We review two recent publications concerned with building up young believers.

Maureen Trowbridge reviews ‘Raising Faith’ by Katharine Hill and Andy Frost (2018, Care for the Family/Essential Christian, Foreword by Rob Parsons).

This book is full of heart-warming, moving stories about bringing up children and brims full of brilliant ideas for encouraging them to grow in their personal faith. It will certainly strike a chord with parents who are needing help and guidance in teaching their children to know Jesus for themselves – but will also be relevant to grandparents and indeed anyone involved in raising children to follow the Lord.

Katharine Hill is UK Director of Care for the Family, while Andy Frost is Director of Share Jesus International. Both are parents who know what they are doing – but far from being another brow-beating parenting manual, this is an uplifting, accessible read which will encourage and inspire, often in an entertaining way.

Written conversationally and in a series of short chunks, the book is ideal for dipping in and out of as well as reading all the way through.

In the Foreword, Rob Parsons says: “Raising Faith is incredible because of its simplicity and its determination to help parents of the under-tens plant seeds of faith in their children’s lives. Full of practical ideas, it is all about giving children the opportunity to know about God and have a relationship with Jesus.”

I strongly recommend ‘Raising Faith’ for its down-to-earth wisdom and helpful ideas – it will inspire, bless and challenge you.

‘Raising Faith: Helping our children find a faith that lasts’ (103pp, paperback) is available from the publisher for £4.99.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Millennial Leaders: Research Findings’ (2018, Forge Leadership Consultancy).

This short booklet presents findings from recent research (undertaken between 2017 and 2018) into the opinions of Christian millennials - people born between 1984 and 2000 - in leadership positions across all sectors of UK society.

The project takes a very positive approach towards the millennial generation, seeking to give them a voice and to help organisations and churches understand and appreciate them more. The research took the form of 50 interviews and 442 online surveys covering areas including identity, culture, leadership development, opportunities and challenges, and spirituality. The results are revealing and will be most useful to older leaders seeking to bridge the ‘culture gap’ between the generations.

The results show, for instance, that millennial leaders are most negatively impacted by a fear of failure, and often struggle to strike a healthy work-life balance. They tend to view technology as both a challenge and an opportunity, and prefer ‘on the job’ mentoring to conferences, books and courses. They place a premium on integrity and humility in leadership, and prize strong relationships highly.

As well as statistics and analysis, the booklet also includes personal stories and concludes with recommendations for both young leaders seeking to develop their skills and organisations and churches desiring to support millennials better.

Overall, this is a well-produced piece of research and although the conclusions may not be unexpected, there will be something to be learnt here for everyone.

Click here and scroll down to download the report or to order a paper copy (£5). Find out more at millennial-leader.com.

We embark upon the final chapter: 'Here Today, Where Tomorrow?'

This article is part of a series – please see the base of the page for more information.

Here Today, Where Tomorrow?

The 20^th Century will surely go down in history as the century of the Holy Spirit, both due to the amazing worldwide expansion of the Pentecostal movement from the beginning of the century and the charismatic renewal which has swept across the world in the second half of the century. But will it be seen as the pure work of God, representing a turning point in world history? Or will it be seen as a missed opportunity, a work of God spoiled by human hands?

It was often a cry of the prophets of Israel that the nation had moved outside the blessing. The people had deviated from the path set before them by God. They had neglected his word, spurned his law and disobeyed his commands. Therefore, the nation was experiencing judgment rather than blessing. They had brought upon themselves the antithesis of blessing clearly foreseen by Moses in the warnings given, “If you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country…” (Deut 28:15-16).

The biblical record of God's relationship with Israel shows that it was always God's delight to bless his people. This is his intention today just as it was when he called Israel to be his people through whom he could reveal himself to the world and establish them as his servant: “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isa 49:6).

The 'Great Commission' given by Jesus to his disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations reaffirmed God's intention (Matt 28:19). His promise to send the Holy Spirit was to enable the Church to carry out his command: “You will receive power 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).

The 20^th Century will surely go down in history as the century of the Holy Spirit…but will it be seen as a pure work of God?

Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

The fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church at the beginning of the 20^th Century, which resulted in the worldwide Pentecostal movement, is a significant milestone enabling us to understand how God is working out his purposes in our times. As the Church has progressed, two things have happened of immense significance.

