Dear
Friends
We have promised to periodically update
our regular subscribers.
A Spiritual
Stocktake
This is a longer update than usual so as to explain
future directions.
Just as a business does a stocktake towards the end of
the financial year to ascertain their position we have been doing the
same.
Except our stock is not physical product and assets; it’s the
spiritual riches that God has entrusted to us.
At this stage of our lives
we are revisiting our commitment as faithful stewards, to sow into the ensuing
generations and thus the ‘ongoings’ of God and his purposes—to leave a
legacy.
After more than 45 years of Christian experience and service
we find ourselves reviewing and evaluating, not only our
personal journey but also, the condition of the larger church and Christian
movement of the West in these early stages of the 21st century.
And so,
in this process our two-fold question has been: What has
God deposited in us through the journey and how might it be relevant to the
condition of the contemporary Western church and culture?
To
address the questions. Over the journey we have had the amazing
privilege of being grounded in and influenced by some key movements and
servants of God that have been formative for our development and highly
influential in the larger Christian movement of this generation.
I will
first give an overview of those men and movements and then assess their
contribution to us and their relevance to the current crisis of the Western
church and culture.
Overview of our formative
influences
Mid-twentieth century saw several
movements of God’s Spirit break upon the church. We came to the Lord in 1970
riding on the crest of that wave, thinking that the momentum was normal. Early
post-war there were two movements in particular – what became known as
the Latter Rain Revival and the Healing
Revival – that proved to be the precursor to the far larger outpouring
across the global church in the Charismatic Renewal. The men
and ministries that were formative for us were touched by the first two
movements and their core emphasises and then emerged as some of the leading
international teachers of the latter—the Charismatic Renewal across the mainline
denominations.
As new Christians we were immediately, not only sitting
under the apostolic ministries of our first pastors and mentors, New Zealanders
Paul and Bunty Collins who were catalytic for the Renewal in
Sydney, but through them, also under the ministries of W. J. Ern
Baxter, Bob Mumford, Loren Cunningham, Judson Cornwall
– all from the USA – and Australians, Peter Morrow and Kevin
Conner, among others.
All of these men were luminaries in the
global outpouring of the Holy Spirit through the Charismatic Renewal. They were,
on the whole, prophetic preachers and teachers of the Word and of God’s kingdom
purpose on earth. They carried an unusual measure of grace and spiritual
gravitas that left its indelible mark on who we are to this day.
Through
the chaos of the renewal – thousands of house meetings
spontaneously springing up, new ministries, itinerants and independent
Charismatic centres also springing up accompanied by many ministerial failures
and doctrinal latitude – Bob Mumford, Ern Baxter, Derek Prince, Charles Simpson,
and Don Basham were exercised to speak into it, emphasising the need for
relational accountability and a restoration of authentic spiritual
authority to the Body of Christ, including the function of apostles as
spiritual fathers. It was also an attempt to reform church life through covenant
relationships and the raising up of lay-leaders as shepherds of the flock. This
developed into what became known as the Shepherding-Discipleship
Movement.
Contemporaneous with and parallel to the Charismatic
Renewal, several other voices and ministries weighed in upon us—Francis
Schaeffer and Rousas Rushdoony, in particular. Rushdoony is recognised
as the father of the Christian Reconstruction Movement, which
became highly influential in American culture and politics, particularly during
the Reagan era, providing biblical answers for economics and civil government.
Ern Baxter and Rousas Rushdoony became good friends, facilitating a measure of
cross-pollination between the Reconstruction and Shepherding movements during
the 1980s.
Assessment of those influences
Now to
assess the message of these men and movements and relevance to the contemporary
crisis of church and culture in the West and thus the stewardship of our own
ministry.
Each of these movements has had their share of critics
and naysayers. The internet is replete with armchair theorists and
their opinions.
While not excusing excesses and aberrations, history
teaches us that all reforming and revival movements have had their share of
problems. Nonetheless, it does not annul the validity of the movement nor the
truth being re-emphasised. As the wisdom writer so aptly penned:
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the
strength of the ox.
Proverbs 14:4
In other words, whenever
you have oxen in the stall, you’ll have muck on the floor; nonetheless, there is
increase because of them in the field. It is better to have reformers and their
movements despite the problems; they bring needed changes and the kingdom
harvest is thereby increased.
