The Christian’s Trust in the Invisible
By A.W. Tozer
From his book “Living As A Christian: Teachings From First Peter”
Published by Regal Books / ISBN-10: 0-83074692-7
Not only does a Christian believe in the invisible world, but he also counts on it. He acts, plans and lives as one who counts on the reality of the invisible. On the opposite side, the man of the earth does not believe in another world, or if he believes in it, he nods dutifully toward the belief in another world, but he does not let it change his plans any. He acts just the same as if there were no other world. He lays his plans precisely the same as if there were no invisible world, and he continues to live as if heaven is a myth and does not exist.
But the Christian counts on the other world, so that the invisible presence of God in His eternal kingdom, and the spirits made perfect in the holy church of the first-born, and the Holy Ghost and the invisible world actually influence his life. The invisible actually shapes his plans, determines his habits, comforts, consoles and supports him.
It is a comforting thought that God is near us. It is a comforting thought that there are invisible worlds near us. It consoles us to know that when Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, angels came to comfort Him, and He could have had legions of angels by His side. Nothing has changed. As the poem “The Kingdom of God” by Francis Thompson (1859-1907) proclaims:
The angels keep their ancient places-
Turn but a stone and start a wing!
‘Tis ye, ’tis your estranged faces,
That miss the many-splendored thing.
Our unbelieving hearts have missed “the many-splendored thing.” Angels are still here. Our friends on the other side of the ecclesiastical stone hedge are great for angels and celebrate the angelic host almost any time, day, or night. But I have a sneaking suspicion there is a closer relation between their concept of angels and the pagan concept of Mount Olympus than there is of the New Testament concept. Because they go big for Saint Angels, we do not need to turn our backs on angels and say they are not here. They are here, and Jesus said about the little child, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18: 10).
Because pagan religion has mixed with Christianity and has created a perverted and false view of the angelic ministry is no reason for turning our backs on the whole thing. Because the Muslims pray falsely and dutifully five times a day is no reason for me not to pray. Because the Mormons have their Book of Mormon is no reason I am going to kick the Bible out into the alley. Because the Christian Scientists meet in a church building is no reason why I am going to tear some church building down. The fact of counterfeit should never force us to throw out the real thing.
Look at a quarter and you read the words “Liberty, In God We Trust.” On the other side is “United States of America, E Pluribus Unim, Quarter Dollar.” I have never to my knowledge handled a counterfeit quarter, but if I had a counterfeit quarter and somebody pitched it back to me and said it was counterfeit, I would not take out all my quarters and throw them out in the back yard. Just because there is counterfeit abroad is no reason why I should reject the truth. If some people make too much of angels, that is no reason why I should get even with them and speak too little of them.
Quaker educator Thomas Kelly pointed out that we live on two planes: the plane of the natural and the plane of the spiritual. That is why a Christian is such a wonderful, weird, strange and puzzling creature. He is both animal and spirit, insisting upon living for the spiritual while down here in his mortal body, making a Christian a funny fellow.
Take for example, two men living on the same street together at number 1631 and number 1633, side by side. They are as different as night and day. One is a good-natured, easygoing, relaxed, downright old sinner on his way to hell but does not believe it. He is easy to get along with, bothers nobody, is friendly and waves when he goes down the street. He is a sinner, an Esau, a good-natured rebel on his way to hell.
Living alongside of him is a Christian, one that has been born again and has been given the blessed Holy Ghost as the wedding ring, but he has his troubles. He weeps when there is nothing to weep about and is moody when there is no reason. He is preoccupied when somebody is standing next to him wanting to talk. When the man next door cannot keep his radio off he’s worried about whether there has been bombing overseas. He may put his Bible under his arm and start off somewhere to a street meeting or to a prayer meeting. He is not as comfortable a fellow as the sinner is, and he does not act quite the same.
Why? Because the sinner lives on only one plane – the physical – and the Christian lives on two planes – the physical and the spiritual. In his body, he is down here in the flesh; but in his spirit, he is up yonder with God. And the result is that he is not as comfortable to be around as he might be. I have always said prophets are never comfortable people to have around, but they are indispensable if we are not going to rot.
Leave a Reply, please --- thank you.