• The first is that the worldwide Church has grown at a phenomenal rate. The majority of this growth has been in the poorer non-industrial nations. David Barrett in the Encyclopaedia of World Religions records that in 1900 only 17% of Christians were in the non-western nations. By 1988 this had risen to 53% and he estimated that by the year 2000 this would rise to 61% with only 32% in the rich western nations.¹
  
• The second significant fact is that the Holy Spirit has been renewing and revitalising the life of the traditional churches in the western world. This did not begin to happen until the second half of the twentieth century.²
  

It surely cannot be a mere coincidence that throughout this century a combination of disturbing and destructive social, economic and political forces moved with increasing velocity across the world. It was a century of revolution, of war, terrorism and violence, as well as a century of incredible social and technological change which responsible for almost unbelievable upheavals in every continent and in almost every nation: China, Russia, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, every part of Africa, eastern Europe. The political upheavals which have shaken these nations have been matched by the revolutionary social forces that have swept away the foundations of social stability in most of the western nations.³

There are strong links between these events and the kind of eschatological scenario described in Scripture. Jesus gave a number of specific signs which would mark the nearness of his own Second Coming. They are to be found in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. There are additionally many passages both in the New Testament and in the Old Testament prophets that set the scene for the prelude of the 'Day of the Lord' when he will come to judge the nations.

It is not our purpose to elaborate that theme here, but it is relevant to note that world events towards the end of the second millennium began to become increasingly like the biblical eschatological scenario. Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:10 that it is God's intention to use the Church to reveal himself to the whole universe. It is his purpose to prepare a holy people, a people who love him and trust him and who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to declare his word to the nations.

The Holy Spirit is given to the Church to enable the Church to be the Prophet to the world, prepare the way of the Lord and preach the Gospel of salvation with power and authority.

The Holy Spirit is given to the Church for just this purpose, to enable the Church to be the Prophet to the world, to prepare the way of the Lord and to preach the Gospel of salvation with power and authority, with signs and wonders following. But God can only use a purified people. When his people depart from his ways and run after the values of the world, he withdraws his blessing and eventually removes his presence, leaving them unprotected from the onslaught of the enemy.

There are many indications that this is what we have been seeing in the western nations and also in western churches. We urgently need to learn the lessons recorded in the Old Testament.

Blessing and Judgment

The history of Israel follows a constant cycle of blessing and judgment corresponding to the spiritual health of the nation, as measured by the plumb-line of the people's faithfulness to the word of God. Whenever God blessed the nation and a time of peace and prosperity was being enjoyed, it was not long before the people became unfaithful and turned away from God. Then things began to go wrong because the Lord gradually withdrew his blessing and the cover of his protection. Hosea has a telling passage which describes this process. He records what is essentially a lament of the Lord:

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt; you shall acknowledge no God but me, no Saviour except me. I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat. When I fed them they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me. (Hosea 13:4-5)

Hosea was writing shortly before the fall of Samaria and the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel and their exile in Assyria. He rightly interpreted the warning signs as things began to go wrong. He knew that the final tragedy would follow the withdrawal of the protecting hand of God when he finally turned his back upon his people leaving them exposed to their enemies. Ezekiel saw this in a vision of the Spirit of God leaving the temple in Jerusalem. He saw the word ichabod - 'Glory departed' - over the city.

Thus blessing and judgment were always part of Israel's experience and are written across every page of her history. They illustrate important spiritual principles which are valid for all time for those who would be the people of God and who desire to experience his blessing.

When we turn away from the word of God, embracing false teaching and false prophecy, the consequences for the whole nation are serious and may even be disastrous, as in the history of Israel. False teaching and prophecy pollute the spiritual life of the Church, distort our discernment and fail to give moral and spiritual correction to the nation. The political, economic and social life of the nation becomes corrupted and standards fall. The ways of God revealed in the Bible also teach us that God holds his servants, particularly the religious leaders, responsible for the state of the nation.

The British Situation

In Britain through the 1990s, we suffered from the consequences of false prophecy given very publicly by the Kansas City Prophets in 1990. Reference has already been made to this in previous instalments in this series, but it is of sufficient importance to warrant further consideration since this marked a major turning point in the history and direction of the charismatic movement in Britain.

Bob Jones, Paul Cain and John Paul Jackson all proclaimed that a mighty revival would be experienced in Britain in 1990, saying that it would spread across England into Scotland and then across the North Sea and throughout Europe. Paul Cain was even more explicit, stating that the revival would begin in London in October 1990 when John Wimber was due to lead a mission at the Docklands Conference Centre, East London.⁴

False teaching and prophecy pollute the spiritual life of the Church, distort our discernment and fail to give moral and spiritual correction to the nation.

