Reviving the Restoration Movement, X

LOOK AT THE STARS

Have you ever been far enough away from the lights of modern civilization, to see a magnificent star lit night? I’ve experienced this in the Florida Keys, Aroostook County Maine, and at Hilltop on the Havasupai Reservation in Arizona. In each moment I remembered the promise of God to Abraham: Look at the stars and number them if you can. So shall your offspring be. Abraham believed God and God counted his faith as righteousness. See Genesis 15:1-6. Abraham tried to make this promise come about in the flesh, resulting in Ishmael, the son of the slave woman Hagar (Genesis 16). God showed him that his promise must come about in the Spirit. Therefore, the promised child, Isaac, was born to Sarah when she was 90 and Abraham was 100 years old (Genesis 21, Romans 4 and Galatians 4:21-31). Abraham’s faith is described in the most marvelous way: In hope he believed against hope in God’s promise that he should become the father of many nations (Romans 4:18). The challenge for the church is to walk in the faith of Abraham today. So look at the stars. Count them if you can.

All churches longing for revival and restoration of the truth known and enjoyed by early Christians must look at the stars. God’s promise to Abraham is still the North Star of the Jewish and Christian faith. The promise reminds us that we cannot receive God’s gift or accomplish God’s work in the flesh. Therefore, embrace the faith of hope believing against hope. Begin with the promise in mind, for the promise is God’s wonderful thought for humanity. With the promise in mind, I challenge you to live, to plan, to cooperate and to act with hope believing against hope. This kind of optimistic faith in God and the Seed of Abraham, Jesus the Messiah, is the plainest doctrine of the new covenant (Galatians 2:15-3:29). You are called to this obedience of faith; and obedience like Abraham’s faith will result in God’s blessing; for God gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist (Romans 1:16-17 and 4:16-18; see also Romans 1:5 and 16:26).

The church today must choose either to embrace her living Lord through the Holy Spirit, or to settle for a form of godliness without power. The form of godliness without power is without power because it reduces faith to formality and redirects confidence to the formal adherence of a religious system. Instead faith is trust in the person of Jesus based on a belief in the message about Jesus and confidence in his living presence and sovereign power. The promises of God and weightier matters of God’s will do not fare well among the marks of a prescribed religious system. These are imprisoned by the lesser matters and the inferred traditions that mark the boundaries of a very narrow fellowship.

In my view revival is repelled by many churches because they left the sovereign and present reign of Christ out of the box of the formal system of beliefs and practices that define the boundaries of their fellowship. I maintain that the restoration system is a work and arrangement of human thought; and thus is a fallible tool that must be tested by the living word of God. The teachings of a dominant tradition of our restoration heritage — and I am a child of our heritage — all but shut out the continuing promise of the manifestation of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, except for a brief foundational operation in the times of the New Testament.

I am convinced that there can be no revival without faith in the living presence and continuing work of the Lord through his body, made up of the membership of assemblies of believers everywhere. In the Great Commission Jesus promised his presence to the end of world; and at the Last Supper with his apostles, Jesus revealed that he would manifest himself through his presence within us by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20 and John 14:8-15:24). I do acknowledge that the Apostles of Jesus were vested with distinctive authority and signs for the purpose of laying the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:18-22 and 2 Corinthians 12:12). Yet I also know when the apostles laid the foundation they exemplified a faith to imitate and exhorted a faith that really could move mountains. (See a few of the many passages that emphasize the value of our faith: Mark 11:20-25, Galatians 3:1-6, Ephesians 3:20-21, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, Hebrews 11 and 13:7-8, and 1 John 5:1-5). They established a fellowship that would continue to build itself up in the unity of the faith through a mutual ministry created and maintained by the Spirit (Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12-14).

Now embracing this eschatology of hope believing against hope, pray for the manifestation of God’s ultimate desire for us, to experience and live within the oneness of fellowship that Father and Son enjoyed through their Holy Spirit. This is the true meaning of the heart of Jesus, what he wanted most for his disciples, as he expressed in John 14-17. (See also Paul’s pray and explanation of the church’s role in God’s eternal purpose in Ephesians 1:15 – 3:21). To accomplish this Jesus sent his disciples into the world as his Father sent him. We are included and our mission is to make disciples and bring them to the spiritual place of living in the oneness of love and fellowship that Jesus knew with his Father. This is eternal life, and a world that does not know God does not enjoy the fellowship of eternal life. May God revive us to see the need of the lost world; to be obedient to the mission as Jesus was obedient; to proclaim and demonstrate God’s love; and to serve our Lord with the anticipation of rejoicing together among the innumerable children of Abraham (Revelation 7). Now, find a place where you can really see the stars. Look and embrace God’s promise in the Spirit as the hope for the church’s revival and restoration renouncing and overcoming the flesh.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21, ESV).”

