February is black history month. I often wonder what it would have been like to be a pastor during the struggle for Civil Rights under Martin Luther King Jr. I have been to his church in Alabama and have read all I can about that time period that wasn’t all that long ago. Sometimes I ponder on the American Civil War, I sit and think if I were Pastor of Preaching Christ Church then, where would we land on such critical issues? Would I preach for justice?
I pray that if I had been alive during those seasons of struggle for freedom, that I would have chosen to stand against public opinion and labored with those who believed in equality. I have the highest admiration for those who fought for the oppressed and spoke for those without a voice.
The Slave Trade Industry was just a part of society for people living in the 18th Century, most never considered the horrendous conditions of those living as slaves, especially the young William Wilberforce. He was born into a wealthy family August 24, 1759. Receiving his education from St. John’s (Cambridge), he decided to enter politics at age 21, being elected to Parliament in 1780.
Wilberforce was soundly converted to evangelical Christianity in 1785 through the Anglican Church. This was a significant turning point as God would set a course, not only for his life, but for the entire nation. He wasn’t sure if he could remain a Christian and still remain in politics. His spiritual mentor was none other than John Newton, that great giant of the faith who was once a slave trader himself, who after receiving the rich grace of salvation, wrote our beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace.” He helped William see the influence he could have within parliament as a Christ-follower against the Slave Trade Industry. William wrote, “So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the Trade’s wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition.”
Now assured of God’s calling to politics, he said, “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.” Although he was small of stature and frail because of various ailments, often being bedridden for weeks at a time, God raised him up as a “lighting rod” before Parliament to lead the way for the abolition of slavery in England.
The fight for freedom would be long and bitter. The Abolitionist had to decide which to attack first, the institution of slavery or the profitable Slave Trade Industry. They chose Slave Trade. William made his first argument against the evils of the Trade to Parliament in May 1789. The members of Parliament scoffed at him as the Trade was considered vital to England’s economy. The bill didn’t even come up for vote until two years later. It lost by a landslide, 163 to 88.
William and his Abolitionists remained steadfast even though the entire decade of the 1790’s would seem unfruitful for the Cause. They tried educating the public through pamphlets, books, rallies and petitions.
Breakthrough came 18 long years later. On February 23, 1807, Parliament voted to end the Slave Trade, it passed by a nearly 18 to 1 margin. The bill to end Slave Trade became law in March 25, 1807. While they won the victory over the battle of slave trade, the war was far from over. Even though this bill abolished the Trade, it did not grant freedom to those who were already living under slavery.
Failing health caused Wilberforce to resign from politics in 1825. However, he remained active in promoting the Abolition of Slavery in England. He passed his leadership onto the younger generation, who was just a passionate to see slavery end. At age 71, he made his last public appearance to the Anti-Slavery Society in 1830.
The Slavery Abolition Bill passed on July 26, 1833. William died 3 days later. The victory had been won. This statesmen and great humanitarian was buried near his life-long friend, William Pitt, England’s youngest Prime Minister, in Westminster Abbey. The Slavery Abolition Bill became law in England on August 29, 1833, nearly one year later, on July 31, 1834, all 800,000 slaves in the British Empire was “Free at Last!”
Wilberforce made many other contributions to England as he set to “renew society.” He joined Hannah More in a social project Association for a Better Observance of Sunday, in which they provided all children with regular education in reading, personal hygiene and religion. He was a member of the Royal Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. He was also instrumental in encouraging Christian missionaries to go to India.
The world is changed because of William Wilberforce. To learn more about slavery in the 21st Century and the abolition of slavery in 2011, I encourage you to visit, www.thea21campaign.org.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
D.L. Moody - Reaching Chicago's Poor & Needy
On a cold January day in 2008, I stood outside the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. I was already familiar with the congregation’s history. I have loved many of its great pastors from Ironside to Redpath, from Wiersbe to their current pastor, Erwin Lutzer, who took the church the year I was born! But I have especially loved their founder, Dwight L. Moody. From day one, the church built upon the core value of caring for the poor and needy. However, I didn’t fully comprehend how true it was until I read the dedication plaque on the building itself. “Ever welcome to this house of God are strangers and the poor.” Tears came to my eyes as I thought of the countless people who are now in eternity with God because this local church opened its doors to the ones others would have turned away.
It amazes me that a church of such prestige would welcome the poor and needy. We’re talking about a congregation and a pastor who was a household name in the United States. They were (and are) the leaders in education (The Moody Institute) in publication (Moody Publishing) and in radio (Songs in the night; The Moody Church Hour and Running to Win). I stood there and prayed, “Father, let my church always be a home for the poor and needy.”
The Moody Church was not always so influential. It didn’t even begin as a church, but rather as an outreach to children. In the mid-1800’s at the age of 17, he moved from his home and large family in Northfield, Massachusetts to Boston where his uncle owned a shoe store. His uncle agreed to hire Dwight on the condition he would attend church. It was at the Congregation Church of Mount Vernon that Moody’s life would forever change. His Sunday School teacher, Mr. Edward Kimball, began to talk to Dwight about God’s love for him and how God had a plan for his life. He was soundly converted and would eventually dedicate his life to sharing the good news of the Gospel of Christ.
After the Civil War, which he was not able to enlist for, but still served many of the Union soldiers on the front lines, he married Emma C. Revell. They went on to have 3 children, a girl named Emma Reynolds Moody and two sons, William Revell and Paul Dwight Moody. His family moved to Chicago where he felt a deep burden to reach out to the street children he saw every day. He began a “Sunday School” that exploded in growth. By 1860, over 1,000 children and their parents were attending his program
So important was the aggressive work of this evangelist that even President-elect, Abraham Lincoln attended one of the services! It was the most innovative and well known outreach of the day. Naturally because of the growth from God’s blessings, they decided to become a local church. After searching for a permanent location, they built and dedicated a building on the corner of Illinois and Wells Street in Chicago. They named it, The Illinois Street Church and dedicated the building on December 30, 1864.
Moody was a remarkable pastor with an evangelist’s heart and it always showed in his passionate sermons. An anonymous man penned his conversion experience by saying this of Moody, “I went to hear Mr. Moody with no other idea than to have something to laugh at. I knew he was no scholar, and I felt sure I could find many flaws in his argument. But I found I could not get at the man. He stood there hiding behind the Bible and just fired one Bible text after another at me till they went home to my heart straight as bullets from a rifle. I tell you, Moody’s power is in the way he has his Bible at the tip of his tongue.”
On a Fall Sunday in 1871, Moody preached to a regular packed Illinois Street Church. However, no one anticipated the devastating event that was only hours away. To this day, the Great Chicago Fire is not fully known. The blaze began Sunday night October 8th and burned till the next day, October 9th. The devastation included over 300 deaths, 18,000 buildings were burned or destroyed and nearly 1/3 of Chicago’s 300,000 plus population was left homeless. It was one of the deadliest and costly events of the 19th Century. The Illinois Street Church was completely destroyed as well as Moody’s home and the homes of most of his church members.
