A HEART FOR GOD'S KINGDOM

George Müller delivered this sermon at a United Meeting for prayer, held in the Broadmead Rooms, Bristol, England, on January 13, 1870. 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33, NIV)

The goal of this meeting is to ask God to bless His work in Bristol, for Christians to receive a deeper knowledge of the Holy Scriptures in Great Britain and worldwide, and for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as people come to faith. It’s to ask God for the advancement of true reform both at home and abroad, and for the spread of the gospel in Roman Catholic countries. It’s to ask for His overruling mercy over unbiblical decisions in the Ecumenical Council. It’s to ask God for greater unity and a fuller cooperation of believers in Christ, and for the speedy coming of His kingdom.

I believe a few practical remarks are in order to benefit the younger believers in Christ here, a few hints in reference to the topics for which we have met to pray. I was overjoyed when I saw what prayer topics were announced. First, we asked for God’s blessing on His work in Bristol. The focus here is Bristol itself—not just this church or that chapel, not just one Sunday school or another, not simply the efforts of individual Christians, missionaries, or visitors—but the larger work of God taking place in the city. This reminds us that we are one in Christ, all sharing in His mission wherever it is happening. Dear friends, the reality of our unity in Christ is shown by how much we care about God’s work being carried out by others, not only by ourselves.

The Lord’s command is that we rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep—those being our fellow believers. Therefore, if it pleased God to do a mighty work of salvation—though I myself may have no hand in it—I should rejoice! If it pleases God to use Christian acquaintances as instruments of blessing, I should rejoice in the work of God! It’s a priority to pray for the work and responsibilities the Lord has called me to do, but I must not stop there. I ought to pray for His kingdom work in this city as well! Let me lovingly ask you, beloved brothers and sisters, do you do this? This question is weighty and important. If you don’t pray for His work, let me urge you to reconsider! I say this not to boast, but as an encouragement to you. I have prayed daily for God’s work in Bristol, this neighborhood, this country, and this world. A day doesn’t pass without me bringing it before God. I would feel I had neglected one of the most important prayers if I ever failed to do so. Of course, we must first care for our own souls and the work God has entrusted to us personally, but we should never be content without also praying for those laboring in other places.

The second topic for prayer is for Christians to receive a deeper knowledge of the Holy Scriptures in Great Britain and worldwide. I was particularly delighted when I saw this as one of the prayer topics. It is of the utmost importance that we know the Word of God because God reveals Himself to us through the Holy Scriptures. The more I spend time in the Word to be taught and fed, the more God reveals Himself to me, and the more I know Him. Why is it important to know God more? Because it is the source of holiness, happiness, and usefulness! 

Knowing God leads to holiness. The more I learn of Him, the more I am compelled to admire Him and say, “What a good and beautiful God He is!” This is especially true when I see the wondrous love He has shown in Christ Jesus toward such a guilty, wicked creature as I am. Therefore, my heart desires to imitate Him, to seek to do something in return for His love, and to be more like God Himself.

Knowing God also brings happiness. The more we know Him, the happier we are. When we were ignorant of God, we were without real peace or joy. But when we first came to know Him, true peace and joy—true happiness—began. And the more we grow in knowing Him, the more deeply happy we become. What will make us so exceedingly happy in heaven? It will be knowing God far better there than we do now.

Knowing God also makes us useful in His service. It’s impossible to grasp what He has done for sinners without also wanting to seek to live for Him, to work for Him. I ask myself, “What can I do for the One who has given me His greatest gifts?” And so I am compelled to labor for Him. The more fully I know God, the more I desire to serve Him. I cannot remain idle.

Are any of you wondering what the best way to read the Bible is? Let me share my own experience in pastoral ministry. I realized how incredibly important it is to know how to read the Scriptures. After forty years’ blessed experience, I can confidently recommend the plan I have adopted. First of all, if we want to grow in our understanding of Scripture, it is essential that we read it straight through, in order, not just open the Bible at random and start wherever the page falls. Some people do this: if it happens to open at Psalm 103, they read Psalm 103; if it opens at John 14 or Romans 8, they read those chapters. Before long, the Bible even seems to fall open naturally to those familiar passages. But let me gently say, it is not fitting for a child of God to treat the Father’s book this way, nor for a disciple of the Lord Jesus to handle the words of their Master so carelessly.

