Dr. Sabu T. Mathai

It was the year 1719. The young man was looking and standing at the gates of the Art Gallery; something was beckoning him into the Museum. The young man had been a Christian all along. He belonged to an aristocratic family and his father was an important noble in the King's Court. The only acceptable vocation for him was a career in the law, before he joined the Court. But his mind was not in it. His heart was set of Christian ministry - yet he had no nerve to break his family traditions; for it was sure to break their hearts. He was caught in two minds. The bondages of wealth and nobility was heavy in his heart.

It was in this restless heart that the young man stepped into the Art Gallery at Dusseldorf, Germany. He was on the Grand Tour of Europe seeking a balm for his tossed up mind. He moved through the corridors of Art Gallery. Suddenly his eyes became glued to the painting of a man carrying a heavy cross upon His head was a crown of thorns. It was as if the eyes of the Man in the painting was pleading with the young man. There was an inscription written below the painting. It read "All this I did for you what are you doing for me? The young man stood unmoved before the painting. It was `Dominico Fetis' great painting titled "Eeec Hom - 'Behold the Man.' The young man was profoundly moved by the appealing eyes of the Man who held the cross. It was a direct call to the young man's disturbed mind. His heart was being baptised in a new power of Love. All the bonds of family traditions that had leashed the young man's heart seem to melt away in the power of that beckoning Love. Nothing could restrain him any more. He knelt down at that place and committed his life to the Man carrying the cross. He, could never again be happy, living the life of a noble man. No matter what the cost, he would seek a life of service for the Saviour who had suffered so much to save him. The young man stepped out of the art gallery with a resolve in his eyes and a new vision in his heart.

The young man was Nikolaus Ludwig Von Zinzendorf. He was the heir of one of Europes' leading families, who boasted of royal lineage on both sides. The nobles of the family were addressed as the Counts. At his birth, Nikolaus, inherited the little Count Zinzendorf. His mother was a woman who knew the Saviour intimately. She recorded his birth in the Bible on May 26, 1700, with a prayer to the Father of Mercy, `to govern the heart of the child, that he may walk blamelessly in the path of the virtue. She also prayed that "his path be fortified in His word."

Just six weeks after his birth, his father died from tuberculosis, leaving him to be raised by his mother and his aunt. But subsequent to the remarriage of his mother, he went to live with his aunt Henrietta and his grandmother. Now both these women were godly, spiritual women who influenced little Zinzendorf deeply.

At the young age of six, Zinzendorf became aware of Christ's love and gave his life to Christ at that early age. He grew up in an environment soaked in prayer, word of God and hymns. His dear aunt and his grandmother Shepherded him in his young life and they brought him to a sincere, genuine relationship with Christ. As a child, he was in the habit of writing letters to his Lord and tossing them out of the windows of his castle tower. When once the Swedish soldiers over ran the land and as they stormed the castle and burst into his room, they found the young Count in his knees in prayer. The soldiers were deeply moved by the young boy's passion to his Saviour.

Still he was a Count and he was not allowed to forget it. He was to be trained, disciplined and cultivated for the future Court Service. At the age of ten, he began his formal education of a school called Paedagogium (PEDAGOGIUM) at Halle, Germany. He graduated from the school as the top student. While at the school, he sat under the inspiring teachings of the great Lutheran Priest, August Herman Francke. Francke had the habit of constantly opening his home to young believers. He used to invite them for meetings as well as dinners.

One such evening was memorable for Count Zinzendorf. In that evening meeting of Francke's home, Zinzendorf met two protestant missionaries from India. They related to him what the Lord was doing in India. As they ate the meal together and listened to the stories, the Count was deeply stirred up in his heart. The seed of the missionary call for the young man was planted in his heart in that evening. His heart became the home of an intense spiritual struggle - the struggle between two calls on his life; are the one to leave everything and be available for his Saviour; the other to abide by family expectations to fulfil his hereditary role as a Count.

While at the school at Halle, Zinzendorf organised a secret society - The order of the Grain of Mustard seed - a Christian group committed to the spread of the Gospel. From Halle, Zinzendorf had to move to Wittenberg to study Law, in preparation for his family tradition of joining the Kings Court. During his time at Wittenberg, he made that life changing visit to Dusseldorf art gallery.

Though he had made the decision to leave everything for the Lord, the actual time of his joining the battlefield came much later. He had to assume his duties as a young Noble in the court of King August the Strong. Zinzendorf married Erdmuth Dorothea Von Reuss, a distant cousin of his. Zinzendorf's opening for Christian ministry came through landing of certain protestant refugees in his home, in 1722. They sought shelter in the Count's estate which he could not refuse. His estate Berthelsdorff, later named Herrnhut, meaning the Lord's watch' became home to many such refugees seeking shelter from persecution. These refugees were coming across the border from Moravia.

Soon the number of refugees arriving swelled and the estate developed into a thriving spiritual fellowship. There was tremendous opposition to this from his family members. But Count Zinzendorf was determined to heed the Spirit's call.

This was the opportunity that Zinzendorf was looking for. The living community of this Spiritual refugees became everything for the Count. In 1727, Count Zinzendorf left public life to spend all his time at the Berthelsdorff estate to work with the troubled Moravians.

This group was the womb from which came the great Moravian movement which changed the face of the Church. The Count Zinzendorf valued and considered living fellowship with Christ as the essential manifestation of Christian life. He sought for the Blessed presence of the Risen Lord at the Herrnhut. With this all consuming hunger in his heart, the Count began to pound the doors of heaven for a true visitation from above. He wanted another Pentecost at Herrnhut. He was on his knees for a fresh outpouring of the HOLY SPIRIT. He challenged the fellow believers at Herrnhut to seek for a fresh revival.

