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
References
↑1 | Amy Carmichael |