k11 -Lk - The Community Church

5 

MARCH!) RIL 1981 

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Reslotation is published hi' monthly. It is undenominational 

in emphasis in the conviction that the 

Spirit of God is working towards the fulfilment of 

the prayer of Jesus for his followers, 'that they all 

may he one. . . that the world may believe'. This 

involves not only a renewal of what exists but a 

'restoration' of so much that has been lost or 

neglected. 

This work of the Spirit is a prophetic fulfilment of 

the scripture concerning Christ, 'whom heaven 

must receive until the time of restoration of all 

things which God has spoken by the mouth of all 

his holy prophets since the world hegan'(Acts 3:21). 

The teaching articles deal with themes and issues 

about which the Holy Spirit is speaking to the 

church today to bring us all to the perfection God 

desires as seen in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Editor Arthur WalLs 

Copy Editor : David Matthew 

Editorial Associates 

David Manse11, Terry Virgo, David Tomlinson, 

Ken Jones, Hugh Thompson 

Production : Neil Marlow 

Distribution : Sue Hanlon 

Layout/Graphics: Da\'e Halls, Alan Boardman 

USA Associate Editor : Bryn Jones 

Suhscriptions: 'Your personal copy of' Restoration' 

will he posted to you six times a year. 

United Kingdom Rates: £4.80 

'Restoration', Harvestime House, Hall Lane, Bradford, 

West Yorkshire, BD4 7D0, U.K. 

USA Rates :$.00 plus p stage and handling. 

Canada: 81 0.00 Other Countries : $11.00 

'Restoration', P.O. Bex 21 28, Marylands Heights, 

Missouri 63043, U.S.A. 

Bulk Orders : Please ask for details. 

Lopyright 1981 'Restoration'. No part of this maga:ine 

may he reproduced wirhour written consent. 

Printed and Published by Harvestime, 

Harvestime House, 136 Hall Lane, Bradford, 

West 'iorkshire, BD4 7DG, U.K. 

Restoration 

Focus. 1 

Relationships Are 

Number One 

Basic to all God is doing with us and 

among us is — relationships. 

David Matthew 3 

Helping The Family 

A report on the aftermath of the 

Italian earthquake. 

Dave Halls 7 

And Some Profits! 

A kingdom business conference 

report. 

Graham Pearce 10 

Attitudes Are All 

Important 

The title says it all 

Arthur Wallis 11 

End-Time Words: 

'Elijah To Come' 

David Matthew 15 

Healed of Leukemia 

A testimony 17 

Voices 18 

The Kingdom Unfolded 

Prophetic Relationship in 

Adullam's Cave. 

Hugh Thompson 19 

Repairing The Damage 

Relationships break down at times. 

Here's how they can be mended — 

God's way. 

David Manse 11 21 

Words of Wisdom.., 24 

Into All The World: 

Norway 

Hugh Thompson 

25 

Growing Churches 

Southampton 27

TIME FOR A CHECK UP. 

The Editor writes about the business 

of relating. 

We have tackled more 

exciting themes in this 

magazine, but never 

one more important. 

We may prefer to read 

about 'the present triumph 

of the kingdom', 

but that will never be 

more than a 'pipe 

dream' if we don't get 

our relationships right. 

Many of us are activists. 

We are keen to 

see our ministry develop, 

to reach our full 

potential in God, to 

move in faith. All 

highly commendable. But from time 

to time God has to bring us up with a 

jolt to make us realise that what we 

are is more important than what we 

do. And the most tell-tale indication 

of what we are is the state of our 

relationships. 

Relationships will radically affect 

our doing, but really they have more 

to do with being than doing. A 

breakdown in relating is a character 

failure rather than a ministry failure. 

Loners may sometimes have a highly 

developed and seemingly successful 

ministry, but in some vital area of 

character they are deficient, for as 

David Matthew reminds us in the 

following article, God designed man 

to be a sociable creature, so that the 

loner is acting out of character. 

Certainly his ministry would be that 

much more effective than it is if he 

overcame his inbred reluctance to 

relate with others. 

'The church is not buildings but 

people' — so ran the wellworn 

evangelical cliche. But God is now 

teaching us that the church is not 

simply people, but people in relationship. 

The figure for the church that 

Paul loved most, and that he alone 

used, was a many-membered body. 

Our physical bodies are the means 

by which we express ourselves, and 

they perform many functions to do 

this. There was a time when we got 

so excited because God was giving 

us a vision of the kind of church he 

wanted, functioning in the power of 

the Spirit, moving with divine authority, 

just as we see that it did in the 

Acts of the Apostles. But then God 

had to take us further back and show 

us that there will never be proper 

function without proper relationship. 

The church is not a vast conglomeration 

of unrelated parts. As a 

building it is composed of living 

stones, but a pile of stones on a site 

doesn't make a building. It is only as 

the stones and other materials are 

brought into a certain relationship 

by the skill of the builder that a 

building is formed. It may be a 

gruesome thought, but with the 

progress of 'spare part surgery' it is 

conceivable that one day there may 

be hospital 'banks' with every kind 

of physical organ, all ready for 

emergency use, but no 'bank' would 

have a body. The church is the body 

of Christ because it has been baptised 

in the Holy Spirit into one organic 

whole. 

A broken ankle radically affects 

the relationship of that foot with the 

rest of the body. So you have a 

patient on crutches because the foot 

cannot function. I believe that we 

would all be horrified if God were to 

show us the measure in which the 

body of Christ is needlessly incapacitated 

and its full potential never 

realised because of 'broken ankles', 

'sprained wrists', 'dislocated shoulders', 

and many other disjointed parts. 

