Free Taster 3...

"Although revivals ultimately end in the conversion of people opposed to Christianity, they always begin inside the Church. When William Booth boldly declared 'send the fire' in his stirring hymn, he cried to God 'Look down and see this waiting host, give us the promised Holy Ghost, we need another Pentecost!' As we seek another Pentecost we might be encouraged to recall that the first one happened in a meeting attended by a group of fearful, sinful, doubting men and women prone to denial, failure and fear. The weaknesses swept aside by Pentecost were personal to each individual disciple. Pentecost didn't demolish the temple, or wipe out the Pharisees or edit the law – it dealt with the individual. Revival will always be the revival of the individual – the more individuals that are revived, the fiercer the flames of revival will burn.

It is no wonder then, that in spite of their many inquiries, the collective denominations that make up the Christian church have been unable to write a strategy for recovery, for the problem lies not in the fabric or the methodology of the church but in the heart of individual believers. Indeed, God can only revive congregations one soul at a time and he does that through holiness.

When Christ speaks about the Church, he uses the metaphor of a body. It is the nature of cells, whether they be healthy or cancerous, to reproduce. Decline will either continue or be reversed according to the health of individual cells. There is nothing wrong with the head or the heart of the church, it is the unhealthy cells that make up the body, through which the head and heart try to operate, that bring about failure."

Grace and peace, A

The 8th of the 8th 2008!

There was no alarm clock to rouse me this morning – we’re on holiday. I woke when I woke, had a shower and drove the few miles to Whitstable. I parked the car in the harbour car park at 8:08!

There’s a lovely little coffee shop at the end of the High Street and it seemed appropriate to start this particular quiet time here in the temple of one of my addictions.

There was a great deal to consider as I submitted today’s entry for ‘The Salvation Soldier’s Guide’ and the following verses (all found in today’s reading) held particular significance.

First 2 Samuel 23:5

“Is not my house right with God?
Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,
arranged and secured in every part?
Will he not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire?”

Then 1 Chronicles 22:11-13

"Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Then, perhaps most significant of all I the light of what Finney has to say about holiness -

"My will be swallowed up in Thee;
Light in Thy light still may I see
In Thine unclouded face.
Called the full strength of trust to prove.
Let all my quickened heart be love,
My spotless life be praise."

During this period of quiet reflection it seemed appropriate to read Romans 8.

How can a Christian refuse the validity and (therefore) justified claims of holiness when faced with this chapter?

Verse 8 seems to take the necessity for holiness beyond debate to anyone who wants to be useful to God – “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”

I definitely want to ‘please God’ - it is (as it should be for all Salvationists) my raison d’être. Finney has helped me enormously this week and I believe that thanks to him I now fully understand what needs to be done.

‘Christian perfection’ happens when Christians experience and respond to the love of God. This response must be what Finney calls ‘disinterested benevolence’ – that is love which is given naturally with no thought about what it costs us or what potential blessing it might deliver. This is proper Christian love, it results in a life naturally focussed on God and his desires without room for any other consideration. It is only love like this that can enable us to give up all that is ‘sinful and doubtful’ and devote all that remains to God.

There is a struggle associated with the attainment of holiness, however this fight should not be with the minutiae of our consecration – holiness doesn’t begin with a comprehensive list of those things we must give up. Our struggle must be the struggle that Christ had in Gethsemane. This battle must centre on our will and the will of our Father in heaven.

The ultimate question every believer must answer is who am I going to serve? Who am I going to obey? This is the issue that determined whether Calvary went ahead or not and this is the issue that Paul devotes so much time to in his letter to the Romans.

What then does God expect of us? What standard of behaviour is he hoping to see in our lives? ‘If you love me’ says Jesus ‘you will obey my commandments’. It is loving that matters most, love involves the heart and it is within our hearts that our motives and desires are born – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.’

How do I know if my love is genuine? The answer is simple - If I obey then I love, love and obedience are inextricably linked. Where can I find such love? The answer must always be in our own Gethsemane. Seekers after holiness are still required to go ‘beyond the brook’; for it is only here that ‘the whole of love’s demands’ can be resolved.

Today will prove to be a significant day because I choose to make it so, if I employ my will to meet God full on and in that encounter declare my complete love for him then holiness (and all it promises to give to me, my family and Dartford) will be mine.

Will this happen on the 8th of the 8th 2008?

I see no reason why not – watch this space :-)

Much love and prayers A

Finney and Holiness on holiday!

It's 7:55am and all the family are asleep. I've just posted today's entry for The Salvation Soldiers Guide and have just concluded a short time of personal prayer and reflection.

I've almost finished Finney's 'Lectures to Professing Christians' and it has been well worth the wrestle.

I like reading Finney because (although he wrote 150 years ago) he has a fresh approach to the bible - nobody else quite sees Christianity like he does.

