May 31 - Praise the Lord!

May 31 – Praise the Lord!

In 1971, my parents received an inflowing of the Holy Spirit that would change the lives of their entire family, their church and many others over the course of their lives.  While the Pentecostal movement had kicked off a desire among many to have freedom with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it had not moved into mainstream churches.

As I read the names of the people associated with the early Charismatic revival, it was a roster of people that moved in and out of our lives in a small town in Iowa … I really had no idea what I was part of at the time.  In fact, I probably still don’t fully comprehend the depth of change that one night in Mom and Dad’s life spurred.

Dennis Bennett was an Episcopalian rector in California in the early 60s when a friend asked for help in understanding what had happened to a couple who had ‘received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.’  Bennett didn’t have any answers, but in talking to the couple, he experienced the same baptism and soon what began as a prayer group moved throughout the church.  While the gifts were not released in normal worship services, soon people began lining up on either side of the issue and a split was about to occur.  Bennett left that church and took another position in the Episcopal Church – this time in Seattle.  The small, struggling church welcomed him and soon began to grow, spurring Bennett and his wife, Rita to national leadership in the Charismatic movement.

Rather than establishing a separate denomination, charismatics remained within their local churches, encouraging ministry with their gifts and prayer.  Soon the movement began flooding through denominations making it to the Catholic church in 1966 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

Men like Oral Roberts, Demos Sharkarian (Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship), and David du Plessis began teaching these Pentecostal beliefs in mainline denominations.  Du Plessis, a Pentecostal leader had a wonderful spirit, a brilliant mind and an articulate voice that allowed him to be heard among the intellectuals and affluent members of large traditional churches.

Charismatics have worked within traditional churches to remove the fear of outward, enthusiastic expressions of faith and brought new ideas to the church with regards to evangelism. 

As I grew to know these amazing men and women, meeting others just as wonderful, I recognized a joy and depth of understanding of the Holy Spirit that couldn’t be quenched.  Through their teaching and work, generations have discovered that same joy.  Mom and Dad’s evening of transformation brought these Charismatic leaders into Iowa to teach, speak, lead and pray.  I can only say “Praise the Lord” as I lift my hands in worship.

May 30 - The Cross and the Switchblade

May 30 – The Cross and the Switchblade

In 1958, a young pastor saw the cover of TIME magazine and on it were seven young gang members from New York City who were charged with murder.  David Wilkerson was moved by the Holy Spirit to go to New York City and he began a ministry on the streets of that city to the drug addicts, prostitutes and gang members.  He placed himself into situations with these young people, knowing that God would protect him or take him home.

His bravery and full confidence in God touched many young men, including Nicky Cruz who pulled a switchblade on Wilkerson and soon came to see Jesus Christ and recognize him as his own personal savior.  His story was then told in a book called “Run, Baby, Run.”

In the 1960s, he and his wife met with two other couples in Colorado and from those prayer times, three programs were developed to reach out to young people.  David Wilkerson started “Teen Challenge” which can be found in cities around the country, Loren & Darlene Cunningham began the “Youth With A Mission (YWAM)” program and Howard & Pat Foltz began “Teen Challenge Europe-Asia.”  The Teen Challenge programs work directly with drug addicts using a biblically-based program that is recognized as a leader in recovery.

Wilkerson has spearheaded many other youth-oriented programs, hoping to bring kids to Christ before they get lost in the world. 

He is now known for his disaster prophecies as he attempts to challenge the Church of God to bring itself to holiness, but his greatest story is told from the streets of New York City where he reached out with compassion to young men.  He reached out with a love that surpassed fear to bring the Gospel of Jesus to those that had never known love.

May 29 - Death to Life

May 29 – Death to Life

On January 8, 1956, five men gave their lives up for the cause of Christ in the wilds of Ecuador.  Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and their pilot, Nate Saint, flew into Ecuador to work with the Huaorani tribe. 

Jim Elliot had felt the call to the tribes of South America and spent his college years preparing himself with languages and the skills necessary to translate the Bible for local tribes.  He met Elisabeth Howard while in college and though they had a great relationship, he recognized that it would be difficult for him to be in the mission field while married.  He forged ahead alone for several years.