We shall be dealing with some of 

the causes of the church's spiritual 

malfunction, and the therapeutics 

needed for healing and restoration. 

Don't say that you are too busy 

getting on with the job to concern 

yourself with something so intangible 

as relationships. That makes as much 

sense as the lumberman who had no 

time to sharpen his axe because he 

was so busy felling trees. It is time for 

a check up. Let God's Word search 

us and God's Spirit bring healing to 

every dislocated joint. The kingdom 

must come, but that means a body 

'joined and knit together' so that 

'each part is working properly' 

(Eph 4:16 RS\7). 

The Editor 

FOCUS 

1

2 

I.C.L.P. 

The Church House 

North Parade 

BRADFORD, 

West Yorkshire, 

BD1 3HT. 

Principal: David Matthew 

The International Christian Leadership Programme is a one-year course for young 

men who see the Lord's work as the priority for their lives. Geared to the normal 

academic year (September —June), the course offers basic Bible teaching with special 

emphasis on themes which the Holy Spirit is stressing today —the kingdom of God, 

covenant, relationships, Ephesians 4 ministries etc. 

Practical 

The teachers are all part of, or associated with, the team of brothers who work together 

with Bryn Jones. The fact that they are all actively engaged in the Lord's work in 

churches in the UK and overseas lifts the teaching out of the realm of theory into 

the realm of practical experience. 

Flexible 

During the year, students are expected to be fully involved with the church in Bradford, 

where the course is held, and in so doing to discover their own ministry. The course 

has the advantage of built-in flexibility so that, when necessary, teachers can be drawn out 

on topics outside the set curriculum. 

Application 

Young men who are keen for God are encouraged to go through the course before 

marriage, though there are opportunities for married couples, preferably without children. 

The course has now been opened up so that applications are welcome from young men of 

all church backgrounds. Interviews will be held in May for the 1981-82 course. 

Brochure 

Could this be for you? The brochure gives full information, including details of 

dates, housing, fees and teachers, together with an application form. Send for your 

copy to the above address (enclosing 20p stamp, please).

RED 'SHIPS ARE 

NUMBER ONE 

David Matthew 

Man is a social creature. 

God made him that way, 

and God does nothing 

without a purpose. What, 

then, is the purpose of 

relationships? 

I used to have two fantasies. One 

was to be a monk, cloistered in a cell 

with a Bible and study aids, developing 

an intense relationship with no-one 

but the Lord. The other was to be a 

pious country gentleman in a bygone 

era, answerable to nobody, treating 

the servants coolly but kindly, and 

retiring often to a library like that of 

Professor Higgins in 'My Fair Lady'. 

Common to both dreams was the 

avoidance of close relationships with 

anyone except books and God, 

probably in that order. 

In his mercy, God engineered 

circumstances to steer me away from 

such notions and into situations 

where the only options were to form 

relationships or become a social misfit. 

My love of Scripture meant I could 

not long entertain the latter possibility, 

for God revealed himself in its pages 

as a sociable God who loves people, 

reaching out to them in a desire for 

deep friendship, and Paul exhorted 

me to imitate my Father (Eph 5:1). 

So it was relationships or nothing. 

And so it is for all of us. If you are 

still toying with the idea of becoming 

a recluse, hermit, spiritual 'Lone 

Ranger' or 'keep your distance' 

meeting-attender, forget it God made 

you for relationship. In the beautiful 

interaction of Father, Son and Holy 

Spirit within the Godhead he sets 

you an example. So let's pass on 

from the 'whether or not' of relationships 

to their purpose and importance. 

3

Human Sandpaper 

To begin with, God wants to 

mould your character. The divine 

Potter uses few and simple tools in 

the process, chiefly other people. 

The unbeliever usually goes to the 

grave with the same character-defects 

as marked him in youth, but God has 

other plans for you. He wants to 

make you like Jesus. Now we all 

know that we shall be changed into 

his likeness when we see him at his 

return (1 Jn 3:2). But God's intention 

is that only the finishing touches will 

be needed on that great day. The 

major shaping of character takes 

place here and now, and the people 

you live and work with are handpicked 

by the Lord to expose your 

temper, your pride, your stubbornness, 

or whatever your failings are, so that 

they can be dealt with. 

Running away from those people 

is no answer. God has many more he 

can use in their place. No, let him use 

them to deal with your character, 

then you will not want to run away. 

Make a list of the ones you don't get 

on with at present, then ask yourself, 

'What is God showing me about 

myself through them?' They will 

have their own faults too, of course, 

but that is not the point. What do 

they reveal in you that God desires 

to put right? 

When a king, in days of old, 

wanted to visit an outpost of his 

kingdom, an advance party would go 

ahead to prepare the road. Potholes 

would be filled in, bumps levelled 

off and rough sections made smooth. 

That is what Isaiah was referring to 

when he declared, 'Prepare the way 

for the Lord. . . Every valley shall be 

raised up, every mountain and hill be 

made low; the rough ground shall 

become level, the rugged places a 

plain. And the glory of the Lord 

will be revealed' (Isa 40:3-5). 

4 

There is many an outpost in the 

hearts of lost men and women which 

the King would like to visit in all his 

glory. But the road lies through the 

lives of his children, and so often he 

cannot 'get through' because the way 

has not been prepared. Valleys of 

indiscipline and discourtesy, mountains 

of anger, pride and empty talk 

bar the way. Only when you allow 

the Holy Spirit to deal with these will 

the glory of the Lord be revealed to 

the lost. Start seeing the relationships 

you already have as indicators of 

character-deficiencies which need to 

be put to rights. 

