EPILOGUE

We began this book with the lifetime daily prayer of John Stott. And we end it with some quotations from the last sermon he ever preached, at the Keswick Convention in July 2007. He later included that sermon in his book The Radical Disciple. His theme was Christlikeness. He preached passionately that God’s supreme will for all Christian believers is that we should become more and more like Christ.

Stott argued we are to be like Christ in his incarnation (Phil 2), in his service as a slave (Jn 13), in his self-giving love (the cross), in his endurance of suffering (1 Pet 2:21), and in his mission (Jn 17:18; 20:21). Then he moved on to the theme of

Christlikeness and the challenge of evangelism. Why is it that our evangelistic efforts are often fraught with failure? Several reasons may be given . . . but one main reason is that we don’t look like the Christ we proclaim. . . .

A Hindu professor, identifying one of his students as a Christian, once said, “If you Christians lived like Jesus, India would be at your feet tomorrow.”

Finally, Stott came to the question of how we can ever become like Christ, and his answer connects with his daily prayer, and with the whole of this book.

Christlikeness and the indwelling of the Spirit. I have spoken much about Christlikeness, but how is it possible for us? In our own strength it is clearly not, but God has given us his Holy Spirit to enable us to fulfill his purpose. William Temple used to illustrate the point from Shakespeare in this way:

It’s no good giving me a play like Hamlet or King Lear, and telling me to write a play like that. Shakespeare could do it. I can’t.

And it’s no good showing me a life like the life of Jesus and telling me to live a life like that. Jesus could do it, I can’t.

But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write plays like his.

And if the Spirit of Jesus could come and live in me, then I could live a life like his.

God’s purpose is to make us like Christ, and God’s way is to fill us with his Holy Spirit.

Perhaps the best way to finish is with the gentle prayer song written by Albert Orsborn, which combines the longing for Christlikeness with the work of the Spirit.

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

All his wondrous compassion and purity

O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine

Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.