A RETURN TO DISCIPLINED SPIRITUALITY...On the other hand, the extreme side of dependence is to...
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Transcript of A RETURN TO DISCIPLINED SPIRITUALITY...On the other hand, the extreme side of dependence is to...
APRIL 2012Volume 124 No. 3
FEATURES
Persecution Of Christians In Muslim Nations 6by Joshua Avery
Two New Professors To Join College Faculty 12by Dr. Ken Farmer
DEPARTMENTS
The Editor’s View 2The President’s Page 3Letters To The Editor 4The World To Win 4Called Unto Holiness 7News From The Hilltop 8Revivalist Family 8Dear Phil 14World Pulse 15Student Focus 15From The Classics 16Revivalist Pulpit 17Alumni News 20Thoughts For The Quiet Hour 23
STAFF
Kevin Moser, art director, managing editor
Shane Muir, assistant graphic designer Jon Plank, assistant graphic designer, webmaster
Larry D. Smith, editor
God’s Revivalist and Bible Advocate (ISSN 0745-0788) is published monthly except forcombined issues in January-February and June-July-August for $12.00 per year($28.00, Canada; $45.00, other countries) by the Revivalist Press of God’s BibleSchool, College and Missionary Training Home, 1810 Young Street, Cincinnati, Ohio45202. Periodical postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: send address changes to God’s Revivalist and Bible Advocate, 1810Young Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
God’s Revivalist and Bible Advocate, the official organ of God’s Bible School, is a maga-zine founded by Martin Wells Knapp in July of 1888. We seek to proclaim the good newsof salvation; to stir a revival spirit among Christians; to stimulate Christian growth andresponsible Christian living; to present the happenings and interests of God’s Bible School.
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CONTENTS
LARRY D. SMITH
WHERE TWO WAYS MEET
“W“e have reached a point where two waysmeet.” These words seem so relevant that oneof our evangelists might speak them at IHC this
April. If that should happen, his voice would be added tothose of other troubled brothers and sisters who warn thatthe Conservative Holiness Movement is facing a major cri-sis in its identity. For, yes, as they believe, we do stand “ata point where two ways meet.” Which way we choose willdetermine everything, for the first leads on to faithfulnessand blessing, the other to compromise and surrender.
But the caution that begins this article did not comefrom a CHM evangelist. It was issued in 1866 by RandolphS. Foster—devout Methodist pastor, teacher, and laterbishop—to his own beloved church, which was then cele-brating 100 years of phenomenal success. But in propellingMethodism up the social ladder to wealth and respectabil-ity, that success had cheapened its life and muffled its wit-ness. “Our great dangers, as we see them,” he wrote, are“assimilation to the world, neglect of the poor, substitutionof the form for the fact of godliness, abandonment of dis-cipline, a hireling ministry, an impure gospel, which,summed up, is a fashionable church.”
But Methodism became exactly what Foster feared—a “fashionable church” conformed not to Christ but tothe world! That, of course, is the usual trajectory ofChristian movements, caught up almost inevitably inwhat historians label “historical drift,” as they move grad-ually away from their originating convictions. Think notonly of Methodism, but also of Harvard University, theYMCA, or any mainline denomination.
Nor are we exempt from such a fate, as “The Call tothe Conservative Holiness Movement” acknowledges. Intheir introductory statements, its authors write: “We sharethe distress of those who warn of ‘historical drift,’ (p22)�
GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE
02
theeditor’s
view
Article V of The Call to the Conservative HolinessMovement is a call to return to the principledpiety that was fundamental to historic Method-
ism’s success in spiritual formation. John Wesley’s ap-proach to the cultivation of holy character was nothingmore than the methodical application of the ordinarymeans of grace that the Bible says are central to spiri-tual health and growth. Wesley defined the means ofgrace as the instruments appointed by God to “conveyto men preventing, justifying, and sanctifying grace.”Wesley’s list of these means included Scripture, prayer,the Lord’s Supper, fellowship, and fasting.
For some in the CHM, a call to reach into the trea-sures of our past is a call in the wrong direction. Theassumption is that “everything has changed”; therefore,new approaches to the development of spiritual life areneeded. I would dispute both parts of that equation. Ireadily acknowledge the constant change in the culturearound us, but I firmly assert that basic human naturehas not changed. Thus the fundamental human problemhas not changed. Neither has the Biblical solution to thatproblem changed, nor has the effectiveness of that solu-tion changed. Faith still comes by hearing and hearing bythe Word of God. The ordinary means of grace are just
as effective in today’s 21st-century church (if given a chance) as they were in those first Mediterranean house church-es established by Paul centuries ago.
The CHM should not let go of its historic approach to the development of spiritual character. What it does needto do is to work on applying it with a better balance between discipline and dependence. It is easy to slip into theextreme of either approach. The extreme side of discipline is to overemphasize the role of what we do to cultivatespiritual life. This position is characterized by the mentality of striving. It emphasizes knowledge, rules, re-dedicationefforts, and human activity while virtually ignoring God’s grace extended through the enabling power of His Spirit.Its emphasis on “what-do-I-need-to-do” can lead to the bondage of legalism.
On the other hand, the extreme side of dependence is to overemphasize God’s role in our spiritual developmentto the neglect of any human initiative. This position is characterized by a “Jesus-did-it-all” passivity. It stresses experi-ence, the supernatural, and the person of the Holy Spirit to the neglect of human endeavor. The one side rolls up itssleeves and says, “God helps those who help themselves.” The other side responds with, “It’s all by grace.” The CHMhas generally fallen into the ditch of the former but is now showing signs of falling into the ditch of the latter.
The Biblical answer to this imbalance is that spiritual formation is both human and divine. Kenneth Boastated it succinctly when he said that “discipline should work in concert with dependence, since grace (p5)�
APRIL 2012
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thepresident’s
pageA RETURN TO DISCIPLINED SPIRITUALITY
by Michael R. Avery, President
TO THE EDITOR
I just read both your articles in the latestRevivalist [March 2012, “Call to the CHM,” focusingon holiness] and thought they were excellent!
Brother Avery, your list of “concerns” is so“right on.” We border on self-righteousness dueto our association with the CHM, but that is NOTwhat makes us holy! Nor is it baptism that makesus saved. What really got me was your statementabout your barber. How true it is that we seldomhear a discussion [of holiness] when not amongstour CHM brethren.
And, Bro. Smith, your part II about the “FailureAcknowledged” is so very true, and I was especiallydrawn to your statement on “enculturation.” For Isee that we who have “more knowledge” havedescended into the abyss of the world; and also on“sectarianism,” which ended with “Christianity—inthe lives of all who earnestly pursue that holinesswithout which none of us shall see the Lord.” And Ihave so found this to be true.
May God bless you two both and GBS. Thankyou for what you stand for!
DAVE AND DEBBIE GUMBINERCrown Point, Indiana
We appreciate the good articles in the Revivalist.Thank you for your stand for Biblical holiness. Themessages to the conservative holiness people [“Callto the CHM”] in recent issues of the Revivalist are sogood. There is a great need for a voice and call toall of us that we will live in holy discipline and faith-fulness as a body in unity and to let the church bethe church as the Holy Bride of Christ.
CARL V. AND FRANCES DENNISNashville, Tennessee
Letters should be addressed to the Editorial Office, 1810 YoungStreet, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, or emailed to [email protected] reprinted here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of theeditor of God’s Revivalist nor those of the administration of God’sBible School. Names and locations of writers will be withheld attheir specific request or at the discretion of the editor. We reservethe right to edit and condense.
Each month we publish brief “field reports” from missionariesaround the world. Missionaries are invited to send us theirnewsletters and other information about their activities. GBS grad-uates are especially urged to respond, but we also wish to includeothers who uphold our vision and our commitment.
LESOTHO. “Glenn and Stephanie Gault (HIM)request prayer for the Chinese radio broadcasts. Praythat God will help them build relationships with thepeople.” —Ropeholders
EGYPT. “Many people were saved during the end-of-the-year revivals in the Faith churches of Egypt.The church building projects in the Minia provinceneed to be completed before new laws are issued bythe new parliament. God’s help is desired for theconstruction of a new building at Prayer Mountain.”—Missionary Herald
GUAM. “We rejoice in the new work that God hasallowed the Cabrera family to start in their car garage.Brother Cabrera’s own mother (89 years of age) and hisolder brother have accepted Jesus as their Savior. AfterSunday school, they have Bible study until 5 or 6 PM,because the ‘newly born again’ are so hungry for God’sWord.” —Gloria Pangilinan, International Voice
HAITI. “I believe in order to combat the many cultsand false doctrines entering Haiti, we must aggressive-ly work to train the pastors in sound doctrine. First, wewant to form a conference center where we can invitepastors and church leaders to come for extensive sem-inars in ministry and doctrine. Second, we are plan-ning a Bible college, where people and pastors withhigh school diplomas can come and receive a properbiblical training. This will be a joint effort with Dr.Steve Gibson and Holiness Pilgrim Mission. We do notintend to have a mission of churches or schools butwish to become a parachurch organization.” —Brianand Jamie Rauschenberger, Newsletter
MISSIONS REPORTS
04GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE
A CALL TO THE CONSERVATIVE HOLINESS MOVEMENT
V. A CALL TO METHODIST PIETY
Our Methodist heritage has underscored the necessity of devout personal piety grounded in sincere loveand profound reverence for God. This implies binding and lifelong covenant with Him, living faith in Christour great sin-bearer, allegiance to the inner principle of “jealous godly fear,” commitment to disciplined disci-pleship, faithful obedience to His holy Law, dynamic growth in grace, and faithful use of the means of grace.All holiness of heart and life must be grounded in sober and steadfast love for God.
