Winona Conference Part 4 – Here’s the Truth of You in Christ

…a mountain you have not been upon as a Christian. Sometimes we simply overlook questioning the most basic suppositions, such as what is prayer. We only have a modern-day concept of what it is. We don’t know what it was in the beginning. Let’s look at some things deeper than that. Everything about the Christian life, whether you realize it or not, tends to be centered on you. You read a book, how do I pray, what do I need to do that will satisfy the Lord? How can I be a better Christian? Which, of course, is impossible, because you read Turkeys and Eagles and realized you can’t be a better Christian; you already are a better Christian. Amen. Very, very “you” centered, even when we center on Christ. It’s you being centered on Christ.

I want to take you to another mountain these next two meetings: a mountain where there is no you. A mountain where there is no “you”. Let me gather up a few strands here. We are going to do two or three things. One of them I’m going to talk to you about, and some of you have heard this on tape, so I’ll do it really briefly. What is the secret to the Christian life? Have we overlooked the main point? That’s the name of the tape. That’s one thing I want to talk to you about briefly. Introductorily.

And the other thing is, I think I’d like to stop and ask you to tell me the problems you have in coming to the Lord. Or put it another way, what kind of problems do you have praying? What kind of problems do you have praying? Honesty, openness, and frankness here. If you don’t help me, I’ll do all the confessing myself, and I would really prefer that you do a little confessing here on your own. Now, think about it, make it personal. You know you’re supposed to spend time with the Lord, don’t you? And you know you’re supposed to pray and read the Bible. You know you don’t do much praying, and you don’t read the Bible, so you come to the meeting to get your spiritual resource.  Now admit that. Admit that. Admit it with your mouth right now, and it is turned completely around from what it ought to be.

The Christian gathering is a place for Christians to give what they have received from the Lord. That totally changes the gathering of God’s people. I want to say it again. It’s not really necessary that the church gather every week. If it is truly a community of believers, it can kick it off for 2 or 3 weeks. Do something else, and they’ll all be there when you come back. Try that in a Baptist church. Shut it down for a month; I’d hate to think what would happen. We have often shut down our gatherings, and our giving didn’t drop. Nobody moved. Nobody missed anything. It was one of the electives. One of the electives. For most of us, it should be a place where we give, and our receiving should be with Christ.

Then, what are your problems? As you try to set up a relationship with Jesus Christ. And I think I saw a hand. Yes dear? Okay, you’re unwilling to sit there and wait on the Lord. That’s, that’s, I appreciate that. I’m that way sometimes. For one thing, I have things to do, and therefore, I just am not willing to do that.  You have two of us confessing this. Yes, brother? Ah ha…I don’t feel worthy of coming to the Lord. Wait a minute, let’s roost here a minute. Sometimes I don’t feel worthy. Be honest, how often is sometime? Most all the time. You haven’t read Turkeys and Eagles. You gotta read Turkeys and Eagles. It’s a really great book. Now, let me tell you something, from my own experience, when you come to…I’m going to use the word prayer; I don’t like to use the word ‘prayer’ particularly; the word connotes too many things. But I’ve noticed for myself a barrier that I have to penetrate between me and my God. And that’s the barrier of guilt. I have to go through that barrier. Are you following me here? I think you are. I think you’ve had this experience. I’ll come here, and the very first thing I do is whoa! I yelled at my wife! I don’t really yell at my wife. You cussed like a sailor.  I don’t do that either. It’s none of your business!

I managed by a great effort to be less than perfect. I really need to know how God looks at me, and not how I look at myself. Now that’s one of my needs, and He looks at me, He sees something wonderful. Now, whatever it is, I’m going to tell you something: you can’t listen to that music. You have to ignore that. That’s just one of the things you have to do. You have to ignore the guilt. And here’s one thing that’s been such a help to me and should be a help to you.  If it’s that general ache all over guilt, you know when you get sick and you don’t know what’s wrong? You’ve got a general ache all over, and you don’t feel good. When it’s a general ache all over guilt, that is not the Lord. And that is mostly what you picked up when you start to go be with the Lord. It’s a general ache all over. And the Lord says…if you get it this way, then that’s a different matter, but watch out for this general ache all over guilt. Don’t pay attention to it. It’s not the Lord. That is either you or that bottom basement view of yourself, or it’s an accusation of the enemy. By the way, how many of you do have an inferiority complex when it comes to being a Christian?  Will you please raise your hand? Aw, come on! Don’t be so shy, great, stand up, stand up. Please, those of you who raised your hands, stand up. Now, while you’re standing, I’d like for you to look around at the world’s biggest liars. Okay, you may be seated. Alright, I appreciate that.

Let’s go, what’s another one, brother? Alright, and now we come to perhaps the largest and greatest of all, in my judgment: a wondering mind. Oh, you start out to be with the Lord, then away it goes, and suddenly you wake up to the fact that you’re now wearing clothes. In Afghanistan. (laughter) Is it not true? Yes, thank you. Alright. So, we’ve got, I don’t want to, it’s not interesting. I’ve got guilt, and we’ve got a wandering mind. We’ve got a group of people here being honest about prayer life. Yes brother.

Alright, and here’s the other big one. There is no greater way in this world to get a good nap than to start praying. Why do preachers want to treat us this way and tell us we’ve got to pray, pray, pray, pray? I don’t believe those guys, not for one minute. I don’t believe any of them. I never believe them. I never will believe them. I don’t think they’re praying. They are sleeping just like we are. (laughter) That’s right. And you know, the two or three or four that I’ve met in my life who really do pray, and they do, they never miss. And it’s this old, hard way we’re talking about. This difficult way. You know what I think about those people? I hate them. Those kinds of people ought to be outlawed from the Christian faith—that one rare bird who can live in the Christian life. I pray every day. I read my bible every day. I’ve read my Bible five times through from cover to cover this morning. You’ve met this fellow, haven’t you? Now, he doesn’t belong to this planet. He’s not you. He’s not me. He doesn’t belong in this conference. We are the Lord’s lowest common denominator, and it’s for us – the timid, the weak, the lame, the halt, the blind – that this conference is for.

Is that good? Oh, great. Praise the Lord. Sister, I am not here for the great. I’m not here for the deeply and powerfully consecrated and for all of it. I’m here for the lame, the hurt, the blind that this conference is for. I am here for the lame, the hurt, and the blind, because I am one, I make no pretense of that, and I tell you, I need the body of Christ to be a Christian, and I wouldn’t even consider being a Christian without her.

We got any more? That kind of wraps it up, but we got three hands here. Kelly, I’m going to have to ask your husband to interpret what you said for me, because it’s not getting up here to the front. Alright, good. You all have a huddle and come back; let me get these other hands.  What are they? There’s no reality to it. Thank you, Sister, I appreciate that so much! It’s not real. Yeah, there’s one y’all have left out. Where’s the other? What’s it? Okay. Impatience. I think you’re kind of sort of with this sister over here. Kind of doesn’t really want to take time. Yes, brother? He doesn’t care. Oh, you probably need to see a Christian counselor; you have an image of God that doesn’t exist. Yes. Afraid of what you’re going to have to give up. You two both go to a counselor.

Yes sister? Yes. Huh? Alright, that’s the other one. I think we’ve got them. It is. I’ll get it. You don’t have anything to say. I mean, two minutes. I mean, after all, the war in Vietnam is over. God bless mother. God bless daddy. Oh, boy. God bless the boys in Vietnam. Or Korea? Where, Antarctica? Some place. God bless the brothers. God bless the sisters. Take care of our kids. And you don’t know what else to say?