Have you ever stumbled upon a person whom you immediately felt a kindred-spirit with?
I recently came across two AB Simpson quotes that caused a stir within in my soul (see below) and so I began to research a bit about his life. The more I’ve got to know this man of God, the more impressed I have become.
AB Simpson was the founder of the Christian Missionary Alliance and throughout his life emphasized the promotion of missions and global evangelism. It is said that AW Tozer, the great preacher and prolific author, joined the Missionary Alliance in large part because of AB Simpson’s writings on holiness. It is also credited to Simpson for bringing a greater focus of Jesus Christ into the life of the Church.
Throughout his life AB Simpson wrote over 120 hymns, penned several books, and continually drew people’s focus to Jesus Christ and His call and commission to missions and evangelism throughout the world.
It is these serendipity moments that have caused a great love for many writers and preachers whom I now cherish. I am excited to read Tozer’s biography on Simpson (Wingspread: AB Simpson—a Study in Spiritual Altitude) and get to know this man who seemed to have a sole focus on Jesus Christ and a passionate love for missions and evangelism.
Who are some of your serendipitous people whom you have stumbled upon that you now love to read or listen to? Leave a comment on this post’s comment section on Facebook or Google+.
AB Simpson’s Quotes
Here are the two quotes that caused me to go study out the life of AB Simpson:
- Christianity may mean nothing more than a religious system. The Christian life may mean nothing more than an earnest and honest attempt to follow and imitate Christ. The Christ life is more than these and expresses our actual union with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is actually in us as the life and source of all our experience and work. This conception of the highest Christian life is at once simpler and more sublime than any other. We do not teach that the purpose of Christ’s redemption is to restore us to Adamic perfection, for if we had it we should lose it tomorrow. Rather, it is to unite us with the second Adam, and to lift us up to a higher plane than our first parents ever knew. This is the only thing that can reconcile the warring elements of diverse schools of teaching with respect to Christian life. The Spirit of God will lead us to have no controversy respecting mere theories. Rather, we are simply to hold to the person and life of Jesus Christ Himself and the privilege of being united to Him through living in constant dependence upon His keeping power and grace.
- Here is the very core of spiritual life. it is not a subjective state so much as a life in the heart. Christ for us is the ground of our salvation and the source of our justification; Christ in us is the source of sanctification. When this becomes real, [We] are dead. Our own condition, state and resources are no longer counted upon any more than a dead man’s, but . . . [our] life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). It is not even always manifest to us. Moreover, Christ who is our life must Himself maintain it and be made unto us of God all we need. Therefore, the Christian life is not just coming to Christ to save us, and then going on to work out our own sanctification, but as [we] have received Christ Jesus the Lord, thus to walk in Him, just as dependent and as simply trusting as for our pardon and salvation. Ah, friends, how much it would ease our tasks For the day that’s just begun, To live our life a step at a time And our moments one by one.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, deeperChristian will receive an affiliate commission (with no additional cost to you). It is a great way to support the work and ministry of deeperChristian. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and believe will add value to our readers. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”