The Almost Christian

In a sermon on the text "almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian", George Whitefield makes the following comments:

"An almost Christian is one of the most hurtful creatures in the world. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He is one of thse false prophets of whom our Lord bids us beware, who would persuade men that the way to heaven is broader than it really is, and thereby enter not into the kingdom of God themselves, and those that are entering in they hinder. These, these are the men who turn the world into a luke-warm Laodiciean spirit; who hang out false lights, and so shipwreck unthinking benighted souls in their voyage to the haven where they would be. These are they that are greater enemies of the cross of Christ than infidels themselves; for, of an unbeliever everyone will be aware; but an almost Christian, through his subtle hypocrisy, draws away many after him, and therefore must expect to receive the greater damnation."

Whitefield's Conversion

When George Whitefield was at Oxford he became part of the Holy Club, along with other students such as John and Charles Wesley. The problem with the Holy Club is that its members knew little or nothing about God's grace through Christ as the means of salvation. Whitefield was one of the first members to recognize it:

"God showed me that I must be born again, or be damned! I learned that a man may go to church, say his prayers, receive the sacrament, and yet not be a Christian. How did my heart rise and shudder, like a poor man that is afraid to look into his account-books, lest he should find himself bankrupt."

Whitefield was reading a book by Henry Scougal called The Life of God in the Soul of Man. Whitefield comments, "Shall I burn this book? Shall I throw it down? Or shall I search it? I did search it; and, holding the book in my hand, thus addressed the God of heaven and earth: 'Lord, if I am not a Christian, or if I am not a real one, for Jesus Christ's sake, show me what Christianity is that I may not be damned at last!' God soon showed me, for in reading a few lines further, that, 'true religion is a union of the soul with God, and Christ formed within us', a ray of Divine light was instantaneously darted in upon my soul, and from that moment, but not till then, did I know that I must become a new creature."

Concert of Prayer

Today in Ballantyne Presbyterian Church we are celebrating a concert of prayer; it is a 24 hour prayer vigil. There is a long history in the Protestant Church of this type of extraordinary time or prayer. In 1748, Jonathan Edwards wrote a piece titled An Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God's People in Extraordinary Prayer, for the Revival of Religion and the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom on Earth. The second part of the treatise gives a number of reasons for participation in the concert of prayer. Edwards says,

"The sum of the blessings Christ has sought by what He did and suffered in the work of redemption, was the Holy Spirit . . . The Holy Spirit, in His indwelling, his influences and fruits, is the sum of all grace, holiness, comfort and joy, or in one word, of all the Spiritual good Christ purchased for men in this world: and is also the sum of all perfection, glory and joy, that He purchased for them in another world . . . Now therefore, if this is what Jesus Christ, our great Redeemer and head of the church, did so much desire, and set his heart upon, from all eternity, and for which he suffered so much, offering up strong crying and tears (Hebrews 5:7), and his precious blood, to obtain it; surely his disciples and members should earnestly seek it, and be in much prayer for it."

Muller on Prayer

In 1897, when George Muller was in his early nineties he was interviewed and asked the following question: "You have always found the Lord faithful to his promise?"

Muller answered, "Always. He has never failed me! For nearly seventy years every need in connection with this work has been supplied. The orphans from the first until now, have numbered nine thousand five hundred, but they have never wanted a meal. Never! Hundreds of times we have commenced the day without a penny in hand, but our Heavenly Father has sent supplies by the moment they were actually required. There never was a time when there was no wholesome meal. During all these years I have been enabled to trust in God, in the living God, and in Him alone. One million four hundred thousand pounds have been sent to me in answer to prayer. We have wanted as much as fifty thousand pounds in one year, and it has all come by the time it has been really needed."

"No man on earth can say that I ever asked him for a penny. We have no committees, no collectors, no voting and no endowments. All has come in answer to believing prayer. My trust has been in God alone; He has many ways of moving the hearts of men to help us all over the world. While I am praying He speaks to this one and another, on this continent and on that, to send us help. Only the other evening, while I was preaching, a gentleman wrote me a cheque for a large amount for the orphans, and handed it to me when the service was over."

H. Moule

Handley Moule tells of a revival in his father's parish at Fordington, near Dorchester, in the mid-19th century:

"I must not close without a memory, however meagre, of one wonderful epoch in the parish. It was the Revival. The year was 1859, 'that year of the right hand of the Most High', when, beginning with a noon prayer meeting in the premises of a church in New York, a spiritual movement wide and marvellous spread over the States, was felt in the West Indies, and touched even ships on the Atlantic, so that once and again a liner reached New York 'with a revival on board' which had originated on the voyage. Ulster was profoundly and lastingly moved and blessed. Here and there in England it was the same, and Fordington was one of the scenes of the divine awakening. For surely it was divine. No artificial means of excitement were dreamt of; my Father's whole genius was against it. No powerful personality, no Moody or Aitken, came to us. A city-missionary and a London Bible-woman were the only helpers from a distance. But a power not of man brought souls to ask the old question, 'What must I do to be saved?' Up and down the village the pastor and the pastoress, and their faithful helpers, as they went their daily rounds, found the 'anxious'. And the Church was thronged to overflowing, and so was the spacious schoolroom, night after night throughout the week. The very simplest means carried with them a heavenly power. The plain reading of a chapter often conveyed the call of God to men and women, and 'they came to Jesus as they were'."

"I do not think I exaggerate when I say that hundreds of people at that time were awakened, awed, made conscious of eternal realities. And a goodly number of these showed in all their after life that they were indeed new creatures, born again to a living hope and to a steadfast walk."

Captive

When Martin Luther stood before the ecclesiastical rulers of his day -- they who had power to banish him or even to execute him because of his views of the Bible -- the Archbishop of Trier asked him this question: "Do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?"

Luther famously replied, "Since, then, Your Majesty and Your Lordships desire a simply reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason -- I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other -- my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me God."

In this day, we need to ask the question, simply, what is it that has captured our hearts?

Alexander the Great

R. C. Sproul tells the following story:

There is a story told of the young man who was so eager to go fight in the great battle. He was underage and had to sneak away from home to join the troops. But he was successful and joined the army. As the battle began the young man was overcome with fear. He had never expected war to be like this. And so he ran away. His commanding officer sent soldiers to find him and bring him back. When the young man returned, he was taken to the King. The king demanded to know his name. But the young man only mumbled a response. The King grew angrier and said: Young man, what is your name!? The young man then said: Alexander, your Highness. With that King Alexander (Alexander the Great) shouted at the frightened young man: Alexander? Young man, either change your name or change your behavior!

Do we bear the name "Christian"? Do we soldier on in the name of Christ? If not, then, change your name or change your behavior!

Conversion

How many of us think or how many of us have been taught that we need to have this or that program to bring about revival? What is our spiel when it comes to sharing the gospel with another? David Brainerd makes the following comments regarding an awakening among the Indians in 18th century America. He had witnessed a people completely lost in the darkness, sated with superstition, and having derision for the gospel. Yet, God opened their hearts and minds to the truth of the gospel. Brainerd saw the floodgates open, and

"that the conversion of untutored, uncivilized men to Christianity, by the simple means of preaching, is not an impossible, nor a wild and imaginary thing. The gospel among bond and free, the civilized and barbarous, when accompanied with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, is the power of God to salvation." How was it done? . . . by the simple means of preaching accompanied by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Now there's a program!