In January of 2009 a number of saints from around the Great Lakes area gathered in Ohio for a time of fellowship with brother Titus on the very basic matter of loving the Lord Jesus. This time was especially intended for the young people, and the fellowship was very practical; our brother shared that the burden for this time was simply focused on helping us learn how to contact the Lord and be in His presence, especially in our personal lives.
Hymns and Singing (1): Our Life is Portioned Out by the Father
In this session brother Titus goes over a hymn by Ann Waring, “Father, I Know that All My Life” using it to show, in a very practical way, what it means to be a lover of the Lord Jesus. For example, do we really understand that our life is “portioned out” by God our Father? If so, why do we fear changes? Such a fear indicates that we do not fully trust in the Lord.
Message One: Knowing Who the Lord Jesus Really Is
If we are to love God, we surely must know who He is. The apostle John has three crucial statements that speak of what God is in Himself, telling us that God is Spirit (John 4:24), Light (1 John 1:5), and love (1 John 4:8, 16).
In addition, in this message we also consider briefly the three ministries of Peter, Paul, and John. Peter’s ministry was one of revival and Paul’s ministry stressed the truth, while John’s ministry stressed the reality of Christ; that is, how real is Christ to you?
Hymns and Singing (2): Using Hymns to Ignite Our Prayer
In this session brother Titus focused on helping the saints learn one thing: how to pray to the Lord in a very free way, just opening to Him concerning whatever matter is in their heart.
Message Two: Practical Exercises for Contacting the Lord
In this message we are given some very practical exercises for us to contact the Lord, so that we may learn to abide in Him. There are four basic lines: prayer, the Word, using the hymns, and our personal exercise before the Lord.
Hymns and Singing (3): Enjoying the Hymns “Experience of Love” and “O Lord, Breathe Thy Spirit on Me”
In this session on hymns brother Titus spends time first to go over one of his own hymns on how the Lord draws us to himself when we are weak. He then covers A.B. Simpson’s hymn, “Oh Lord, Breathe Thy Spirit on Me.”
Message Three: Abiding in Love
While the various world religions teach people to worship, fear, and obey God, none of them teach people to love God. Only in the Bible do we see that God desires so much that we would love Him. The Bible tells us God is love, and that we need to abide in this love. Actually, we need to grow, by means of God’s provisions for us, so that we may enter into a fuller realization of His love. The more we grow and mature as Christians, the more we will be able to appreciate and enjoy His love for us.
Hymns and Singing (4): The Need for Private Enjoyment of Hymns
In this session brother Titus continued to work with the young people on how to use and enjoy hymns, focusing on some of the songs they typically use in their gatherings. He states that it is not wrong to be excited in the meetings, but for that to be real we need to spend much time privately in the Lord’s presence. If we desire a strong corporate testimony the core must be a good number of brothers and sisters in the church life who have a very profound personal life with the Lord.
Message Four: God’s Provision in Love
The focus of this message is seeing some of the provisions God has made for us so that we may enjoy Him as love.
Hymns and Singing (5): Helpful Songs and Hymns are Applicable
To enjoy the Lord in the meetings is not a matter of being excited or of being sober, but of the Spirit. To be strong in spirit, or to be sober, do not conflict; Paul could be either (2 Cor. 5:13). Therefore, we must learn to be in the freedom of the Spirit so that He may have the freedom to lead us in the meetings.
He also spends a good deal of time to go over one of the young people’s hymns, “Shine Jesus Shine.” The hymns that we sing should not just be sensational, but have a good deal of substance, i.e., the truth that is according to our commitment.
Message Five: What Does it Mean to be “Strengthened into our Inner Man”?
According to Ephesians 3:16, we need to be strengthened into our inner man. But what does it mean to be strengthened in this way?
It means, first of all, that Christ is not merely a power to us, but also a person. Therefore, to be strengthened in such a way means that we take Christ as our person; He begins to penetrate our entire being, so that who we are expresses the person of Christ, and we desire what He desires.
I’ve organized my impressions from this conference into eight main themes, with the content for some topics coming from more than one message. I want to stress that, even though what I’ve written sometimes follows the speaking pretty closely, these are not verbatim notes, but rather my own record of what impressed me in this conference. •> Theme I: The Practicality of Loving the Lord Jesus. We should be those who only love Jesus. While this statement is very basic, it has some very practical and profound applications. If we truly love and seek only Him, we will give up… Read more »
This is really encouraging and equipping us for the work of the ministry of the New Testament of the Lord Jesus Himself. It also prepares us for the second advent of our Lord Jesus as our bridegroom and us, His bride. God bless you brothers.May your spirit be full of His love, grace, and mercy.
This takes your breath away. I never saw this before.
Wonderful!!