First, taking these movements
chronologically, the Latter Rain outpouring of 1948 in Canada
had international impact on the Pentecostal movement.
It brought a
restoration of spiritual worship and the manifest presence of God. This was
accompanied by a fresh experience of prophecy and the laying on of hands for the
confirmation of ministry calling and impartation of spiritual gifts. The
restoration of the ascension-gift ministries of apostles and prophets was also
quickened. Additionally, a fresh insight into the prophetic significance of the
Feast of Tabernacles was emphasised: the victorious future of the church, its
ultimate unity and maturity as the Body of Christ, and a final worldwide
ingathering. God’s progressive restoration of his church and of truth from the
Reformation to the present day, revival by revival, was also taught
prophetically through the three feasts of the Lord: Passover, Pentecost,
Tabernacles. Contemporaneous with the Latter Rain was the Healing
Revival, evidencing a fresh outbreak of God’s power in dramatic
healings and the emergence of many new healing evangelists (e.g. TL Osborn, AA
Allen, Oral Roberts et al). The spearhead of this was William Branham who moved
in a unique sign-gift ministry with unfailingly accurate words of knowledge and
miraculous healings.
In assessing the Latter Rain, yes it was beset by
some opportunists and sensationalists, making merchandise of the miraculous. And
yes, there was an over-realised eschatology, leading many into fanciful claims
of perfection and manifested sonship; an inaugurated eschatology would have been
preferable. And in some cases an overly zealous use of typology bordering on
allegorical interpretation of the Scriptures, opening the movement to a measure
of Gnosticism. But these weaknesses are not sufficient, in my estimation, to
invalidate the pure stream that flowed from the throne and benefited many around
the world, restoring the biblical truths and emphases already enumerated.
I for one was a beneficiary through the ministries listed above. My own
call to ministry was powerfully confirmed by the prophetic presbytery through
the laying on of hands publically before our congregation. The laying on of
hands was an annual highpoint of our church life with the groundwork laid
through fasting and prayer. There was no sensationalising or merchandising of
personal prophecy. It was always in the context of committed pastoral
relationships and congregational life. The teaching on Restoration gave me an
appreciation of God’s sovereignty in history, a love for history itself, an
appreciation of the larger Body of Christ, and a vision of the church’s destiny
and worldwide revival and harvest. Additionally, the vision of a mature church
approximating the “full stature of Christ” as God’s “Plan A” not only gave hope
and purpose for the future, but also, gave biblical accuracy as to the
relationship of the old and new covenants and thus of Israel, the church, and
the kingdom; areas of massive confusion across the Body of Christ with
implications for the church’s mandate and mission in the world.
Second,
the Charismatic Renewal was effectively a continuation of the
1948 outpouring beyond the confines of the Pentecostal movement, but now across
the historic mainline denominations, including the Catholics, emphasising the
baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The significance and extent of this is now
recorded history. The emphases of the Latter Rain movement were carried through
into the Charismatic Renewal through the key teachers mentioned above and many
others. One of the dominant features of the Charismatic Renewal was the
overwhelming sense of spiritual unity and spontaneous camaraderie among both
Catholics and Protestants as they worshipped together in large conferences
around the world. This climaxed in 1977 at Arrowhead stadium, Kansas City, with 50,000
Catholics and Protestants gathering for teaching and worship. Media coverage of
the event included Time Magazine. Bob Mumford and Ern Baxter
were among the keynote speakers and convenors.
Both Bob and Ern were key
influences in our development. While Bob’s impact on us was
immeasurable through his teachings on the dealings of God, and
while both of them were Reformed theologically (despite their Pentecostal
backgrounds), Ern provided for us a strategic theological
foundation. As an 18 year old student he first taught us in our
fledgling Bible School in Sydney and then in numerous conferences over the
years, both in Australia and America. Having pastored the largest evangelical
church in Vancouver, Canada, for 25 years, and serving as a key leader in the
Healing Revival through what were known as the Baxter-Branham campaigns, filling
auditoriums around the world and then as a catalyst in the Charismatic Renewal,
Ern brought a unique blend of Reformed theology and charismatic experience. With
a personal library of over 9,000 volumes he was an avid student of the
Scriptures, theology, and church history, often referring to his commentaries as
his close friends and confidantes. His public ministry brought together an
unequalled eloquence with solid theology and a powerful prophetic grasp of the
majesty of God and his world purpose.