Tamed 

A second purpose of relationships 

is to break your independent spirit. 

Your innate conviction that the world 

revolves around you and exists for 

you, that you always know best and 

must have your own way, must be 

dealt a death-blow. The young married 

man soon discovers that the marriage 

relationship which brings such intense 

fulfilment is also a barrier to independent 

action. No longer can he come 

and go as he pleases, buy himself 

whatever takes his fancy and choose 

his own wallpaper. His wife has ideas 

on these matters, ideas which he 

cannot afford to ignore and which 

give the 'thumbs down' to unilateral 

action on his part. 

There is a special beauty about a 

married couple who have exchanged 

their independent spirits for the 

blessing of being a partnership. Such 

blessing is not confined to marriage. 

Indeed, all relationships are designed 

to strike at independence. 

When Jesus rode in triumph into 

Jerusalem he rode on an unbroken 

donkey, one which no-one had ever 

ridden (Mk 11:2). Normally, such a 

creature would have bucked and 

shied, braying its annoyance at the 

rider's attempt to thwart its independence. 

ButJesus mastered the donkey 

IHe will break you in) 

through the relationships I 

LYou form. J 

sothat it co-operated with his wishes. 

Consequently, the shouts of praise 

and blessing, as he rode into the city, 

were all for Jesus, with hardly a 

second glance at the donkey. 

Jesus now rides on you before 

men. What do they see as you carry 

him before them in your testimony 

as a Christian? Is it the kicking and 

rearing of an independent spirit as 

you argue with parents, grimace at 

the boss and generally insist on your 

own way? If so, King Jesus will pass 

un-noticed. They will point the finger 

at you but fail to bow the knee 

before the King. Has the Lord 

mastered you yet ? He will break you 

in through the relationships you 

form. Other people are his bridle. 

Teamwork 

Relationships are intended also to 

teach you discipline. The whole 

idea of a disciplined, ordered life is 

foreign to present-day thinking, but 

in the kingdom of God it is crucial. 

'Discipline yourself for godliness' (1 

Tim 4:7), said Paul to Timothy, and 

so to us. 

There is first that personal discipline 

called self-control, a fruit of the 

Spirit. In addition, God requires the 

kind of discipline which is learnt in 

group situations — family, school, 

work and church. This idea of 

discipline is suggested in two NT 

word-pictures of the church: a body 

and an army. Consider the body first. 

How would you ever walk if each leg 

insisted on going its own way, or 

how could you see where you were 

going if your forefinger kept poking 

your eyes? The body is a disciplined 

whole. Each part has to learn to 

move in co-ordination with the rest.

'Now you are the body of Christ; and 

each one of you is a part of it', 

teaches Paul (1 Cor 12:27). Have 

you learned the discipline of living 

and working with your fellowbelievers 

in the local church? You 

don't want to be like the man who 

couldn't get on in any church and so 

formed one of his own, with himself 

the sole member! 

[ 

For centuries the army 

of God has looked like a 

bunch of individualistic 

soldiers of fortune. 

The army is an even more telling 

picture. In fact the very essence of 

army life in corporate discipline. 

Private Gaius may not naturally 'click' 

with Private Cassius, but unless the 

two of them work in unison in the 

heat of battle, both will go down to 

the enemy. For centuries the army of 

God has looked like a bunch of 

individualistic soldiers of fortune, 

each with a will of his own, fighting 

when and where he chooses. But 

now a disciplined army is being 

formed, ready to take the offensive 

against the forces of sin and darkness. 

Corporate, united action is the order 

of the day. Have you learned to be a 

good person in a team situation? 

Staying Flexible 

- Jesus 

Then, relationships are to make 

you supple. We often use the 

expression, 'He is set in his ways' to 

describe someone who has decided 

the shape of his life and habits and, 

having thus formed the mould, has 

poured in the concrete, which has 

set hard. He finds it impossible to 

change now, even if he wants to, 

which he doesn't. He has always 

used a particular hymn book and has 

no time for the 'new-fangled' songs 

the Spirit is bringing to God's people. 

He cannot see that there is value in 

both. Bible exposition and formal 

prayer have served him faithfully so 

far. Why should he be open to 

prophecy, the word of knowledge, 

tongues, interpretation and the 

discernment of spirits? He believes 

that 'thee' and 'thou' are more 

acceptable to God than 'you', and 

that pews are holier than chairs. 

spoke about new wine and 

new wineskins. The new wine of the 

Spirit is flowing today, full of life and 

vitality. Like the fire, the Spirit will 

not stand still Like the wind, he 

blows where he wills. Like new wine, 

he is still fermenting, producing 

pressure on the wineskin and making 

those who drink deeply of him 

contemplate action which in the 

days of their soberness would have 

been unthinkable. Suppleness of 

attitude, flexibility of spirit; are essenthi 

if the wineskin is not to burst. Deep 

relationships keep us supple. When 

you are just settling into a cosy 

routine your brother will come with 

the word of the Lord, and suddenly 

it's 'all change'. 

See yourself as one of the Israelites 

being led through the desert by the 

pillar of cloud and fire, the token of 

God's presence. After a long day's 

march the pillar has stopped and you 

have set up camp. The cooking pot is 

nearing the boil, the children are in 

their pyjamas and a comfy lethargy is 

in your bones, when the man from 

the next tent runs across yelling, 

'The pillar of fire is moving! Let's 

go!' God is the one who is moving 

but it is the man next door who 

reminds you of it Relationships keep 

us on the move for God. 

