A Pentecostal’s Yearning

Habakkuk saw his world in a whirl
Prior to Babylon’s invasion,
Israel choosing to go its own way
Would soon face deportation

God would use godless nations
To bring about his will,
Both in the world and among his people
He remained Sovereign still

Twin issues were before him,
Power and idolatry of nations
The backsliding of his people;
He would address both notions

Like Habakkuk I too tend to despair
As I view both the world and the church,
Idolatry and sin seem to prevail
Has God left his world in the lurch?

God planned to restore his people
To truly be his witness
To a world described in Romans one and two,
A people called to holiness

And so today, as I view the landscape
Of the church’s way of living
In our Western world and elsewhere,
It’s a scene that is disturbing

I address a notable group of God’s people,
The tribes of Pentecostalism,
For one hundred years a powerful force
In the mission of evangelism

At the start, a flashpoint of revival,
A resurgence of God’s Spirit,
Signs and wonders and holiness
Full Gospel with no limits

Christ the Saviour, the Centrepiece,
His Headship and empowering,
Worship to him, not to the church
And passion for the lost and dying

Worldliness denied and renounced,
Gifts of the Spirit functioning,
Services defined by spontaneity
With audiences contributing

We cannot return to past days
Nor hold to traditional ways,
We ought not initiate replays
We need to repent and obey

 To bend in penitence and contrition,
To confess that we have died
To all our cultural idolatries,
To yield to the Crucified

A passion that will burn like fire ¹⁾Amy Carmichael
Aspirations soaring higher,
Intercession, not mere desire,
Servant leadership to inspire

A church confronting the powers
And worldviews of post-modernity
With Holy Spirit dynamic
Overthrowing their authority

Recovering “first love” devotion,
Embracing self crucifixion,
Abandoning this world’s notions,
Giving priority to Gospel mission

A restoration of biblical purity,
Standards and ethics, maturity,
A commitment to God’s priority
To the world’s unsaved humanity

Yes, there are more than four billion souls
Needing to hear of Jesus,
If Pentecostal power is God’s way
We need it in its fullness

So this Pentecostal’s yearning
Is for the ageless Gospel message,
To be seen disrupting the church
And confronting all human knowledge

There is no other hope for this lost world
Jesus’ return is near,
May we submit and be restored
Learning to live in godly fear

Paul E. Grant | August 2009