(Audio Book) Steps To Holiness

To attain holiness, one's heart must be filled with the love of Christ. Emptied of every sin, one delivers everything to the Lord. So the steps to holiness are none other than being filled with the love of Christ. Why do I stand before this pulpit today? For no other reason than being constrained by the love of Christ. I have come to Goldenwell, and my desire is to see you all filled with the love of Christ. This chapter may be divided into five sections. I, Jesus Saves Me Verses 1-8 It is recorded here that Jesus came to his own city. In the city there was a paralytic, very pitiful. He had two hands and two feet, but they could not move in the least. He could eat, he could see, but he could not move. How did he become like that? Satan bound him. Satanic chains bound his hands and feet. He was assaulted half dead by Satan. He looked a living person, but in fact he was a dead man. Alas! There are many Christians in such condition today. Their hands and feet are also Satan bound. What hands? Two are their number. Christians also have two hands, one is Bible reading, the other is prayer. What are a Christian's two feet? One is faith and the other is witness for Christ. A Christian not reading his Bible and not praying is like one having no hands. No hands mean inability to work. No faith, no witness, is like having no feet. No feet, no strength. Such a Christian appears living, but he is dead. Alas! There are today many Christians' Bibles snatched away by Satan. Before they loved the Word, but now they've grown cold. Though Bibles in hand, they are nodding over them. Though Bible in hand in Bible study, their hearts are snatched away by Satan. They look but see not, they read but understand not. Satan has snatched their understanding. Moreover there are those whose prayers are bound. They pray but dare not open their mouths. They merely think a passing thought. That is all. Some have ceased to pray altogether. As to feet, one foot of a Christian is faith. The other is witness. Now, the more one witnesses the more one has faith. The more faith, the more witness. In this way only can a Christian become a strong soldier. It is a pity many Christians are lame. They dare not witness. They are shy. They're afraid of criticism, they're afraid they have no eloquence. This results in lack of faith. Isn't it a pity many, say they have weak faith, no strength. Weak faith, fearing to witness, is having one's feet bound by Satan. Today there is a group, which says women cannot preach. They don't realize that only eating without working results in dropsy. This paralytic has four precious members snatched by Satan. He can eat, he can cry, cry and cry. Can he come by himself to Jesus? No. He needs four men to carry him. Praise the Lord. Jesus wants to save him. Jesus says, your sins are forgiven. That is to say, without sins forgiven, this man could not move. But the scribes jeered at Jesus, how could Jesus forgive sins? Jesus said, I have authority. I can save him. Jesus said immediately to the paralytic, get up. Why ask him to get up? Because Jesus wanted him to testify. With sin, he dared not testify. So he became paralyzed. Jesus diagnosed his sickness. He told him to get up and testify courageously, for his sins were forgiven. The paralytic was no more paralyzed. His hands could work, his feet could move, he could read the Bible and pray. He had faith and a strong heart to witness. Praise the Lord. Wherever I go I've met those who neither read the Bible nor pray, faithless, fearful to witness. Within two hours they become thoroughly changed. The old ladies of Chuanchao and Chongchao who feared to witness and read the Bible and pray are able to do all these now. Last year I visited Chuanchao. The students and doctors of Pui Guan and Pui Ying all came to the meetings but brought no Bibles along. Now they are not only fervent students of the Word but also zealous in the preaching band. Was this change merely emotional? It was a release by the Holy Spirit. This paralytic was also set free. He now can carry others. Truly let God be praised.