But Chicago was a unique city. They immediately began rebuilding their city, and Moody’s people did the same. In less than three months, their new church was built. His congregation renamed themselves The Chicago Avenue Church after moving to another location. Their new structure was dedicated in June 1876 and was built to seat 10,000 people. Chicago built itself up in such a way it would become a major city in the United States in both population and economic growth.
The influence Moody had upon evangelical Christianity is hard to express in such a small article. Here are a few highlights of his preaching career. In the Spring of 1872, he did a preaching trip to England. This is when his popularity really exploded. He preached around 100 times on this trip. Many times, crowds of 2,000 – 4,000 people gathered to hear him. In one meeting at the Botanic Garden Palace, there was an estimated crowd of 15,000-30,000 people. When visiting Scotland, he met and worked with the famous Andrew Bonar. Even the “Prince of Preachers”, Charles Spurgeon invited Moody to speak at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. Moody also met the world renowned missionary to China, Hudson Taylor and aggressively supported the China Inland Missions. It is refreshing to me to research and read about these great relationships the people of God had with one another (especially in an era where they didn’t have the technology of communication such as phones, faxes, emails or websites). I’m always saddened to hear of one church leader making accusations against another church leader in the media. These men are a great example of Godly relationships to us today.
When Moody returned home to the United States, God’s blessings on his ministry continued to grow at an incredible rate. On January 19, 1876, President Grant and some of his cabinet attended one of Moody’s services. Moody lived and ministered at a time that our nation was healing through the Civil War. Indeed he was born, “For such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Mr. Moody’s final sermon came in the Great Hall of Kansas City on November 16, 1899. Feeling very ill, he boarded a train home to Chicago. He died a few days later surrounded by friends and family. While it’s not certain what caused his death, it is believed to be congestive heart failure.
Moody is famously quoted in one of his sermons as saying, “Someday you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this cold clay tenement into a house that is immortal – a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.”
The Chicago Avenue Church was renamed “The Moody Memorial Church” in D.L. Moody’s honor 10 years after his death. It continues to be a beacon of light and has stayed true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can learn more about the Moody Church by visiting their website at, www.moodychurch.org.
It amazes me that a church of such prestige would welcome the poor and needy. We’re talking about a congregation and a pastor who was a household name in the United States. They were (and are) the leaders in education (The Moody Institute) in publication (Moody Publishing) and in radio (Songs in the night; The Moody Church Hour and Running to Win). I stood there and prayed, “Father, let my church always be a home for the poor and needy.”
The Moody Church was not always so influential. It didn’t even begin as a church, but rather as an outreach to children. In the mid-1800’s at the age of 17, he moved from his home and large family in Northfield, Massachusetts to Boston where his uncle owned a shoe store. His uncle agreed to hire Dwight on the condition he would attend church. It was at the Congregation Church of Mount Vernon that Moody’s life would forever change. His Sunday School teacher, Mr. Edward Kimball, began to talk to Dwight about God’s love for him and how God had a plan for his life. He was soundly converted and would eventually dedicate his life to sharing the good news of the Gospel of Christ.
After the Civil War, which he was not able to enlist for, but still served many of the Union soldiers on the front lines, he married Emma C. Revell. They went on to have 3 children, a girl named Emma Reynolds Moody and two sons, William Revell and Paul Dwight Moody. His family moved to Chicago where he felt a deep burden to reach out to the street children he saw every day. He began a “Sunday School” that exploded in growth. By 1860, over 1,000 children and their parents were attending his program
So important was the aggressive work of this evangelist that even President-elect, Abraham Lincoln attended one of the services! It was the most innovative and well known outreach of the day. Naturally because of the growth from God’s blessings, they decided to become a local church. After searching for a permanent location, they built and dedicated a building on the corner of Illinois and Wells Street in Chicago. They named it, The Illinois Street Church and dedicated the building on December 30, 1864.
Moody was a remarkable pastor with an evangelist’s heart and it always showed in his passionate sermons. An anonymous man penned his conversion experience by saying this of Moody, “I went to hear Mr. Moody with no other idea than to have something to laugh at. I knew he was no scholar, and I felt sure I could find many flaws in his argument. But I found I could not get at the man. He stood there hiding behind the Bible and just fired one Bible text after another at me till they went home to my heart straight as bullets from a rifle. I tell you, Moody’s power is in the way he has his Bible at the tip of his tongue.”
On a Fall Sunday in 1871, Moody preached to a regular packed Illinois Street Church. However, no one anticipated the devastating event that was only hours away. To this day, the Great Chicago Fire is not fully known. The blaze began Sunday night October 8th and burned till the next day, October 9th. The devastation included over 300 deaths, 18,000 buildings were burned or destroyed and nearly 1/3 of Chicago’s 300,000 plus population was left homeless. It was one of the deadliest and costly events of the 19th Century. The Illinois Street Church was completely destroyed as well as Moody’s home and the homes of most of his church members.
But Chicago was a unique city. They immediately began rebuilding their city, and Moody’s people did the same. In less than three months, their new church was built. His congregation renamed themselves The Chicago Avenue Church after moving to another location. Their new structure was dedicated in June 1876 and was built to seat 10,000 people. Chicago built itself up in such a way it would become a major city in the United States in both population and economic growth.
The influence Moody had upon evangelical Christianity is hard to express in such a small article. Here are a few highlights of his preaching career. In the Spring of 1872, he did a preaching trip to England. This is when his popularity really exploded. He preached around 100 times on this trip. Many times, crowds of 2,000 – 4,000 people gathered to hear him. In one meeting at the Botanic Garden Palace, there was an estimated crowd of 15,000-30,000 people. When visiting Scotland, he met and worked with the famous Andrew Bonar. Even the “Prince of Preachers”, Charles Spurgeon invited Moody to speak at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. Moody also met the world renowned missionary to China, Hudson Taylor and aggressively supported the China Inland Missions. It is refreshing to me to research and read about these great relationships the people of God had with one another (especially in an era where they didn’t have the technology of communication such as phones, faxes, emails or websites). I’m always saddened to hear of one church leader making accusations against another church leader in the media. These men are a great example of Godly relationships to us today.
When Moody returned home to the United States, God’s blessings on his ministry continued to grow at an incredible rate. On January 19, 1876, President Grant and some of his cabinet attended one of Moody’s services. Moody lived and ministered at a time that our nation was healing through the Civil War. Indeed he was born, “For such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Mr. Moody’s final sermon came in the Great Hall of Kansas City on November 16, 1899. Feeling very ill, he boarded a train home to Chicago. He died a few days later surrounded by friends and family. While it’s not certain what caused his death, it is believed to be congestive heart failure.
Moody is famously quoted in one of his sermons as saying, “Someday you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this cold clay tenement into a house that is immortal – a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.”
The Chicago Avenue Church was renamed “The Moody Memorial Church” in D.L. Moody’s honor 10 years after his death. It continues to be a beacon of light and has stayed true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can learn more about the Moody Church by visiting their website at, www.moodychurch.org.
