November 2017 Newsletter

Zinzendorf? Who's that? (Reading Time 2:58 min) 👍

November 13, 2017

To know God...and make Him known.

"May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!'

(Reading time 2:58 min)

Aloha , 

I wanted to share with you about a man whose life has blessed me…and yours as well I’m sure. God has been using his life (and subsequent impact) to move me further in zeal for the Kingdom of Heaven and for the glory of God to be revealed to all nations. 

His name…

was Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf and is also known as Count Zinzendorf. He was instrumental to the Moravian Revival of 1727. Zinzendorf was a learned man from a noble family. He was born in 1700 in Dresden, Germany. He originally wanted to spend his life “living among the peasants and win their souls for Christ.” This was after meeting the Danish missionary Zieganbalg. Instead of pursuing this dream, he was sent to study law in Wittenberg by his parents. He finished his studies in 1719 and moved on to an educational tour throughout Europe. He was inspired even more by studies in theology and church life. 

One moment, in particular, during his Europe tour has really stuck with me. 

While he was in the art museum at Dusseldorf, he saw a painting by Domenico Feti entitled “Ecce Homo” (“Behold the Man”). This was a painting of Jesus with the crown of thorns pressed down on his head and blood running down his face. Under the painting, it said, “I have done this for you; what have you done for me?” This moment was completely life-changing for Zinzendorf. He said to himself, “I have loved him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for him. From now on I will do whatever he leads me to do.” For the rest of his life, the blood of Jesus had a central place in the doctrine and devotion of Zinzendorf and the community he built at Herrnhut.

A piece of ART moved him to live a life that was far from ordinary.

In 1721 he got married, a marriage he describes as “Streitehe” or for the sake of spreading the Gospel. In 1722, at the age of 22, he bought the German town Berthelsdorf. He expanded the property to include construction of a new village called Herrnhut (“The Lord’s Watch”). This became a place for religious refugees to come for safety, particularly the Moravians fleeing persecution. To make a long story short, Zinzendorf led this community to incredible unity and peace. It became a community known for its unparalleled missionary zeal. In 1727 the community started an around the clock “prayer watch” that lasted unbroken for 100 years! They covenanted to each take an hour to pray so that continuous prayer would go day and night. 

65 years later… 

The prayer chain was still unbroken and the community had sent about 300 missionaries to unreached people in the West Indies, Greenland, Lapland, Turkey, and North America. These missionaries were utterly and radically dedicated to making Jesus known. The first two young missionaries to leave the community for the West Indies, perhaps never to return (20 out of the first 29 missionaries to St. Thomas and St. Croix died in those first years), lifted their hands and called out to their friends and family on shore, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!” Other Moravian missionaries even came into contact with John Wesley on a voyage to North America. They radically changed his life. 

Has Jesus obtained the reward of his suffering in your life?

When you think about what Jesus has done for you, are you content with what he has of you? Are you holding back any of the reward of his suffering? I know that I have been challenged by that thought and moved to press even more into my art of music. If a beautiful painting can move someone to such zeal for the Lord, I know that my music can as well. I will be thinking about this in great measure…especially as I teach again this week in the School of Worship and officially launch the YWAM Kona Music Recording Studio.

1 Corinthians 5:14-15

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 

May the lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!

My prayer is that this saying would become our true heart's desire as the body of Christ. Amen.

 Peace be with you always,

-Chris, Lizzi, Malakai, Laila, and Rhema-

P.S. - We would love to hear how you are all doing! We hope that the holiday season is filled with radical joy of the Lord!!P.P.S - We would be honored if you would consider us the "McCalls on Mission" as you plan your year-end giving! Be on the look-out for a year-end giving email!

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