“Renewal and revival is spreading not only throughout North and South Vietnam, but is now expanding into Cambodia indigenously and self-sustainingly. This reflects an EFFECTIVE and genuine church planting movement via the Holy Spirit. This type of movement is like the Early Church; capable of finishing the task of reaching all of the unreached people groups of the world. It thrills my heart to see others teaching and going!” -Tim
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As believers in Ecuador wrestled with how to exercise this principle in their churches, they turned to Hebrews 10:24-25; “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
They asked the question: Is “to encourage one another" an absolute or non-absolute? You can do this (make a comparison) with topics such as the Sabbath, evangelism, prayer, baptism, pulpit, pamphlets, Bible versions, hymns, music, communion, serving one another, etc. Make a list, as much as you can, of as many absolute foundations (“functions”) and as many forms or non-absolutes and talk about them with others. Try to prevent non-absolutes (“forms”) from becoming absolutes (foundations), otherwise you will lose your freedom and power.” From this Scripture they were able to contrast absolutes with the non-absolutes and realize how far the church had wandered from biblical truth and model. This bridge (‘then and now’) helps us keep our Christian practice as biblical as possible. Why is this important? If we insist that new converts follow our “forms”, they will translate non-absolutes into absolutes and therefore attach themselves to a form rather than Christ and His truth. That destroys true spiritual growth. “There is a considerable truth in the idea that revivals are born after midnight, for revivals (or any other spiritual gifts and grace) come only to those who want them badly enough. It may be said without qualification that every man is as holy and as full of the Spirit as he wants to be. He may not be as full as he wishes he were, but he is most certainly as full as he wants to be.” Tozer then refers to the blind man in Mark 10:46-52. “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”” (10:47–48). It was “not the hour of night, but the state of his heart that decides the time of his visitation. For him it may well be that revival comes after midnight.” In the context of previous blogs, I would add that any spontaneous expansion begins in the heart of an individual that truly desire to be filled with the Spirit. This is the key that opens the door for a divine work that cannot be stopped. A. W. Tozer, Born After Midnight, Moody Publishers, 1987, page 9-11. “Speaking of spontaneous zeal, we can direct it by instruction. Aquila and Priscilla “took Apollos aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). But teaching is not control. Teaching can be refused; control cannot be refused. Teaching leads to enlargement; control to restriction. To attempt to control spontaneous zeal is therefore an attempt to restrict it. Thus, many of our missionaries welcome spontaneous zeal, provided there is not too much of it. Otherwise it would need their restriction, just as an engineer who designs the course of a river is glad when some water fills his channels, but does not want a flood which may sweep away the embankments he designed. Such missionaries pray for the wind of the Spirit, but not for a rushing mighty wind. I am writing because I believe in a rushing mighty wind, and desire its presence even if it costs removing our restrictions. It is futile to imagine that we can control spontaneous zeal. Let us begin by acknowledging that we cannot control it. If we do that, we may escape from the confusion created by those who say that they have spontaneous expansion in their missions, welcome it and rejoice in it; yet say also that they are sent to control such a movement.” Roland Allen, Edited by Sherman Driver “We fear “spontaneous expansion” because we feel that it is something that we cannot control. We can neither induce nor control spontaneous expansion, whether we look on it as the work of the individual or of the Church, simply because it is spontaneous. Christ said, "The wind blows where it wishes" (John 3:8), and spontaneous activity is a movement of the Spirit in the individual and in the church, and we cannot control the Spirit.”