No Masks 

Lastly, relationships are designed 

to provide appreciation without 

pretence. We all need to be loved, 

encouraged, appreciated, but often 

we fear that if people get to know us 

as we really are they will be put off. 

So we project across the space between 

us an artificial image which we believe 

is more attractive than our real self. 

This is how the world operates. Men 

sit in a bar and tell exaggerated tales, 

the most outrageous attracting the 

most attention. Christians are not 

immune to such attitudes either. 

Some put up a facade of false 

spirituality when in the company of 

fellow-believers, only to drop it when 

they get home. They are accomplished 

actors and their friends the audience 

who, in the artificial light of the 

theatre, confuse the real and the 

affected. 

Real relationships cannot exist in 

such conditions. They only begin 

when a member of the audience 

jumps up onto the stage, whips off 

your mask and exclaims, 'Ah, just as I 

suspected. You're not the King of 

Siam at all; you're Joe Smith the 

window-cleaner!' 

The amazing thing is that 

your real self, even with 

all its desperate shortcomings, 

is in the end 

more likeable than the 

image. 

There is wonderful relief in not 

having to pretend any more and in 

being appreciated for what you really 

are, enjoying, in a word, a real 

relationship. Unless you drop the 

mask yourself, sooner or later somebody 

is going to tear it off or at least 

see through it. It was said of Fred 

Mitchell, a notable missionary to 

China, 'He was never caught off his 

guard because he was never on it'. 

Could that be said of you? 'God 

looks on the heart' because his fiery 

glance penetrates your defences. Man 

can look on your heart; too, but only 

when you deliberately dismantle those 

defences and expose it. 

To come within range of 

being loved, you have 

also to come within range I 

being hurt. 

People who have been emotionally 

hurt; bruised or let down in the past 

are often reluctant to expose their 

hearts again. Once bitten, twice shy. 

But they still yearn for genuine love 

5

and appreciation. The fact is that, in 

order to come within range of being 

loved, you have also to come within 

range ofbeing hurt There is a risk in 

opening up to Telarionships, even 

among Christians. ButI would urge 

you to take the risk. Open up. Be real 

atall costs. Painstheremaywetlbe in 

the process, but they will be growing 

pains, not death-throes. Learn the 

truth of the contemporary song: 'Let 

us open up ourselves to one another, 

without fear of being hurt or turned 

away. For we need to confess our 

weaknesses, to be covered by our 

brother's love, to he real and learn 

our true identity'. 

Where It Begins 

The nursery of human relation. 

shkps is the family, the family in 

which you were a child. If there are 

people in the wider sphere of living 

with whom you cannot get on, it may 

welt be that in some way they remind 

you of the father or mother you 

never learned to relate to. That your 

parents may have been sadly lacking 

in the qualities of parenthood, that 

they may have been non-Christian 

or even anti-Christian, isnot important. 

God gave them to you to teach 

you the essentials of submission. It 

may be that for you the key to 

developing good relationships in 

general will be to go back to your 

parents and belatedly learn what you 

never learned in childhood. 

Does your husband remind you of 

your father? Go and haye a heartto-heart 

with your father. not to 

raise his own shortcomings but your 

attitudes of resentment or rebellion. 

Ask his forgiveness, and suddenly it 

will become so much easier to relate 

to your husband. 

How did you get on with your 

brothers and sisters If it was a 

continuous running battle which came 

to an end only when you left the 

6 

family home to set up on your own, 

go away to college or get married, 

there is unfinished business to attend 

to. Repent of your selfishness, jealousy, 

deceit or bullying. Put things right 

with the brother or sister in question. 

Then, with a 'conscience clear before 

God and man' (Acts 24:16), you will 

be free to form other relationships. 

Especially isthis true if you were the 

eldest child, who often parades his 

seniority and grabs benefits at the 

expense of the younger ones. The 

biblical principle is The elder shall 

serve the younger' (Oen 25:23). 

Remember, it was Jesus, nut 'elder 

brother', who, as 'Lord and Master' 

of the disciples, humbly served them 

by washing their feet 

When you learn the lessons of 

God in the relationships he has 

arranged for you, the ones in which 

you have no choice —parents, relatives, 

associates at school and work —only 

then are you free to choose relationships 

of your own. One thing is clear: 

God sets great store by this relating 

business. As his purposes develop, 

the ability to relate will become even 

more essential. You will never make 

it on your own, but together in the 

Lord we can do anything 

DAVID MAYrHEW is one of three 

full.time pastors at the Church 

I-louse, Bradford. Saved at 13, his 

spiritual home was a Brethren 

assembly, where he received a 

grounding in the Scriptures. Eventually 

he began to minister the Word 

and become an elder. David %as in 

the teaching profession until July 

1976, when, in fulfilment of the 

Lord's promise some 17 years earlier, 

he came into full'time work. His 

main thrust in the church is as a 

teacher. He is also Principal of the 

ICLP and Copy Editor 0f Restoration. 

David is married with three 

chidren. 

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Helping 

family 

a report by Dave Halls 

Before his conversion Rocco was a 

monk. Now he and his wife Rosaria 

are members of a church in Salerno, 

Southern Italy. Their home, Montecorvino, 

is a village 20 miles away, 

and with their pastor, Ernesto Bretcher. 

they want to see a church there too. 

Already they have a small group of 

contacts around them but the earthquake 

seemed to cut right across 

their aspirations. 