Sometimes, however, our emphasis on external regulation and dutiful performance has ignored the prin-ciples of authentic piety. Our appeals to holy conduct, which are both legitimate and necessary, have oftenbeen based more in the impulse to preserve the taboos of our religious subculture than in allegiance to theWord of God and its demands. The heart of all Christian obligation is loving God with all our heart, soul, andmind, and then “to fear Him and keep His commandments.” Not only are we called to do what is right butalso to love what is right, for this reason abstaining from all that He condemns and embracing all that He en-joins. We will never stop the “historical drift” among us merely by enforcing traditional legislation but by vig-orous and renewed insistence upon authentic relationship with God and passionate pursuit of Him. Gladlywe reaffirm our traditional emphasis upon simplicity, modesty, stewardship, separation from the world, andconscientious lifestyle, but all this must be within this warm and gracious context of loving what God lovesand hating what God hates.
As Methodists, therefore, we call our movement to return to our originating commitment to principledcovenant with God, which, according to the General Rules of 1743, demanded these commitments: (1) therenunciation of all known sin; (2) the embracing of all positive virtue, and (3) the faithful practice of the meansof grace, especially “the instituted means of grace,” defined as the Word, prayer, fasting, Christian fellowship,and the Lord’s Supper. This demands disciplined life within the community of the Church, a renewing of ourhistoric pattern of spiritual formation through small accountability groups, such as the class meeting, and faith-ful submission to healthy and holy discipline, while at the same time we are altogether dependent upon thegracious work of the Spirit who changes us “from glory to glory” into the likeness of Our Lord.
�(p3) is not opposed to effort but to earn-ing.” Paul places these elements back-to-backin Philippians 2:12-13: “So then, my beloved,…work out your own salvation with fear andtrembling; for it is God who is at work in you,both to will and to work for His good plea-sure.” Paul makes it clear that working out oursalvation is not the same as working for it. Heis also careful to balance this with the fact thatGod is active within us, accomplishing what allour learning and labor cannot.
The CHM must a lso guard di l igent lyagainst the danger of just practicing the meansof grace as an end in themselves. The “doing”of certain spiritual practices can create a sub-tle carnal smugness. The means of grace arenever an end but merely the instrumentsthrough which God administers His grace. Themeans of grace were not given to satisfy oursense of “doing” but to transform us from theinside out! One can read the Bible faithfullyyet fail to demonstrate the character it com-
mends. One can be meticulous about hisprayer time, yet fail to ever really pray or ex-perience the oneness of true in-tercession. One can kneel atthe altar to receive the commu-nion elements as ritual only andcompletely miss the reality ofHis presence. Wesley warnedabout following the outwardsigns only without our heartsbeing renewed and enabled bythe Holy Spirit.
Alan Redpath wisely notedthat the conversion of a soul isthe miracle of a moment, but thematuring into a great saint is thetask of a lifetime. Our Methodistfathers understood this and mod-eled for us the art of disciplinedspirituality like no one else inthe last 100 years. It’s our heritage—it should beour practice—it may be key to our renewal!
Discipline
should work in
concert with
dependence,
since grace is
not opposed to
effort but to
earning.
APRIL 2012
05
Review of a startling Newsweek article…
by Joshua M. Avery
In December of 2010, twenty-six year old Mohamed Bouazizi, avegetable vendor and sole supporter of his extended family ofeight, lit himself on fire in Tunisia to protest his treatment at thehands of municipal officials. His subsequent death and the protestit launched have been dubbed the “Arab Spring.” The politicalmovement has seen major transformation in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya,and Yemen, with further protest in Bahrain, Syria, Algeria, Iraq,Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Oman.
These changes have highlighted the rocky road to self-gover-nance across the Muslim world and are increasingly bringingattention to the precarious position that Christians hold inmany Islamic societies. While these problems will not comeas a surprise to regular readers of The Voice of the Martyrs(www.persecution.net), they have not always found broad-er expression in the mainstream media.
In a recent story in Newsweek magazine, activist,writer, and politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues that inrecent years “the violent oppression of Christianminorities has become the norm in Muslim-majoritynations stretching from West Africa and the MiddleEast to South Asia and Oceania.” (p19)�
06GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE
©2012 H
emera and istockphoto
Some people who are truly inclined to Christianityand receive instructions in piety with pleasure
often wonder why they do not make greater progressin that religion which they so much admire. Now thereason for this is because the Christian faith only lives intheir head, but something else has possession of theirhearts. Therefore they continue from year-to-yearmerely as admirers and praisers of piety without evercoming up to the reality and development of what itreally teaches.
If it is asked why religion does not get possession oftheir hearts, the reason is not because they live in grosssins or debaucheries, for their respect for religion pre-serves them from such disorders. But it is because theirhearts are constantly employed and kept in a wrongstate by the mistaken use of things that in themselvesare lawful and right to be used.
For example, the use and enjoyment of their moneyis right and legitimate, and so it never comes into theirheads to imagine that there are any great dangers inhow they spend their money. They never reflect thatthere is a vain and unwise use of material things whichdoes not destroy the soul like gross sins but which stilldisorders the heart and supports it in sensuality and dull-ness. This strengthens pride and vanity, making them in-capable of receiving the life and spirit of true Christianpiety. For our souls may receive an infinite hurt and berendered incapable of true spiritual virtue merely by ourmisuse of innocent and lawful things.
What, moreover, is more innocent than rest and re-laxation? And yet what is more dangerous to the soulthan sloth and idleness? Or what is more lawful thaneating and drinking? And yet what is more destructiveto what is right and more fruitful of what is wrong thansensuality and self-indulgence? How lawful and evenpraiseworthy is the care of a family? And yet how cer-tainly are many people left incapable of all virtue by aworldly and over-anxious state of mind in doing this.
Gross sins are plainly seen and easily avoided by per-sons who profess to be Christians. But since it does notshock and offend our consciences, the unwise and dan-gerous use of innocent and lawful things can easily lead totheir misuse. A man who expends all his money in sports,for instance, and a woman who lays out all she has uponherself can hardly be persuaded that the spirit of trueChristianity cannot exist in such a frivolous way of life.These persons, as we have already noted, may live freefrom scandalous sins, they may be friends of religion, ad-mire it, and even praise and speak well of it. But it willnever govern their hearts and be the spirit prompting theiractions until they change their way of life and let Christianprinciples control the use and spending of their money.
Let me add that more people are kept from a truesense and taste of spiritual life by this kind of sensualityand indulgence than by gross drunkenness. More ne-glect the great duties of Christian piety because they areso greatly absorbed in worldly affairs than through delib-erate wickedness.
This man would perhaps be devout if he were notso fine a musician. Another is deaf to all the motivesof piety because he indulges in an idle, lazy spirit. If awoman would make fewer visits or not be always talk-ing she would not be so indifferent to the claims oftrue Christianity.
Granted, all these things seem small and unimpor-tant when they are compared to the great sins. Yet theyare really very destructive because they are hindrancesto true spiritual life. So if we would make real progressin religion, we must not only abhor gross and notorioussins, but we also must discipline the innocent and law-ful parts of our lives and put all of them under the rulesof holy wisdom and true piety.
William Law (1688–1761) was an English churchman, theologian,and author. This selection, condensed and updated by the editor, isfrom his famous book A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life.
In this space we use writers both past and present to discuss various aspects of Christian holiness.
DISORDERS OF THE HEART
by William Law
APRIL 2012
07
©2012 H
emera and istockphoto
08GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE
DEATHS
The Rev. Frank Forrest Baldwin, 77,of Stuart, Florida, died February 10, 2012.He resided in Stuart for 12 years, afterretiring from active ministry in theMidwest. He worked in pastoral andchurch administrative ministry for 55 years
in the Bible Missionary Church and in the WesleyanChurch. He is survived by his wife Ann; his son Frank,Jr.; his daughters Rebecca, Keren, and Joan; elevengrandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Funeral ser-vices were held in Stuart.