Monday, April 18, 2011
George Whitefield - A Mighty Oak of Righteousness
When the Lord places His hand on a person’s life, they are never the same again. God put His hand on George Whitefield, the effects were so strong; we can still feel them to this day over 200 years later. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones said Whitefield was the greatest preacher England ever produced. Spurgeon told his students that if he could model his life after anyone it would be George Whitefield. We in the United States could never calculate the impact his ministry had in early Colonial America. It was his powerful, sin-convicting preaching that influenced much of the Great Awakening.
Whitefield kept a relentless schedule during his 34 years of public ministry. It is estimated he preached between 40 to 60 hours each week, delivering some 18,000 sermons. Missionary work was very close to the evangelist’s heart. He took 7 mission trips to America, preaching up and down the east coast from Boston to Georgia. He took 3 preaching tours to Ireland and 14 trips to Scotland. Thousands upon thousands would gather to hear him in Great Britain. Benjamin Franklin, a close friend, estimated that when Whitefield preached outdoors, some 30,000 people could hear him.
He was born in Gloucester, England on December 16, 1714. His family owned the Bell Inn, however, his father passed away when George was only two years old. Eight years later his mother remarried a man named Capel Longden. Home life for George and it caused him to rebel in nearly everything. His mother ended up leaving Longden 5 years into the marriage.
In 1733, while enrolled at Oxford University, God began to awaken his heart through the help of new friends, the Wesley brothers. He had already committed to pray three times per day as well as fasting weekly and while he was doing other “religious exercises”, it felt as though something more was missing. He asked John Wesley if he could borrow a book, the classic, “Life of God in the Soul of Man” by Henry Scrougal. From this book, Whitefield says he learned, “I must be born again, or be damned.”
In the Spring of 1735, George Whitefield repented of his sin and confessed Jesus Christ becoming “Born Again.” He continued to grow in his walk with Christ. Matthew Henry’s Commentary was a valuable tool in the early years of learning how to walk with God.
It didn’t take long before Whitefield knew he was called to ministry. Friends and family were astonished at his first sermon. It seemed that Scripture poured out of him. Clearly Whitefield was born to do this. At one point he wrote , “Heavenly Father, for Thy dear Son’s sake, keep me from climbing.” This kind of humility would be a characteristic that would mark his entire ministry. Soon, thousands came to hear him, packing churches throughout London and Bristol. Even though he was enjoying a great deal of success in England, Whitefield felt a calling to visit the newly settled colony of Georgia. His voyage was delayed but he was able to use that time to publish 6 of his sermons which ended up sweeping Great Britain. In 1938 he was able to set sail for the new world.
He spent 3 months proclaiming the Gospel in America and God blessed with multitudes coming to Christ. Little did he know how much things had changed for him in England. The popularity he had enjoyed before coming to America had dissipated. Although he had been ordained in the Church of England, it seemed churches were closed to his ministry. Over time, he realized how the Sovereign hand of the Lord was pushing outside of churches to minister in open fields to common, everyday people. Remarkably, thousands came out to hear him until eventually tens of thousands came!
In August of 1739, Whitefield returned to America and found great success. This is when he met the influential Benjamin Franklin, and they became good friends often corresponding with one another. His preaching itinerary took him up and down the East coast. He prayerfully opened an orphanage called Bethesda in Georgia that was a life-long project he labored extensively over.
While his ministry in the colonies thrived, it seemed his ministry in England continued to suffer. Returning home in 1741, he got the shocking news that John Wesley had published a great deal of criticism about his ministry, publically attacking him for preaching the doctrines of grace. Most people know the Wesley’s were Armenians and Whitefield was a Calvinist. Nevertheless, Whitefield tried his best to keep the feud a private matter. While church history honors both Whitefield and Wesley, things could have been handled in a much better way. The important thing is that we, the church of today, learn from this example that brothers in Christ can disagree without being disagreeable. One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my pastoral ministry is that God blesses some people I disagree with!
The life of Whitefield was marked by humility. His supporters begged him to retaliate and defend himself, but the wise and mature Calvinist simply said, “Let my name be forgotten, let me be trodden under the feet of all men, if Jesus may thereby be glorified…Let us look above names and parties; let Jesus be our all in all…I care not who is uppermost. I know my place…even to be the servant of all.” He also wrote, “Oh, that I may learn from all I see to desire to be nothing and to think it my highest privilege to be an assistant to all but the head of none.” That my friend is humility.
Whitefield had the right perception concerning the Body of Christ and the many differences that can often separate and divide our fellowship. He said, “…I will strengthen the hands of all of every denomination that preach Jesus Christ in sincerity.” Now I am not an ecumenical pastor who believes that anyone with the name “Christian” is all inclusive. I believe that Christians who differ in issues of eternal security, baptism, tongues, spiritual gifts can still have spiritual fellowship through the redemption and rich grace of Jesus Christ. People who do not believe in the deity of Christ, the blood atonement, grace by faith and the authority of Scripture I could not fellowship with nor labor with. Those issues are non-negotiable doctrines.
A good current example is Rob Bell’s latest book, “Love Wins.” I have encouraged my congregation to steer clear of this dangerous work. Rob Bell is teaching universalism, that everyone will ultimately be redeemed and go to Heaven. If every person will one day end up in Heaven, then why would Christ have to die?
The point is this, Christians, the people of God, can enjoy fellowship and even labor together although we do not agree on each point of doctrine. I have always said that if two people think exactly alike then one is not thinking! Next month we will explore John Wesley’s life and in June, we will discuss Charles Simeon. Wesley and Simeon are marvelous examples of how Armenians and Calvinist can work together in Evangelicalism and still glorify God.
Toward the end of his life his health grew worse, yet he continued to travel and preach. He once had to travel to Holland to allow his health to recovery. After many more trips and countless sermons, he decided to sail once more to the American colonies.
His battered, weakened body barely made it to America for his final mission trip in 1769. He was very ill when he arrived. Beginning in 1790, he preached his last itinerary to large crowds as people flocked to hear him from city to city. He preached his final sermon on September 29, 1770. He died the following morning in the church’s parsonage in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where he is buried today. Over 6,000 people attended his funeral.
Whitefield kept a relentless schedule during his 34 years of public ministry. It is estimated he preached between 40 to 60 hours each week, delivering some 18,000 sermons. Missionary work was very close to the evangelist’s heart. He took 7 mission trips to America, preaching up and down the east coast from Boston to Georgia. He took 3 preaching tours to Ireland and 14 trips to Scotland. Thousands upon thousands would gather to hear him in Great Britain. Benjamin Franklin, a close friend, estimated that when Whitefield preached outdoors, some 30,000 people could hear him.
He was born in Gloucester, England on December 16, 1714. His family owned the Bell Inn, however, his father passed away when George was only two years old. Eight years later his mother remarried a man named Capel Longden. Home life for George and it caused him to rebel in nearly everything. His mother ended up leaving Longden 5 years into the marriage.
In 1733, while enrolled at Oxford University, God began to awaken his heart through the help of new friends, the Wesley brothers. He had already committed to pray three times per day as well as fasting weekly and while he was doing other “religious exercises”, it felt as though something more was missing. He asked John Wesley if he could borrow a book, the classic, “Life of God in the Soul of Man” by Henry Scrougal. From this book, Whitefield says he learned, “I must be born again, or be damned.”
