
Spirit of God that, in the midst of our dying life, again and again we
might receive something fresh and living through his gift, through his
presence, through his coming.
--
Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt
www.blumhardts.com
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