A Problem with Baptist and so called Christian People.

Adrian Rogers says the following in his book “The incredible power of KINGDOM AUTHORITY”

I had the privilege to preach in Romania shortly after God brought spiritual revival to this nation that had been liberated from a cruel Communist government. One of the leaders in that revival was a man named Josef T’son. Part of what made this man a mighty servant of the Lord was his exercise of Kingdom Authority in his life. Suffering at the hands of the Communists with brutal beatings, imprisonments, and death threats, he learned the victory that comes so sweetly in surrendering to the Savior.
As Josef and I rode along in his car, I said, “Josef, tell me about American Christianity.”
He said, “Adrian, I had rather not.”
I said, “No, I want to know.”
He then said, “Well, Adrian, since you have asked me, I’ll tell you. The key word in American Christianity is commitment.”
I said, “That is good, isn’t it, Josef?”
He replied, “No, it is not. As a matter of fact, the word commitment did not come into great usage in the English language until about the 1960’s. In Romania we do not even have a word to translate the English word commitment. If you were to use commitment in your message tonight, I would not have a proper word to translate it with.”
Josef continued, “When a new word comes into usage, it generally pushes an old word out. I began to study and found the old word that commitment replaced. Adrian, the old word that is no longer in vogue in America is the word surrender.”
“Josef, I asked, “What is the difference between commitment and surrender?”
He said, “When you make a commitment, you are still in control, no matter how noble the thing you commit to. One can commit to pray, to study the Bible, to give his money, or to commit to automobile payments, or to lose weight. Whatever he chooses to do, he commits to. But surrender is different. If someone holds a gun and asks you to lift your hands in the air as a token of surrender, you don’t tell that person what you are committed. To. You simply surrender and do as you are told.”
He said, “Americans love commitment because they are still in control. But the key word is surrender. We are to be the slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I had to “Amen” in my heart. Never were more profound words spoken. And never a greater challenge given than those words to me that day. Of course, there are many things we may be committed to in a goldly and wholesome way, but nothing can take the place of absolute surrender.
I did some more reflecting on this. In Titu 1:1, Paul says that he is a doulos of Jesus Christ. This word refers to a slave. It speaks of one who is in a permanent relationship of servitude to one whose will is swallowed up in the will of another. Specifically, it signified one who was born a bond slave in contrast to an andrapodon – one who was captured or sold into slavery.
In th New Testament, the doulos is often translated by the word servant, which sounds a little softer. The New Testament uses this word to show the sinner’s relationship to sin. Jesus said, “Whosover committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34). After the bondage to sin has ended, however, doulos is then used to describe the believer’s new relationship to God. Believers are not merely servants; they are devoted slaves fo Jesus Christ.
Lest that story seem too austere, let us remind ourselves that we are talking about strength through surrender. To be strong is to admit you are personally weak. Then perfect freedom comes from absolute surrender. A story in the Word of God can also provide another illustration of this critical truth.



His Utmost for His Highest
Chambers, Oswald

TOTAL SURRENDER AND The Spiritually Self-Seeking Church
“… till we all come … to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ …” (Ephesians 4:13).
Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose—that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.
Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development? The essential thing is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ—“… that I may know Him …” (Philippians 3:10). To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender—complete abandonment of myself to Him. Whenever I only want things for myself, the relationship is distorted. And I will suffer great humiliation once I come to acknowledge and understand that I have not really been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ Himself, but only concerned with knowing what He has done for me.
My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.
Am I measuring my life by this standard or by something less?