Home, for Rosaria and Rocco, is a 

tall, narrow house in a tightly-packed 

neighbourhood with streets only six 

feet wide. The night we visited them, 

those streets were empty. The houses 

were dark They were almost the 

only ones at home. Most of the 

residents had gone to relatives or to 

sleep in the local schooL The area 

was unsafe and even the relatively 

undamaged houses needed to be 

pulled down. Rocco should have 

gone too. His walls are cracked and 

in the picture above you can see rips 

in the wallpaper. 

In theory our brother and sister 

should get government aid. But with 

so many families homeless, so much 

destroyed, it will be a long time 

the 

before public money reaches Montecorvino. 

Ernesto Bretcher and Giovanni 

Traettino, both closely involved in 

the area, believe Rocco should stay 

in Montecorvino to see whether 

God will build a church there Money 

from British churches will mean that 

a prefabricated house will soon be 

on its way from Britain. Rocco and 

Rosaria want a bigger home than 

before so that others can come to 

live with them, a real overflowing of 

love to those around. 

7

On 23rd November at 7.20 pm, a major 

earthquake shook Southern Italy. For one 

minute and twenty seconds the ground 

shook. When it stopped, thousands were 

dead, thousands more wounded and over 

a quarter of a million people made homeless 

An area the size of Wales was paralysed. 

Rescue workers took days to reach 

some places and the world's press criticised 

while they carried their cameras by 

helicopter. But when you see the scale of 

the devastation and drive behind heavy 

lorries up the mountain roads you can 

begin to see why rescue took so long. 

quake... Italian Earthquake... Italian 

Giovanni Traettino met John 

Bedford in 1977 on a study trip to 

Birmingham. As a result he was 

baptised in the Spirit and eventually 

got to know Chris Chilvers and 

David Mansell Giovanni is now in 

strong working relationship with 

David and is an emerging foundationlaying 

ministry on the Italian scene as 

well as pastoring a church in Caserta, 

one of the main cities in Southern 

Italy. He is married to Franca and has 

three children. Giovanni. is taking 

malor responsibility for making 

decisions about how to use the 

money. 

As well as bringing great sorrow to 

his own heart, Giovanni sees the 

earthquake as part of God's way of 

shaking spiritual foundations. Fear is 

rife. People are having nervous 

breakdowns. 1r is a spiritual earthquake', 

says Giovanni. 

8 

29-year-old Ernesto Bretcher, 

pastor of a church in Salerno, was 

with hisyouth group when the tremors 

started. They obeyed the earthquake 

drill and stood under an arch in the 

building where they meet. They 

praised God and sung until the noise 

stopped and the dust cleared. At 

home with children of?, 5½ and 2½, 

his wife Christa did the same. The 

only damagewas cracked plaster and 

smashed ornaments. 

In the wake of the disasterErnesto 

spent four days with a missionary 

helicopter pilot looking up believers 

in the area. The Assemblies of God 

churches were doing well. Although 

some had lost their lives, they were 

well-organised and help was pouring 

in from British pentecostals. 

For the independent pentecostal 

groups things weren't so good. They 

had nobody on the outside. in some 

places there was nothing; even the 

streets had disappeared. In others 

Ernesto was able to make new friends, 

knowing that churches back in 

England were ready to give practical 

expression to that love. 

While in Italy we drove up into 

the mountains to visit sonic of 

Ernesto's contacts. One was at 

Gesualda, a village where they reckon 

8096 of the houses will have to come 

down, including the house of the 

pentecostal pastor. Only twelve people 

died in that village. Six of these were 

from one family, grandfather, mother 

and four children, leaving the father 

and two children bereaved and 

homeless.

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John Singleton in the ruin 

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On 16th December, John Singleton 

and 1 flew to Italy with news of £26,000 

given by churches in the UK. We went to 

express solidarity with Giovanni Ttaettino 

and Ernesto Bretcher, men in committed 

relationship with David Mansell. 

While in Italy we were able to visit the 

'quake' area. We saw the coffins and 

camps, the rescue workers and the moumers. 

But we saw new life too. At Castel Volturuo 

there is a new gtoup of believers. When 

we went there, three were being baptised. 

We heard about a young couple in Salerno 

who had got saved as a result of the love 

and care seen among the believers as they 

shared their lives in the aftermath of the 

disaster. 

4 

Bretcher' Giovanni Traeftinok 

Earthquake. . . Italian Earthquake. . 

The pastor has a heart for these 

people. He told us that he had five 

small groups in mountain villages 

around Gesualda. He had been offered 

accommodation in a seaside hotel. 

But that would have taken him away 

from his people, so he was sleeping 

in somebody else's home. We left a 

caravan with him so that he could 

help another homeless family. 

At other places, too, we met 

believers. 'God has sent you', they 

told Giovanni and Ernesto. And 

they were right. It was apparent that 

the earthquake had caused a spiritual 

shaking. The money would do more 

than provide prefabricated homes. 

The dynamic power of love and 

caring within the body is providing a 

platform for God's men in the area. 

New doors are opening. People have 

been saved. God is moving. 

Please Pray. 

Since news of the Italian disaster reached us, overL30,000 has 

been given by God's people for needs in the earthquake zone. 

It would be all too easy to distribute this money in an 

indiscriminate way and so be unwise stewards of what has been 

in many cases so sacrificially given. The news media have 

revealed the appalling misuse of the money and resources 

provided by some secular agencies. As God's people, we do 

not want to make similar mistakes. On the other hand, we are 

reluctant to delay practical relief to our Italian brothers by 

over-prolonged investigation of their circumstances. 