Just as Hananiah's false prophecy (Jer 28) came as a welcome relief from the stern message which Jeremiah had been preaching for a number of years, so this promise of revival came as sweet, enchanting music to the ears of many faithful believers who were longing for revival and had been interceding earnestly for many years. But they were misled. It was a false prophecy. I said so publicly six months before the October conference.5 I had personal contact with all three men, including face-to-face discussions. But the bandwagon was already rolling with, what was by British standards, extraordinary hype.

Tens of thousands flocked to hear these men with a popular message as they travelled across the country touring the provinces before their big London event. By the time of the Docklands Conference expectations were running high and before the end of the week they reached fever pitch, with John Wimber commanding the Holy Spirit to come down. But God did not come upon his people in power like a mighty rushing wind as at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit does not obey the commands of men!

There were many signs that Britain was not yet ready for revival. For a number of years, it had been apparent that God was shaking the nations in order to shake the confidence of mankind in material things and cause the nations to turn to him, the living God, to heed his word and to walk in the paths of righteousness. Then in due time the blessing of God would be poured out upon nations that turned to him. The Scripture underlying this hope was:

In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I win shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory’, says the LORD Almighty. (Haggai 2:6-7)

1990 was too soon for a great revival. The boom years of the 1980s had to be followed by the bust years of the 1990s. The pride and complacency engendered by the success of the greedy acquisitive policies of the 1980s had to be broken. The corruption that accompanied the greed in the commercial and financial institutions had to be exposed. It can now be plainly seen that the seed sown in the 1980s reaped a bitter harvest in the 1990s. But this was all part of God's intention to allow evil to reap its own reward and to bring about a humbling of powerful leaders in the political and business life of the nation.

The exposure of greed and corruption in the 1990s – and since - brought about dramatic revelations much capitalised on by the media, always hungry for sensation. The revelations have included abhorrent sexual activities by politicians and celebrities, failures of banking institutions, financial scandals, huge wage inequalities and impunity enjoyed by many in the corporate and finance sectors.

This has all been part of the shaking of the nation to prepare the way for the Gospel, in just the same way as a farmer prepares the ground to receive the seed so that it may take root and bear fruit, giving an abundant harvest.

Prophecy plays an important part in the preparation for the word of God by giving the spiritual interpretation of physical events. There are numerous examples of this in Scripture, such as Jeremiah's explanation for the withholding of the spring rains (Jer 3:3), and the powerful explanation given by Amos of drought, blight, plagues and other disasters (Amos 4:6-12).

Prophecy plays an important part in the preparation for the word of God by giving the spiritual interpretation of physical events.

It has always been God's intention that his Church should be the Prophet to the nation, declaring his unchangeable word in a changing world and making it applicable to each generation so that the will and purposes of God can be readily understood.

It is the responsibility of those who exercise a prophetic ministry to be the eyes and ears of the Church, to interpret events in accordance with principles laid down in Scripture so that the whole Church can carry out its prophetic function in the nation, turning the people back to God when they have gone astray and leading the nation into the paths of righteousness where the blessing of God will be experienced.

It was for this reason that the Holy Spirit was poured out afresh in the 20^th Century and that New Testament ministries were restored.

Next week: Dr Hill's summation about the Kansas City Prophets.

References

1 Quoted in Rich Christians, Poor Christians by Monica Hill (London, Marshall Pickering 1989), p2. For 2018 figures, click here.

2 Ibid, p60f.

3 See Shaking the Nations by Clifford Hill (Eastbourne, Kingsway, 1995).

4 Reported by Rick Williams at a clergy conference in St Andrew's Chorleywood, 7 March 1990, transcription of tape.

5 Prophecy Today, Vol 6 No 4, July/August 1990.

Series Information

This article is part of a series, re-publishing the 1995 book ‘Blessing the Church?’, an analysis of the ‘Toronto Blessing’ and a wider critique of the charismatic movement in the late 20^th Century. Click here for previous instalments and to read the editorial background to the series.

In a response to reader comments on her previous article on spiritual gifts, this week Monica Hill looks at the two 'methods' from 1 Peter, which underpin all the other gifts: speaking and serving.

In this series we will be looking at all the gifts in turn, but we will start with the passage that is often ignored in studies – that is the passage in 1 Peter, which we have described as 'methods' applicable to all the gifts rather than specific gifts.

