Andrew Murray the Ecumenical Pastor
We're continuing this week with Andrew Murray, One of God's Choice Saints, a book by W.M. Douglas, and the great little gems that we can learn from this book. I encourage you to find it and read it. In the meantime, let me share a thought from page 80.
A Dutch Reformed Minister
The Dutch Reformed Church in those days was pretty much the powerhouse of South Africa. And then, much to their own dismay, somebody came over from Scotland and started a different church. A lot of the Dutch Reformed ministers were quite upset by this, wondering if it was going to hurt their cause. But I must admit that I found Andrew Murray's grace in dealing with this other denomination very inspiring. He says this: “I believe that we have, as yet very little idea of the influences of the movement on the colony. I sometimes think it may do good that our monopoly is brought to an end. As to myself, the words have sometimes occurred to me very strongly:” Then he quotes Matthew 21:41 “’He will rent the vineyard to other tenants who will give him share of the crop at the harvest.’”
Grace to Other Churches
Then he says, “This new ministry may reach hearts that appear to us quite closed to the gospel. I look upon the whole thing as the direct work of Providence.” Now that's a mature outlook. So often we get caught in our different denominations and our different groups. There are so many churches all around. And it can be tempting to demonize other churches.
God Uses Us All
Maybe this verse in Matthew is fitting. God will split the work to different people. He will essentially rent out his vineyard to different tenants. And so we've got a certain section of the vineyard of the work to be done. And another church has got another section, another church has got another section. If we can see all the churches around us, as called by God, to reach different people then perhaps we can treat them with more grace.
Perhaps the church up the road can do more work in someone's heart than we can. But we can do more work in another heart then that church can. God has different churches so that different people can receive a blessing that they might not receive somewhere else.
Our Differences Are Okay
Will you look at other churches and other groups with such grace? Never backing down from the truth, and so if there are different churches who are straying from biblical Christianity then certainly you wouldn't want to endorse them. But if they have a different emphasis, a different way, a different method, different feel, that's okay, because surely we can see how God can work through them where he's not going to work through us. Murray wisely found that out. And I pray that we will too.