As for the Charismatic Renewal,
nothing now needs to be said; history records its universal impact and
acceptance. Nonetheless, the emphasis of the Shepherding
Movement became highly controversial. Having stepped out of the
movement in 1990 I have had over 25 years to evaluate. There is no question that
there was authoritarianism and abuse of God’s people. I know, I was on the
receiving end in significant proportions! Nonetheless, I remain grateful for the
journey, the relationships, and the exposure to truth and revelation, but also
for the lessons of negative preparation and deferred gratification. From a human
perspective my ministry was curtailed for 10 years; but from God’s perspective
it was meant for good; for greater fruitfulness, not only ministerially but more
importantly, as a man of God in purity of motive and in character.
So,
where did the Shepherding Movement go wrong?
In my judgement it was
solid theologically and well served by its founders as genuine men of God, some
of who were highly astute theologically. It was a sincere attempt to address an
individualistic and consumerist church culture that had been moulded by worldly
values and institutional systems, not to mention denominational sectarianism.
While highly Reformed theologically it was Anabaptist ecclesiologically,
identifying with the radical arm of the Reformation in its redefinition of the
church as a separated believing community and thus espousing believer’s baptism
and separation of church and state. As with many reforming movements it was thus
more an error of emphasis rather than of theology. With independence and
unaccountability manifestly a problem in the renewal a correction was needed. So
far so good. But there was an over correction with the pendulum swinging toward
control; but how did this happen?
While, in my experience, all the
teaching on authority and accountability was qualified as relational and
functional, to my knowledge the notion of ministerial “office” was never
intentionally targeted and didactically dismantled—it is no where to be found in
the New Testament; rather it was an intentional transfer of the notion of
priestly office by several early church Fathers onto new covenant ministry to
address the 2nd century crisis of authority. In my view, after 1,800 years of
entrenched tradition is this regard, the teaching of relational authority only
builds on inherited mentalities and structures of authority based on official
position. The mind of the larger church needed – and still needs – renewing on
this issue. I unpack this in some measure in my book, “Snakes in the Temple”, chapter 9.
Hubris and immaturity aside, this, in my estimation, was the cause of the abuse
of authority.
The emphasis on relational authority (apostolic and
pastoral) was – and still is – a needed corrective to the individualism and
antinomianism of contemporary Western culture and church life. Time has only
served to underscore the urgency of reformation in this regard. The emphasis on
covenant relationships and community, likewise.
Third, the
Christian Reconstruction Movement pioneered by Rousas
Rushdoony, undergirded by the apologetic of Cornelius Van Til – the influential
teacher of Francis Schaeffer – intersected with our involvement in the
Shepherding-Discipleship Movement. Rushdoony, Schaeffer, and Baxter were all
theologically Calvinistic and Reformed. As covenant theologians, the
Reconstructionists underscored the continuity of God’s covenant purpose for
mankind and the harmony between Law and Gospel; the law (including OT case and
civil law) providing an objective ethical standard not only for the believer,
but also for society and civil government.
Similarly, this movement was a
prophetic corrective to the antinomianism of contemporary Christianity and
culture, but also controversially resisted. Dispensational theologies (including
Liberalism and Neo-orthodoxy), echoing the ancient heresy of Marcionism, had
created a disjunction between OT and NT, and thus Law and Gospel. Hyper-grace
teachings that flout the Bible’s objective ethical standards and the moral
lassitude of the contemporary church have been the result. This theological
allergy to God’s law was only accelerated by the West’s cultural milieu of
Enlightenment humanism and existentialism. Through our ministry relationship to
Ern Baxter we were exposed to the writings of Rousas Rushdoony, Greg Bahnsen,
and Gary North et al. Bahnsen’s ground-breaking work, “Theonomy in Christian
Ethics”, is both exegetically and theologically commanding and convincing. He
shows that God’s moral government of the world is upheld by his law-word; that
there is continuity between old and new covenants; and that God’s law is not
only an objective ethical standard for the redeemed community, but also for the
nations. Christ, rather than abrogating the law, has reinstated it in the new
covenant; but now through the incarnation has perfected obedience to the Father
and thus the righteous requirement of the law. The law was never intended by God
as a means of justification, but rather sanctification. In Christ, the believer
now has the ability to obey.
