Love Deeper, Wider, and Higher than all the World

Click Clip to Play

Only a short while ago the Lord’s friends gathered around to hear Him speak of great and wonderful things. The things of God, eternal things. We hung on every word, savoring it, digesting it. Now, they are gone and I alone remain, sitting at His feet. Like a delicate fragrance, the sound of His voice seems to linger in the air. I breathe in the essence of His presence and sigh. It’s good that I should be here; I want to stay forever. For a moment He shuffles in His seat and I fear that my Lord is going to leave. My heart sinks until I realise He is leaning forward and reaching out His hands to me.  All at once the child in me comes alive as Jesus lifts me to His lap and cradles me in His arms. Tears of joy fill my eyes and overflow, cascading down my cheeks. I weep softly and bury my face in the folds of His robe as His strong arms close around me. Who am I that the Lord should hold me so tenderly? Did He hear my anguished cry for more of Him? Had He peered into the depths of my heart and dug through the sin and deeply rooted pride and greed and actually found  some good buried there? Is there any good in me? I am still so slow to learn, so quick to fall. My reasoning weaves a maze through my mind as I try to comprehend. As Jesus draws me closer to Himself, a thread of gold enters the woven maze in my mind and I understand. Jesus holds me not because of my goodness, but His; not because of my love for Him, but rather, because of His great love for me. My thoughts become a blur, struggling to grasp what is unimaginable for the human mind. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I think or imagine. My Lord and my God loves me. I savour this delicious morsel of truth as He gently cradles me in His strong arms like a dear beloved child, and holds me close to His chest. A favourite Scripture from Isaiah comes to mind: “You are mine, you are precious in my sight and I love you.” I ponder this, these words meant for me as well. As I listened to the Saviour’s heartbeat, He also was listening to mine. What I couldn’t put into words He heard from the cry of my heart. My desire for Him. My love for Him. My longing to be with Him. And the heartbreaking sorrow I felt for ever having done anything that put a distance between my beloved Jesus and I. For a moment He stops rocking me and I can feel His warm breath on my forehead. He tenderly says, child, look at me. I am reluctant to look up because I know that my eyes will meet His. What I have longed for, now suddenly fills me with dread. I fear what He will see in the face of this unworthy child. His fingers are beneath my chin and He raises my head until my eyes meet His. What I see is more beautiful than words can express. In His eyes there is an ocean of love, deeper, wider, and higher than all the world can contain. His eyes are the colour of mercy. For a moment I feel as if I am little more than an ant at the foot of the cross, just beginning to comprehend His love and sacrifice. The King of all the universe is gazing into my eyes and communicating His love to me. Jesus’ hand is warm against my face. He cups my cheek and wipes away my tears with His thumb. God’s thumb, wiping away my tears. He holds my face firmly for a moment and looks deep into my eyes as if to say, this is important, listen to Me. His eyes seem to plead with me as He speaks. He wants me to understand and believe it. As His eyes fill with tears, He says, “This is why I did it; so I could hold you and love you for eternity.”

The History of Pentecostalism

Pentecostalism is arguably the most important mass religious movement of the twentieth century. This movement is currently the second largest sub-group of global Christianity; it has over 600 million followers.[1] Most believe that the history of Pentecostalism began at Azusa Street however, many do not mention the other streams of thought and practices, especially in the Black and Anabaptist churches, which also played a role in shaping Pentecostalism, but those streams were either not written down or were passed along in a very doubtful form.

BACKGROUND

Melvin Easterday Dieter notes that Pentecostalism grew out of the Holiness revival during the second half of the nineteenth century. This revival was an expression of both social and theological discontent among the nation’s lower and middle-class groups. Holiness advocates disapproved of the impiety in mainline denominations and were alienated by the growing wealth and elaborateness of their churches. Not content to remain in mainline churches, they formed new religious communities committed to the theological doctrine of perfectionism.[2] These former Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists believed that they were experiencing a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit much like the early church experienced in the book of Acts. The holiness revival spawned zeal for “Spirit Baptism” (a divine empowerment of believers) and for other gifts of the New Testament church such as healing and prophecy. Holiness leaders such as Charles Cullis, John Alexander Dowie, and Albert B. Simpson established healing missions across the America.

Like other holiness advocates they believed a new, miraculous era of the Spirit was occurring which would end in the second coming of Christ. Pentecostalism took “Spirit Baptism” and the restoration of New Testament gifts one step further. In January, 1901, holiness minister Charles Fox Parham asked the students at his Topeka Bible school to study the scriptures and determine what evidence might be given of Spirit baptism. Using the Pentecost account in Acts chapter two, they concluded that speaking in tongues was the confirmation of Holy Spirit baptism. This first wave of Pentecostalism spread in the revival that followed, but remained regional, moving into Kansas, Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas.