The Rev. James E. Fisher, 84, died October 26,2011. He served Nazarene churches in Iowa andFlorida, as well as churches of the Bible Covenant inFlorida and Oklahoma. In 1974 he was pastoring in
Bartlesville, Oklahoma, when he and his congregationjoined with Dr. J. Louis Emmert and the Tulsa congre-gation to begin the work of the InternationalAssociation of Bible Fellowship Centers in the USA.They also joined with the Dr. Charles Tryon and hismission group, Bible Fellowship, Asia-Orient Missions,in the Republic of the Philippines. Brother Fisher laterserved as pastor of the Calvary Bible FellowshipChurch in Oklahoma City for 10 years and afterwardas minister of music for almost 20 years. He was pre-ceded in death by his wife Mary Lou Fisher. Survivingare three daughters, Kitty, Susan, and Jane; eightgrandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
The Rev. Philip Andrew Kline, 69, died February14, 2012, in Kearney, Nebraska. He was married to
Carol M. Hankey, December 20, 1960,and was a 1974 graduate of People’sBible College, Colorado Springs,Colorado. He served God faithfully forover 48 years as pastor of churches inOhio, Wyoming, South Dakota, New
On these pages, we feature items about GBS alumni, significantevents scheduled throughout the “Revivalist family,” and brief newsnotes from across the holiness movement.
COLLEGE OFFERS NEW DEGREE:BA IN BIBLICAL ANDTHEOLOGICAL STUDIES
by Dr. Philip Brown, Professor of Bibleand Theology; Assistant Chair, GBSDivision of Ministerial Education
The GBS Division of MinisterialEducation is excited to announcethe addition of a new degree,
Bachelor of Arts in Biblicaland Theological Studies.With 67 hours of Bible andtheology (50 required; 17elective), this degree is idealfor anyone with a passion tostudy Scripture and theology
but who does not feel calledinto local church pastoral
ministry. This program also has18 hours of unspecified elec-
tives, allowing students flexibilityto draw, with their advisors’approval, their own secondaryfocus, such as missions, teachereducation, music, Biblical lan-guages, youth ministry, urban min-istry, apologetics, leadership, or acombination of any of these or adifferent set of classes.
If you’d like to teach Bible andtheology at the high school, college,or graduate levels, you won’t find adegree better suited for this purpose
anywhere. If you are headed tograduate school, you can takeGreek I and II, Hebrew I and II, andReadings in Linguistics to give your-self a significant head start. Pleasenote that all our students who havegone on for graduate studies in reli-gion have placed high in their grad-uate Biblical language classes.
What distinguishes this degreefrom the BA in Ministerial Educationwhich we currently offer? In answerto this question, 35 hours of profes-sional skills classes (homiletics, pas-toral theology, and Biblical lan-guages) that form the core of ourpastoral education program are notrequired in this new degree pro-gram. But, of course, that doesn’tmean that you can’t take homileticsor Biblical languages as you pursueit. The 18 hours of unspecified elec-tives give you plenty of room to ful-fill God’s calling for your life.
CHOIR TOUR WELCOMED BY 14 CONGREGATIONS
The GBS College Choir wasreceived warmly by enthusiasticaudiences during this year’s LateWinter Tour, February 24–March 4.The school’s big bus, driven by Mr.Steve Mills, turned south for thefourteen-service, seven-state, 3000-mile tour sponsored by the Office ofPublic Relations under the directionof its head, Don Davison, whonoted that this was his “45th majortour to conduct for this wonderfulschool.” Directing the choir was Mr.Tim Crater, assistant conductor wasMs. Jessica Smith, and the facultyaccompanist was Mrs. MarthaMiller, who has performed similarduty for GBS since 1978. The choirsang before two congregations inAlabama; five in Florida; one eachin South Carolina, North Carolina,
Mexico, Colorado, and Nebraska, with his final pas-torate in rural Wauneta, Nebraska. He was also skilledin stuccoing, plastering, and general contracting.
Survivors include his beloved wife of 51 years,Carol Kline; sons Kenneth, Michael, and David;daughters Andrea and Maria; eleven grandchildren;and eight great-grandchildren. Several members of hisfamily attended GBS. Funeral services were held athis church with the Rev. Lloyd Bley and Rev. M.R.Jones, officiating, with interment at the EdenCemetery adjacent to the church.
David S. Park, 87, of Williamsburg,Ohio, died December 7, 2011. He wasthe grandson of Lew Standley, director ofGBS’s famous Georgetown Mission andbrother of longtime GBS presidentMeredith Standley. Married to Nancy
Freeman, Nov. 24, 1972, David was an accomplishedmachinist and maintenance worker. He was a memberof the Afton, Ohio, Wesleyan Church. Survivorsinclude his wife Nancy, and his children, Lester, Shirley,
Kimberly, and Kelly. Funeral services were held inWilliamsburg with burial in the Williamsburg cemetery,the Rev. James Bender officiating.
Carrie Leona (Cunningham)Wheeler, 94, Cincinnati, Ohio, diedFebruary 13, 2012. She was the belovedwife of James Roy Wheeler, dear motherof Preston, Robert, and the late JamesEdward Wheeler, grandmother of five,
and great-grandmother of four. A faithful Christian, shelived for many years in Ashland, Kentucky, before mov-ing to Ohio. Funeral services were held at the WestChester, Ohio, Wesleyan Church.
NOTICES
After Nathaniel is a newly released book authoredby Kristina Clemens, an alumna of GBS. Hers is astory of loss and love, of friendship and romance; butat its core it is the account of how one young womanembraced the power of belonging to an intimate, all-
APRIL 2012
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“FOR THE STUDENT WHO DOES NOT PURSUEPASTORAL MINISTRY BUT WANTS SOLIDKNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE”by Paul Alexander (BA in Min Ed, ’04)
Even while I was doing the BA degree in MinisterialEducation at GBS, I knew that God had not called meto pastoral ministry. But at that time this degree was the only optionavailable to me to get a solid knowledge of the Bible and of theology.After I graduated in 2004, I went on to complete an MBA program atXavier University and launch into the business calling that God hadplaced upon my life. I am delighted to see the new BA in Biblical andTheological Studies which is now being offered at GBS.
The new program gives students ability to tailor a program to meetspecific needs and goals. We’re not all going to become preachers, butwe all need a spiritual foundation. The curriculum now allows cus-tomizations more fitted to paths outside of pastoral ministry, giving allChristians the opportunity to become better equipped and more pro-ductive and effective as they pursue God’s calling for their lives.
So this program is a perfect solution for the student who does notwish to pursue a path in pastoral ministry but who does recognize theneed for a strong spiritual platform for the duration of his or her life.
MAY 9-13, 2012
Dr. Michael Avery, presidentRev. John Manley, campus pastor
GUEST SPEAKERSRev. Randy Brown, Wed, Thurs evenings
Rev. Blake Jones, Thurs, Fri, Sun mornings
Rev. John Manley, Sunday eveningRev. Larry Smith, Sunday communion
Rev. Darrell Lee Stetler, Saturday eveningMrs. Elizabeth Stetler, Friday break-out
Dr. Bill Ury, Friday evening
FIRST SERVICEWednesday, 7 pm
PRAYER SERVICESThursday – Friday, 7:30 am
BREAK-OUT SESSIONSThursday – Friday, 9 am
MORNING WORSHIPThursday – Friday, Sunday, 10:30 am
EVENING SERVICESWed – Sat, 7 pm; Sunday, 6 pm
GBS COMMENCEMENTSaturday, 10 am
COMMUNION SERVICESunday, 9 am
STUDENT MINISTRIES SERVICESunday, 2:30 pm
powerful God. Kristina’s poignantand touching testimony of loss, deepsuffering and eventual healing willencourage your faith and debunk thelie that we are irrelevant and insignif-icant. After Nathaniel can be pur-chased at www.winepressbooks.com.For more information or to schedulea speaking engagement, visitwww.afternathaniel.blogspot.com
POSITIONS AVAILABLE at the Independence BibleSchool at Independence, Kansas. We are in need ofthe following: (1) music teacher, K–12; (2) assistantdirector for our day care, Noah’s Arkademy. This posi-tion would also involve being the director of our day-
care summer program. Interested persons should contactour principal, Mr. Matt Brewer, Phone (620) 331-3780.
HITHER AND THITHER
The 12th General Conference of The WesleyanChurch will be held at the Lexington, Kentucky,Convention Center, June 2-6, 2012. To be considered atthat time will be a new administrative structure which, ac-cording to Wesleyan Life, has been recommended by thedenomination’s General Board. This “would involve mov-ing from three General Superintendents to one and fromseven General Officer department heads to four ministryarea division chairs.” Theme of the General Conference is“Loving Christ; Embracing Our World.”
West Virginia, and Virginia; andthree in Indiana. Services weremarked by the Holy Spirit’s pres-ence, and the choir was welcomednot only for musical presentations,but also for its spiritual earnestnessand fervency.
MUSICAL PRESENTATIONSOFFERED THIS MAY
The GBS Division of Music willsponsor two presentations this May.No admission tickets are required
for either event, although donationswill be welcomed. The presenta-tions are as follows:
• Oratorio Choir Presentation,7:00 PM, MAY 3, 2012. TheOratorio Choir, directed by Mr. TimCrater, assisted by Ms. Jessica Smith,and accompanied by Mrs. MarthaMiller, will perform an eclecticselection of repertoire which collec-tively portrays one specific theme,“Music Fit for a King.”