The misconstrued relationship of Law and
Gospel has been injurious to the cause of Christ, compromising the church’s
prophetic voice to society. It has robbed the church of the moral certainty to
be light and leaven in the world.
Despite the claims of critic’s to the
contrary, the movement, and Bahnsen in particular, were categorical in teaching
that cultural change (reconstruction) does not come through political revolution
but gradually through supernatural regeneration, through the teaching of the
gospel.
In conclusion, undergirding our journey and all the above
movements is the historic orthodox belief of the church concerning the divine
inspiration, truthfulness, and authority of Scripture as God’s Word as it
relates to all matters it addresses; not only concerning salvation but also all
facts concerning the cosmos (creation, history etc.).
Allied with this
high view of Scripture as the Word of God is the grammatico-historical
interpretation of it (i.e. the normal laws of language and historical context)
hand-in-glove with the principle of progressive revelation (i.e. a
covenant hermeneutic: the NT is in the OT concealed and the OT is in the NT
revealed) and the analogy of Scripture (i.e. Scripture must interpret
scripture, and thus a doctrine can only consist of all the biblical data on that
subject).
So, where to from here?
Current
Issues
In light of this review, let me crystalize the current
issues that we believe are “first principle” issues that must be addressed for
the advance of the gospel and increase of the kingdom, particularly for the
re-evangelisation and cultural transformation of the West:
• The
current redefinition of the Bible’s “inerrancy” (without error) by
certain neo-evangelicals that allows for errors in the original autographs
(texts); it is a repeat of the “infallibility” conflict of a century ago between
theological liberalism (higher criticism) and the historically orthodox view of
the Bible; the downgrade of the Bible as God’s verbal communication to humankind
was the first step in the 20th century spiritual and cultural decline of the
West. • The misconstruing of the relationship between Law and
Gospel for the lack of a covenant hermeneutic such that contemporary
Christianity has become antinomian (i.e. anti-law; hyper-grace), and thus void
of any objective ethical standard; resulting in the acceptance and/or promotion
of homosexuality and its concomitant – same-sex marriage – as morally valid, or
at least morally neutral. • The defence of Christianity (evangelism)
in an increasingly hostile environment must return to the two-fold
apostolic message of the resurrection of Christ and of the kingdom
of God; while evidences for these and for God’s existence are useful, these
truths are transcendent (i.e. wholly independent of all physical laws
and human reasoning) and must be proclaimed on the basis of biblical revelation
and thus as absolute; this entails a confidence in the Holy Spirit to witness to
truth in the hearts of men when the word is declared; this is the genius of
presuppositional or transcendental apologetics as taught by
Cornelius Van Til. • The privatisation of faith and the
exorcism of Christianity from the public square through the lack of a vision of
Christ’s lordship over the totality of human existence and of God’s creation
purpose; resulting in a myopic vision of the Great Commission focussed only on
personal salvation, rather than the discipling of whole nations and
cultures. • The historic divorce between the Word and the
Spirit—the theology of the former and the experience of the latter;
this is reflected in the entrenched separation between the Evangelical/Reformed
movement and the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement to the detriment of both and
the larger Body of Christ; both must be fully recovered – and held in tension –
for the Body of Christ to mature into the full stature of Christ. •
The confusion between the role and identity of Israel, the church, and
the kingdom, again for the lack of a covenant hermeneutic, must be
clarified so as to bring in the fullness of the Gentiles and thereby the
re-inclusion of the Jews; this covenantal confusion has led to a neo-judaizing
Zionist movement within the church, promoting a reversion to Sabbaths,
Sacrifices and Temple; it is not only a reversion to a superseded administration
but a diversion from the advance of God’s kingdom in history and in the nations.