Let me lovingly urge those who have not done so to start the Old Testament from the beginning and the New Testament from the beginning, alternating between both, keeping it marked in their Bible to show how far they have proceeded. Why is it important to do this? There is a special purpose in the arrangement of the Scriptures. They begin with the creation of the world, and close with the end of the world. As you read a biography or history, from beginning to end, so should you read the revelation of God's will; and when you get to the end, start over! But this is not all that is necessary. When you come to this precious Book, the most important thing is to approach it with a deep awareness of your own ignorance. Humbly seek His help, asking that His Spirit would graciously teach you. I remember when I first began to read the Scriptures in this way.

I had studied theology at the University of Halle and filled notebooks with lecture notes from my professors, yet I had never come to this blessed Book in the right spirit. At last, I approached it as I never had before. I said to myself, “The Holy Spirit is the Teacher of the Church; the Holy Scriptures are the rule God has given; from them I must learn His will—and now I will put this to the test.”

So I locked my door, set my Bible on a chair, knelt before it, and spent three hours prayerfully reading God’s Word. And I can say without hesitation that in those three hours I learned more than I had in any three or six months or even a year of study before. That wasn’t all! I not only grew in knowledge, but with that knowledge came a peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, of which I had known little before.

Since that time, for more than forty years, I have been in the habit of regularly reading the Scriptures; and I can therefore affectionately and confidently recommend to my beloved younger fellow disciples to read them carefully, with a humble mind, comparing Scripture with Scripture, bringing the more difficult passages to the easy ones, and letting them interpret one another. If you do not understand some portions, don’t be discouraged, but come again and again to God, and He will guide you little by little, revealing His will. But this is not all; as you increase in the knowledge of God, prayerfully and humbly, you will receive not just head knowledge but heart knowledge that will cheer, comfort, and strengthen you. This will be of real benefit!

The third topic is to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as people come to faith. This does not mean we are asking for the Spirit to be newly given to the Church—for we know He was poured out at Pentecost to remain with the Church forever, and He has never been taken away despite all our failures. Just as the pillar of cloud and fire never left the Israelites in the wilderness, even with their many sins, so the Holy Spirit has never been withdrawn from Christ’s Church. In addition, God has given His Spirit to the individual believer—to all who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet even though the Spirit lives within the Church as a whole and within each believer, it is still right and necessary for God’s children to keep praying, again and again, with great earnestness, that He would move in power by His Spirit. For we depend completely on the Spirit’s working for the salvation of sinners.

A preacher may be mighty in his knowledge of Scripture and clear in explaining the truth, but if the Spirit of God does not choose to bless the message, he could preach for months without seeing any fruit. Therefore, all God’s beloved children—not just the preacher, but also those who haven’t spoken truth in public—should ask God daily for blessings on all efforts made to advance the gospel!

Let me kindly ask each of you: is this your practice? Do you, day by day, pray that God would, by the power of His Spirit, work through the preaching of the gospel—so that whenever and wherever His Word is proclaimed, it bears fruit? Don’t just ask on Sunday mornings, before leaving the house, but every day! Monday all the way through to Saturday! Oh, what blessings would come if we all did this! I don’t boast about my daily practice; I just share it to show you it can and ought to be done! My heart is burdened to pray thus daily, and I’ve been doing it for many years. I pray first for those in this neighborhood to come to know the Lord, then for the rest of Bristol, to my dear brothers and sisters who go to the surrounding villages. I pray for the spread of the gospel in the surrounding areas and beyond! You may not be called to be a preacher, but we are all called to the blessed work of prayer. If this were universally carried out, a mighty power of the Holy Spirit would soon be seen. 

The fourth topic is to ask God for the advancement of true reform both at home and abroad. When I read this, I said to myself, “This should happen first in my heart!” What was the purpose of the Reformation? To know the Bible! They wouldn’t have anything else. There were other points, but this was the greatest one. Everything must be brought to the light of Scripture. My own life and walk, the work that I do, must be brought to biblical standards. If we want to see change, we must ask honestly and sincerely, “Has it started first in me?” Next, when it comes to our families, we should be especially eager to lead them more and more to the Scriptures, so that their ways, habits, values, and principles are shaped by God’s Word. This is what it truly means to live out the heart of the Reformation.

By God’s grace, once we’ve begun to practice this even in small ways, we should then seek to carry it farther, like ripples spreading outward when a stone is thrown into water. Let no one say, “I’m only one person—what can I do? If a hundred others were working with me, then I might make a difference.” Never think that way. Remember what Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, and many others accomplished, even when they stood largely alone. If we cry out to God with faith and expect great things from Him, who can tell what He might do through us?

Look at Wesley and Whitefield—they were, in many ways, single-handed, yet see how powerfully God used them! But there must be a right beginning—and it begins with us. Our own souls must first be nourished, strengthened, and shaped by God’s Word. When that happens, our influence will naturally spread wider and wider—not just in Bristol or even throughout England, but in ways we cannot begin to measure. So let us dare to expect great things, and ask them of God, who delights to pour out abundant blessings.

