WWJD?

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living

–November of 2005

WWJD?

Charles Sheldon popularized the question, “What would Jesus do?” in his famous book, In His Steps.  The question implies that by asking and answering “What would Jesus do?” one could then imitate the behavior or response of Jesus in any given situation.  The only problem is that this approach doesn’t work.  Trying to answer what Jesus would do is highly subjective, differs from person to person, and can be implemented (and most often is) without any biblical data.  The end result is a superficiality that fails to transform character to any measure of real Christlikeness.

The Bible leads us toward another question.  That question is “What did Jesus do?”    This is a question that forces us to search the scriptures to see how Jesus lived his life, responded to others, and revealed the character of His heavenly father.  The Gospels offer a front row seat to watch and learn from the words and works of the Master Teacher.  When one reads the story of the woman taken in adultery and carefully studies Jesus’ response to her, one has to draw the conclusion that to be like Jesus one must treat every human being with dignity and respect as well as with an overall response that is redemptive.  But even this approach lacks what is needed for the development of true Christlike character.

Christlikeness cannot be produced by imitation (Sheldon’s approach) or solely by revelation (gaining insights from the study of scripture).  True Christlikeness can only be produced by inhabitation.  We must allow Christ to live His life through us.  So how does this happen in real life?  First, by the miracle of regeneration and entire-sanctification (things Christ does for us and in us).  Second, by the choices we make and the disciplines we embrace.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:22-24 that we must:  get rid of our old ways of living, let the Spirit and Word change the way we think, and develop new godly habits.  As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, He can bring about character change that allows us to manifest the true image of Christ.

The real question isn’t what would Jesus do or what did Jesus do but what can he do with a fully surrendered soul who is cooperating with the Holy Spirit and applying the principles of God’s Word?  The answer to that question will be transformational.

Bearding the Lion in His Own Den

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Ministry

–October of 2005

Bearding the Lion in His Own Den

Since 9/11, President Bush has developed a doctrine on terrorism that seeks to find, confront and destroy the terrorist in the very land that breeds him and in the very cave that hides him.  The Apostle Paul had a similar doctrine for evangelism. He believed in taking the battle to the strongholds of sin.  Like a shrewd general, Paul targeted Ephesus, Thessalonica and Corinth — large population centers, wealthy in commerce and flourishing with pagan gods — with the gospel.  He confronted pagan scholars, cutthroat business leaders, and demon-possessed sorcerers with unflinching confidence that the power of grace would win the day.  He was determined to press the claims of the gospel all the way to Rome.  The gospel must be sounded in the ears of Caesar!

This common approach shared by President Bush and the Apostle Paul comes from the belief that you have to beard the lion in his own den.  Early Wesleyans shared this belief.  John Wesley saw the English people languishing under the tyranny of sin, and took the gospel to the coalmines and open fields.  The Salvation Army marched into the jaws of Hell itself to save the most degenerate and neglected among society.  American circuit riders followed the settlers by boat and on horseback to confront sin and convert the sinner.  The Methodist come-outers of the late 19th century left a staid mother and started hundreds of storefront missions, all for the purpose of getting the gospel to those who needed it most.  Even the first Bible colleges, with but few exceptions, were located in the heart of our greatest cities so that their students could confront the lost masses with the gospel message.  To put it plainly, the Church has always taken the offensive to reach lost souls wherever they are found.

It seems that the contemporary church has lost this philosophy.   America’s population is increasingly more urban, but the Church is becoming more and more suburban or rural.   The great urban centers of America are ripe for the gospel, but the Church is leaving them untouched. Why? Have we lost confidence in the power of the gospel?  Have classism, status-consciousness and racism paralyzed the Church?  Have we silenced our consciences by telling ourselves that we give heavily to foreign missions? Are we so out of touch that we can’t see the rise of a new frontier in missions?

