Here are great themes for the Christian life, combining devotional, encouraging and practical views of the distinctive characteristics, aims and way of thinking of sincere believers. Beginning with the foundation of humility, these pages show the strong sense of pilgrimage shared by true Christians, their outgoing helpfulness, their sense of closeness to God, their attitude to serving the Lord, their happiness and their access to the power of the Spirit.
Extract
The concept of pilgrimage is tremendously important to the Christian, giving guidance on the believer’s stance in all circumstances of life. Without this concept we become unnecessarily sensitive to all the problems and trials of life.
The pilgrim concept is specially vital at the present time, when an increasing number of evangelicals advocate being ‘culturally progressive’ or ‘culturally relevant’, exhorting us to get much more into the world. The very word ‘pilgrim’ sounds a warning, reminding us of our duty to be distinctive and set apart for Christ.
Today’s new teaching says we must love it here, do the things that worldlings do, sing their songs, play their genre of music, dance their dances, watch their films…
That most famous book The Pilgrim’s Progress powerfully takes up the pilgrim term. We remember, too, how Jacob spoke of ‘the days of my pilgrimage’, and that David said, ‘I am a stranger and a sojourner.’ He was a king over his people, and yet he declared himself to be a foreigner and a temporary resident. The apostle Peter also referred to believers as ‘strangers and pilgrims’. Is this term true of us?
The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 ‘all died in faith, not having received the promises [in their earthly lifetime], but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them’. They made the promises of an eternal home the engine of their lives, declaring by their lifestyle that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Their lives said, ‘We do not belong here. We are foreigners and temporary dwellers, living in tents, and looking forward to something far better.’
Table of Contents
1. The Clothing of Humility
2. Pursuing Positive Covetousness
3. Embracing the Pilgrim Concept
4. Sanctifying Power
5. Aspirations of Christian Service
6. Christian Mutual Helpfulness
7. The Defeat of Talebearing
8. Closeness to God
9. Spiritual Happiness
10. Walking in the Spirit