Buttram, Bryan. Reviving the Restoration Movement, X. WordPress.com: 2007/09/21.

THE END

Reviving the Restoration Movement, VII

URGENCY OF REVIVAL

It is 9/11, six years later. The day of 9/10/2001 I woke up with the refrain of “Across the Universe”, a Beatles’ song in my mind. The refrain was, “Nothing’s gonna change my world”. The tune stuck in my mind, but for some reason the refrain changed to, “Something’s going to change your life.” I think 9/11 caused me to realize more clearly something about our world that I had not fully understood before that date. There is a perfect storm of humanistic and anti-Messianic hostility gathering against the worldview of the Judeo-Christian faith. Now that I have said it, you do with it what you want; but I believe this hostility is manifesting itself globally and is intensifying. See Psalms 2.

Yet knowing that an intensifying spiritual battle is manifesting itself with contempt against Jews and Christians that may even surpass the evil works of the Nazis; I am dumbfounded that there is no persistent spiritual revival in response to the hostility. Americans did become more spiritually aware; at least for a brief time; but I do not think we experienced real spiritual revival. I hope Christians do not think the Messiah’s plan has become America’s military and economic battle. We should not confuse our Messiah’s interests with American interests. Christ’s church will prevail against the gates of hell, not our armed forces. So if 9/11 didn’t start great awakening, then what will it take?

Today, with you, I remember a great story of courage on Flight 93 on 9/11. Men on the jet gathered, they prayed the Lord’s Prayer, and they quoted from the 23^rd Psalm. Then upon the courageous words of “Let’s Roll”, they heroically defended their country and freedom at the loss of their own lives. The church today needs to take this example to heart. Let me put it in spiritual terms. Daniel 11:32 (ESV) contains this challenge to the people of God: “… but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” (I believe that the prophecy of Daniel 11, in part, concerns what became the historical victory of God’s people that is celebrated in the Festival of Hanukkah). Christ’s church is called; Christ’s church receives the power of the Holy Spirit; so Christ’s church must roll with urgency and courage.

Last night, on 9/10 six years later, in a weekly home Bible study group, I asked an elderly Christian couple if they would share scriptures they selected on what we need to be praying for. After Curtis and Norma Edwards retired they dedicated their lives to mission work. Using their own meager funds to work in Eastern Europe, in Africa and in Latin America, they stood firm and took action, taking medical supplies to needed areas and studying the Bible to lead seekers to salvation. They shared Matthew 9:37-38; and affirmed that the harvest really is plentiful, and we must pray that the Lord will send workers. Then they shared Matthew 28:18-20 and Isaiah 6:8, and made a personal application. Christ commanded us to go, and we must be willing to respond, “Here am I, send me.” These were not just words; for they expressed their life; what they had given their time and lives to work at. Yet they felt too many in the church no longer acknowledged the urgent need and were not willing to do the work.

I’ve changed a little, but not nearly enough. The church too is in a state of flux; but where are the workers gathering the harvest? The storm is gathering and we must roll. This summer while I was golfing the sky was clear. Then it appeared to me that the dark clouds were gathering and the wind became stronger. I started to leave the course. A young man saw me and thought he would be reassuring: “I don’t think the storm is coming our way.” Then he licked his finger and held it up in the wind and exclaimed: “The wind is blowing the other direction.” I responded: “You may be right; but all I know is the sky was clear a few minutes ago and now it is dark with clouds.” Within the very second I made it to my car, a violent storm ensued that caused tree damage in several areas of the county. I am not a prophet, but I do know that dark spiritual forces have gathered against the Judeo-Christian faith with a mission and zeal that I see expressed in academics, media, legal action and terrorism. Read 1 Chronicles 12:32 and understand the times. Therefore, the church must repent and change; and rise up and roll to meet the calling and mission of Jesus the Messiah.

[Buttram, D. Bryan. Reviving the Restoration Movement VII. WordPress.com. 09/11/2007].