Not everyone has missed the great open door.   Robert Lufton and F.C.S. in Atlanta, Jim Cymbala and Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York, and Eric Himelick in Indianapolis are men and organizations that are bucking the trend and advancing the gospel in the hearts of major cities.  A group of young people right here in Cincinnati are going into the inner city, working the streets, befriending other young people, taking them to Sunday school, church, youth camps, and camp meetings.  They are winning them to the Lord, discipling them in the faith, helping them get an education, and starting them down the road to a meaningful life that breaks the cycle of sin and rescues generations yet unborn.  Five of those changed lives are enrolled in our school right now.  The beginnings look small, but the long-term impact will be huge.

The church holds the answer to the problems within our large urban areas.  It was the gospel that saved England from Revolution, and it will be the gospel that saves America’s large cities from implosion.  But somebody is going to have to rise to the forefront with a confidence in the gospel and a boldness that dares to beard the lion in his own den.

Finding God in a Barber Shop

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Ministry

–September of 2005

Finding God in a Barber Shop

We have a knack of looking for God in the wrong places.  The Wise Men searched for the Christ child in the plush palaces of the capitol city of Jerusalem, only to find him in a humble home in lowly Bethlehem.  The mighty Roman legions looked for God in the glory of Rome and its Caesar, but one soldier found him hanging on a cruel cross and acknowledged that “truly this was the Son of God.”  Pilgrims have traversed the globe seeking Him everywhere from the Vatican City to Mecca.  Even holiness people ramble about the country looking for Him in the wind, fire, and earthquakes of camp meetings and conventions, while more often than not, they find Him in the still small voice of a silent moment or the sermon of an unpretentious, unknown pastor back home.

I forget this lesson occasionally, and God has to remind me that if I don’t pay close attention, I too will miss a sacred opportunity to see Him.  He used my good friend, Oscar, to teach me this lesson again.

Oscar Johnson has been a barber in the Cincinnati area for over forty years.  He is a quiet, gentle, and unassuming man who is liked by everyone.  He has enjoyed perfect health, not missing a day of work for sickness in 43 years.  However, this May a few sharp pains in his back led to a diagnosis of stage-four cancer.  It was so advanced that immediate surgery had to be performed to stabilize the lower vertebrae so his back would not collapse.  It was all so sudden that it left everyone breathless and bewildered —everyone but Oscar.  After six hours of extremely dangerous surgery, he told his family, “This has been a wonderful day.  My family and all those I love have been here together today.”

My wife and I visited him the day after surgery.  I was praying on the way to the hospital that I would say the right things to encourage him.  But when I walked into the room there was no depressed mood or sad face.  Oscar was beaming – literally smiling from ear to ear!  He said, “Oh, Brother Avery, the insurance policy I took out with God forty years ago works!  Every promise is true.  He is working out every detail.  I’m in a win-win situation.”

The outpouring of concern was overwhelming.  His customers span the religious scale from Catholics to Buddhists and Muslims to Protestants.  They wrote over two hundred cards and made at least a thousand phone calls.  Why?  Because Oscar left a clear witness to Christ to everyone who sat in his chair.  A Muslim medical doctor was so impacted by Oscar’s life that he asked Oscar the secret to his happiness.  This was a chance for Oscar to gently point him to Jesus.  The doctor brought his father from Iran to meet Oscar so he could see “the happiest man in the world.”

I could tell you of college students, professors, lawyers, business leaders, and even a Hell’s Angel-type rebel, all who were drawn to Oscar’s bedside to stand for a few moments in the presence of a man who showed them Christ by the very life he lived.

My family visited Oscar last Saturday.  With tear-filled eyes we listened to his closing words, “Brother Avery, whatever way it goes I’m still a winner.  God has wonderful things in store for me!”

So many people in the world long to see Jesus, and God is always faithful to reveal Himself.  I caught a glimpse of Him last Saturday in a hospital bed.  And I can tell you about a lot of men who saw Him and found Him in a barber shop, cutting hair.