In the Spring of 1735, George Whitefield repented of his sin and confessed Jesus Christ becoming “Born Again.” He continued to grow in his walk with Christ. Matthew Henry’s Commentary was a valuable tool in the early years of learning how to walk with God.
It didn’t take long before Whitefield knew he was called to ministry. Friends and family were astonished at his first sermon. It seemed that Scripture poured out of him. Clearly Whitefield was born to do this. At one point he wrote , “Heavenly Father, for Thy dear Son’s sake, keep me from climbing.” This kind of humility would be a characteristic that would mark his entire ministry. Soon, thousands came to hear him, packing churches throughout London and Bristol. Even though he was enjoying a great deal of success in England, Whitefield felt a calling to visit the newly settled colony of Georgia. His voyage was delayed but he was able to use that time to publish 6 of his sermons which ended up sweeping Great Britain. In 1938 he was able to set sail for the new world.
He spent 3 months proclaiming the Gospel in America and God blessed with multitudes coming to Christ. Little did he know how much things had changed for him in England. The popularity he had enjoyed before coming to America had dissipated. Although he had been ordained in the Church of England, it seemed churches were closed to his ministry. Over time, he realized how the Sovereign hand of the Lord was pushing outside of churches to minister in open fields to common, everyday people. Remarkably, thousands came out to hear him until eventually tens of thousands came!
In August of 1739, Whitefield returned to America and found great success. This is when he met the influential Benjamin Franklin, and they became good friends often corresponding with one another. His preaching itinerary took him up and down the East coast. He prayerfully opened an orphanage called Bethesda in Georgia that was a life-long project he labored extensively over.
While his ministry in the colonies thrived, it seemed his ministry in England continued to suffer. Returning home in 1741, he got the shocking news that John Wesley had published a great deal of criticism about his ministry, publically attacking him for preaching the doctrines of grace. Most people know the Wesley’s were Armenians and Whitefield was a Calvinist. Nevertheless, Whitefield tried his best to keep the feud a private matter. While church history honors both Whitefield and Wesley, things could have been handled in a much better way. The important thing is that we, the church of today, learn from this example that brothers in Christ can disagree without being disagreeable. One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my pastoral ministry is that God blesses some people I disagree with!
The life of Whitefield was marked by humility. His supporters begged him to retaliate and defend himself, but the wise and mature Calvinist simply said, “Let my name be forgotten, let me be trodden under the feet of all men, if Jesus may thereby be glorified…Let us look above names and parties; let Jesus be our all in all…I care not who is uppermost. I know my place…even to be the servant of all.” He also wrote, “Oh, that I may learn from all I see to desire to be nothing and to think it my highest privilege to be an assistant to all but the head of none.” That my friend is humility.
Whitefield had the right perception concerning the Body of Christ and the many differences that can often separate and divide our fellowship. He said, “…I will strengthen the hands of all of every denomination that preach Jesus Christ in sincerity.” Now I am not an ecumenical pastor who believes that anyone with the name “Christian” is all inclusive. I believe that Christians who differ in issues of eternal security, baptism, tongues, spiritual gifts can still have spiritual fellowship through the redemption and rich grace of Jesus Christ. People who do not believe in the deity of Christ, the blood atonement, grace by faith and the authority of Scripture I could not fellowship with nor labor with. Those issues are non-negotiable doctrines.
A good current example is Rob Bell’s latest book, “Love Wins.” I have encouraged my congregation to steer clear of this dangerous work. Rob Bell is teaching universalism, that everyone will ultimately be redeemed and go to Heaven. If every person will one day end up in Heaven, then why would Christ have to die?
The point is this, Christians, the people of God, can enjoy fellowship and even labor together although we do not agree on each point of doctrine. I have always said that if two people think exactly alike then one is not thinking! Next month we will explore John Wesley’s life and in June, we will discuss Charles Simeon. Wesley and Simeon are marvelous examples of how Armenians and Calvinist can work together in Evangelicalism and still glorify God.
Toward the end of his life his health grew worse, yet he continued to travel and preach. He once had to travel to Holland to allow his health to recovery. After many more trips and countless sermons, he decided to sail once more to the American colonies.
His battered, weakened body barely made it to America for his final mission trip in 1769. He was very ill when he arrived. Beginning in 1790, he preached his last itinerary to large crowds as people flocked to hear him from city to city. He preached his final sermon on September 29, 1770. He died the following morning in the church’s parsonage in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where he is buried today. Over 6,000 people attended his funeral.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Lillian Trasher - Mother of the Nile
Lillian Trasher – Mother of the Nile
In less than two weeks, Lillian Trasher would be married to Tom Jordan. For you who have anticipated your wedding, you know that kind of excitement as you count down every day and give careful attention to each small detail so it will be the most special day of your life. But for Lillian, she couldn’t seem to get excited let alone focus on the details of her wedding. She knew God had a call on her life to be a missionary.
She was going to have to choose between living a life of comfort, with a husband, a safe home, a safe income and the security of friends and family, or she was going to follow what seemed like a reckless call to pursue the will of God. That’s a lot to struggle with two weeks before you are to be married!
She talked to Tom, her beloved fiancé, and sadly he was not willing to live a missionary’s life. As hard as it was, Lillian broke off the wedding and trusted in the Lord with all her might. Now before you judge her or even feel sorry for her, you probably need to know that she lived an absolute thrilling life. Just in her lifetime, she fed, clothed, housed and educated over 10,000 orphan children! She asked the Lord for 12 children and before she died, she looked out of her bedroom window at her orphanage and saw 1,200 orphan children in the courtyard! Oh please don’t feel that Lillian missed out in life, rather, she didn’t waste her life but lived in the fullness of God’s will.
The Biography of Lillian Trasher was a book I couldn’t put down. I read it all in two days and where they ever two life-changing days for me. Her journey was thrilling. It seemed that each step she took was a step of faith. God wasn’t behind her pushing her in the back to walk in some dark, unknown place alone. No! He was in front of her just as a good shepherd always is. He walked before her, bidding her to come and follow Him down this amazing journey of faith. Does He not do the same for us? Is He bidding you to come and follow Him today?
Lillian was born in Jacksonville, Florida on September 28, 1887. It is ironic that she shared the same birth date with George Mueller. He operated an orphanage in Bristol, England. He and his wife Mary had no income, yet they cared for over 10,000 orphans as well throughout their lifetime. Lillian always had a deep appreciation and respect for the Mueller’s. She grew up in Brunswick, Georgia as a Roman Catholic but after reading much Scripture and through Godly influences, she gave her life to Christ and began to develop a very close walk with the Lord.
As Lillian searched for God’s will in her life, she sensed God was calling her to Africa. While trying to make the decision on where she would serve God as a missionary, she was invited attended a conference for missionary women in Petersburg. It was there she met Pastor Perlsford. He had been serving in the city of Assuit in Egypt and invited Lillian to come there to serve with his ministry.
