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Appointment
with Jesus
Dr
Gavin D Williams
Introduction
The
year was 1986. I had just begun the long journey of recovery from physical,
emotional and spiritual breakdown. At the age of 35, I was a husband, the father
of 3 children and the pastor of a large and growing church. Outwardly, things
looked great. Yet I had come dangerously close to losing everything. Because I
had not taken care of my physical body or my inner spiritual life, I had come to
a place where the demands of life and ministry had drained me of every reserve.
I was physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. Today we call this
experience ‘burnout’. I praise God that he sent people who could see what
was happening in my life and who guided me into a process of healing and
recovery.
Very
early in the recovery process, God spoke into my life through a brother who had
the gift of prophecy. The word of the Lord to my heart was clear: “Give
yourself to waiting upon me as the priority of your life.” The command
seemed so simple. Yet for me it was like being asked to climb the highest
mountain in the world.
The
sad reality was that I was a prayer-less pastor. I knew how to lead the
congregation in prayer. I led the prayer meetings and could sound very
passionate when everyone was listening. However, in the secret place with God,
the place where it really mattered, there was almost total silence. I knew much
about doing the work of ministry but very little about being the man of God. I
knew how to speak for God, but not how to speak with God.
The
years since that prophet spoke into my life have been an incredible journey. The
Lord has lovingly taught me many things about that which he requires of his
servants. I have learned that he values me as a person more than the work I do
for him. I have learned that he treasures my relationship with him more than the
energy and enthusiasm I give to doing his work. I have learned that the real
strength and authority for serving the Lord comes from being still in his
presence not from running from daylight to late into the night.
At
the heart of my journey has been learning to sit with God in ‘the secret
place.’ The psalmist writes, “He who
dwells in the secret place of the Most High God shall rest under the shadow of
the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1 KJV II). I have learned that the most important
part of my day is that time when I sit in the presence of Jesus in quiet prayer,
reflection and meditation upon his Word. This morning ‘appointment with
Jesus’ has become the highlight of my day.
This
book is about a journey; a journey into the secret place where you and Jesus sit
together in quiet communion. In these pages you will be invited to step aside
from the busy flow of life and ministry and to learn the art of stillness and
quietness. You will discover a place where the struggles of life come into
perspective. You will be challenged to seek the quite ministry of the Holy
Spirit bringing peace to those troubled places in your soul. You will be
challenged to learn to hear the voice of God speaking gently into the deepest
recesses of your life. It is my hope that you will discover his gentle hand
leading you step by step into his purposes for you. It is my prayer that you
will learn to rise from the secret place into greater effectiveness in life and
ministry.
Three Sections
This
book has three sections.
Section I. The Disciplined life in the
Secret
Place
.
Here we explore the Biblical principles of learning to dwell in the secret place
of the Most High God.
Section
II. Developing Your
Secret
Place
with God.
There are some principles which form the foundation of the disciplined life.
We will explore these foundations and give practical guidance for establishing
an effective and lasting Appointment with Jesus.
Section III. Disciplines of the Spiritual
Journey. There are a variety of
spiritual disciplines which God’s people have found helpful in seeking a
deeper walk with God. We will explore some of these disciplines in a practical
way which I hope will enable you to consider their application to your life.
Some
parts of this book you will read only once for the truth to touch your heart.
Other parts you will return to again and again as you need to be refreshed in
one or other of the disciplines of the spiritual journey. However you use this
book, it is my hope and prayer that God will touch your heart with a deep hunger
for His presence. It is only in His presence you will discover that
effectiveness in Christian life and ministry rise out of who you are in Christ
and not what you do for Him.
In
recent days a new definition of Grace has emerged. Many now understand that “Grace
is the empowering presence of Christ that enables you to be all that God created
you to be and to do all that He has called you to do.” It is my prayer
that this book will enable you to grow in His grace.
Gavin
Williams
August 2004
Chapter 1
The
Disciplined Life in the
Secret
Place
In
the years that followed my experience of burnout and restoration, I set myself
to obey the prophetic command to “Give
yourself to waiting on God as the priority of your life.” I had much to
learn. I began to go to bed earlier so that I could rise earlier the next
morning. I began to change my schedule so that time alone with God was not
interrupted. I began to set aside additional time for prayer retreats and
extended seasons of waiting on God. I began to explore some of the spiritual
disciplines. This was a whole new journey of discovery and the Lord had many
lessons to teach me. In later chapters I will share some of those discoveries
with you.
You
will not be surprised to learn that my life and ministry began to change
dramatically. Not everyone in the congregation I was leading liked the changes
in their pastor. They had been used to a pastor who was always busy with some
scheme or program. There was lots of activity around the church and I was always
up front leading the way. However, now I began to live my life with more care
and with more time for prayer.
My
preaching changed too. Previously my approach to preaching was intellectual and
technical. Now I began to preach ‘from the heart’ and my new found passion
for Jesus confronted some people. I was publicly criticised by some who found
the changes more than they were willing to accept. But despite the challenges, I
knew that at last I was beginning to discover an approach to life and ministry
that depended more on the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit and less on my
energy and education. I was enjoying the change.
