The Need of Our Recognized Neediness

By Arthur J Licursi

 

 

Have you ever wondered why the church today is so pitiful in its expression of the Lord’s life? Why is it that so few seem to have genuinely given their life to the Lord to be their all? Many seem to want the world and the Lord at the same time.

 

I believe the answer is this. Whatever the problem may be, if you’re not aware that you are needy, you likely will not take the remedy, or even appreciate the remedy when it is offered. We receive only according to the level of our recognizing our neediness. If we think we are doing fine and have no need, then we will not receive.

 

If we only perceive that our need is to plan for eternity and we desire to go to heaven, then we will receive salvation that is by believing in Jesus Christ; but this is only salvation from perdition (judgment). Sadly, I believe this is what has stunted the Christian church that we see today. Not preaching the Pauline gospel of the indwelling life of Christ is the core of what is missing.

Col. 1:25-28a Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26Even the mystery (secret gospel) which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery (secret gospel) among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: ²⁸Whom we preach…

 

Paul here in v27b and 28a clearly says he preached not Christ, but rather, Christ in the believer, as the believer’s hope to have the glorious expression of Christ’s very life. Paul clearly preached an exchanged life – our life, for Christ’s life.

 

To not preach Christ in the believer as the believer’s new life may reduce the number of so-called conversions, but those who do receive salvation according to the Pauline gospel will be those who know they are needy and desire the Lord to be their new life.

 

Sadly, an easy believism has permeated the so-called gospel preaching for the past 50 years or so in America , as a kind of neo-evangelicalism. Only if one comes to recognize that they are needy and helpless in their self-effort to be at all righteous, as God is righteous, will they then receive Christ as their indwelling righteous life, to be their new Christ-self, in place of their old independent self.

 

Norman Grubb spoke this along these same lines.

“Now the law of the Spiritual life is that we never have a greater need than to have a sense of our need. According to our need, so will be our God-given supply. According to our hunger and thirst, we will be filled.

 

Thus, only insofar as we see our need can we receive the supply. And so we know how Moses royally, gloriously, daringly flung everything in this world away except himself, to follow Christ. Hebrews 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt : for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. He didn’t know that he needed to fling himself away; he didn’t even realize that he had been relying upon himself. Thus he had to go through that forty years of disillusionment on the backside of the wilderness.

 

I often wonder why these great men didn’t become atheists. Perhaps it is surprising that we didn’t either because of the terrible stripping that we have to have after our dedication. When we follow Jesus, that is leave all and follow Jesus, down we go - bang, bang, bang, down to the bottom. The old mystic who said, “The only way to heaven is through hell,” spoke the truth. He’s perfectly right. It is in hell that we leave our wretched 1ittle old self; but then we rise up to heavenly life upon this earth. We leave the old things where they belong.”

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