Take for example his attitude to 'Christian Perfection'. Finney says things about holiness that out of context would sound like heresy - for example - Finney declares that everyone (whether regenerated or not) has within them the natural ability to obey God. At first this sounds unbiblical but then Finney unwraps the statement. What is it that really hold us back? Is it inability or a lack of desire? Is the problem that we can't obey God or more properly the fact that we choose not to? Finney then goes on to say that a change in our attitude depends upon two things working together in harmony - the power of grace through regeneration and the submission of our will to God.

Finney is very big on the importance of the will.

I am, according to Finney, what I choose to be and I do what I choose to do. Christian Perfection is nothing more than a man or woman simply obeying God - moment by moment. Such a thought of course calls to mind Paul's 'living sacrifice'.

I have always though that these verses in Romans 12 are key verses in the understanding of holinesss and I further think that the way they are rendered in the message is excellent.

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

It is this 'living sacrifice' - the complete and utter consecration of my 'everyday, ordinary life' my 'sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life' that will become the focus of my prayers between now and Friday.

Love and prayers

A

“Further up, and further in!”

I once went for a job interview where I was asked to list all my weaknesses and all my strengths. I filled up a whole page with weaknesses and my list of strengths contained just one – “ability to identify weaknesses”!

On reflection I was a bit hard on myself yesterday – completely honest – but probably not totally fair. My CSM said to me last night (he had read my blog) “Andrew if the Mercy Seat was lined every week with new converts you’d still not be satisfied” and he’s probably right :-)

What I was trying to say yesterday is that spiritual achievement is directly proportional to spiritual commitment and subsequent obedience and as Finney reminds us if we surrender 99.9% to God but knowingly hold back .9% that act of deliberate disobedience is sin.

It’s a good job we can bring grace into the equation or none of us would get to heaven!

I feel that something good and exciting is in the air, I feel that we as a movement (and Dartford as a Corps) are ready to enter the promised land, but our victory depends on surrendering to God ‘the devoted things’ and moving further along the path of holiness.

I recently re-read ‘The last battle’ (final book in the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis). As the characters make their way to heaven they are constantly urged to go “further up, and further in!” one of them encourages the others with the observation that “the further up and the further in you go, the bigger everything gets. The inside is larger than the outside.”

Our human perspective often leads us to be deceived! We act as if this is the real world, as if everything is down to us and our limited ability and resources when in fact reality is where God dwells and this is the ‘truth that sets us free’. On our own we can do nothing but with God we can do everything! Too often all we can see is the narrow doorway through which we are commanded to pass into greater achievement and effectiveness (and it is narrow), but we can’t see beyond to the wonderful possibilities opening up just beyond. What we need isn’t more discipline or greater self denial we just need more ‘faith’.

“Lord I believe help thou my unbelief!”

Love and prayers

A

Yuill tidings, old chestnuts and holiness!

The arguments set forward by TSA for remaining non-sacramental have, over the years, been well presented and are well known.
Those arguments have been summarised and dismissed in an article by Chick Yuill in the Rubicon (for more detail and context go here)

Yuill dismisses the surpassing importance of personal holiness over and above ceremony and rite as follows:

“That line of argument—beautifully, movingly and poetically expressed by Albert Orsborne—has been that the sacramental principle is too big and too important to be limited to a ceremony and that, properly understood, the true sacrament is the fully surrendered life of the Christian… This, to me, is the Army’s position at its best. But alas, it now seems that the noble and worthy position of Orsborne and his like has been hijacked and even perverted into a rather unpleasant statement of superiority—one which not only denigrates the convictions of many sincere, seeking and troubled Salvationists, but also effectively dismisses almost the entire Christian church who do not share our position.”

I find this paragraph highly offensive to those sincere proponents of personal holiness who do not see themselves as superior to the rest of the church but sincerely and humbly believe in the “noble and worthy position of Orsborne” The Osborne position is still valid – the only reason it seems weak isn’t because it has been hijacked or perverted by those who see themselves as superior but because the demands of holiness appear unrealistic (or perhaps unpalatable) to the majority of contemporary Christians. Even if this argument was ‘perverted’ surely our responsibility toward what was once ‘a noble and worthy position’should be to reclaim it and restore it not discard it.

Chick goes on to say

“I would contend, however, that the real issue—and here I come to the heart of my argument—is not that red juice fascinates less spiritual comrades who are not sufficiently tutored in the blessing of a clean heart, but that faith in Jesus Christ as a perfectly adequate, all-sufficient Saviour does not nullify our humanity.”

I agree that holiness does not ‘nullify our humanity’; holy people remain quite capable of making mistakes and still require the grace of God to motivate and maintain their holiness. Humanity also makes us susceptible to the power of symbols and ritual. However, whilst holiness does not ‘nullify our humanity’ it does supplant our human nature by creating the image of Jesus in us.

Charles Finney used to argue that if a believer surrenders 99% of their life to God and knowingly withholds 1% their sacrifice is worthless, as the 1% withheld represents deliberate disobedience and deliberate disobedience amounts to sin. Holiness is about grace inspired and fuelled surrender – complete surrender. A completely surrendered life might well remember Christ at mealtimes (indeed at all times throughout the day!) but would have no need of a ceremony in order to remind themselves of the one to whom they have consecrated themselves and who, in return has sanctified them.