The Principle
Some
years later, as I kept my morning appointment with Jesus, I sensed a stirring in
my spirit which warned me that the Lord had something to say to me. As normal,
my response to this stirring was the quiet prayer, “Speak Lord, your servant
is listening.” Then I took a
pencil to write what I believed he was saying.
For several moments the Lord affirmed his love for me. Then he gave me a
principle which has become a cornerstone of my life and ministry. This principle
put into a clear statement the things I had been discovering through those
years. I share that principle with you because I believe it expresses the heart
of this book.
The
disciplined life in the secret place sets the foundation for effective ministry
in the public place.
As
I considered what I believed the Spirit of the Lord had spoken, I knew he was
reminding me of the profound truth he was working out in my life. Since then I
have continued to unlock the reality of that principle. I have examined the
principle in the light of Scripture and I believe it proclaims a fundamental
truth from his Word. I have shared this principle with many leaders around the
world and watched as the Spirit has ministered the truth to their lives.
Thinking through this principle, I believe it contains four important elements.
I want to explain each of these elements briefly.
The Disciplined Life
Discipline
speaks of order and commitment. A disciplined soldier is committed to following
the orders of his commander, no matter what the cost. A disciplined person knows
how to order their lives so they are able to accomplish specific tasks. They
know how to use their time well. A disciplined person honors their commitments,
speaks the truth and keeps their word. The English word ‘disciple’ is
related to the word ‘discipline’.
When we use this word ‘discipline’ in regard
to the spiritual journey, we speak of ordering our lives to give importance to
matters which concern our spiritual walk. A person with spiritual discipline
will usually have a set time each day when they meet with the Lord in prayer and
to read his Word. A person with spiritual discipline will make choices which
strengthen their spiritual life and walk with God. We will speak more of this
later.
The
Secret
Place
The
secret place is an attitude of heart rather than a physical location. The secret
place speaks of our desire to sit in the presence of Jesus and share fellowship
with him. In the secret place it is Jesus and you in quiet fellowship. In the
secret place you are free to pour out your heart to him; to tell him of your
deepest feelings and needs; to be absolutely honest before the One who knows you
completely. In the secret place you are free to be still and listen to his voice
speaking gently into the deepest places of your being. In the secret place you
are able to “…be still and know…”
that he is God.
I
have discovered that you can find the secret place with Jesus almost anywhere.
Although my favorite place is in my study at home, I have learned to find
quietness with him in many places. He is present in busy railway stations or
airports, on a mountain- side or beside a lake. If your heart is hungry for the
presence of the Lord, you will discover the truth of the Word which says, “You
will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah
29:12).
The Foundation
My
pre-ministry training was in the field of architecture. There I learned that any
structure depends on good foundations. Without good foundations, even the most
well constructed wall will ultimately crack and fall. The same is true in our
Christian life. When we first come to Christ, we need to understand the
foundations of the Christian faith; those basic building blocks of understanding
the grace and mercy of God in Christ. As we mature in our walk with him, we
drive those foundations deeper into the solid rock of his Word.
When
we step into Christian ministry, we must have well laid foundations in the Word
of God, our standing in him and what it means to be a faithful servant of
Christ. Without such foundations, any ministry will fail. I have discovered that
learning to sit with Jesus in the secret place is the most important foundation
that can be laid for a life of Christian service. Neglect that foundation and
your ministry will lack true spiritual authority. Allow the disciplined life in
the secret place to become undisciplined and you will notice how quickly
ministry becomes a job, not a calling. There is simply no substitute for
disciplined time alone with God.
Effective Ministry in the
Public
Place
We
all want to be effective in whatever we do. We love to succeed. Yet how do we
determine success? In the business world, success might be determined by how
much money we make or how many people we employ. In education, success might be
determined by how well our students do in their examinations. In Christian
ministry, effectiveness is determined by a different series of guidelines. Here
are a set of questions we might ask in order to determine if our ministry is
effective:
· Is Jesus Christ being glorified?
·
Is the Word of God being honoured?
·
Are people being drawn closer to
Christ and challenged to grow in Him?
·
Do their lives demonstrate growing
spiritual maturity evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit?
·
Can we see evidence of the
anointing and power of the Holy Spirit as we minister?
You
will notice that in these questions there is no reference to size of
congregation, scope of ministry or the size of the annual budget. Effectiveness
in ministry is about obedience and faithfulness in the place God has called us
to serve. So, whether God has called us to a world-wide ministry, to pastor a
local church, to reach a single village for Christ or to teach a class of
children, the disciplined life in the secret place is the key to effectiveness.
In
the coming chapters, we will examine this principle at work in the lives of
great men of the Bible. We will discover that when the servant of the Lord gives
priority to sitting in the presence of Jesus in prayer and the Word, godly fruit
will be seen in their own lives and in the lives of those to whom they minister.
Surely this is the heart of Christian ministry.
Copyright 2004 Gavin D Williams
Published
by LttN Publications
14 West Kahala Avenue
, Budgewoi, NSW,
Australia
2262
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