Her family begged her not to go. Her friends tried to tell her how dangerous it was for a single female to travel and live alone in a foreign land. It seemed no one understood excpet her sister Jennie! Still not desiring to be out of the will of God, they prayed and asked the Lord to confirm their plans. One day the Lord took Lillian to Acts 7:34, the Scripture read, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” Could God have been more clear?
Lillian and Jennie arrived in Assuit, Egypt on October 26, 1910. Four months later on February 10, 1911 Lillian opened her first orphanage. Did you know that today you can visit Lillian’s orphanage in Egypt? I go to Egypt quite frequently, and people there often ask me if I’ve ever heard of “Mama” Lillian as she was affectionately called. Actually, it’s not uncommon to find little girls named Lillian in Upper Egypt because of the vast influence she has carried there.
She is buried just outside the city of Assuit, yet her work goes on strong. Today, it is home to 650 children and widows. The 12 acre campus has 13 major buildings including nurseries, girls and boys dormitories, residence for the staff, a bakery, a barn for cattle, and a vocational training center. They have sports and recreation facilities, playgrounds and a large garden. It is one of the largest orphanages in the world!
Over the last century, the orphanage in Assuit has served over 25,000 orphans and widows to the glory of God! Do not ever underestimate what God can do through you. Lillian was penniless and she didn’t have the support of friends or her family, except her sister Jennie. Yet, with God’s favor and with faith in their hearts, they have changed countless lives for eternity. What can God do through you?
Have you ever felt like no one supported you? Has your family discouraged you? Have friends tried to talk you out of pursuing God’s plans for your life? Well, be encouraged that Lillian and Jennie Trasher changed lives even when people didn’t support them. With God, all things are possible!
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27
In less than two weeks, Lillian Trasher would be married to Tom Jordan. For you who have anticipated your wedding, you know that kind of excitement as you count down every day and give careful attention to each small detail so it will be the most special day of your life. But for Lillian, she couldn’t seem to get excited let alone focus on the details of her wedding. She knew God had a call on her life to be a missionary.
She was going to have to choose between living a life of comfort, with a husband, a safe home, a safe income and the security of friends and family, or she was going to follow what seemed like a reckless call to pursue the will of God. That’s a lot to struggle with two weeks before you are to be married!
She talked to Tom, her beloved fiancé, and sadly he was not willing to live a missionary’s life. As hard as it was, Lillian broke off the wedding and trusted in the Lord with all her might. Now before you judge her or even feel sorry for her, you probably need to know that she lived an absolute thrilling life. Just in her lifetime, she fed, clothed, housed and educated over 10,000 orphan children! She asked the Lord for 12 children and before she died, she looked out of her bedroom window at her orphanage and saw 1,200 orphan children in the courtyard! Oh please don’t feel that Lillian missed out in life, rather, she didn’t waste her life but lived in the fullness of God’s will.
The Biography of Lillian Trasher was a book I couldn’t put down. I read it all in two days and where they ever two life-changing days for me. Her journey was thrilling. It seemed that each step she took was a step of faith. God wasn’t behind her pushing her in the back to walk in some dark, unknown place alone. No! He was in front of her just as a good shepherd always is. He walked before her, bidding her to come and follow Him down this amazing journey of faith. Does He not do the same for us? Is He bidding you to come and follow Him today?
Lillian was born in Jacksonville, Florida on September 28, 1887. It is ironic that she shared the same birth date with George Mueller. He operated an orphanage in Bristol, England. He and his wife Mary had no income, yet they cared for over 10,000 orphans as well throughout their lifetime. Lillian always had a deep appreciation and respect for the Mueller’s. She grew up in Brunswick, Georgia as a Roman Catholic but after reading much Scripture and through Godly influences, she gave her life to Christ and began to develop a very close walk with the Lord.
As Lillian searched for God’s will in her life, she sensed God was calling her to Africa. While trying to make the decision on where she would serve God as a missionary, she was invited attended a conference for missionary women in Petersburg. It was there she met Pastor Perlsford. He had been serving in the city of Assuit in Egypt and invited Lillian to come there to serve with his ministry.
Her family begged her not to go. Her friends tried to tell her how dangerous it was for a single female to travel and live alone in a foreign land. It seemed no one understood excpet her sister Jennie! Still not desiring to be out of the will of God, they prayed and asked the Lord to confirm their plans. One day the Lord took Lillian to Acts 7:34, the Scripture read, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” Could God have been more clear?
Lillian and Jennie arrived in Assuit, Egypt on October 26, 1910. Four months later on February 10, 1911 Lillian opened her first orphanage. Did you know that today you can visit Lillian’s orphanage in Egypt? I go to Egypt quite frequently, and people there often ask me if I’ve ever heard of “Mama” Lillian as she was affectionately called. Actually, it’s not uncommon to find little girls named Lillian in Upper Egypt because of the vast influence she has carried there.
She is buried just outside the city of Assuit, yet her work goes on strong. Today, it is home to 650 children and widows. The 12 acre campus has 13 major buildings including nurseries, girls and boys dormitories, residence for the staff, a bakery, a barn for cattle, and a vocational training center. They have sports and recreation facilities, playgrounds and a large garden. It is one of the largest orphanages in the world!
Over the last century, the orphanage in Assuit has served over 25,000 orphans and widows to the glory of God! Do not ever underestimate what God can do through you. Lillian was penniless and she didn’t have the support of friends or her family, except her sister Jennie. Yet, with God’s favor and with faith in their hearts, they have changed countless lives for eternity. What can God do through you?
Have you ever felt like no one supported you? Has your family discouraged you? Have friends tried to talk you out of pursuing God’s plans for your life? Well, be encouraged that Lillian and Jennie Trasher changed lives even when people didn’t support them. With God, all things are possible!
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A.W. Tozer - A Voice to the Church
The aim of this month’s article is to convince you to begin reading the books of A.W. Tozer. I think it’s an appropriate goal for the New Year! I have needed his voice in my life and ministry. These dangerous, murky waters of the affluent American Church can deceive my young heart fast. There is a seriousness and reverence toward God that has been lost in much of today’s church. Tozer’s writings can remedy this.
I went to a conference this year of over 10,000 pastors and church leaders in which one of the key note speakers wasn’t even a Christian. One pastor stood up and bragged that his session would not include any Scripture. I was shocked and disappointed. You know what Tozer would say about that? He once wrote, “It is doubtful we can be Christian in anything unless we are Christian in everything.” Oh the Church needs this today! Everything we do as Christians should be stained by the blood of Christ…everything!
How can there be a separation to what is secular and what is Godly? How can we, who have tasted of the grace of God, be satisfied with anything less? No! Tozer’s ministry was different. His life was marked by prayer, holiness and deep thinking. He wrote, “It appears that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right.” This is the day in which we live.
My first encounter with this wall of faith came through the opening pages of his classic book, The Knowledge of the Holy, in which he says, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” This kind of thinking helped me to develop a high view of God. We are sometimes taught that God created us because He was lonely or that He needs us. In reality, God is all-sufficient in Himself. God has not created me because He is bored. God created and redeemed me solely to the praise of His own glory (Ephesians 1:1-14). Having the right perception of God, sin and salvation is everything.
