1. Sovereignty in Relation to a Remnant
(a) Heart Hunger for God's Full Thought
(b) Provision to Satisfy Hunger
(c) Life Sovereignly Directed and Controlled
2. God's People in Babylon
(a) A Heart-Hungry Remnant
(b) Divine Sovereignty at Work
(c) Human Faithfulness in Response
3. A Challenge to be Faced
4. God's Sovereign Provision for Times of Declension
5. The Implication - God's Full Thought is Attainable
Supposing God had, and has, in His heart and mind a certain fullness of purpose which He has determined shall find expression by means of a people on this earth, and when it comes to the test, that people as a whole and in general fail Him. He never for an instant contemplates giving up one iota of His main purpose, and yet He has known all along that that people in the first instance would fail Him. He therefore resolved that in the failure of the whole people at that time, He would proceed to secure to Himself from among them another company, maybe smaller in number, who would respond to Him in His fuller desire. As He foreknew the whole and called them, so He foreknew these. In His eternal counsels He has His eye upon them and they are to Him - not an elect of the elect but the first ripe fruit of His husbandry, a kind of first expression of His thoughts concerning all the rest. On such a supposition what would you think would be some of the things that He would do in the case of such a company?
T. Austin Sparks (1888 – 1971)
He was ordained as a Baptist pastor at the age of 24, and from 1912 to 1926 led three congregations in Greater London. During these years, he was also closely related to Jessie Penn-Lewis and her publication and speaking ministry, the "Overcomer Testimony."Among the many books that he wrote, at least three are regarded as Christian classics: The School of Christ, The Centrality and Supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ and We Beheld His Glory. The primary theme of Sparks' books is the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He mentored Watchman Nee for many years and was very influential in his understanding of the Church Life.
Recommends these books by T. Austin Sparks:
Daily Open Windows: Excerpts from the Messages of T. Austin-Sparks
Discipleship in the School of Christ by T. Austin Sparks
More of Christ: From "The Stewardship of the Mystery" by T. Austin Sparks
"Mr Sparks", as he was affectionately known, was born in London, England in 1888. He came to know Christ as a teenager and later became a Baptist pastor. However, his "ecclesiastical" career took a decidedly different direction when a physical crisis brought him to a place of brokenness.
At the same time God also delivered him from his previous prejudice against anything that was related to the "deeper life". As a result, he joined Jessie Penn-Lewis in the ministry of the spiritual growth of believers; a ministry to which he devoted his life and which also cost him his reputation and his career in the denominational circles of England.
He was based in southeast London at Honor Oak Christian Fellowship which is where Watchman Nee met and fellowshipped with him during a visit to England in 1933. Nee's refusal to disavow Austin-Sparks later became the grounds for him being disfellowshipped by the Taylor Brethren. It has been said that Watchman Nee considered Austin-Sparks as his spiritual mentor, and their fellowship appears to have been rich and fruitful.
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