This issue is hugely important because without meeting the demands of holiness the church – let alone TSA has no future! This is why our denominational witness is so important.
As a mission we need to travel light – our job is to make converts, enrol soldiers, train evangelists, fight for social justice and help people to lead holy lives.

I have read and re-read Yuill’s article with great care, and whilst the reintroduction of the sacraments might expand or broaden our corporate and personal worship I cannot see how it could possibly make us a more effective mission.

If our mandate is still to save the maximum number of people in the minimum amount of time how would such a change help?

Surely what we ought to do is just get back to preaching the gospel, pressing for decisions, supporting converts, helping people live holy lives.

The restoration of communion (in whatever form) might make Sunday more fun for believers but do very little for the lost.

One final thing – if Salvationists feel so strongly about this issue there area plethora of evangelical churches they can join which will adequately meet their needs. For those of us committed to a non-sacramental stance there is only TSA.

Dare I say that the main reason many (not all but many) Salvationists want to see the sacraments return is because defending the Army's position becomes increasingly tiresome when they are constantly rubbing shoulders with sacramental Christians on the 'preaching circuit'. It's bad enough always having to say 'sorry I don't drink I'm a Salvationist' but at least that only usually happens in a secular environment but constantly being asked 'why don't you have communion' for some is obviously a bit wearing.

Love and prayers

A

Revival and the need for repentnance - this is positive!

An anonymous comment on my blog has asked for something positive - how about the following from the Daddy of Revivals Finney.

WHAT IS REVIVAL?
By Charles Finney

It presupposes that the church is sunk down in a backslidden state, and a revival consists in the return of the Church from her backslidings and the conversion of sinners.

1. The foundations of sin need to be broken up. A revival always includes conviction of sin on the part of the church. Backslidden professors cannot wake up and begin right away in the service of God without deep searchings of heart. The fountains of sin need to be broken up. In a true revival, Christians are always brought under such conviction; they see their sins in such a light that often they find it impossible to maintain a hope of their acceptance with God. It does not always go to that extent, but there are always, in a genuine revival, deep convictions of sin, and often cases of abandoning all hope.

2. Revival is a new beginning of obedience with God. Just as in the case of a converted sinner, the first step is a deep repentance, a breaking down of heart, a getting down into the dust before God, with humility, and a forsaking of sin.

3. Backslidden Christians will be brought to repentance. A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God. Just as in the case of a converted sinner, the first step is a deep repentance, a breaking down of heart, a getting down into the dust before God, with deep humility, and a forsaking of sin.

4. Christians will have their faith renewed. While they are in their Backslidden state they are blind to the state of sinners. Their hearts are hard as marble. The truths of the Bible appear like a dream. They admit it to be all true; their conscience and their judgment assent to it; but their faith does not see it standing out in bold relief, in all the burning realities of eternity. But when they enter into a revival, they no longer see "men as trees, walking," but they see things in that strong light which will renew the love of God in their hearts. This will lead them to labor zealously to bring others to Him. They will feel grieved that others do not love God, when they love Him so much. And they will set themselves feelingly to persuade their neighbors to give Him their hearts. So their love to men will be renewed. They will be filled with a tender and burning love for souls. They will have a longing desire for the salvation of the whole world. They will be in an agony for individuals whom they want to have saved--their friends, relations, enemies. They will not only be urging them to give their hearts to God, but they will carry them to God in the arms of faith, and with strong crying and tears beseech God to have mercy on them, and save their souls from endless burnings.

5. A revival breaks the power of the world and of sin over Christians. It brings them to such vantage ground that they get a fresh impulse towards heaven; they have a new foretaste of heaven, and new desires after union with God; thus the charm of the world is broken, and the power of sin overcome.

6. When the Churches are thus awakened and reformed, the reformation and salvation of sinners will follow. Their hearts will be broken down and changed. Very often the most abandoned profligates are among the subjects. Harlots, and drunkards, and infidels, and all sorts of abandoned characters, are awakened and converted. The worst of human beings are softened and reclaimed, and made to appear as lovely specimens of the beauty of holiness.

7. When a revival can be expected? A revival may be expected when Christians have a spirit of prayer for a revival. That is, when they pray as if their hearts were set upon it. When Christians have the spirit of prayer for a revival. When they go about groaning out their hearts desire. When they have real travail of soul.

I think that this is very positive - my Isaiah 1 posting was not about God destroying the Army it was about the fact that God wants to revive one of his favoured Children - God wants to know if we are up for it? Are we willing to meet the conditions he has set down for revival - he wants to revive us!

Overall the responses I have recieved would seem to suggest that we are willing and that is positive.

It would appear that we really do 'want another pentecost' and it will start when we get on our knees... and on our knees is where many of us are often found - Hallelujah!

Bring it on Lord Jesus bring it on!

Yours praying for and expecting revival!

A