Tozer once said, “It is my opinion that tens of thousands of people, if not millions, have been brought into some kind of religious experience by accepting Christ, and they have not been saved.” If that was true of his time, how much more so is it in our day?
It is good for us to look back at others who have fulfilled their call in life and endured well. Hebrews 13:7 encourages us, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
James L. Snyder, who wrote Tozer’s biography, said of him, “He spent more time on his knees than at his desk.” He goes on to say, “His preaching, as well as his writings, were but extensions of his prayer life.”
Oh how we need this in today’s church! In his wonderful book, The Root of Righteousness, Tozer writes, “All things being equal, our prayers are only as powerful as our lives. In the long pull we pray only as well as we live. Some prayers are like a fire escape, used only in times of critical emergency – never very enjoyable, but used as a way of terrified escape from disaster. They do not represent the regular life of the one who offers them; rather are the unusual and uncommon acts of the spiritual amateur.”
Tozer was born in Western Pennsylvania April 21, 1897 as Aiden Wilson, but he preferred to be called A.W. At age 15, his family moved to Akron, Ohio. While he was a good kid and a hard worker, he was by no means a Christian. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is able to overcome our hardened hearts! While walking home from his job at Goodyear, he stopped to listen to a street preacher. The Gospel went into his heart! He was 17 years-old. Can you imagine the reward this name-less street preacher will have in Heaven? Tozer’s life immediately changed.
Salvation for Tozer wasn’t the end of the Christian experience, it was the beginning! He didn’t view his salvation as a ticket to heaven. Rather, he cultivated a deep relationship with God. While he didn’t have formal education or seminary school under his belt, what he did have was relationship with the Almighty deeply rooted in the Word of God and prayer. He wrote in The Pursuit of God, “…Faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God. Believing then, is directing the hearts’ attention to Jesus. It is lifting the mind to ‘Behold the Lamb of God’ and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives.”
In 1916, he felt called to preach. He was only 19 years-old. He moved to Nutter Fort, WV to pastor his first congregation. He wasn’t there long before accepting the call to pastor Chicago’s Southside Alliance Church. This would be his preaching ministry for the next 31 years. The church grew from 80 to over 800 under his direction. Preaching wasn’t going to be the only way God would use Tozer. When he turned 30 years old, he began to pen some of his thoughts. His writing ability quickly grew and so did his reputation. In 1950, Tozer became the editor of the Alliance Weekly. The subscription doubled immediately. He served in this position until his death in 1963.
The greatest contribution Tozer has left to the church is the more than 40 books he authored. His voice is as strong and clear today as it was 50 years ago.
I went to a conference this year of over 10,000 pastors and church leaders in which one of the key note speakers wasn’t even a Christian. One pastor stood up and bragged that his session would not include any Scripture. I was shocked and disappointed. You know what Tozer would say about that? He once wrote, “It is doubtful we can be Christian in anything unless we are Christian in everything.” Oh the Church needs this today! Everything we do as Christians should be stained by the blood of Christ…everything!
How can there be a separation to what is secular and what is Godly? How can we, who have tasted of the grace of God, be satisfied with anything less? No! Tozer’s ministry was different. His life was marked by prayer, holiness and deep thinking. He wrote, “It appears that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right.” This is the day in which we live.
My first encounter with this wall of faith came through the opening pages of his classic book, The Knowledge of the Holy, in which he says, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” This kind of thinking helped me to develop a high view of God. We are sometimes taught that God created us because He was lonely or that He needs us. In reality, God is all-sufficient in Himself. God has not created me because He is bored. God created and redeemed me solely to the praise of His own glory (Ephesians 1:1-14). Having the right perception of God, sin and salvation is everything.
Tozer once said, “It is my opinion that tens of thousands of people, if not millions, have been brought into some kind of religious experience by accepting Christ, and they have not been saved.” If that was true of his time, how much more so is it in our day?
It is good for us to look back at others who have fulfilled their call in life and endured well. Hebrews 13:7 encourages us, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
James L. Snyder, who wrote Tozer’s biography, said of him, “He spent more time on his knees than at his desk.” He goes on to say, “His preaching, as well as his writings, were but extensions of his prayer life.”
Oh how we need this in today’s church! In his wonderful book, The Root of Righteousness, Tozer writes, “All things being equal, our prayers are only as powerful as our lives. In the long pull we pray only as well as we live. Some prayers are like a fire escape, used only in times of critical emergency – never very enjoyable, but used as a way of terrified escape from disaster. They do not represent the regular life of the one who offers them; rather are the unusual and uncommon acts of the spiritual amateur.”
Tozer was born in Western Pennsylvania April 21, 1897 as Aiden Wilson, but he preferred to be called A.W. At age 15, his family moved to Akron, Ohio. While he was a good kid and a hard worker, he was by no means a Christian. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is able to overcome our hardened hearts! While walking home from his job at Goodyear, he stopped to listen to a street preacher. The Gospel went into his heart! He was 17 years-old. Can you imagine the reward this name-less street preacher will have in Heaven? Tozer’s life immediately changed.
Salvation for Tozer wasn’t the end of the Christian experience, it was the beginning! He didn’t view his salvation as a ticket to heaven. Rather, he cultivated a deep relationship with God. While he didn’t have formal education or seminary school under his belt, what he did have was relationship with the Almighty deeply rooted in the Word of God and prayer. He wrote in The Pursuit of God, “…Faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God. Believing then, is directing the hearts’ attention to Jesus. It is lifting the mind to ‘Behold the Lamb of God’ and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives.”
In 1916, he felt called to preach. He was only 19 years-old. He moved to Nutter Fort, WV to pastor his first congregation. He wasn’t there long before accepting the call to pastor Chicago’s Southside Alliance Church. This would be his preaching ministry for the next 31 years. The church grew from 80 to over 800 under his direction. Preaching wasn’t going to be the only way God would use Tozer. When he turned 30 years old, he began to pen some of his thoughts. His writing ability quickly grew and so did his reputation. In 1950, Tozer became the editor of the Alliance Weekly. The subscription doubled immediately. He served in this position until his death in 1963.
The greatest contribution Tozer has left to the church is the more than 40 books he authored. His voice is as strong and clear today as it was 50 years ago.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
William Borden - An Extraordinary Life
William Whiting Borden was born on November 1, 1887. Born into a millionaire’s family, his life was not that of a typical American boy. Both the Borden’s and the Whiting’s (his mother’s family) were wealthy and influential. His father made a fortune by investing in silver mining in Colorado. It was his mother, however, who gave him a spiritual foundation, for she had a heart for the Lord. While her family may have had money, she valued the things of God more. She was a very active member of the Chicago Avenue Church, now called, “Moody Memorial Church.”
In 1894, Dr. R.A. Torrey spoke on world missions at the Moody Church. At the end, he called for people to surrender their lives to missions. Of those who stood in response was 7 year old William Borden! He wore a little sailor’s outfit, but that day, he surrendered his young heart to the Lord to become a missionary.
