Pastors' Blog

Why wouldn’t a preacher want to visit there? We just returned from spending the Easter weekend in Birmingham, England—preaching at a conference for a group of highly motivated young adults, AdvANCE (Adventist Apologetics Networking Conference on Evangelism). And I was blessed. Not only because of their passion to communicate the everlasting gospel to their extremely secular homeland (one European survey ranked the United Kingdom as the most “godless” nation in Europe). But also because just a few miles up the motorway is the English town of Lutterworth, the final parish of the great 14th century English preacher scholar, John Wycliffe. In that stone and brick sanctuary stands the pulpit  containing wooden pieces from the very one Wycliffe thundered from during his pastorate (1374 to 1384). Behind glass are the fragments of the robe this great preacher once wore. And on the platform beside the altar is the still crimson-padded chair he once used.
On the south wall of the high-ceilinged sanctuary is a marble mural carving of Wycliffe, dressed in humble garb, standing in front of the cross, one hand pointing to an open Bible, the other raised to his gathered countrymen. Inscribed are these words: “His labours in the cause of scriptural truth were crowned by one immortal achievement, his translation of the Bible [from the Latin Vulgate] into the English tongue. This mighty work drew on him indeed the bitter hatred of all who were making merchandize of the popular credulity and ignorance: but he found an abundant reward in the blessing of his countrymen, of every rank and age to whom he unfolded the words of eternal life.” Incensed by the mendicant friars who plied their beggarly superstitions across England, Wycliffe, at one time a chaplain to the king, became a champion of the commoners’ right to read the forbidden Holy Scriptures for themselves, in their own tongue. Three times Roman and royal courts attempted to silence the Reformer’s voice. But all three attempts failed. Before his second and mortal stroke would fell him, Wycliffe completed his translation of the Bible. But with no printing press (yet to be invented), its leaves had to be hand-copied by volunteer scribes and secretly passed throughout the country by itinerant preachers (Lollards).
Why bother with this story of an Englishman? “The character of Wycliffe is a testimony to the educating, transforming power of the Holy Scriptures. It was the Bible that made him what he was. The effort to grasp the great truths of revelation imparts freshness and vigor to all the faculties. It expands the mind, sharpens the perceptions, and ripens the judgment. The study of the Bible will ennoble every thought, feeling, and aspiration as no other study can . . . . [and] would give to the world men [and women] of stronger and more active intellect, as well as of nobler principle, than has ever resulted from the ablest training that human philosophy affords” (Great Controversy 94).
Called “the Morning Star of the Reformation” (John Hus and Martin Luther would later draw their inspiration from his ground-breaking reforms), Wycliffe died in his parish at sixty. Enraged they had been unable to publicly silence him, forty years later Rome ordered his bones exhumed, burned to ash and then cast into the nearby Swift River—unwittingly symbolizing the eventual reach Wycliffe’s teaching would have, flowing to every shore on earth. We are his spiritual descendents. Then may the God of Wycliffe raise up a new generation of young, fearless, Bible-saturated defenders of Christ’s faith! That is my prayer.

Have you read the 2300 pages of the newly passed health care bill? I haven't either. But as one report summarized the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that the president signed this week, it is "the most sweeping expansion of government social policy in more than 40 years, and perhaps the most polarizing." Regardless of your personal convictions about the new health care law, most all of us are agreed that its protracted debate certainly did not bring out the best in civil discourse, did it? And I wonder if all of this is a harbinger of days to come, the grinding gridlock of political process and national governance that in a time of economic (or any other) crisis could unexpectedly veer this nation down a pathway long predicted but hardly anticipated. But never mind that notion right now.

Because in the 2300 plus pages of this new law, is there a single word about "soul care?" Health care aplenty, of course. But what about that care that in the big picture matters most? Oh, it's true-we don't look to government to mandate the realm of the spiritual. But in all the noisy debate over the care of the body, isn't it essential that we seek the care of the heart and soul, too?

So consider this insurance policy that provides not only national, but global coverage: "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst" (I Timothy 1:15). Soul care insurance for every man, woman and child that inhabit this planet. Signed into universal law—not by the 22 pens the president used to affix his signature this week—but by the crimson of the divine signature on that cross remembered next week throughout the Christian world. It was a Good Friday for the human race, but it was a dark and awful Friday for the incarnate God who offered up his life to become the signatory of an insurance policy—health (spiritual) and life (eternal)—for "whosoever believeth in him." How could the terms of his policy be simpler? Trust the God of the universe with your life ("I ask you please to take charge of my life and lead me for the rest of my life"), ask him to be your Savior and Lord ("Forgive my sinful ways and give to me the peace of your loving acceptance)—and the very big print of the policy declares you not only have his friendship now, you can bank on his saving gift that one day will throw wide the doors to his home forever and ever. Amen.

In spite of the rancorous debate over health care, why would any clear-thinking human being reject the provisions of this policy for soul care?