He landed in Quito, Ecuador and began studying the local languages.  He finally married Elisabeth and moved to the Shandia mission station where they began working with the Quichua Indians.  He met the violent Huarorani Indians and felt God calling him to minister to them.  He and several of his missionary buddies began flying over the tribe’s home dropping gifts and making contact from the air.  The tribe finally responded by sending up a flower.  Jim had managed to make enough contact so that with a loudspeaker they could speak to the people in their own language.

The best way to finally make good contact with them was to land within their territory, so they planned for landing at a small sandy beach.  As they flew over, they saw several people making their way to the beach.  They landed, built a pre-fab tree house and began speaking words of encouragement and friendship out loud, hoping to bring people to them.

On January 8, the wives expected a daily radio transmission at 4:30 pm.  When it didn’t come, another pilot flew over the area and radioed back that he found the plane, stripped of all its fabric.  Two days later, he spotted the first of the bodies.  The Huarorani had killed them all.  A group moved in on the ground to gather the bodies – all were taken home except Ed McCully, whose body had washed away.

While many of us might have reacted to this by leaving the tribe to their own devices, the wives of these men knew that they couldn’t allow their lives and deaths to be in vain.  Elisabeth Elliot and her friends began working among the tribe and taught them about the love of Christ.  Finally the day came when they were able to discover the reason for the massacre.  The tribe was concerned that these men were cannibals and were simply fighting for their lives.  The ones who had killed finally came to know Jesus.

In 1949, Jim Elliot had written in his journal, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."  He gave his life to gain the lives of many.

May 28 - Fancy Foods to Evangelist

May 28 – Fancy Foods to Evangelist

After graduating with a degree in Economics, Bill Bright moved to California to make his fortune.  While there, he began a company called Bright’s California Confections and was well on his way when God spoke to him.  He became a Christian in his early 20s and began taking seminary classes on the side.  One evening while studying Greek with a friend, Bill felt God drawing him even closer.  In the middle of the conversation with God, he knew God was telling him to leave seminary, though he was close to being finished.  He obeyed and later discovered that God had a purpose for that … he was much more effective as a layperson than he would have been as a pastor in the work he was about to begin.

In 1951, he and his wife Vonette founded Campus Crusade for Christ working with intellectuals in Los Angeles.  He began by focusing on athletes, beauty queens and other prominent members of the UCLA campus, knowing that they would influence great numbers.  With this, his vision from God was set into place.  He was out to evangelize the world beginning with students.

In 1965, Bill wrote down the Four Spiritual Laws which have become a foundation for evangelism.  This small tract made it easy to explain the work of God in our lives and our response.

1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. (John 3:16, John 10:10)
2. Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23)
3. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life. (Romans 5:8, I Corinthians 15:3-6, John 14:6)
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives. (John 1:12, Ephesians 2:8,9, John 3:1~8, Revelation 3:20)

Campus Crusade is behind the “Jesus Film” project which created the 1979 film “Jesus” and plans for it to be translated and presented in every country around the world.

Today Campus Crusade has over 25,000 staff members, a ministry presence in 191 countries operational offices in 13 countries around the world.  Bill Bright died in 2003 and is remembered by Billy Graham as carrying a burden for evangelization of the world.

May 27 - A Simple Gospel

May 27 – A Simple Gospel

In 1949, the stage was set for the beginning of what would be a lifetime of evangelistic campaigns.  Over 6000 people were in attendance at an immense tent set up at Washington Boulevard and Hill Street in Los Angeles and hundreds were turned away.  William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers carried the story of this crusade where celebrities were being converted and a three-week crusade stretched to eight.

Billy Graham was preaching in Los Angeles while holding a position as the president of a small Bible college in Minneapolis and the meetings he held became nationally known.  He had been ordained at the age of 22, after having been converted in North Carolina.  In 1943, he graduated from Wheaton College and married Ruth Bell.  He was a pastor in Chicago, but then got involved with the new Youth for Christ ministry and worked with them through the mid 1940s.

Billy Graham did not want to limit his crusades to a single church.  When he entered a community, all of the local church leaders were invited to be part of the process of planning the campaign.  This was the basis for his success and broad appeal.

