- Pastor Bob Klecan
During the 1720’s Count
Nicholas von Zinzendorf visited a Dusseldorf
art museum, where he was especially moved by a particular painting of the
crucified Jesus. The painter had painted
the picture with the intent of conveying his love for Christ. Below the picture were the words:
All this I did for thee,
What hast thou done for Me?
Zinzendorf’s heart was
affected. Christ’s love as demonstrated
in the cross became the constraining power of his life, as 2 Corinthians 5:14
states, “The love of Christ constrains (compels) me.” “I have,” he exclaimed, “but one passion, tis
He and He only.” It was the dying love
of Christ mastering his life that fitted Zinzendorf for the work he had to do.
Zinzendorf returned home to
provide spiritual leadership for about three hundred refugees from religious
persecution, the majority of which were Moravians, spiritual descendents of the
Czech martyr Jon Hus. The goal of
Zinzendorf and the elders was to lead their souls deeper into the love of
Christ, into which they had been baptized.
In August 1727 the community
experienced a breakthrough of love and unity during a special Lord’s Supper
celebration. They asked the Lord to
“keep us in the saving power of His grace, and not allow a single soul to be
drawn away to itself and its own merits from that Blood-and-cross theology, on
which our salvation depends.
Following this experience the
Moravian brethren were possessed by a zeal for missions. The Spirit breathed in power on the young and
the old. People’s hearts were filled
with a burning love for the Savior who died for them. They emphasized Isaiah 53:10-12 as their chief
incentive, from which they drew their battle cry, “To win for the Lamb that was
slain the reward of His sufferings.”
They started a 24-hour prayer vigil which lasted 100 years. During the following 25 years they sent out
more than 100 missionaries. It is worth
noting that this is before the start of the modern missions movement.
Some of these Moravian
missionaries met John Wesley on a boat bound for America. In the presence of their sincere and
wholehearted devotion to Christ, Wesley realized that his own religiosity was
bankrupt. He was later converted to
Christ at a Moravian chapel in London, and
became the founder of Methodism and the Great Awakening in England.
William Carey, the “Father of
modern missions,” was also greatly influenced by Moravian missionaries. Carey went on, against the overwhelming
opposition of his church associates, to be the founder of a missions movement
that really continues, in many different waves and manifestations, to this day.
[1]
Think about this. One artist painted to communicate his deep
love for Jesus. One man’s faith caught fire during this encounter with the
suffering Savior and became the spark for a group of three hundred refugees to
catch fire with a “blood and cross”
motivation that impacted the entire world for Christ. Our desire is that of the Moravian leaders,
to lead our souls deeper into the death
of Christ. It is certain that, if we go
there, we will be changed. Whether we
impact people around the world, in our own homes, or in our communities, we
will be people of new impact and power. Author
John Stott says that the cross is “the blazing fire at which the flame of our
love is kindled, but we have to get near enough to it for its sparks to fall on
us.[2]
This is why we are calling a
breakthrough fast to focus on the cross from 7:00 PM Thursday, April 5th
to 7:00 PM Friday, April 6th.
We’re breaking the fast with a Good Friday communion service at 7:00 PM
the 6th. We believe that we
need to get nearer to the cross, in hope that its sparks will fall on us. These readings are provided to help us get
closer to the cross throughout this coming week. Whether you participate in the fast or not,
we encourage you to spend these days getting nearer to the cross. Read these passages reflectively and
prayerfully, praying for “Holy Spirit sparks” to land on you and ignite a new
passion for the cross as you read.
2 Corinthians 5:13-21
This passage, referenced above in relation to von
Zinzendorf’s life-changing experience, describes the impact the cross had on
the Apostle Paul’s motivations.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
This passage was likewise referenced above, in relation to
the Moravian brethren’s missionary motivation.
This is the most detailed and powerful Old Testament prophecy related to
the cross of Jesus.
Matthew 16:21-28
In this passage Jesus looks ahead to the cross and confronts
a bewildered Peter, who is having great difficulty embracing the idea of His
Lord heading for a cross.
Matthew 9:14-17
This passage relates to fasting. Jesus tells us that fasting was inappropriate
for His disciples while He was with them on earth, but when He goes away His
followers will fast. His going away is
referring to His death, resurrection, and ascension, the era between His two
appearances on earth. That’s when we
live! We fast looking back to the cross
and resurrection, we fast to help us live in Christ NOW through the Holy Spirit
and His present intercessory ministry, and we fast looking ahead to His Second
Coming. The events of the gospel define
our lives. We fast to put ourselves
aside and intensify our focus, asking
the Lord to make the gospel work of Christ more and more the true defining
center of our lives.
Luke 22:39-23:56
Here is the basic account of the cross from Luke’s gospel.