You Can Know You Are Saved

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Theology

–April of 2005

You Can Know You Are Saved

The Reformers contended that a man can know that he is justified by grace through faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  Samuel Wesley’s dying words to his sons John and Charles were “the witness, son, the witness; that is the proof of Christianity.”  Wesley’s own heartwarming experience at Aldersgate convinced him that a man can have a clear knowledge of the salvation experience.  In his sermon, “The Witness of the Spirit,” Wesley defines the testimony of the Spirit as “An inward impression on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God directly witnesses to my spirit that I am a child of God, that Jesus Christ hath loved me and given himself for me, and that all my sins are blotted out and I, even I, am reconciled to God.  “Wesley later in life, after many years of developing thought on the subject, made it clear that the objective witness of the Spirit may dim or fade in relation to a person’s mood, emotions or physical condition.  However, he contended to the very end that a many can know that he is saved, and that justifying faith will bring a sweet calm to the heart, enabling the believer to rest in the arms of Jesus.  Hence, historic Methodism still has at its heart the truth that “all men can know they are saved.”

On one occasion, when Wesley was visiting Bristol, the bishop of Bristol, Joseph Butler, endeavored to stop Wesley from preaching.  Their dispute centered around the doctrine of assurance.  The bishop contended such a doctrine was not true to the Scripture of the teachings of the church.  This happened sometime in the late 1730s.  Thirteen years later, as the bishop lay dying, he approached his death without the assurance of salvation.  He called for his chaplain and told him that he was afraid to die.  The chaplain encouraged him with the thought that Christ is our Savior, but the bishop plaintively asked, “How can I know that Christ is my Savior?”  Some forty years later as Wesley lay dying, the words that fell from his lips were these, “The best of all is, God is with us.”

Bishop Kern notes the startling contrast between these two dying men.  There is the “sun-lit certainty of Wesley’s experience and the shadowed insecurity of a bishop’s soul.”  The bishop “could prove the existence of God by analogies from nature but did not know Him in the peace of an inward mystical and redeeming fellowship.”

I’m so grateful that I can sing with Wesley, “My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear, He owns me for His child, I can no longer fear; With confidence I now draw nigh, and ‘Father, Abba Father’ cry.”  Can you sing that verse with me?

Great Preachers

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Church, Ministry

–March of 2005

Great Preachers

I was comfortably settled in at my writing desk preparing to polish off the rough draft of an article I had written for this issue of the Revivalist, when all of a sudden my pen refused to write another word about the subject at hand.  Instead, it wanted to write about some of the great preachers I have known.  The shift in focus could be attributed to the fact that I had just returned home from the funeral of one of the greatest orators in the holiness movement, and I was still thinking about his life and preaching ministry.   Nevertheless, the subject has been on my mind for months, so I gave in and let my pen have its way.

As a preacher, a student of preaching, and someone responsible for the training of preachers, I have had a keen interest in what makes for great preaching and great preachers.   Though notable scholars and great preachers have written numbers of books on this subject, I feel the need to add my observations with a list of the characteristics of some of the great preachers I have known.  This is not a list about good men, good pastors or good leaders.  It is not an exhaustive list.  It is strictly a list of the characteristics I have observed in men that I consider to be great preachers.

1. They are men who have had an encounter with God that marked their lives forever.

For some it was their conversion, while for others it was the point of total surrender and heart cleansing.  For others it was their call to preach.  The issue is not so much when or how they had a life-altering encounter, but that it had indeed happened.  Like Moses, they had a burning bush encounter with God, or like Jacob they met him in struggle.  However it happened, their encounter with God marked them forever and left them with the firm conviction that for them is was “preach or perish.”

2. They are men of strong belief and firm convictions.

Armed with the conviction that they speak for God, they speak with authority and certainty out of a well-developed belief system, which is based solidly on the principles and convictions of the Word of God.  They don’t care whether they speak the company line or not.  They care nothing about being politically correct.  They don’t look the crowd over to see what message fits best.  They speak for God!  We are plagued today with mild-mannered men who have developed the art of almost saying something.  They never draw a line in the sand or speak of absolute truth.  You never know where they stand on anything!  Not so with the greats.  They are men who give no uncertain sound.

3. They are men with big souls.

H.E. Schmul was a man that characterized this as well as any.  He could embrace others that didn’t agree with him on every jot and tittle.  He knew what he believed, was secure in what he believed, and wasn’t afraid to embrace his brother who was a little to the left or right of him. Though he didn’t personally identify with the more mainstream groups, he didn’t just cut them off or de-Christianize them.  J. Wesley Adcock, R.G. Flexon, L.D. Wilcox, R. G. Humble, V.O. Agan, and Robb French were all men of this caliber.  Robb French imposed upon himself some very rigid convictions, but never made others feel spirituality inferior for not doing the same.

