Uprooted from His Grandmother’s Care
At the age of ten, Lutz was uprooted from his grandmother’s castle by his mother and taken to the Pietist Boarding School Halle Paedagogium, 120 miles from his grandmother’s estate. Since he was a nobleman of high rank, Ludwig was expected to train for service in the Saxon court as his family assumed that he would become a highly important court counsellor, just like his father and grandfather before him.
Challenging School Years
Unfortunately, his years at Halle were nothing like his pleasant childhood. In spite of attending a Christian school, Lutz was bullied by the older boys because of his money, his noble rank, and his intelligence. “With a few exceptions, my schoolfellows hated me throughout,” Ludwig wrote later.
Even his personal tutor, Daniel Crisenius, scorned his commitment to Jesus and blackmailed him for his allowance. “I have always thought that your grandmother thought far too much of you,” Crisenius sneered. “And if you tell her I said that, I shall tell her you are too lazy to study!”
Spiritual Strength in Adversity
Because God had a plan for Ludwig’s life, He used the young count’s boyhood trials to build steadfastness in his “inner man,” giving him the spiritual strength to endure criticism while remaining strong in his faith. Lutz became determined. “This shame shall not crush me. On the contrary, it shall raise me up!”
The young count grew both academically and spiritually and found a few like-minded friends to join him in his quest to follow Christ. It was God’s blessing that enabled him to excel both in knowledge and personal character, an important combination that God desires all believers to possess.
A Secret Christian Society
At twelve years old, Lutz and his four closest school friends formed a secret Christian society dedicated to prayer, Bible study, and faithful adherence to the teachings of Jesus Christ. They were the least popular boys in school, picked on for their lack of size and strength, but they no longer cared. One of the young men, Baron Friedrich von Watteville, became Ludwig’s closest friend and confidante for life.
Called to Ministry
Ludwig sensed the call to be an evangelist or minister at a very young age. His example was Jesus Himself, who was only twelve years old when He confused the great minds of His day in the temple. In the Old and New Testaments, we read about young people called into ministry, Joseph, Samuel, David, Timothy, and others. We do not see as much of this in the church today as we should.
The Order of the Mustard Seed
The young count named his secret society “The Order of the Mustard Seed,” because he believed that their small seed of faith would grow into a large tree of service to the Lord.
Tale Tuesday 098
Date: 1st October, 2024
Title: : COUNT NIKOLAUS LUDWIG VON ZINZENDORF (Part 5)
Source: God’s generals- The Missionaries
Author: Roberts Liardon
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