Following their visit, John and David have been in close 

consultation with Giovanni and the Italian brothers over this 

important matter, looking to God for insight and wisdom. 

Please pray with us that he will guide us to some clear 

decisions. 

Details of the plans for using the money are expected to 

appear in the next issue of Restoration. 

9 

p4 

4 

* 

*

10 

And Some Profits! 

A conference held in Yorkshire towards the close of last year that presented the 

challenge of being involved in kingdom business. 

Some 22 brothers gathered in a frost-covered Ilkley 

to find that God had been saying the same things to 

them about his purposes in the world of business. 

Some of us were already engaged in our own businesses, 

others had aspirations to start businesses, but we all 

saw that God's desire was to see business conducted 

in righteousness and integrity. God spoke into our 

hearts in confirmation and encouragement that he 

would add his blessing as we set our hearts to love 

righteousness and hate wickedness. 

Goos Vedder shared with us the vital importance of 

the Lordship of Jesus without which the love of money 

would soon lead us into the ways of the world. God's 

heart is that the kingdom should be translated into 

terms that people can understand. Kingdom business 

is one such expression. As the kingdoms of this world 

are being shaken, the Lord is establishing his city and 

the wealth of the nations will flow into it. As the Lord 

prospers us, money will be released for the expansion 

of the kingdom. 

Although we represented only a few churches we 

POST SCRIPT by Goos Vedder 

Since the weekend there have been some encouraging 

developments. Churches in Norwich, Chester and 

Southampton have gone some way to realising the 

concepts we discussed. Some of the practical projects 

in hand are the setting up of an umbrella company, 

involvement in flower sales, a computer management 

service and the establishment of a book and craft shop. 

Discussions are taking place about setting up a Housing 

In the 

Next Issue: 

found that in almost each place God had put those 

with gifts and talents in business. We are now looking 

for a great release of skills and abilities among God's 

people into more fruitful areas of service. The Lord 

encouraged us through prophecy and vision that even 

though we were in the day of small things in business it 

would be as a snowball rolling down a hillside, 

increasing in size and importance. 

The Lord reminded us that the vision would not be 

achieved by human effort, but by the anointing of his 

Spirit and by following his leading. The vision is not 

exclusive to those with 'business qualifications'. Maybe 

God has been speaking new things to you about 

business projects for the kingdom. Maybe you have 

capital that you would like to invest in such projects. 

Write to Goos Vedder, Kingdom Business, Harvestime 

House, Hall Lane, Bradford, W. Yorks BD4 

7DG. 

Graham Pearce 

Graham is a solicitor who has just 

launched his own practice, and a member 

of the Solihull Christian Fellowship. 

Association, a Pancake Kitchen and an export agency— 

all with a view to using a proportion of the profits for 

supporting the work of the kingdom. At the same time 

it is expected that these projects would provide 

employment for people in the churches. 

A further business weekend is planned for 8th - 

10th May 1981 atFoxhill, Frodsham, near Chester, to 

be led by Alan Pavey and Goos Vedder. Write to the 

above address for further details. 

4 iy The Radical 

1 j Christian 

] 

Includes: 

An Axe to the Root Zac Poonen 

Radical Life-Style David Tomlinson 

Pruning to Make Us Useful 

Tony Morton 

Also Includes: 

In the Home Group; Newsfront; Voices; Words 

of Wisdom; The Kingdom Unfolded; Growing 

Churches; End-Time Words and Into All the 

World. 

k

ATTITUDES ARE 

ALL IMPORTANT 

Arthur Wallis 

II

The church was not lacking a 

New Testament structure. It was 

led by a team of elders assisted by 

deacons. They sang the latest 

Scripture songs. They raised and 

clapped their hands. Occasionally 

— very occasionally— one or two of 

the extroverts would break forth 

into a dance before the Lord. The 

teaching was biblical, and welllaced 

with kingdom jargon. It was 

a water-baptised and Spirit-baptised 

community. The week-night 

meetings were in home groups 

under their leaders. Other Chris. 

tians looked upon them as an 

avant-garde charismatic church, 

yet you only had to be with them 

for a short time to sense that there 

was something not quite right. 

Let us look at this church a little 

more closely to see if we can lean 

what it is that is wrong. Though the 

worship has many elements that we 

might associate with the liberty of 

the Spirit, there is in fact little real 

liberty. The worship does not flow 

freely. There is a manifest absence of 

that essential ingredient of freedom 

in the Spirit: a sense of the presence 

of God. We do not find it a heart. 

warming experience to worship with 

this company, and we have a suspicion 

that they are not finding it heartirming 

either. 

The proceedings seem to lack 

sparkle, freshness and variety. There 

is no sense of eager anticipation of 

what God might have in store. In 

fact the expression on some faces 

seems to say, 'We've heard it all 

before'. They are evidently only 

expecting the usual, and consequently 

that is all they are getting. As they 

sing their songs, there are few faces 

exuding the joy of the Lord. Even 

fewer that are lost in God. Though 

all are free to bring their priestly 

offerings of thanksgiving or prayer to 

God, few in fact do so. The burden 

of keeping the meeting moving — 

and a burden it clearly is — rests 

heavily on the leaders. It is no surprise 

to learn that the few additions to the 

church in the past year have been the 

result of re-location of saints rather 

than regeneration of sinners. 