He carried the desire for missions within him all the way up to graduation. He completed high school ranked 4th in his class of 48 boys. What was more remarkable is that he was only 16 years old. His family enrolled him into Yale University, but he was too young to attend. So, as a graduation gift, his parents sent him on a sailing trip around the world. Oh how God would use this in William’s life!
He left San Francisco on September 20, 1904. Aboard the S.S. Korea, were several missionary couples heading to Asia. These missionaries fueled the flame for the Gospel in William’s heart. Yet, there wouldn’t be anything like seeing it first-hand. He was devastated by the poverty he saw in China and India. He wrote to his parents, “I pray every day for my dear family, I also pray that God would take my life into His hands and use it for the furtherance of His kingdom as He sees best. I have so much of everything in this life, and there are so many millions who have nothing and live in darkness.”
Most didn’t understand his desire for missions. When he got home, a friend told him he was, “wasting his life becoming a missionary”. Rather than defending himself, he simply replied, “You have never seen heathenism.”His father expected William to become a business man in the families company. “I am glad that you have told father about my desire to become a missionary. I am thinking about it all the time and looking forward to it with a good deal of anticipation.” After reading Robert Speer’s book on missions, he wrote, “I knelt right down and prayed more earnestly than I have for some time for the mission work and for God’s plan for my life…pray that I may be guided in everything small and great.”
Throughout his college years, he engaged in all types of ministry. He established the Yale Hope Mission, a homeless shelter. He taught Sunday School in an African Methodist Episcopal Church and he donated an incredible $70,000.00 to different mission organizations.
On December 17, 1912, he set sail for Cairo, Egypt. He was going to study Arabic as well as the Muslim culture under Dr. Zwemer. He began feeling bad just before the Easter Season of 1913. He had cerebral meningitis. He died April 9, 1913 at age 26.
Dr. Zwemer said at William’s memorial service, “By some the victory has to be won over poverty…but Borden won the victory over an environment of wealth. He felt that life consisted not in, ‘in the abundance of things a man possesseth,’ but in the abundance of things which possess a man…Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.”
In 2006 I led a team of 21 to Cairo. One of my goals was to show them the reality of Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So we hired a tour guide to take us to the Cairo Museum, a fascinating place I could spend days in. We went through the King Tut exhibit, there I saw more gold, jewels and treasures my eyes have ever seen. After leaving the museum, we drove to the Old City district to a graveyard that simply read, “American Missionary Cemetery.”
I assure you, our tour guide was none too happy taking us to Old Cairo to search for a missionaries grave! But I just had to see it for myself! Finally, we found it. A huge concrete memorial over 6ft. covers his resting place with concrete railings on each side. An elderly lady who cared for the graves offered to wash it for us. A teenager on the team took some flowers and laid them on his grave.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a Scripture come to life like I did that day. To go from King Tut’s extravagant exhibit with all the wealth that young man possessed…to William Borden, a 26 year old missionary who died and left all his fortune to global missions. What’s the difference? You can go to Cairo and see all of King Tut’s wealth. You will have to wait for Heaven to see William’s treasure! Oh that you and I would live such a life that eternity will be our reward!
In 1894, Dr. R.A. Torrey spoke on world missions at the Moody Church. At the end, he called for people to surrender their lives to missions. Of those who stood in response was 7 year old William Borden! He wore a little sailor’s outfit, but that day, he surrendered his young heart to the Lord to become a missionary.
He carried the desire for missions within him all the way up to graduation. He completed high school ranked 4th in his class of 48 boys. What was more remarkable is that he was only 16 years old. His family enrolled him into Yale University, but he was too young to attend. So, as a graduation gift, his parents sent him on a sailing trip around the world. Oh how God would use this in William’s life!
He left San Francisco on September 20, 1904. Aboard the S.S. Korea, were several missionary couples heading to Asia. These missionaries fueled the flame for the Gospel in William’s heart. Yet, there wouldn’t be anything like seeing it first-hand. He was devastated by the poverty he saw in China and India. He wrote to his parents, “I pray every day for my dear family, I also pray that God would take my life into His hands and use it for the furtherance of His kingdom as He sees best. I have so much of everything in this life, and there are so many millions who have nothing and live in darkness.”
Most didn’t understand his desire for missions. When he got home, a friend told him he was, “wasting his life becoming a missionary”. Rather than defending himself, he simply replied, “You have never seen heathenism.”His father expected William to become a business man in the families company. “I am glad that you have told father about my desire to become a missionary. I am thinking about it all the time and looking forward to it with a good deal of anticipation.” After reading Robert Speer’s book on missions, he wrote, “I knelt right down and prayed more earnestly than I have for some time for the mission work and for God’s plan for my life…pray that I may be guided in everything small and great.”
Throughout his college years, he engaged in all types of ministry. He established the Yale Hope Mission, a homeless shelter. He taught Sunday School in an African Methodist Episcopal Church and he donated an incredible $70,000.00 to different mission organizations.
On December 17, 1912, he set sail for Cairo, Egypt. He was going to study Arabic as well as the Muslim culture under Dr. Zwemer. He began feeling bad just before the Easter Season of 1913. He had cerebral meningitis. He died April 9, 1913 at age 26.
Dr. Zwemer said at William’s memorial service, “By some the victory has to be won over poverty…but Borden won the victory over an environment of wealth. He felt that life consisted not in, ‘in the abundance of things a man possesseth,’ but in the abundance of things which possess a man…Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.”
In 2006 I led a team of 21 to Cairo. One of my goals was to show them the reality of Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So we hired a tour guide to take us to the Cairo Museum, a fascinating place I could spend days in. We went through the King Tut exhibit, there I saw more gold, jewels and treasures my eyes have ever seen. After leaving the museum, we drove to the Old City district to a graveyard that simply read, “American Missionary Cemetery.”
I assure you, our tour guide was none too happy taking us to Old Cairo to search for a missionaries grave! But I just had to see it for myself! Finally, we found it. A huge concrete memorial over 6ft. covers his resting place with concrete railings on each side. An elderly lady who cared for the graves offered to wash it for us. A teenager on the team took some flowers and laid them on his grave.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a Scripture come to life like I did that day. To go from King Tut’s extravagant exhibit with all the wealth that young man possessed…to William Borden, a 26 year old missionary who died and left all his fortune to global missions. What’s the difference? You can go to Cairo and see all of King Tut’s wealth. You will have to wait for Heaven to see William’s treasure! Oh that you and I would live such a life that eternity will be our reward!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The Mighty Prayers of John Knox
John Knox was a trumpet in the hands of God. “One man with God is the majority” he would often say. Queen Bloody Mary said of him, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.” Even at his funeral, someone said, “Here is one who never feared the face of man.” The aim of this article is that you would gain a tremendous appreciation in the way God raised up a man named John Knox in which his impact is still felt to this day.
It’s difficult to understand the life and ministry of John Knox without realizing the world around him. Controversy and questions can surround the Reformers, but unless you take time to look into the times in which they lived, you will miss the weightiness of God’s call on these men as well as the significance of their legacy to the Church.