We are also to pray tonight for the spread of the gospel in Roman Catholic countries. At this point, we should stop and give thanks for what God has done. There was a time when Italy was completely closed to the preaching of the gospel and the distribution of Bibles. But now Italy, Spain and Austria are now open to the gospel and the distribution of Bibles! It is a remarkable fact, however, that while Austria is now more open than it has been for centuries—where the Holy Scriptures can be freely given and the gospel can be preached without hindrance—there are still hardly any evangelists taking advantage of this opportunity. The Bible is widely available, yet gospel preaching is as rare as in almost any country in the world. I would especially commend this to your prayers: that God, by His Spirit, would raise up and equip evangelists to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ throughout that nation.

Next, we are asked to pray for God’s overruling mercy over unbiblical decisions in the Ecumenical Council. We can take comfort in knowing that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the Lord Jesus, the great Head of the Church. He rules and governs, and even when it isn’t visible, it remains true that He is in control of the universe. “So far, and no farther" can men go (see Job 38:11). The wrath of men will ultimately praise the Lord (see Psalm 76:10, ESV), who can bring good out of every evil. Yet it is still our duty to keep praying. Day by day, as these leaders meet, we should ask God to work so that good may come from this council.

We are to ask God for greater unity and a fuller cooperation of believers in Christ. I was so delighted when I read this. What will bring believers together in unity? Someone might suggest, “Oh, we must give up our differences.” Let me tenderly and gently say, “I don’t think so.” I do not believe that a closer union among believers can be achieved by giving up the truths we believe God has taught us in Scripture. That is not the way. The key is to keep our differences in their proper places and to let the foundational truths of faith have their proper place. We do not set aside what we hold to be God’s truth “for this evening,” nor should we expect others to do so. By God’s grace, we must live according to Scripture: “Buy the truth and do not sell it” (Proverbs 23:23, NIV). We should seek it with diligence, prayer, and, if necessary, great sacrifice—and once we have it, we must never surrender it, not even for our freedom or our life.

Yet this is only one side of the truth. The other side is that the foundational truths of our faith are so great, so precious, and so overwhelmingly glorious that if we truly lived in their light—valuing and enjoying them—we would be compelled to love one another, and being knit together in love, we would be united in Christ. We all share the same Savior, and by faith in Him, we belong to one family. Through the gospel, we become children of God and members of the same heavenly household. If we truly grasped that we share one Father in heaven, one Savior, one redemption through the same precious blood, and one Spirit who unites us into one body—if we truly remembered that we are all traveling the same road to the same eternal home—then differences of opinion could never divide or alienate us.

Beloved, there is a special joy and sweetness in truly embracing our membership in Christ’s body and loving fellow believers, even when we differ from them. We should love one another for Christ’s sake, without questioning what branch of the Church they belong to. I ask only one question: “Are you a disciple of the Lord Jesus? Do you love Him?” This question must be answered. There can be no spiritual fellowship apart from this. Let us pray earnestly to live increasingly in what we share in Christ so that, as we anticipate our shared heavenly home, we will naturally be drawn to love one another. 

Finally, we are to pray for “the speedy coming of His kingdom.” I cannot sit down without saying a word on this subject to those who don’t know the Lord! When we say, “Your kingdom come,” it implies that we are prepared for it. Are you prepared? We should be! “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3, NIV). “You must be born again” (John 3:8, NIV). Are you? We must believe the gospel and place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or we cannot enter His kingdom. The first step is to believe the gospel. If you are not yet on Christ’s side, do you realize that you are a sinner? If you are unsure, read the first few chapters of Romans and see your condition. Pray that God would open your understanding. When you recognize your sin, stand honestly before God, acknowledging it and condemning yourself—but don’t stop there. Receive the gospel! Believe it right now. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36, NIV). Everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus receives forgiveness for countless sins.

To anyone here who is not yet on Christ’s side, I say affectionately: “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6, NIV). Perhaps you have come among God’s people to receive a blessing, just as I once did—and came away a believer, rejoicing in the Lord. My prayer is that you may receive Christ, put your trust in Him, and then that blessing will be yours.

Let us, therefore, commit ourselves to prayer—daily lifting up the work of God in our midst, the knowledge of His Word, the outpouring of His Spirit, and the unity of His people—trusting that He will accomplish His purposes and bring His kingdom in power. And for those who have not yet received Christ, may you seek Him now, believe in Him, and enter into the eternal joy of His kingdom.