As we spend time with these 

believers, and have fellowship with 

them outside of meetings, observing 

how they relate to one another in 

real life, we begin to see what their 

real need is. Here are believers who 

genuinely love the Lord, and in most 

12 

cases are desirous of going on with 

God. They have clearly found 

God, but have not somehow found 

each other. Many of them are making 

progress individually, but the body is 

not making progress together. Their 

relating is at a superficial level. They 

are a Christian community only in 

name. They clearly view themselves 

as Christ's 'body' in their locality, but 

they are not like the body referred to 

in Ephesians 4:16, whose members 

are 'joined and knit together'. 

We should expect that a church 

truly planted by God will not only 

grow up but grow together. If this 

growing is arrested or stunted, we 

must not dismiss this misfortune as 

'one of those things'. There is always 

a spiritual cause that maybe identified 

and rectified. Somewhere, spiritual 

principles are being neglected or 

violated. 

Relationships are the very 

essence of church life, 

and if these are not healthy 

and strong, that body 

of Christians will never 

function effectually for 

God. 

'Surfaces to be joined must be 

clean, dry and free of grease'. We 

have often read these words on a 

tube of adhesive. Scripture speaks of 

believers being 'joined' to the Lord 

and 'joined' to one another. The 

word (kollao) has the primary meaning 

of 'glued together', which 

emphasises the strength of relationship 

that is envisaged here. So it is 

important that spiritual surfaces to 

be joined are 'clean and dry'. What 

do we mean? 

'Watch Your Spirit' 

'1 would rather have a man who 

was wrong in his judgment hut right 

in his spirit, than a man who was 

right in his judgment but wrong in 

his spirit'. This saying, attributed to 

Watchman Nee, emphasises the 

supreme importance of our attitude 

or spirit. Malachi delivered his message 

to God's people at the close of the 

OT dispensation. The situation then 

was not dissimilar to that which we 

face as we move towards the close of 

this dispensation. There was a serious 

breakdown of family relationships, 

as evidenced by the alarming rise in 

the divorce rate (2: 13-16) and the 

generation gap (4:6). Worshippers 

were weeping and mourning when 

they came before God because they 

knew that he was not accepting their 

offerings. 

From the time of Cain and Abel, 

God has had a way of letting men 

know when their offerings were 

accepted. Even today we know when 

he accepts our worship because he 

graces the meeting with his presence. 

We know that he responds to our 

offerings of prayer when he grants us 

the things that we ask. God told 

Israel through Malachi that their 

tears on his altar would not produce 

a response from him because there 

were things that must be put right. 

There was a grievous relationship 

problem. Marriages were breaking 

up as husbands divorced their wives. 

We have to learn that under the 

new covenant a bad marriage relationship 

will detrimentally affect the 

prayer life of those concerned. 

'Husbands, in the same way be 

considerate as you live with your 

wives, and treat them with respect... 

so that nothing will hinder your 

prayers' (1 Pet 3:7). Having expressed 

through Malachi his hatred of divorce 

and violence, all too prevalent features 

of our modern society, God put his 

finger on the root of the problem. 

What they needed to watch was 

their attitude, their spirit: 'So guard 

yourself in your spirit' (Mal 2:15). 

This passage in Malachi teaches us 

that when there is a breakdown in 

relationship (and after all, marriage 

is the most basic human relationship 

of all) it is to our spirit or attitude 

that we need to look. And elsewhere 

in Scriptute we learn that our 

relationship with one another is always 

a reflection of our relationship with 

God.

Loving God and loving 

my brother are inextricably 

bound together. If 

I think I can be in close 

communion with God 

and out of sorts with my 

brother, I am deluded. 

'Help! I'm Hurt!' 

In the rough and tumble of human 

relationships it is inevitable that from 

time to time we all get hurt. Someone 

may have acted thoughtlessly or 

insensitively. Unwise or unkind words 

may have been spoken. Such hurts 

need not, indeed should not, result 

in a wounded spirit, yet many are 

suffering from this spiritual malaise 

in our Christian communities and 

consequently they are unable to 

relate to their brothers and sisters. 

One feels that he is not being 

recognised and made room for. 

Another feels that she is not appreciated 

or commended for the things 

that she does. Yet another that his 

views were not consulted or his 

feelings considered in some decision 

made or action taken. Yet another is 

hurt because someone else has been 

given a position of leadership that he 

thought was coming to him. 

Nature has made provision for the 

remedying of physical wounds by a 

built-in healing mechanism. Broken 

bones can knit together again, cuts 

and bruises begin to heal. If the body 

does not perform this kind of selfhealing 

operation, either it must be 

in a sickly state or the wound has 

become infected. It is similar in the 

spiritual realm. We expect wounds 

to come, but we also expect them to 

heal — unless they become infected 

by unforgiveness, resentment and 

self-pity. The wound that is festering 

with these things is not only failing to 

heal but is injecting its poison into 

the spiritual body, adversely affecting 

other believers. 'See to it that no 

bitter root grows up to cause trouble 

and defile many' (Heb 12:15). 

Some, when wounded, behave 

like a wounded dog, even biting the 

hand that seeks to help. Others 

withdraw into their shells and become 

uncommunicative and unco-operative. 

There are many in our churches 

whose spirit is crying out, 'I'm hurt'. 

Who is going to do something about 

it? The answer is, 'You are the one 

to do something about it, because 

God holds you responsible for your 

attitude'. 

'But you don't know how that 

sister has treated me'. 

'No, but God does, and he still 

commands you to take heed to your 

spirit'. 

Even if the action that caused the 

hurt was as wrong as the aggrieved 

person makes it out to be (and this is 

seldom the case), his reaction is just 

as wrong. 