After the Los Angeles crusade, Graham traveled to Boston and other locations and in 1954 took a preaching trip to London, gaining international celebrity status.  He became a friend of President Eisenhower, which would be the beginning of his friendships with many other United States and world leaders.

He learned how to work with the media, writing books, broadcasting on the radio, and with his father-in-law, cofounded “Christianity Today” magazine for Christian leaders and then later, “Decision” magazine for everyone.  He developed a feature film production company and sponsored worldwide mission meetings for education and encouragement.

Billy Graham has traveled and preached in Communist countries, focusing on evangelism rather than attacking their social issues, which has given him access to many more locations than would be expected.

Over 100 million people have heard Billy Graham speak in person and his staff offers estimates of over 2 million people coming forward to signify their conversion.

But, the greatest thing that Billy Graham has done is offer a simple Gospel … the truth of Jesus Christ.

May 26 - Words of Hope

May 26 – Words of Hope

A lot of soldiers came back to the United States after having spent time in Asia concerned for the souls of the people they had left behind.  Even before the war, two men – John Broger and Bob Bowman felt called to begin a radio ministry in Asia that would reach millions of people.  The war stopped their plans, but when it was over, they began the process again.  With one other man, they combined their resources - $1000 and John was back in China attempting to gain a broadcasting license.

The Chinese nationalists weren’t helpful at all.  If they offered a Christian broadcasting license, they would have to also allow the Communists to broadcast, so they refused him outright.  Without knowing what to do next, they continued to prepare and plan.  Two days after the Philippines declared independence, John Broger was on the island to secure a radio broadcast license. 

They faced many problems getting things set up due to the destruction that had occurred from the war.  Infrastructures were ripped apart, power lines were down and it seemed nearly impossible to meet the deadline that the government had given them to get on the air and prove they could use the license.

On June 4, 1948, their deadline loomed.  If they didn’t broadcast at 8 pm, they would lose their license.  The team made it to the station, the engineer flipped a switch, they sang “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” and they were on the air.  Two hours later the transmitter broke down, but they had met the deadline and were set to go.

The next year they were able to begin broadcasting into China with an immense signal made possible by transmitters from the United States Office of War Information.  The message of hope through Jesus Christ flooded the airwaves of China.

The Far East Broadcasting Company exists today, broadcasting the message of the Gospel on 41 AM and FM stations, throughout Asia, Southeast Asia, Russia, Africa and the Middle East as well as in 149 languages on Shortwave Radio.

May 25 - Independence for Israel

May 25 – Independence for Israel

My timing is a little off – the day was May 14, 1948.  The British lowered the Union Jack over Jerusalem, releasing the territory and war was on.  The Arabs and Jews began a fight for territory that would only last for six days.  The Jews were desperately under prepared for this and the United States begged them to try for a truce and not declare themselves a nation, but they went forward with their plans.

After World War 2 ended, thousands of Jews fled to Palestine from Europe.  Britain found itself in a constant battle with the Jews as they tried to stop the influx of immigrants and gathered them into detention camps.  Finally, in 1947, Britain gave up – there was no way to establish a solution that would work for both the Arabs and the Jews in Palestine. The brand new United Nations came up with a Partition Plan for the small country, splitting it in half and declaring Jerusalem an international city.  While the Jews accepted this plan, the Arabs rejected it.  A three-day strike was proclaimed by the Arabs and Jewish targets were hit.

Soon, however, the Jews went on the offensive, the Palestinian Arab economy collapsed, 250,000 Arabs left the country and on May 14, 1948, the day before the British Mandate expired, Israel declared itself a nation.  On May 15, five Arab countries – Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq declared war on this brand new nation and attacked.

A year later, a cease-fire was declared.  Jordan annexed the West Bank and east Jerusalem, Egypt controlled the West Bank and on May 11, 1949, Israel was accepted as a member of the United Nations. 

Survivors of the Holocaust and Jews from Muslim nations flooded into Israel and between 1948 and 1958, the population exploded from 800,000 to two million.  The little nation became an international force.

The creation of Israel as a nation impacted world politics and Christianity.  With the relocation of Jews back to their homeland, it seemed as if things were being set in place by God for the final days of mankind on earth.  While we don’t know what God’s timing is, praying for peace in Israel is a hope for the Jews and Christians alike as we look towards Jesus’ reign.