The performance will openwith Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,”
a majestic anthem written for thecoronation of Great Britain’s KingGeorge II. Other selections willinclude “The Heaven’s AreTelling” from Haydn’s TheCreation, which speaks of God’sglory in His creation; Handel’s“The Hallelujah Chorus” from hismost famous work, The Messiah;and “Ride On, King Jesus!” a spiri-tual arranged by Moses Hogan.This will take place in the beauti-ful sanctuary of the NewportChurch of the Nazarene, 830 YorkStreet, Newport, Kentucky.
• “An Evening with theSymphonic Wind and StringEnsemble,” 7:00 PM, May 8, 2012.Featuring the 45-member orchestradirected by Mr. David Hartkopf, thisperformance will include selectionsfrom a variety of styles, periods, andcultures, including a melancholymodern piece, an animated Latinpiece, and Mozart’s “Piano ConcertoNo. 21,” which will feature the win-ner of the 2012 Piano ConcertoCompetition. The concert will takeplace in the Adcock MemorialChapel on the GBS campus.
continued
APRIL 2012
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The College Choir
Elementary Education – Joana Ryder
The Teacher Education Division of God’s BibleSchool and College is pleased to announce the ad-
dition of Joana Ryder to the faculty. She will serve asassistant chair of the division and as coordinator of theElementary Education Program.
Joana has always been interested in education. Hermother was a school secretary, and Joana enjoyed play-ing school with her siblings. She grew up in a small townwith eight churches and a good public school, which sheattended. As a high school senior, she wanted to come toGBS, but felt God leading her to Greenville College inGreenville, Illinois, a small Christian liberal arts college.She graduated in 2002 with aBS in Elementary Education.
Joana felt drawn to whatshe still feels is our country’sbiggest mission field, public ed-ucation. Her hometown schooloffered her a position teachingfifth grade. The district had justfinished constructing a newmiddle school, so her first yearof teaching was in an incrediblenew building. Working with atroubled student during her second year brought her intocontact with the district superintendent, who eventuallyoffered her the new position of Title I educator for gradesK-3, overseeing a program which assisted students whowere struggling with reading.
Joana helped plan many different school-wideevents such as family reading night, Reading-Around-the-World Day (a K-6 event), parent advisory meetings,read-a-thons, etc. Over the next five years, Joana com-pleted her MS in Elementary Education from EasternIllinois University, served as Title I educator for threeyears, and taught first grade for two years.
Around this time she began to feel a bit of restless-ness in her spirit, as though things were different, andshe began to pray for God’s direction. It was then thatshe received an offer to teach at Hobe Sound ChristianAcademy, and Joana realized that God was calling her toChristian education. She accepted that position in 2009.
She enjoyed her time at HSCA and was fascinatedto see the differences between the two fields of educa-tion – public and private. It was when she was enjoy-ing teaching and friendships in Hobe Sound that sheagain began “feeling that things were going to be dif-ferent.” She had heard much about GBS from herbrother Lucas, a student here. She reports that GBS’s
academic excellence was attractive to her. When shelearned of a Teacher Education position available atGBS, she made the contact. In discussions with GBSand with Hobe Sound principal Dr. McElwain, she de-cided to give an additional year to HSCA before join-ing the GBS faculty in Fall 2012. Here is how Joanadescribes that decision:
“We need educators in the field that are aspiring tobe the best that they can before God. I feel that a placelike GBS assists in this preparation. I have enjoyed watch-ing Lucas and his focus for ministry grow because of at-tending GBS. I’m excited to be a part of helping studentsto develop their skills so that they can be sharp tools to as-sist in changing hearts for God’s Kingdom!
“I have had the opportunity to teach several onlineand three on-campus classes at the college level herein Hobe Sound. I have enjoyed the interaction withthese students as we discuss the issues of education. Iwas a bit worried, though, about saying good-bye toteaching elementary students. I love children and evencried as we took down our classroom Christmas treethis year, knowing that this was my last tree to takedown with children. In light of this, I am very excitedabout having the chance to work with the children atthe GBS Aldersgate Christian Academy for six hourseach week. As a college professor, I believe that this in-teraction will assist in my ability to stay ‘in tune’ withthe current issues of education.”
Join us in welcoming Joana Ryder to the GBS cam-pus family!
Biblical and Theological Studies – Stephen Smith
The Ministerial Education Division of God’s BibleSchool and College is pleased to announce the ad-
dition of Stephen Smith to the faculty. Stephen was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in
1980 where his father, GBS alumnus Joe Smith, waspastoring. When Stephen was a child, the familymoved to Shelbyville, Indiana, where his parents stillpastor. Stephen considered it a great privilege to growup in a parsonage and to fellowship with, and learnfrom, many evangelists, singers, missionaries, collegemusic groups, etc., who came through the area andministered in his father’s church.
When it came time to decide where to go to col-lege, GBS was the only logical choice. It was like GBSand the Smith family were made for each other. AsStephen says:
“I literally would not exist without GBS. My par-ents met there and got married. My mother came
TWO NEW PROFESSORS TO JOIN COLLEGE FACULTY
12GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE
there from Ontario, Canada, and my dad came therefrom Frankfort, Indiana. All of my siblings have also at-tended the school as well as many members of my ex-tended family.”
So he came to GBS in thefall of 1998, unsure whereGod was leading him. Stephenwas very interested in comput-ers and considered one daybeing a software or hardwarecomputer engineer. When hearrived at GBS, he wasn’t surehe would stay longer than twoyears. He eventually stayedfour years, receiving his BA inMinisterial Education in 2002. After graduating, Stephenreturned to Shelbyville and worked full-time for oneyear as he began taking graduate classes. He thenmoved to Jackson, Mississippi to attend Wesley BiblicalSeminary. Here his calling became clear: he was to be ascholar/teacher.
A big influence on Stephen in the area of scholar-ship was his father, Joe, who is currently completing amaster’s degree from Trinity Evangelical DivinitySchool. As a full-time pastor, Joe has been a voraciousreader with a large library. He greatly enjoys theologi-cal discussions and was and is a good dialogue partnerand inspiration for Stephen.
At Wesley Biblical Seminary, Stephen was greatlyinfluenced by Gary Cockerill, a New Testament profes-sor who mentored him in various ways, including hisoversight of Stephen as a research assistant for a com-mentary Cockerill was writing. Stephen was also in aweekly discipleship groupwith Dr. Cockerill.
Stephen graduated in2006 from Wesley BiblicalSeminary with a Master’s ofDivinity. Subsequently he en-rolled in Trinity Evangelical Di-vinity School in order to pur-sue a degree in TheologicalStudies with a concentration inNew Testament Exegesis andTheology. As a PhD candidate,he is currently working on hisdissertation entitled “The Per-severance of the Saints in theApocalypse of John.” His antic-ipated graduation date fromTEDS is May 2013.
Stephen comes with goodteaching experience. He hastaught online classes at the un-
dergraduate level for Indiana Wesleyan University sinceFebruary 2010 and for GBS since January 2011. He hasalso taught on-site courses at the graduate level forTrinity Evangelical Divinity School since August 2008.
Stephen writes:“I am excited about joining the faculty at GBS.
One of the reasons I’m looking forward to returning toGBS to teach is because I am myself a product of theschool and, specifically, of the Ministerial EducationDivision. Interestingly, as far as I know, none of thecurrent full-time Ministerial Division teachers actuallygraduated from the division. I am looking forward tojoining the faculty because I believe in the mission ofGBS. I appreciate the way that they hold together aca-demic standards and life-changing ministry. I also ap-preciate the way that GBS identifies with theConservative Holiness Movement, while also minister-ing to the wider Holiness Movement and EvangelicalChristianity. I also appreciate GBS’s commitment tostrategic planning and ongoing academic developmentfor its faculty.”
Stephen has been married to Jessica (Flick) Smithsince July 2006. They have two sons. Isaac was born in2008, and Joshua was born in 2010. GBS would liketo thank Tom Reed, senior pastor at the ChicagoWesleyan Missionary Church, where Stephen hasserved as an associate pastor since August 2009.Stephen reports that “Pastor Reed has been a wonder-ful friend and mentor to me and my family, and wewill greatly miss him and the rest of our Chicagochurch family once we move to Cincinnati.”
Join us in welcoming Stephen, Jessica, Isaac, andJoshua Smith to the GBS campus family!
APRIL 2012
13
Dear Valorie,
Great question! I’ve never hadto spell this out before, so this is myfirst shot at it. Let’s begin with a def-inition of a “promise” in Scripture.A promise is a statement that Godwill be or do something for some-one. Some promises are condition-al, and some are unconditional.Some are corporate; some are indi-vidual. So, the answer to your firstquestion is “it depends.” It dependson a lot of things. Here are steps touse in determining whether you canclaim a promise in Scripture:
1. Identify the original recipientof the promise from the context. Ifthe recipient is a single named indi-vidual, and the promise is not givento his descendants, then it may notbe claimed today. For example, thepromise to Hannah that she wouldhave children is not a promise toall barren wives that they will havechildren. If the recipients are anindividual and their descendents,one of whom is Jesus, then it canbe claimed. This is Paul’s line of
argument in Galatians 3. He saysthe promises given to Abraham andhis seed (singular) apply to us,because Christ was the seed ofAbraham and we are Christ’s seed(Gal. 3:16–29). If the recipient is agroup, we must be members ofthat group to claim the promise.For example, Jesus promised theapostles in John 14:26 that theSpirit would teach them all thingsand bring all that He had said totheir remembrance. This promisedoes not apply to us because weare not apostles.
