God’s Answer
The name “George Mueller” is synonymous with prayer, faith and orphanages, and rightly so. But through the first years he worked with orphans, through to housing and caring for 2050 children forty years later, Mueller also led the Bethesda Chapel in Bristol. While its early years saw the greatest growth, the chapel remained a vibrant witness for Christ throughout.
The Chapel was part of the Brethren movement under the overall leadership of J.N.Darby. This arrangement had initially been mutually helpful to both Darby and Mueller, but Darby’s increasing exclusivity finally became an issue Mueller could not keep silent on. Darby wanted to maintain the purity of the Brethren movement by curtailing involvement between its members with anyone outside the Brethren membership. George Mueller saw such a move as antagonistic to the heart of the gospel, and determined to keep the Bethesda Chapel doors open to visitors. Darby finally had the Bethesda Chapel and any churches associated with it excommunicated. Mueller always held Darby in high estimation but could not compromise his understanding of the gospel.
God’s answer to the world is always His Son, Jesus Christ, ministered to the world through His people, the church. Christ and His church cannot be separated. The church is Christ’s body. The church has always been Christ’s arms opened to the world, calling the world to a new life under Christ’s ruler-ship. The church’s message is the gospel and any message or emphasis that takes from the gospel is to be questioned. George Mueller saw that as a black and white issue, and so should we.
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