THE AZUSA STREET REVIVAL

The 1906 revival at Azusa Street, Los Angeles marks the second phase of the Pentecostals’ origins. William Seymour, who studied under Parham in Houston, Texas, carried the message of Pentecost to Los Angeles where the revival began in one of the poorer sections of the city. The Azusa Street revival gathered the “ethnic minority groups of Los Angeles,” who discovered a “sense of dignity and community denied them in the larger urban culture states Robert Mapes Anderson.”[3]

Frank Bartleman notes “Coloured people and a sprinkling of whites composed the congregation, and night is made hideous in the neighbourhood by the howlings of the worshippers who spend hours swaying forth and back in a nerve-racking attitude of prayer and supplication.”[4] A visiting Baptist pastor said, “The Holy Spirit fell upon me and filled me literally, as it seemed to lift me up, for indeed, I was in the air in an instant, shouting, “Praise God,” and instantly I began to speak in another language. I could not have been more surprised if at the same moment someone had handed me a million dollars.”[5] From Azusa Street the revival spread throughout the United States.

Holiness leaders from the Church of God in Christ (Memphis, Tenessee), the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), and the Pentecostal Holiness Church (Georgia and the Carolinas), were present at Azusa, and carried its message back to their churches. Diversity characterised their beliefs and theology; Pentecostals ranged from Wesleyan-holiness, to Reformed, and Unitarian comments, Edith Blumhofer.[6] The history of Pentecostalism is as multifaceted as the movement itself.

In the Eye of Cyclones

I did not know His love before,
the way I know it now.
I could not see my need for Him,
my pride would not allow.
I had it all, without a care,
the “Self-sufficient” lie.
My path was smooth, my sea was still, not a cloud was in my sky.

I thought I knew His love for me,
I thought I’d seen His grace,
I thought I did not need to grow,
I thought I’d found my place.
But then the way grew rough and dark,
the storm clouds quickly rolled;
The waves began to rock my ship,
my anchor would not hold.

The ship that I had built myself
was made of foolish pride.
It fell apart and left me bare,
with nowhere else to hide.
I had no strength or faith to face
the trials that lay ahead,
And so I simply prayed to Him
and bowed my weary head.

His loving arms enveloped me,
and then He helped me stand.
He said, “You still must face this storm,
but I will hold your hand.”
So through the dark and lonely night
He guided me through pain.
I could not see the light of day
or when the storm might wane.

Yet through the aches and endless tears,
my faith began to grow.
I could not see it at the time,
but my light began to glow.
I saw God’s love in brand new light,
His grace and mercy, too.
For only when all self was gone
could Jesus” love shine through.

It was not easy in the storm,
I sometimes wondered, “Why?”
At times I thought, “I can’t go on.”
I’d hurt, and doubt, and cry.
But Jesus never left my side,
He guided me each day.
Through pain and strife,
through fire and flood,
He helped me all the way.

And now I see as never before
how great His love can be.
How in my weakness He is strong,
how Jesus cares for me!
He worked it all out for my good,
although the way was rough.
He only sent what I could bear,
and then He cried, “Enough!”

He raised His hand and said, “Be still!”
He made the storm clouds cease.
He opened up the gates of joy
and flooded me with peace.
I saw His face now clearer still,
I felt His presence strong,
I found anew His faithfulness,
He never did me wrong.

Now I know more storms will come,
but only for my good,
For pain and tears have helped me grow
as naught else ever could.
I still have so much more to learn
as Jesus works in me;
If in the storm I’ll love Him more,
that’s where I want to be!

 

Did Jesus use a modem?

At the Sermon on the Mount?
Did He ever try a broadcast fax
To send His message out?
Did the disciples carry beepers
As they went about their route?
Did Jesus use a modem
At the Sermon on the Mount?

Did Paul use a Laptop
With lots of RAM and ROM?
Were his letters posted on a BBS
At Paul.Rome.Com?
Did the man from Macedonia
Send an E-Mail saying “Come?”
Did Paul use a Laptop
With lots of RAM and ROM?

Did Moses use a Joystick
at the Parting of the Sea?
And a Satellite Guidance Tracking System
To show him where to be?
Did he write the law on tablets
Or are they really on CD?
Did Moses use a joystick
At the parting of the Sea?
Did Jesus really die for us
One day upon a tree?
Or was it just a hologram
Or technical wizardry?
Can you download the Live Action Video Clip
To play on your PC?

Did Jesus really die for us
One day upon a tree?
Have the wonders of this modern age
Made you question what is true?
How a single man in a simple time
Could offer life anew?
How a sinless life, a cruel death
then a glorious life again
Could offer more to a desperate world
Than the inventions of man?

If in your life, the voice of God
Is sometimes hard to hear.
With other voices calling
His doesn’t touch your ear.
Then set aside your laptop and modem
And all your fancy gear.
And open your Bible, open your heart
And let your Father draw you near.

MAKING THE MOST OF LIFE

If I can throw a single ray of light across the darkened pathway of another; if I can aid some soul to clearer sight of life and duty, and thus bless my brother; if I can wipe from any human cheek a tear, I shall not have lived my life in vain while here.

If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire within his heart a sense of duty; if I can plant within my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of truth and beauty; if I can teach one man that God and heaven are near, I shall not then have lived in vain while here.

If from my mind I banish doubt and fear, and keep my life attuned to love and kindness; if I can scatter light and hope and cheer, and help remove the curse of mental blindness; if I can make more joy, more hope, less pain, I shall not have lived and loved in vain.

If by life’s roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose shade some wearied head may rest, though I may never share its beauty, I shall yet be truly blessed though no one knows my name, nor drops a flower upon my grave, I shall not have lived in vain while here.

Author Unknown