2. Determine if the promise hasbeen fulfilled using a good cross-ref-erence Bible. If it has been fulfilled,the promise may not be claimed. Forexample, God promised David thathis son would build a house for God(2 Sam. 7:13). That promise was ful-filled through Solomon (1 Kgs8:19–20). This is not a promise toclaim about my son building ahouse. Isaiah 53:4 “Himself took ourinfirmities, and bare our sicknesses”was fulfilled in Jesus’ healing ministryrecorded in Matt. 8:16–17.
3. Determine whether thepromise is conditional or uncon-ditional. We must meet the condi-tions of a promise before we canclaim the promise. God’s promiseto Noah and all humanity to neverdestroy the earth again with a floodis unconditional (Gen. 9:9–11).God’s promise to establishSolomon as king over Israel just asHe established David’s throne wasconditioned upon Solomon’s obe-dience (1 Kgs 9:4–5). WhenSolomon failed to meet those condi-tions, God removed him from beingking over Israel and limited him toruling only Judah and Benjamin (1Kgs 11:11). If a promise is given to aperson identified by a characteristic(e.g., righteous, wise, godly), then itis a conditional promise and anyonewho shares that character can claimthe promise.
4. Distinguish promises made tothe nation of Israel from promisesmade to spiritual Israel. God’spromise to cause Israel’s nationalenemies to flee before them sevenways (Deut. 28:7) is not a promiseto make the national enemies of anyor all Christians to flee before themin battle. It was a promise to nation-al Israel. On the other hand, God’spromise to dwell in the midst of hispeople (Lev. 26:12; Ezek. 37:27) is apromise for all His people and it isbeing fulfilled now by the HolySpirit’s indwelling (2 Cor. 6:16–18).
I’m out of room, so next timeI’ll address distinguishing spiritualimpressions from Scripturalpromises, distinguishing descrip-tive texts from prescriptive texts,and whether Phil. 4:19 is a uni-versal promise.
Blessings,Philip
Dr. A. Philip Brown II is a member of thefaculty in the Division of MinisterialEducation at God’s Bible School and College.
GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE
14
WHICH BIBLICAL PROMISES CAN WE CLAIM?
Is it all right for Christians to claim promises that aren't specificallywritten to them? For example, Philippians 4:19 is often used bybelievers today as assurance that God will provide for our basicneeds. Is that a misuse of that text since Paul was referring to a spe-cific situation pertaining to the Philippians' generosity to him? Howdo we know which promises we can claim? —Valorie
APRIL 2012
15
IRANIAN CHRISTIANSENTENCED TO DEATH
“A trial court in Iran has issuedits final verdict, ordering a Christianpastor to be put to death for leav-ing Islam and converting to Chris-tianity, according to sources closeto the pastor and his legal team.”This report by Lisa Daftari pub-lished by FoxNews.com adds thatsupporters “fear Youcef Nadark-hani, a 34-year-old father of twowho was arrested over two yearsago on charges of apostasy, maynow be executed at any time with-out prior warning.” Throughout theWest protests have mountedagainst Iranian persecution ofChristians and especially of thethreatened execution of the pastor.
WYCLIFFE DENIES DROPPINGFAMILIAL TERMS FOR GOD
According to Michael Gryboski,reporter for the Christian Post,“Wycliffe Bible Translators deniedallegations that it removed theterms ‘father’ and ‘son’ from Bibletranslations meant for Muslim coun-tries and said any problematic textsare no longer being distributed.”Earlier an organization named Bibli-cal Missiology had “created an on-line petition demanding thatWycliffe Bible Translators and itspartners stop the production of cer-tain Arabic and Bengali translationsof the Bible, believing them to haveeliminated familial terms to describeGod and Jesus.”
EVANGELICALS JOINCATHOLICS TO OPPOSEADMINISTRATION INITIATIVES
“After the Obama administra-tion announced that health insur-ance coverage would require theinclusion of contraception andabortifacients, several Christianleaders—including Chuck Colson,Richard Land, and Rick Warren—called on evangelicals to stand withCatholics in civil disobedience tothis law,” says Joe Carter of theGospel Coalition, according toVirtueonline. “Because oppositionto contraceptives is most closely as-sociated with orthodox Catholics,media have portrayed the currentcontroversy as a Roman Catholicissue,” Carter commented. “But…the direct assault on freedom ofconscience would be a grave con-cern for all believers.”
BAPTIST LEADER SAYSMORMONISM NOTORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY
Newsmax.TV reports that Dr.Richard Land, a leading figure inthe influential Southern BaptistConvention has said that he doesnot consider Mitt Romney andother Mormons to be Christians,and likens Mormonism to Islam,but added that this should notdisqualify Romney from publicoffice. “As Martin Luther oncesaid, ‘I’d rather be governed by acompetent Turk than an incom-petent Christian.’”
She was born in Oklahoma, livesin Kansas, attends college in Ohio—butplayfully insists she’s from Honduras!
KARA MOORE of Independence,KS, had no intention of attendingGod’s Bible School and College.Nonetheless, she visited campus onVIP Day where she learned aboutGBSC’s regional accreditation, mingledwith faculty and students…and prayer-fully contemplated. Soon persuaded,she packed her bags for Cincinnati!
When Kara was eight years old,her family returned to Honduras to re-sume long-term mission work. In thiscountry of lush jungles and challeng-ing rivers, her dad flew a small planeand started radio stations while hermom worked in a small village clinic.Kara’s formative years on the fieldlikely kindled her future passion formusic, teaching, Spanish ministry—and her enduring love for Honduras.
Years later, as a junior in themusic division, Kara feels “preparedto go out” and teach others of Christ.With future plans yet undiscovered,GBSC is preparing her to do what-ever God asks. She hopes to returnto a mission field, where she firstlearned to truly trust God.
Seventy-five percent of our students receivesome form of financial aid which enablesthem to attend GBSC. If you would like tosupport Kara Moore or a student like her,you may send a gift to:
Student FundGod’s Bible School and College1810 Young StreetCincinnati, OH 45202
or give online anytime at www.gbsgift.com
THE BARRENNESS OF WORKING “FOR” GOD
by Dennis F. Kinlaw
Working “for” God means that we try to think what He wants done andthen go and do it for Him; when we finish, we expect to have His
approval and reward. The unconscious emphasis of such thinking is upon theChristian himself, upon how well he is doing his work, upon how competenthe appears to be.
This may explain why many Christian workers focus on techniquesmore than on the relationship between the person and the Lord. There isan implied assumption that if you know the “nuts and bolts” of Christianwork and ministry, you will be a successful worker. This is tied to the ideaof working for God—carrying out an assignment—rather than being Hisco-laborer in ministry.
When any one person becomes the pivot around what his ministryrevolves, the results are deadly. The Lord will not be fully present in any min-istry where a person gets the glory. The Holy Spirit comes to exalt Christ, notto exalt you and me. Anything that draws attention to our cleverness, ourbrightness, or our competence is ultimately sterilizing. This is why we mustever remember that we are called to work with Him.
In the press of daily ministry, it is easy to lose that perspective. But theHoly Spirit can enable us to see as Christ sees. This is why each of us needsthe baptism of the Holy Spirit, the same baptism that came to the disciplesat Pentecost.
The Spirit will quicken a Christian’s understanding and enable him to seethe difference between working for God and working with Him. The unsanc-tified Christian will tend to take pride in working for God, saying, “See what Idid for Him.” He thinks God ought to be in his debt. But with the Holy Spirit’sbaptism the Christian receives a sense of total and continual dependence uponGod that precludes such vain ideas. The Spirit makes a Christian realize thatGod alone gives the increase; there is a sense of sola gratia in ministry (p19)�
16
�
FACING
TEMPTATION
(PAR
T 2)
by Dr. Allan P. Brown, Chair
GBS Division of Ministerial Education
Scriptures: James 1:12-14.
In p
art 1
, we
lear
ned
that
eve
ryon
e w
ithou
t exc
eptio
n fa
ces
tem
p-ta
tion.
We
also
lear
ned
that
if a
per
son
utili
zes
God
’s g
race
, the
re is
no
reas
on f
or y
ield
ing
to t
empt
atio
n. A
fter
listin
g te
n tr
uths
eve
ryon
ene
eds
to k
now
abo
ut te
mpt
atio
n, w
e le
arne
d th
at th
e w
ord
tran
slate
d“t
empt
” is
also
tra
nsla
ted
“tes
t.” T
he G
reek
wor
d fa
mily
beh
ind
the
Engl
ish t
rans
latio
ns in
dica
tes
that
the
ter
m is
neu
tral
; th
ere
is no
thin
gin
here
ntly
evi
l im
plie
d by
the
Gre
ek w
ord
fam
ily.