If we believe that the building of the church is primarily the work of Christ according to Matthew 16:18, and that the Spirit is directly carrying on that work in Christ’s absence (John 16:7 and the Book of Acts), then why should we not trust them in this spontaneous work. Our desire to control the way of evangelism and church planting is a proof that we do not trust the Holy Spirit. God had to remind Israel (and us) that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Do we really think that the methods we create in our mission boards and educational centers are better than God’s? That may seem like a very extreme question, but we must honestly examine our attitudes toward a divine work that cannot be controlled by the will of man. Roland Allen, Edited by Sherman Driver “One of the great virtues of spontaneous and voluntary expression of the gospel is that in expressing it to someone else, the truth is renewed in himself. He also finds out his own ignorance of many aspects of this truth, and is eager to learn, and to inquire further for himself. He searches diligently for answers to difficulties which arise. He is not an ‘authorized and licensed preacher’ and has no professional, perfect knowledge of the subject, but will confess ignorance and seek help. He is forced to think over and over again what the implications of the truth, the gospel are. He has few ready-made stereotyped answers. Answers cannot multiply without much real experience. Thus the voluntary, spontaneous expression of truth strengthens and advances the speaker with experience.”
Roland Allen, Edited by Sherman Driver Let me give you a quote from Anthony Norris Groves. “The principle of God’s government is paternal; and therefore its primary object is the development in us of the character of “dear children”, the essential feature of which is unlimited dependence.” David speaks from personal experience; “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” (Psalm 37:25).
Jesus makes a very clear distinction between the world and His followers: “For all the nations of the world seek after these things [what money can buy], and your Father knows that you need them.” (Luke 12:30). It seems that our measure of dependence can be easily measured by what I trust the Father for. “Christian Devotedness”, ECS Ministries, 2013, page 9. The principles spelled out in these blogs through the writing of Roland Allen need ‘feet’ put to them in a practical example. Though this example is a century and a half old, it provides a real life context that is still reaping a harvest today. I refer to Hudson Taylor, missionary to China. “Inland China opened to the gospel largely as an outcome of [Hudson Taylor’s] life. Tens of thousands of souls were won to Christ in previously unreached provinces, twelve hundred missionaries depending upon God for the supply of all their needs without promise of salary, a mission which has never made an appeal for financial help, has never been in debt, that never asks man or woman to join its ranks, yet has sent to China recently two hundred new workers in answer to prayer. Such is the challenge that calls us to emulate Hudson Taylor’s faith and devotion.” Imagine if this example were to be implemented by our mission minded people, churches and organizations, we would experience an answer from God similar to what is happening in China. Do we have the heart and devotion to Christ for this? Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, Moody Publishers, 2009, page 16. “The effectiveness of the message and the messenger is only if his speech is from his heart, and his life and is spontaneous. If he is a paid messenger, both speaker and hearer are affected by that fact. The speaker knows, and knows that the hearer knows, that he is employed by a mission organization to speak. He is not delivering his own message because he has not made it his. He is not speaking of Christ, because Christ alone compels him. Some will ask, “How much are you paid for this work?” Does not the answer destroy the effectiveness and spontaneous power of the message?”
Paul’s words give us the compelling reason to give the message of the gospel from our inner being; “For if I preach the gospel; that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Paul went on to insist that money had no part of this compelling necessity; “What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel” (9:18). What is flowing from your heart? Roland Allen, Edited by Sherman Driver I don't even know where to start or how to tell you in words what God is doing here in Ecuador. There are groups springing up all over Quito who are going through the Spanish GPHC (God’s Plan for His Church). Incidentally, did you know that Spanish, next to Chinese (Mandarin), is the one most populated language in the world? We met with a group of about 25 pastors and leaders who are all passionately returning to the Bible. They are in chapter one and the excitement was unbelievable. There is so much happening I cannot even start to tell you... one young Quechua Indian man is working with underground churches, the poor, and rejected. People are telling us he had started teaching GPHC to seven leaders and is so “pumped up!!!!” This is taking place all over Ecuador without stories being told of what is happening in other places, like this young Indian man. No one heard his story.
We are getting ready to head to Puyo. One group we met with has been meeting with “P”. They are in Chapter 5 and are really going through Paul's letters and learning like never before! We met a graphic designer who wants to help us with the new edition. Also, “P” has over 4,000 followers on Facebook who are going through the Spanish GPHC! It is things like this that I have been unaware of, and many here do not know all that is going on, and neither can they keep up with it! Praise the Lord! I have NEVER EVER seen anything like this and neither have they. Pray for me as I meet with the pastor of a large church here in Quito who hopefully will lead others through GPHC. –Tim |
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