Serving and speaking

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves he should do it with the strength God provides so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:10-11).

When the above passage in 1 Peter was written, the believers in the early church were already being put under pressure from those Jews who were not believers - and also to a certain extent from the Roman authorities. To speak out at that time, particularly of you did not have a special gifting, could lead to even more persecution, but setting an example in your lives by showing God's unfailing love and living out your faith in service could be of equal value in witnessing. The letters from Peter are two of the latest books to gain a place in our Bible and can have special relevance for believers today - especially when they too are under pressure.

The emphasis in verse 10 is clearly being laid on the serving nature of the gifts. It is recognised that although some of the many gifts being exercised will require the believers to speak out, this is not necessary for every gift. In today's world, being able to express yourself and your feelings in words is an obvious advantage and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, God can put the right words in our mouths when we place our trust in him. However, there are many passages which show that the tongue can be deceptive- and many others that show that deeds can speak louder than words. So if speaking is not your gift, do not despair.

Whether speaking or doing, every gift God gives should be used in a serving capacity- that is, to benefit others and reflect God's amazing grace."

If you can express yourself well, you are to be commended if you use this gift to extol the words of God and to help others understand more of who God is, whilst not thinking of yourself as more important than those who do not find it so easy.

But it IS absolutely necessary for all the gifts to be used in a 'serving' capacity - and they should always reflect God's grace. This grace is described as the free and unmerited favour of God. In fact if we look carefully at the other references to gifts we find that the serving nature is reflected in them all.

Ministry roles

In Ephesians 4:12 we find that the prime purpose of the ministry roles given to individuals is to prepare God's people for works of service. Those who have these ministry gifts are often placed in leadership in our churches and they have a responsibility for equipping and supporting others on the front line. They are in effect a supporting ministry and can be regarded as 'a gift of serving' in themselves.

Manifestations

The manifestations listed in 1 Corinthians 12 each reflect a different spiritual gift. Rightly exercised, they are all different kinds of service and should be exercised for the common good. This is important for building up the body and contributing to the health and unity of the whole church.

Natural gifts

It is easy to see how the seven more 'natural gifts' listed in Romans 12 have a serving capacity – eg 'teaching', 'encouraging', 'contributing to the needs of others', 'showing mercy'. But in verse 7 we find 'serving' is also listed as a specific attribute - if your gift is serving it can have a wide range of applications as the need arises. Those with this gift will also have the ability to discern where the need is greatest and what is needed to be done. They must make a special effort to serve well.

Ministry roles, manifestations and natural gifts are all purposed to serve God's kingdom by building up his people- including the specific gift of serving, which has broad application as the need arises."

Servanthood

We cannot live a fulfilling Christian life without embracing an attitude of servanthood. Jesus gave us the ultimate example of what being a servant to others means - whatever our role in life. When his disciples were debating who would be the greatest, Jesus reminded them that "I am among you as one who serves" (Luke 22:27) and he washed his disciples' feet to set an example to us all of the way we should serve one another.

In John 12:26 we read "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me." We are cleansed so that we can "serve the living God" (Heb 9:14). As followers of Jesus, we must follow his example and aim to have a servant heart.

Serving for the right reasons

Serving must be undertaken with willingness and for the right reasons. Elders and leaders are to care for those who have been entrusted to them, "serving as overseers not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be, not greedy for money, but eager to serve" (1 Pet 5:2)

Slavery was common in those days and also in times nearer our own. Jesus even told us "...and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt 20:27-28).

Whatever our position in life, and however other people treat us, we are encouraged to serve willingly- as it is the Lord we are serving."

We must always remember, when we are serving others, that it is the Lord we are serving (Col 3:24). And in everything we do, it should be done as for the Lord. The slaves in New Testament times, and many of the new believers came from that class of people who could not change their worldly standing. So they were encouraged to respect their masters "so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered" (1 Tim 6:1). If they had believing masters, they were "to serve them even better" (6:2). Paul also said "We serve God whether people honour us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us." (2 Cor 6:8).

What should our attitude be to serving?

Paul's teaching was "Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically" (Rom 12:11). In Galatians 5:13 he tells us "to serve one another in love". This is the primary message in John's letters. He continually pleads with the believers to love one another, and he reminds them that in so doing they were reflecting the love and care of the Father. He says "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1).

A final word from Paul

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but it is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel" (2 Cor 9:12).