We
follo
wed
thi
sw
ord
stud
y w
ith t
he q
uest
ion,
“W
here
doe
s te
mpt
atio
n co
me
from
?”W
e le
arne
d th
at t
empt
atio
n be
gins
in t
he m
ind.
We
also
lear
ned
that
we
mus
t le
arn
how
to
reco
gniz
e te
mpt
atio
n an
d th
en c
aptu
re a
nyth
ough
ts th
at a
re n
ot in
har
mon
y w
ith G
od’s
Wor
d an
d br
ing
them
into
capt
ivity
to C
hrist
(2 C
or. 1
0:5)
.In
thi
s m
essa
ge w
e w
ill le
arn
ther
e ar
e six
ste
ps in
the
tem
ptat
ion
proc
ess.
The
firs
t th
ree
are
foun
d in
Jam
es 1
:14:
“Bu
t ea
ch o
ne i
ste
mpt
ed w
hen
he is
dra
wn
away
by
his
own
desir
es a
nd e
ntic
ed.”
The
last
thr
ee a
re f
ound
in J
ames
1:1
5, “
Then
whe
n lu
st h
as c
once
ived
, it
give
s bi
rth to
sin
; an
d w
hen
sin is
acc
ompl
ished
, it b
rings
forth
dea
th.”
Step 1 is ATTENTION.A
per
son
cann
ot b
e te
mpt
ed u
nles
s wha
teve
r is t
heso
urce
of t
empt
atio
n ga
ins h
is at
tent
ion.
One
has
to b
e co
nsci
ously
aw
are
of th
e so
urce
of t
empt
atio
n be
fore
tem
ptat
ion
is po
ssib
le. O
nce
the
sour
ceof
tem
ptat
ion
has
caug
ht th
e pe
rson
’s at
tent
ion,
ste
p tw
o oc
curs
.
14
In R
oman
s 12
:2, P
aul c
omm
ands
Chr
istia
ns w
ho h
ave
fully
sur
ren-
dere
d th
eir l
ives
to G
od a
s a
holy,
livi
ng s
acrif
ice,
to “
be n
ot c
onfo
rmed
to th
is w
orld
, but
be
trans
form
ed b
y th
e re
new
ing
of y
our m
ind,
so
that
you
may
pro
ve w
hat t
he w
ill o
f God
is, t
hat w
hich
is g
ood
and
acce
pt-
able
and
per
fect
.” W
hen
a C
hrist
ian
beco
mes
aw
are
that
any
are
a of
his
life
is be
ing
influ
ence
d by
the
wor
ld-s
yste
m o
f evi
l, he
mus
t do
eve
ry-
thin
g in
his
pow
er to
ren
ew h
is m
ind,
by
mea
ns o
f the
pow
er o
f God
’sW
ord
and
God
’s H
oly
Spiri
t, an
d st
op a
llow
ing
that
con
form
ity t
o th
ew
orld
to r
emai
n in
his
life.
In li
ke m
anne
r, w
hen
spea
king
of t
he u
ngod
ly w
orld
-sys
tem
of e
vil,
Jam
es w
arns
, “D
o yo
u no
t kno
w th
at fr
iend
ship
with
the
wor
ld is
hos
-til
ity to
war
d G
od?
Ther
efor
e w
hoev
er w
ishes
to b
e a
frien
d of
the
wor
ldm
akes
him
self
an e
nem
y of
God
” (Ja
mes
4:4
). An
d Je
sus
told
us
that
God
dem
ands
abs
olut
e lo
yalty
and
obe
dien
ce to
Him
self.
“N
o m
an c
anse
rve
two
mas
ters
: fo
r ei
ther
he
will
hat
e th
e on
e, a
nd lo
ve t
he o
ther
;or
else
he
will
hol
d to
the
one,
and
des
pise
the
othe
r. Ye
can
not s
erve
God
and
mam
mon
” (M
atth
ew 6
:24)
. O
ur a
llegi
ance
to
God
mus
t no
tbe
div
ided
. Our
affe
ctio
n m
ust b
e fo
cuse
d an
d sp
ecifi
c.W
hen,
as
a C
hrist
ian,
you
bec
ome
awar
e th
at t
here
are
ung
odly
thou
ghts
in
your
min
d, a
nd y
ou f
eel
the
allu
rem
ent
to s
in t
hat
thos
eth
ough
ts b
ring,
that
is th
e m
omen
t you
are
requ
ired
to m
ake
a de
cisio
n.Yo
u ca
n ei
ther
cho
ose
to a
llow
tho
se e
vil t
houg
hts
to r
emai
n in
you
rm
ind,
or
you
can
choo
se t
o ex
pel t
hem
and
rep
lace
the
m w
ith g
odly
thou
ghts
. You
r cho
ice
dete
rmin
es w
heth
er y
ou a
re s
impl
y be
ing
tem
pt-
ed to
thin
k sin
ful t
houg
hts,
or w
heth
er y
ou a
re c
onsc
ious
ly c
hoos
ing
toal
low
sin
ful t
houg
hts
to r
emai
n in
you
r m
ind.
As
long
as
a pe
rson
doe
sno
t cho
ose
to d
wel
l on
the
evil
thou
ghts
that
Sat
an p
uts
into
his
min
d, n
o sin
has
occ
urre
d. A
lway
s re
mem
ber
that
Ja
mes
1:
15
war
ns
agai
nst
letti
ng
evil
thou
ghts
rem
ain
in y
our
min
d. H
e sa
ys,
“whe
n de
sire
has
con-
ceiv
ed, i
t giv
es b
irth
to si
n; a
nd si
n, w
hen
it is
full-
grow
n,br
ings
forth
dea
th.”
—
serm
on b
y D
R. A
LLAN
P. B
ROW
N
[In o
ur n
ext m
essa
ge, w
e w
ill s
tudy
the
last
thre
e st
eps
in th
e te
mpt
a-tio
n pr
oces
s an
d th
en le
arn
how
to b
iblic
ally
com
bat t
empt
atio
n.]
“COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE
IN P
REACHIN
G”
�
23
desires of our physical body in general, he uses our eyes specifically,and he appeals to our ego. Satan tem
pts us to become proud of our
accomplishm
ents, whether they be educational, physical, social, or
material. 1 John 2:16 call these three avenues of tem
ptation “thedesires of the body, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life.”
The context of 1 John 2:16 reveals that John is speaking of tempta-
tions to fulfill and gratify in an unbiblical manner
the desires we face
through these three avenues. John labels the temptation to fulfill in an
unbiblical manner the legitim
ate desires a Christian encounters through
his body, or the desires created through sight, or the temptation to pride
and self-sufficiency, (the temptation to think m
ore highly of himself than
he ought to think—Rom
ans 12), as the forbidden realm of the “w
orld.”John com
mands, “Love not the w
orld, neither the things that are in thew
orld.” He then explains the danger of loving the “w
orld.” “If anyoneloves the w
orld, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
By the negative use of the term, “w
orld,” John is not speaking ofeither planet earth, the people on planet earth, or m
aterial things ingeneral. Rather he is speaking of the unbiblical values, m
ethods,desires, goals, and activities of the fallen w
orld order. He is speaking of
the world-system
of evil. To love the “world” in the m
anner that Johnforbids, m
eans you are seduced by, give yourself to, and find pleasurein fulfilling in an unbiblical m
anner both legitimate desires as w
ell asillegitim
ate desires. When a person chooses to yield to the tem
ptationto sin, he dem
onstrates, says John, that he does not love the Father.The tem
ptations to sin are not from the Father; they are from
the world
(1 John 2:15-16). Sim
ilar to John, Paul uses the term “w
orld” with the negative m
ean-ing of “the w
orld-system of evil” w
hen he speaks of Jesus’ atonement
on the cross. He says, Jesus “gave him
self for our sins, that he might
deliver us from this present evil w
orld, according to the will of G
od andour Father” (G
alatians 1:4). He also rem
inds Christians of the difference
between the life they now
live by the Spirit, and the life they lived obey-ing the w
orld-system of evil before they w
ere saved. Paul writes con-
cerning their former unsaved state, “And you w
ere dead in your tres-passes and sins, in w
hich you formerly w
alked according to the courseof this w
orld, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spir-
it that is now w
orking in the sons of disobedience. Among them
we too
all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the
flesh and of the mind, and w
ere by nature children of wrath, even as
the rest” (Ephesians 2:1-3).
Step 2 is ATTRACTIO
N.
A person can be consciously aw
are of many
things around him but not be particularly attracted to any of them
.H
owever, the D
evil knows our m
oods and our weaknesses and w
illseek to focus our attention upon som
ething he knows w
ill attract us.This is the m
eaning of the phrase, “drawn aw
ay.” You cannot be tempt-
ed to do wrong if there is no attraction, no appeal, no desire tow
ardthat w
hich has caught your attention.