4.  They are men with a great capacity and love for all of life.

They are men who walk the narrow way without being narrow minded.  They are not so focused on the world to come that they miss the beauty of the world that is around them.  L.D. Wilcox loved the symphony and attended it often.  He also had a great love for growing flowers, especially roses.  Dr. Dale Yocum was a great lover of science.  He was at home gazing at the constellations or talking with the animals.  H.E. Schmul loved traveling and was extremely knowledgeable of Civil War History.  Millard Downing never lost his love for farming and farm animals.  Larry Smith is quite knowledgeable of antiques and architecture.

5.  They have inquisitive minds that have been developed by constant learning.

They are well read in the Bible, theology, and history.  They have read some of the great literature and the classics.   They stay abreast of current Christian thought.   Their reading has prepared them to speak forcefully to the issues of contemporary life and the current trends in theological thought.  Richard Taylor, Dennis Kinlaw, Larry Smith, and Bobby French are examples of this.

6.  They know how to tell a good story.

They understand the value of a good illustration and know how to tell it with great effect.   Millard Downing, Standley Kendall, Paul Lucas, and R.G. Flexon perfected this art.  Richard Taylor uses illustrations with the most precision of any I have heard.  His stories always enlighten and make the point well.  Great preachers know that the difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between a lightning bug and lightning.

7.  They preach the Bible—all of it.  They are not “one stringed” preachers.

Some preachers are always on a “crusade” for their personal agenda.  Great preachers understand that they are Ambassadors for Heaven and that they must speak the whole counsel of God.  Great preachers don’t just ride a hobbyhorse or seek to be known for a single emphasis.  H.E. Schmul said to me once, “Avery, I am not just a ‘holiness preacher.’”  He went on to explain that there was more to preach than the doctrine of entire-sanctification (though he firmly embraced it, preached it effectively, and saw it as central in redemption).  He admonished me to preach all of the great themes of the Bible.

8.  They maintain their individuality and preach out of their own personal gifts and strengths.

Almost every time Larry Smith preaches in chapel he says apologetically, “I’m not an expositor, or a firstly, secondly, and thirdly preacher.  I’m just an exhorter.”   Yet, when Larry lets God use him, just as he is, I know of none that can equal his eloquence and depth.    J.W. Adcock had a photographic memory and could quote his sermons verbatim with great effect, while R. G. Humble, V.O. Agan, and R.G. Flexon read every word of theirs with the same great effect.   Millard Downing had no equal in illustrative story telling.  His ability to use words to graphically describe biblical truth made his ministry both captivating and powerful.   L.D. Wilcox was not a captivating speaker, yet his ability to take a profound theological truth and make it understandable to even children was his strength, and he worked effectively from that vantage point.  Great preachers are comfortable with their style and use it for God’s glory.  If you ever heard O.W. Willis, you could never forget the cadence of his speaking.  Men like Bud Robinson and August Leulf turned speech impediments into a means of captivating an audience.   R.E. Carroll would occasionally punctuate his preaching with a piercing shout.  As unconventional as it may have been, it added something to his ministry.  Wingrove Taylor stands a still as a statue, speaks in a conversational tone, and alliterates every line.  All of these men are very different, yet all very effective.  God needs individual personalities to pour his truth through!

9.  Their ministry is marked by the optimism of grace.

Great preachers are like the tide; they lift people.  The story is told that when the great Scottish preacher, George Matheson, begin to preach in Edinburgh, an old lady who lived a dark, dirty cellar moved to an apartment in an attic that was light and airy.  When asked about her move she said, “You cannot hear George Matheson preach and live in a cellar.”  The ministry of great preachers can be summed up in words spoken about Job, “Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees.”

My life has been blessed by the unique contributions of many great preachers.  It is my prayer that the young men of tomorrow’s pulpit will allow God to use them to make their unique contribution to His Kingdom.