• The contamination of the charismata (gifts of the Spirit)
by the contemporary “prophetic” and “apostolic” movements through unbridled
ambition, self-aggrandizement, avarice, and huckstering—by making merchandise of
God’s people and of the gospel; this is particularly true of Hollywood-style
celebrity and platform focussed ministry models; wholesale repentance and
dismantling of ministry kingdoms is demanded for true change to occur. •
A consumerist church culture moulded by worldly values,
institutional systems, and denominational sectarianism cries out for radical
reformation (new apostolic movements are not exempt from this): God’s authority
and humankind’s congenital rebellion demands authentic spiritual authority to be
restored to the Body of Christ and thereby true catholicity (unity);
primarily in God’s verbal communication to humankind and
derivatively in those divinely called and qualified as apostles and
teachers of that Word through both charisma and character; this reformation
demands a recovery of Christian initiation according to the “Peter Package”
(Acts 2:38), a recovery of the “First Principles” of the doctrine of Christ
(Hebrews 6:1-3), and a recovery of apostolic church life through covenant
community (Acts 2:42).
Our response
In response
to these current issues, as those called by God as teachers of his Word, we are
focussing our writings and teachings accordingly.
New
website
We are working on a new more contemporary website currently
under construction and scheduled to go live in September.
It will be
more user-friendly for professional article publishing, video seminars, e-books,
subscription, donation, powerful search engine optimisation (SEO), and blogging.
A blog targeting thinking and searching non-believers will also be
launched.
New teaching focus
It will carry our usual
emphases on the ways of God and the new reformation; but over time it will
include resources on:
• Biblical worldview and blueprints for building
Christian culture and nations • Biblical epistemology (i.e. authority of
Scripture; revelation versus reason etc.) • Biblical ethics (i.e.
relationship of law and gospel etc.) • Covenant structure of God’s dealings
with man • God’s kingdom purpose for history and the earth (issues of
eschatology) • First Principles of the Christian life • Pauline
studies • Studies of Bible Books • Studies of Bible
Characters
New target audience
The focus will be geared
toward:
• Serious Christians • Christian leaders • Market place and
public square influencers and change-agents (e.g. politicians, legislators,
civic leaders, creatives, educators, professional and business
leaders)
New team member
Virginia Orton graduated from
Trinity College, University of Melbourne, with an MA (Theol) this March in
preparation for a teaching ministry with Lifemessenger.
We are so
blessed that she has pursued her studies and move into Lifemessenger out of her
own sense of call and destiny, not through any suggestion of our own. We are
excited to see God’s goodness and purpose flowing through the
generations.
We congratulate her on five years of hard, but successful,
work in her studies—BTh (Distinction), MA (Theol)!
Previous to these
studies she trained and served with YWAM in England, India, Netherlands, and
Greece.
Virginia is currently hands-on building the new website and will
launch the new blog later in the year.
Into the future
We
envisage that this refined teaching focus will be our labour for the remaining
years, as long as the Lord gives them and preserves our health. Virginia is very
focussed and impassioned about this new direction.
We also remain waiting
on the Lord for his timing and financial release for our relocation to England,
so as to speak more directly into our cultural roots in Western Europe and the
British Isles.
As with all ministries we look to the Lord for his
provision through his people. Your financial giving is such a key to release us
to the nations and to serve the larger Body of Christ. We are indebted to those
who faithfully support in their regular giving—thank you!
Our library
still in boxes!
Would you consider sharing with us in a particular
need?
Since relocating 6 years ago our library of over 3,000 volumes has
remained in boxes. As you would appreciate this is basic to our ministry as
teachers to the Body of Christ.
We have until now refused to make known
our need out of our commitment to trusting the Lord for his provision. Be that
as it may, we are feeling convicted to make known our need and acknowledge our
dependence not only on the Lord but also his people.
A good friend
donated several thousand dollars 3 years ago to convert our garage into a study
and library. That got as far as putting in sliding glass doors, but there it
stopped. Another friend, an electrician, donated lighting; and a voluntary team
put in the doors.
We estimate it will take $20,000 to finish the
job—floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, air-conditioning and heating, carpeting,
painting and furniture.
I trust this more comprehensive update has been
illuminating and helps you to better understand our ministry and
direction.
Thank you for your friendship.
Sincerely
HOW TO
GIVE
Lifemessenger Donation
page
Cheques in $AUD may be made payable
to:
Lifemessenger
Inc
PO Box 777, Mount Eliza
VIC 3930, Australia
|