The phrase, “his own desires,” does not necessarily refer to evil
desires. The word “desire” (epithum
ia) is a neutral term. Jesus felt this
kind of desire when he w
anted to partake of the Passover meal w
ith hisdisciples (Luke 22:15). Paul felt this kind of desire w
hen he wanted to
depart this life and go to be with C
hrist (Philippians 1:23). There isnothing inherently evil about feeling a desire. The w
ord “desire”(epithum
ia)sim
ply refers to any strong desire, whether the norm
aldesires of life given to us by G
od, or to evil desires that have found rootin our hearts.
The point James is m
aking is that a person cannot be tempted to do
wrong unless som
ething about the temptation attracts him
. It is when
we feel an attraction for som
ething that is outside the will of G
od forour life that w
e need to be on guard. It is as though a “tug-of-war” is
going on inside your mind. Satan w
ill attempt to increase your attrac-
tion for the forbidden “fruit” until it acts like a powerful m
agnet pullingon you. Then, once your attention is caught and you feel an attractiontow
ard the object of temptation, step three occurs.
Step 3 is ALLUREM
ENT.
James 1:14 says that a person is tem
pted“w
hen he is drawn aw
ay by his own desires and enticed.” Satan w
ill seeto it that along w
ith the power of desire w
ill be enticement. The w
ord“enticed (deleazo)” involves the idea of “baiting,” just as one places baiton a hook in the attem
pt to entice a fish to bite the hook. Temptation
entices us by using our own appetites and im
agination. And as a wise
fisherman know
s to hide the hook within the bait, Satan hides his hook.
He does not w
ant us to focus on the fact that yielding to sinful desirew
ill eventually bring sorrow, punishm
ent, and death. He tries to conceal
from us his avow
ed purpose for our life: to steal, kill, and destroy (John10:10).
The Apostle John tells us that there are three prim
ary means that
Satan uses to attract our attention and then allure us to sin. He uses the
APRIL 2012
19
�(p16) as well as in salvation, so that the Christianwants Christ to be preeminent.
John R. Church was a young and aspiringpreacher when he was invited to give the com-mencement address at Asbury College in the 1930’s.He took the invitation seriously and prepared dili-gently. He later told me, “This place was packed.Excitement was high. God was with me and I soared.I thought, I have this audience in the palm of myhand. I can do anything I want with them. Suddenlya cold chill moved over me. I closed the serviceimmediately, went to my room, and got on myknees. I said, ‘God, if you’ll forgive me, I’ll never beguilty of that again.’
“For years afterward, I met people who said,‘Dr. Church, do you remember when you were atAsbury for commencement?’ It happened so manytimes that I knew what was coming. They wouldsay, ‘You know, I have never heard such oratory.’
“I would ask, ‘What did I preach about?’
“I never met a person who could recall the text orthe topic I had preached about,” Dr. Church said. “Allthey remembered was the oratory.”
See the integrity of a man who knew when hehad crossed a line he was not supposed to cross?Some people think the sanctified life is one in whicha person never errs; but when we seek God’s graceto live a holy life, we know that’s not so. As much asanything else, the sanctified life is one sensitized toerror. Most of us would have walked away from thatcommencement service saying, “I did well, didn’t I?God, you should be pleased with me today.” But Dr.Church went away repentant. No one else in thecrowd knew what had happened, but he knew. Hewent to his room and asked God’s forgiveness forwhat the audience thought was magnificent.
The mark of a clean heart is what you do whenyou’ve slipped across the line of spiritual integrity. A lotof Christians don’t even know when they have donethat. Such is the difference between talking about theSpirit and living in the Spirit. If we are going to workwith Christ, we must be sensitive to His Spirit.
Dr. Dennis F. Kinlaw is a well-known educator, speaker, andauthor. This selection is taken from his book Preaching in theSpirit, copyright 1985 by Francis Asbury Press, and is herereprinted with permission granted by Cricket.
FROM THE CLASSICS continued
�(p6) A rising tide of what Ali calls “Christophobia”is sweeping the Islamic world, and she calls for anend to the “conspiracy of silence” surrounding thisoppression among the media. She references theanti-Christian violence of Boko Haram in Nigeria. Arecent story in World magazine would seem to sup-port her claim, as it indicates that in a single day inJanuary 2012, Boko Haram was responsible for morethan 20 separate explosions in the Nigerian city ofKano. Ali indicates that members of Boko Haramkilled at least 510 people and destroyed more than350 churches in 2011 alone.
Sudanese Christians are still the victims of aerialbombardment, targeted killings, and kidnappings,while in Egypt more than 200,000 Coptic Christianshave fled their homes fearing violence. Ali points outthat in Iraq the number of Christians has dwindledby more than 50% since 2003. In Pakistan, simplybelieving in the Christian Trinity is considered a vio-lation of the nation’s blasphemy laws, and in 2010the Pakistan offices of World Vision (a Christian aidgroup) were attacked by gunmen wielding grenades.Six people were killed and four were wounded inthe assault.
Ali mentions Iran as another place in whichChristians have and will face intimidation and vio-lence. The sobering case of 34-year-old Iranian pastorYoucef Nadarkhani, who was sentenced to death in2010 for “apostacy”—he was born into a Muslim fam-ily but converted to Christ—bears witness to the truthof Ali’s claim. Even Indonesia, often touted as theworld’s most democratic majority-Muslim nation, hasseen an increase in attacks against religious minorities(of whom Christians are the largest share) of nearly40% between 2010 and 2011.
Ali insists that this anti-Christian violence is a“major and underreported problem” and is not cen-trally planned or coordinated but is “a spontaneousexpression of anti-Christian animus by Muslims thattranscends cultures, regions, and ethnicities.” Aliinsists that “tolerance is for everyone—except theintolerant.” While Ali is correct that we in the Westshould press our civil leaders to push for increasedfreedoms of conscience in Muslim-majority countries,our deepest obligation is to stand with our brothersand sisters around the world in prayer. There aremany resources that provide good information aboutglobal persecution (e.g. International Bulletin ofMissionary Research). We must inform ourselves,pray for Christ’s global body, and, like Stephen, prayfor the salvation of those who perpetrate violenceagainst His Church. Who knows? Perhaps the next“St. Paul” will come from the Muslim world!
Joshua M. Avery is on the faculty at God’s Bible School and College.
PERSECUTION continued
compiled by Rev. Jack Hooker, President,National Alumni Association of GBS
ALUMNUS WINS BOOK AWARD
Harold E. Platter (’47 GBS HS)has been awarded the prestigiousSilver Angel Award for his bookSimon of Cyrene and Barrabus. Theaward has been given for 34 yearsby the Excellence in Media organi-zation of southern California.Platter’s book is an exciting story ofthree men who live in Cyrene, avillage in the province ofCyrenacia, in 32 AD. They puttogether a caravan and then beginthe 740-mile journey to Jerusalem
to sell their products. The journeyis fraught with danger which theymeet with faith and trust in God.They also want to celebrate theJewish Passover in the Holy Cityand worship at the great Temple.Simon earnestly wants to see andhear the Christ. This book givesanother perspective of Jesus Christand His crucifixion and resurrec-tion. It will demonstrate how thepower of faith in Him makes a dif-ference in how we should live.Harold Platter is married to the for-mer Violet Hartsock (’46 HS) andresides in Memphis, Tennessee.
FIFTY-YEAR GRADS TELL HOWGBS INFLUENCED THEIR LIVES
During Homecoming 2011, Rev. JackHooker, National Alumni Association presi-dent, asked the GBS graduates of 1961,“How has GBS influenced your life?”Following are some of their responses.
“I became a pastor/evangelist,baptizing approximately 489 con-verts during my 40 years in ministry.My years at GBS were the mostpowerful influence of all the years
of my ministry.” —DelbertTangeman, Duncan, South Carolina
“My steadfast determination towalk with God and live for Him wasstrengthened by the classes taken, theinstruction given, and the meeting oflike-minded students with whom tofellowship.” —Betty Jo (Campbell)Luther, Hagerstown, Maryland
“GBS emphasized the impor-tance of honesty and keeping Godfirst in your actions and desires. Thishas helped me in my marriage andin business.” —Janet (Edwards)Bliton, Jacksonville, Florida
“Only the Father knows howmuch a GBS education influencedmy life. It has never stopped. It is likean endless river of fresh, life-givingwater running through my life. It’s aninfluence that will be with me to thegrave or the Rapture, whichevercomes first!” —Donald LewisStevenson, Auburn, Washington
“It gave me a chance to studythe Bible as never before. Itallowed me to see other Christianyoung people testify, preach, andpray. It afforded me teachers whowere humble enough to kneel atthe chapel altar with students. Itintroduced me to the idea ofaccreditation. It influenced me tointerdenominational and thereforenot ‘churchy.’” —Edgar Bryan,Westfield, Indiana
“Having godly teachers andinstructors as good examples. Alsothe revival and camp meeting ser-vices helped me grow spiritually.Then I was able to use my skills forteaching in Christian day schools,Sunday school, and helping in thepastoral ministry. I didn’t have aspecific calling but felt God led meto GBS to prepare for Christian ser-vice.” —Phyllis June (Williams) Price,New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
“The influence of GBS has prob-ably helped me more than I’ll everknow. The realization that God’sprovidential leadings are alwaysgood and on time.” —Lewis Myers,North Pole, Alaska
20GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE
Barnes house lot –
future academic building
This property on Young Street adjacent to
the Flexon Library has now been purchased,
leveled, and prepared for a future building.