In the space of one and a half months, our hemisphere has suffered two immense killer quakes—the 7.0 magnitude quake that leveled Port-au-Prince, Haiti, January 12, and left 230,000 dead and an entire country in economic ruin; and the magnitude 8.8 monster that ravaged Chile last Sabbath morning, unleashing destructive tsunamis in its wake (one eyewitness reported a wall of water “fifty feet” high). While the Chilean death toll was a small fraction of that in Haiti (because of enforced earthquake construction codes), the energy released by the Chilean quake was so immense scientists are now telling us it knocked our planet 3 inches off its axis, thus shortening our day by 1.26 microseconds. Our hearts and our prayers (and our financial gifts—go to www.ADRA.org to make a much needed contribution) reach out to the sufferers in both regions of our home hemisphere.

But while the Apocalypse predicts an earthquake on the eve of Christ’s return that apparently will be off the magnitude charts in its destructive energy (see Revelation 16:18), could it be that the church today in fact suffers in need of a spiritual earthquake? Of the infant church in Acts, it is recorded: “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31). An earthquake of epic spiritual proportions—that’s what we, too, need, isn’t it? The moving and shaking power of the mighty Third Person of the Godhead, sweeping over a praying congregation, desperate for God’s outpouring. How else shall the 6.7 billion inhabitants of this planet be reached—without the earthquake of the Spirit?

So what if we added this prayer to the PRYR 101 strategy we shared last week (you may download the PRYR 101 podcast @ this website)? What if we quoted Jesus’ words back to him? What if we asked him every day to fulfill their promise where we live, study and work? “‘But you will receive power [Gk dunamis, “dynamite”] when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 1:8). You don’t believe Jesus’ promise has been diminished by the passing of time, do you? Then can you imagine a more earth-shaking promise with off-the-chart possibilities than this one?

7.0—8.8—before the “big one” strikes, isn’t this the right time for God’s people to be in fervent prayer for the spiritual earthquake the Spirit has promised? After all, the two seismic temblors in our hemisphere already this new year are a somber reminder that life as we know it simply can’t go on, won’t go on indefinitely, will it?

A “G’day, Mate” to you from 850 new young friends in Australia! Karen and I just returned from two weeks “down under” with some of Australia’s best and brightest. I had the privilege of preaching fourteen times at two identical four-day Adventist Youth Conference (AYC) events in Melbourne and then in Sydney. And while we returned jet-lagged from the sixteen hour time change, we came home energized. And let me tell you why.

I’ve never seen so many young adults and youth turned on to God’s passion to save lost people as we did at these two AYC events. From the Thursday evening opening to the Sunday afternoon closing, both conferences were woven with young adult testimonies of witnessing for Christ experiences (in the dominantly secular Australian culture). Over and over, the kids up front described how just a year ago (at the previous AYC event) they had been frightened at the very thought of going door to door to take spiritual interest surveys from total strangers. But swallowing their fears, they had indeed gone out—and now they were coming back “rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves!” Literally. Because standing beside many of these young adult “testifiers” were the newly baptized “strangers” they had met and won to Christ, by going door to door. It was electric!

And it was persuasive. Johnny Wong—who used to be the Asia-Pacific head of Oracle, the world’s largest enterprise software company, and who is the founder of the AYC movement in Australia and the visionary behind the Gateway S.D.A. Church plants in both Melbourne and Sydney (eighty percent of his church plant members are under the age of 30!)—listened to the “Primetime” sermon series at our website and asked me to present those teachings at these conferences. He was very clear with all of us who were preaching that they wanted decisions from the attendees both for baptism and for becoming Bible workers (a term they use to describe young adults who take a hiatus from their university studies or from their jobs in order to do evangelism in the city around one of the church plants). I was asked to make two major appeals for Sabbath and Sunday, and I was impressed to add a third appeal at the Friday night service. Just before I walked onto the platform to preach the final service this past Sunday afternoon, Johnny shared with me that before that final appeal 78 decisions had already been made for baptism and rebaptism at both venues (with all the preachers). He also gave me the number for those who had made commitments to become Bible workers—but I must confess that I was so surprised at the 78 baptisms and rebaptism that I missed it!

But I shouldn’t have been surprised. Because there was prayer cover back here at home unlike any recent preaching trip I’ve been on. I’m convinced that the response to the appeals reflects the power of intercessory praying—and I thank God for your prayer partnership. The Friday evening sermon invited the young to begin praying for the salvation of five lost people they knew. Afterwards some of them told us that individuals they had written down that very evening made decisions for baptism within the next 24 hours. The power of intercessory praying! But I also believe the response reflects the power of personal testimony. After those young “testifiers” were through, I, too, was ready to jump to my feet and pledge my life in active partnership with God and his passion to save lost people. For I am convinced there is no greater joy than leading a lost person to the Savior.

In Australia we witnessed the dramatic fulfillment of God’s promise, “Those who continually go forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them” (Psalm 126:6). And since that’s a promise the works both “down under” and “up over”—I say let’s join them!