This constant yearning and longing for the presence of the Loving Lord was climaxed on August 13' 1727. During the communion service, held on the day, the heavens parted and the entire congregation came under the outpouring of the Heavenly comforter. In that great revival of the night, mighty and Risen Lord, took up His throne in each one's heart. The entire congregation was engulfed with a new passion for the Lord. No longer were theminor doctrinal differences a source of contention. Instead there was a strong bond of unity and a true dependence upon God. This was the moravian Pentecost heralding the birth of the Protestant World Mission movement.

This revival was followed by a Constant prayer revival. John Greenfield describes this for us. ` Was there ever in the whole of Church History, such an astonishing prayer meeting as that which beginning in 1727 went on for one hundred years? It was known as the Hourly Intercession. And it meant that relays of brothers and sisters, prayer without ceasing was made for God for all the works and wants of His church. The best antidote for a powerless Church is the influence of a praying man. The influence of Count Zinzendorfs prayer life did not stop with one small community; it ultimately went on to influence the whole world."

As Count Zinzendorf's passion for Jesus grew, so did his passion to the lost. He was determined to evangelize the world with a handful of Saints equipped only with a burning love for Jesus and the power of prayer. Thus the Moravian Brotherhood began to rise from the vision of their leader Count Zinzendorf.

A seal was designed for the Moravian Brotherhood to covey the motto of their life. The seal had the picture of a lamb on the crimson background, with the cross of resurrection and a banner of triumph with the inscription. Our Lamp has conquered; Let us follow Him." Moravians recognised themselves in debt to the world as trustees of the Gospel. They were taught to embrace a lifestyle of self-denial, sacrifice and prompt obedience, they responded to the call of the Lamb to go anywhere; the worst and the hardest places had first claim in their hearts. No soldiers of cross have ever been bolder as these pioneers, more patient or persistent in their difficulties, more heroic in their suffering or more entirely devoted to Christ and the souls of men than these Moravian Brotherhood. In 1731, while attending the Coronation of Danish King Christian III in Copenhagen Count Zinzendorf met Anthony Ulrich, a converted Negro slave from the west Indies. Anthony's tale of his peoples plight moved the counts heart. The Count invited Anthony Ulrich to come over to Herrnhof. Anthony's arrival brought a sense of urgency to the Moravian fold.

On October. 8, 1732, a Dutchship left Copenhagen harbour bound for West Indies on board were the first two Moravian Missionaries - John Leonard Dober, a potter and David Nitschman, a carpenter. Both were skilled Speakers and were ready to sell themselves into slavery to reach the brothers of Anthony Ulrich. As the ship sailed away, they lifted up a cry that would one day become a rallying call for all the Moravian Missionaries `May the Lamb that was slain, receive the reward of His Suffering." This Moravian passion for the souls was surpassed only by their passion for the Lamb of God - Jesus Christ.

In 1738, some years after the first missionaries had gone to Carribean, the Count himself, accompanied by three new missionaries joined them. When they reached West Indies, they were distressed to find the first two colleagues in prison. The Count wasted no time using his office and authority to secure their release. During his stay in West Indies, he conducted daily services for the Negroes and revamped the organisation structure and territorial assignment that the mission work was on a solid footing, he returned to Europe.

Again the Count set sails; this time to American colonies. There he labored alongside the brethren who were working with the Red Indians. He travelled much into the depth of the wilderness to meet the chieftains of several tribes and clans.

Herrhut was the realisation of Count Zinzendorf's vision of an apostolic community. He worked here to establish a community of Saints that loved and supported one another through prayer, encouragement and accountability.

The great John Wesley was genuinely converted through the Moravian influence. In 1738, John Wesley visited Herrnhut and was so impressed that he commented in his journal "I would gladly have spent all my life here......... oh! When shall this Christianity cover the earth as waters cover the sea!" Count Zinzendorf's work began togrow rapidly to Africa, America, Russia and other parts of the world. By the end of Count Zinzendorf's life there were active missions from Greeland to South Africa - literally from one end of the earth to the other.

Count Zinzendorf's life was not without flames. During his frequent travels, his family suffered much. His wife Erdmuth had to bear the brunt of Zinzendorf's long absence from home.

Yet one stands amazed by this man's passion and pre-occupation with the person of Lord Jesus Christ. Thus few lines from a letter that he penned reflects the depth of that passion that stirred up a great missionary movement - Our method of proclaiming Salvation is this; to point to every heart the Loving Lamb, who died for us and although He was the Son of God, offered himself for our sins.......... by the preaching of his blood and His love unto death, even the death of cross, never, either in discourse or argument to digress even for a quarter of an hour from the Loving Lamb, to name no virtue except in Him and from Him and His account -; to preach no commandment except faith in Him;- no other justification but that He atoned for us;- no other Sanctification, but the privilege to sin no more-; no other happiness but to be near Him-: to think of Him and do His

pleasure:- no other self denial but to be deprived of Him and His blessings:- no other calamity but to displease Him:­no other life but in Him:­

Count Zinzenorf died in 1760 at Herrnhot. The history of the Church has been lit us by the flames of passions of those Saints who were ardent lovers of Christ Jesus. Count Zinzendorf belonged to such a class of Saints. Our failure lies in our half-hearted devotion and open disregard of the Lover of Our Souls. Let us return to our Bridegroom with a heart wrenching repentance and with a cry to stir up that flames of our FIRST LOVE for Him.

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