This was made possible by the generosity of 42
donors who gave to this project. An artist
rendering of the proposed building will appear in a
future issue of the Revivalist.
Thanks to very special friends of the school, we
have $12,000 in seed money toward this future
building! With God's leadership and your help we
plan to have this building completed within the next
3-4 years.
orndorff house – future staff housing
Anna and James Orndorff are alumni, friends, and
good neighbors to GBS. They have made it possible
for the school to take ownership of their home which
borders our campus. They will continue to live in the
house until they choose to do otherwise and then GBS
will utilize the property for campus housing or additional
student housing. Thanks, Jim and Anna!
1930 Young street – future staff housing
We have made an offer on this house which is less than
100 feet from campus on Young Street. Pray with us that
we can secure both a positive response from the seller
and the funds to purchase it. We need it for
staff / faculty housing.
signage – preliminary plans
One of the goals in our strategic plan is to
develop a "gateway" into campus with
proper signage. We are now working on this
aspect of the plan. A preliminary sign design
is shown here.
21
GOD’S REVIVALIST and BIBLE ADVOCATE
22
EDITORIAL continued
�(p2) spiritual apathy, and surrender to the depravedsecular culture that surrounds us.” Now in Article Vthey speak again of “historical drift,” pointing percep-tively to the only remedy that will stop it. Considercarefully this compelling summons to “Methodist Piety,”which we will now examine.
I. PRINCIPLE DECLARED: Piety EssentialBy definition, piety is “a profound and controlling
reverence for God” that determines everything we say,everything we do, and, indeed, everything we are. Forit deals with our personal relationship with God, builtas it must be upon “the fear of the Lord,” which asScripture tells us, “is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm111:10). For sinners, the “fear of the Lord” eventuatesin terror before His broken law and impending wrath,while for Christians it is reverential awe for His holycharacter and mighty acts.
Love for God must become the motivating drive forevery follower of Jesus, but it is certain that we shallnever love Him until first we have come to fear Him.Remember also that as we welcome His overtures withopen hearts and steadfast will, the Holy Spirit will usethe fear of God to lead us to the love of God.
But even after this, the “fear of the Lord” as rever-ential awe will remain to brace, toughen, and mold ourlove for Him, as they merge together in that richChristian piety which provides the fertile soil in whichall holiness must flourish. In contrast to sterile external-ism, piety is rooted in inward principle and holy char-acter, though it manifests itself in loving obedience andfaithful service. At its very core it centers in a passionatedesire and relentless pursuit for God Himself. “As thehart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soulafter thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1).
No gift of our heritage is more precious than thisfocus on rich personal relationship with God, and this iswhy Article V is a “Call to Methodist Piety.” From the be-ginning, Wesleyans have underscored the necessity of re-ally knowing God in authentic Christian experience, at-tested by a life that consistently demonstrates that reality.Generations of godly, earnest Christians—our spiritualforebears—have set the pattern before us, loving as Jesusloved in perpetual covenant with Him, as the Call re-minds us, demonstrating “allegiance to the inner princi-ple of ‘jealous, godly fear,’ commitment to disciplineddiscipleship, obedience to His holy Law, dynamic growthin grace, and faithful use of the means of grace.”
II. FAILURE ACKNOWLEDGED: Piety DistortedOnce Methodism was known as “Christianity in
earnest.” Granted, this is the mark of real Christianseverywhere. But the piety demonstrated by so many of
our spiritual ancestors—deep, sturdy, principled—wasacknowledged even by those who did not share it. Atour best, this “goodly heritage” is still richly displayed inthe sanctity of hundreds of faithful saints who live theJesus life among us.
At our worst, however, we have reduced piety tomere “external regulation and dutiful performance,” asArticle V reminds us. Granted, true religion is alwaysethical, for holy lives are inevitably the fruit of holyhearts. But it’s easy to emphasize the results and ne-glect the principle that must produce them. “For thekingdom of heaven is not meat and drink”—or any out-ward thing—”but righteousness, and peace and joy inthe Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). Sometimes we’ve alsoembroidered our preaching by lists of forbidden itemsthat at best are only the questionable opinions of thosewho lustily announce them.
It is in this context that Article V acknowledges the“‘historical drift’ among us,” insisting that it will not bestopped “merely by enforcing traditional legislation butby vigorous and renewed insistence upon authentic re-lationship with God and passionate pursuit of Him.”Without doubt, the “drift is on” across the CHM, as weare warned; and it is especially evident by the erosionof our historic “standards” of holy living. Once westressed these to the neglect of the “inner principle”that must be their source. But now the pendulumswings the other way, and in many cases we are em-phasizing neither the outward standards nor the “innerprinciple.” Listen to the authors of the Call, as they de-clare allegiance to both of these. “Gladly we reaffirmour traditional emphasis upon simplicity, modesty,stewardship, separation from the world, and conscien-tious lifestyle, but all this must be within the warm andgracious context of loving what God loves and hatingwhat God hates.”
III. CORRECTION OFFERED: Piety Renewed Fortunately we have a superlative model for re-
newal in the old Methodist “school of piety” which forgenerations produced “Cadil lac Christians,” asNazarene scholar Dr. Wes Tracy has observed. This wasgiven formal structure in the General Rules of 1743 towhich the Call makes specific reference. Holy purposewas foundational to the system, for all who sincerelywanted to follow Jesus were to evidence an earnest“desire to flee from the wrath to come and to be savedfrom their sins.” They were placed in a structure of dis-ciplined method that emphasized constant affirmation,mentoring, and accountability. In this atmosphere, theSpirit produced men and women of extraordinary holi-ness—saints who had become so not by chance but bydesign. We may not be able to reproduce all the di-
mensions of this system, but we can call our people torenewed allegiance to the three commitments uponwhich it rested:
• Do “no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind…“ Inother words, we must meet the “sin question” headon in our lives with honesty and determination.One of our problems is that our pulpits have growntimid in denouncing popular sin. But the heartmust be thoroughly probed and sin must be em-phatically renounced. The world and its trinketsmust be renounced, “for the only way to heaven isthe royal way of the cross.”
• Do “good, by being in every kind merciful aftertheir power…“ So a Christian’s life must be filled withflourishing good works, as he or she continually ex-tends kindness to others, witnesses the love of Christ,and lives a faithful, disciplined life “by all diligenceand frugality that gospel be not blamed…“
• Attend “upon all the ordinances of God…“ Theseare the means of grace, those outward words anddeeds which God Himself has appointed as theconduits of His favor and which we must use sys-tematically, lovingly, and in faith. These are essen-tial to Christian piety, and there are five especiallywhich are “instituted” for our nourishment ingrace: (1) prayer of every type, personal, family, andcorporate; (2) the Word of God, Holy Scripture,which must be cherished, “read and expounded”;(3) Christian fellowship, which unites us in holybonds to other believers; (4) Fasting as a systematicand holy offering of self-denial; and (5) HolyCommunion, which as Dr. Steve Harper remindsus, is “food for the journey home.”
“We have reached a point where two ways meet.”One leads to faithfulness and blessing, as we arewarned, the other to compromise and surrender. Whichof these will we take? Remember what Bishop Fostersaid about a “fashionable church”—a church con-formed not to Christ but to the world. His warning is forus as surely as it was for our ecclesiastical great-grand-mother who tragically chose to ignore it. Already thereare signs of “‘historical drift’ among us,” as the Call ac-knowledges. However, as it adds, its remedy is notfound in legal codes and external duties, but in a dy-namic renewal of what once made the Wesleyan move-ment great—earnest and authentic Christian piety,which by definition is “a profound and controlling rev-erence for God” that determines everything we say,everything we do, and, indeed, everything we are.
APRIL 2012
23
by Sonja Vernon
GROW UP!
“As a result, we are no longer to be children,tossed here and there by waves and carried aboutby every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men,by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speakingthe truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspectsinto Him who is the head, even Christ, fromwhom the whole body, being fitted and heldtogether by what every joint supplies, accordingto the proper working of each individual part,causes the growth of the body for the building upof itself in love” —Eph. 4:14–16 (NASB).
In this day when shallow thought and “feel good”theology abound, the words of Paul from his epis-
tle to the Ephesian church issue a timely call toChristian maturity. It’s time for us to grow up and tostop being jerked here and there by messages thatsound good but aren’t founded in the truth. It’s timeto internalize God’s Word so that we know how torecognize falsehood dressed up as gospel. It’s timeto remember that each of us plays a vital role in thebody of Christ, and we must do the job He hascalled us to do to the best of our ability, no matterhow big or small the task may be. In doing so, wecause His body to grow and strengthen in love; wecause His Kingdom to flourish; and we become apart of His purpose in the world. There is no time forlaziness or purposeful immaturity. We are made forsomething so much greater than ourselves. It’s timewe realized it and got to work!
Sonja Vernon is Dean of Women at God’s Bible School and College.
©2012 Jupiter Im
ages