Knox was growing up in one of the most exciting periods of Church history, the Protestant Reformation. God had used Luther in Germany, Zwingli in Switzerland and Calvin in France, and while the Reformation was sweeping through mainland Europe, Scotland was yet to be awakened. However, God was about to raise up men as trumpets in Scotland that would proclaim the Gospel far and wide.
A young reformer named Patrick Hamilton (1504-1528) was touching Scotland with the doctrines of the Reformation. The Catholic Church burned him at the stake for it. Knox was only 15 years old and was impacted by this event. John Foxe tells the story of Patrick in his Acts and Monuments.
There isn’t much recorded about the early life of John Knox. What we do know is that he was ordained a Catholic Priest sometime between 1530-1540. Shortly after becoming a priest, he was converted to Protestantism by the friendship and preaching of George Wishart, probably the most influential Reformer in Scotland prior to Knox. Wishart also did the important work of translating the first Helvetic Confession for the English speaking world. George Wishart would pay a tremendous price for the Gospel to be preached. He was executed by being burned at the stake on March 1, 1546. Wishart was the single greatest influence in Knox’s life
In our day, to not be Catholic or Protestant can be a matter of preference. In the day in which Knox lived, it meant you would lose your life to not be Catholic, or at least to speak out openly and oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church. In saying this, maybe you will understand why this particular article mentions Catholicism so much.
The Catholic Church was more interested in preserving tradition above Scripture. Therefore, normal everyday people weren’t allowed to have Bibles. Only priest could read Bibles. Men like John Knox thought differently and risked their lives to see it changed. The Catholic Church taught Mass, Purgatory and making prayers to dead saints. They sold indulgences, literally “Salvation Certificates” for money. The Pope had the authority to release anyone from Purgatory, but would charge money to do so. For a better understanding of the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church in this period of history, see Martin Luther’s 95 thesis.
In 1547, Knox went to live with Protestants in the St. Andrew’s Castle. There were about 150 altogether. He would soon become their pastor. The Castle was attacked and overcome by French Catholics. Knox and his parishioners were taken hostage.
The French held Knox captive for 19 months living in horrendous conditions. His health was never the same after his arrest. Christians in England negotiated his release. The next phase of Knox’s life would be going to England rather than his beloved Scotland. He was used greatly by God to spread the Reformation in Engalnd.
His ministry in England was short lived when Queen Mary Tutor took the throne in 1553, it forced Knox to flee and take exile in Geneva, Switzerland. This was now the home city of John Calvin. The city of Geneva was a refuge for Protestants in Europe at this time. Many fled to Geneva as Queen Mary earned her infamous title, “Queen Bloody Mary” executing hundreds of Protestant Christians in the name of the Roman Catholic Church.
When God opened the door for Knox to visit with Queen Mary, he took the opportunity to boldly preach the Gospel to her. He spoke to the most powerful woman in the world about repentance and he did it with a Godly resolve. As I said earlier, Queen Mary is quoted as saying, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”
It astounds me when I think of his courage. Could you imagine walking into the Queen’s court…the queen who is responsible for hundreds of murders and to preach repentance to her? Amazing! I believe he was a man who could say with the Apostle Paul, “…thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel” (Romans 15:20).
What about you? Is your Christian life marked by boldness? Are you courageous for Christ? For some of us, it’s hard to talk to our friends about salvation, let alone a blood-thirsty monarch. Will it one day be said of you, “Here is one who never feared the face of man?” I hope so! “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.” Romans 1:16
It’s difficult to understand the life and ministry of John Knox without realizing the world around him. Controversy and questions can surround the Reformers, but unless you take time to look into the times in which they lived, you will miss the weightiness of God’s call on these men as well as the significance of their legacy to the Church.
Knox was growing up in one of the most exciting periods of Church history, the Protestant Reformation. God had used Luther in Germany, Zwingli in Switzerland and Calvin in France, and while the Reformation was sweeping through mainland Europe, Scotland was yet to be awakened. However, God was about to raise up men as trumpets in Scotland that would proclaim the Gospel far and wide.
A young reformer named Patrick Hamilton (1504-1528) was touching Scotland with the doctrines of the Reformation. The Catholic Church burned him at the stake for it. Knox was only 15 years old and was impacted by this event. John Foxe tells the story of Patrick in his Acts and Monuments.
There isn’t much recorded about the early life of John Knox. What we do know is that he was ordained a Catholic Priest sometime between 1530-1540. Shortly after becoming a priest, he was converted to Protestantism by the friendship and preaching of George Wishart, probably the most influential Reformer in Scotland prior to Knox. Wishart also did the important work of translating the first Helvetic Confession for the English speaking world. George Wishart would pay a tremendous price for the Gospel to be preached. He was executed by being burned at the stake on March 1, 1546. Wishart was the single greatest influence in Knox’s life
In our day, to not be Catholic or Protestant can be a matter of preference. In the day in which Knox lived, it meant you would lose your life to not be Catholic, or at least to speak out openly and oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church. In saying this, maybe you will understand why this particular article mentions Catholicism so much.
The Catholic Church was more interested in preserving tradition above Scripture. Therefore, normal everyday people weren’t allowed to have Bibles. Only priest could read Bibles. Men like John Knox thought differently and risked their lives to see it changed. The Catholic Church taught Mass, Purgatory and making prayers to dead saints. They sold indulgences, literally “Salvation Certificates” for money. The Pope had the authority to release anyone from Purgatory, but would charge money to do so. For a better understanding of the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church in this period of history, see Martin Luther’s 95 thesis.
In 1547, Knox went to live with Protestants in the St. Andrew’s Castle. There were about 150 altogether. He would soon become their pastor. The Castle was attacked and overcome by French Catholics. Knox and his parishioners were taken hostage.
The French held Knox captive for 19 months living in horrendous conditions. His health was never the same after his arrest. Christians in England negotiated his release. The next phase of Knox’s life would be going to England rather than his beloved Scotland. He was used greatly by God to spread the Reformation in Engalnd.
His ministry in England was short lived when Queen Mary Tutor took the throne in 1553, it forced Knox to flee and take exile in Geneva, Switzerland. This was now the home city of John Calvin. The city of Geneva was a refuge for Protestants in Europe at this time. Many fled to Geneva as Queen Mary earned her infamous title, “Queen Bloody Mary” executing hundreds of Protestant Christians in the name of the Roman Catholic Church.
When God opened the door for Knox to visit with Queen Mary, he took the opportunity to boldly preach the Gospel to her. He spoke to the most powerful woman in the world about repentance and he did it with a Godly resolve. As I said earlier, Queen Mary is quoted as saying, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”
It astounds me when I think of his courage. Could you imagine walking into the Queen’s court…the queen who is responsible for hundreds of murders and to preach repentance to her? Amazing! I believe he was a man who could say with the Apostle Paul, “…thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel” (Romans 15:20).
What about you? Is your Christian life marked by boldness? Are you courageous for Christ? For some of us, it’s hard to talk to our friends about salvation, let alone a blood-thirsty monarch. Will it one day be said of you, “Here is one who never feared the face of man?” I hope so! “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.” Romans 1:16
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