I was speaking to a young couple 

who were clearly very hurt by some 

action taken by the leadership of 

their church. 'What is it inside you 

that is hurting ?', I asked, 'Is it the 

"new man" or is it the "old man" 1' 

The silence that followed my question 

made it clear that they recognised 

that 'the new man' could not be hurt 

in this way, and that the 'old man' 

had no business to be around, for 

God had told them to put him off 

tong ago. 

The moment we recognise that 

the spirit we are displaying is not a 

Christ- like spirit, that it is wrong, 

that it really springs from uncrucified 

flesh, we have taken the first vital 

steps towards the healing of the 

wound. We never get through so 

long as we persist in justifying our 

attitude on the basis of somebody 

else's wrong. But the wound will 

only be cleansed and healed when 

we repent before God of our wrong 

attitude and take hill responsibility 

for it. Then it is that the healing love 

of God comes pouring in, and if we 

have been wronged, then our previous 

unforgiving spirit is replaced by a 

prayer for those who have wrongly 

used us, just as Jesus commanded. 

'Just Look At Him!' 

r mti1 

Equally as destructive of any closeknit 

relationship is a judgmental 

spirit Jesus spoke of judging in two 

quite distinct ways. One kind of 

judging he clearly forbade: 'Judge 

not, that you be not judged'. The 

other kind he commended: 'Stop 

judging by mere appearances, and 

make a right judgment' Qn 7:24). It 

is essential that I judge my brother's 

actions in the sense of assessing 

whether they ate right or wrong, 

otherwise how can I follow that 

which is good and avoid that which 

is evil ? The mature are described as 

those 'who by constant use have 

trained themselves to distinguish good 

from evil' (l4eb 5:14). That means 

judging, and we are having to do 

this all the time. But what Christ 

forbade was 'playing the judge' or 

sitting in judgment upon others. 

As a judge listens to a case in court 

he is forming an opinion, but not 

until all the evidence has been 

presented will he pass judgment 

The sin of criticism is 

that we pass sentence on 

a brother on the basis of 

partial evidence. 

We are not in possession of all the 

facts. We cannot read the motives of 

the man's heart, and without that we 

cannot evaluate his actions. Hence, 

'Judge nothing before the appointed 

time; wait till the Lord comes. He 

will bring to light what is hidden in 

the darkness, and will expose the 

motives of men's hearts' (1 Cor 4:5). 

The critic is guilty most of all of 

the sin of presumption. He is assuming 

a role for which he is not qualified 

and to which God has not appointed 

him. 'Brothers, do not slander one 

13

anothet Anyone who speaks against 

his brother or judges him, speaks 

against the law and judges it. When 

you judge the law, you are not 

keeping it, but sitting in judgement 

upon it There is only one Lawgiver 

and Judge, the one who is able to 

save and destroy. But you —who are 

you to judge your neighbours?' Uas 

4:11-12). 

We may label our package of 

criticism 'fair comment'. We may try 

to disguise it with a spiritual wrapper 

by prefacing it with some mildly 

positive remark: 'In many ways he's a 

very good brother, but. . .'. 'I'm sure 

the sister means well, but . . .'. This 

little ploy does not deceive God, nor 

make our critical utterance any more 

acceptable. 

The passing of a judgment springs 

from a judgmental spirit, whose roving 

eyes are watching for some opportunity 

to express itself. Very often 

pride lies at the he art of this attitude. 

It is not that we are simply motivated 

by the desire to put someone else 

down, but that we are taking advantage 

of the opportunity to lift ourselves 

up. If I say, 'I just can't stand that 

brother's arrogance', I am wanting 

you to understand that I would 

never be arrogant like that In fact I 

am very humble, though of course I 

would be the last person to say so 

Such expressions of a critical spirit 

are nothing but a dimly- wiled exercise 

in self-exaltation at the expense of 

somebody else. 

Often this attitude is directed 

against those in leadership: 

'I don't like the way he runs the 

housegroup'. 

'It he's meant to be an elder, I 

don't think much of his teaching. 

'I think the elders have made a big 

mistake in altering the time of the 

Sunday meeting'. 

This is the most serious form of a 

Judgmental spirit, for those whom 

God has set over us are his delegated 

authority. At the root of this criticism 

is rebellion. In the book of Numbers 

we have repeated examples of the 

people murmuring against Moses 

and Aaron, and God viewed this as 

rebellion against him. Moses was not 

faultless in his leadership but God 

had invested him with authority, 

and when that was challenged God 

always vindicated it. 'Do not touch 

my anointed ones; do my prophets 

no harm' is a word that we must 

always heed. 

14 

Other forms of negative speaking 

are more of the nature of gossip. 

There are those who find some 

inward satisfaction in retailing the 

failures of others. Thatbitofgcssipis 

like a tasty morsel which feeds the 

carnal nature within. But whatever 

the form and whatever the motivation, 

a judgmental attitude is all too 

common amongst God's people. It is 

most destructive of sound relationships. 

If your conscience smites you 

here, ask God to expose the root and 

then determine to deal with it 

ruthlessly at the cross. 

'I Can't Trust People' 

In every church we find people 

who fail to be truly knitted and 

joined with their brothers and sisters 

because their attitude is one of 

mistrust Sometimes this stems from 

an experience of being badly let 

down in the past, like the case of the 

sister who opened her heart confidentially 

to someone, only to find 

that her trust had been betrayed, and 

garbled versions ofwhat she had said 

came from various quarters. Now 

she has great difficulty in trusting 

anyone. 

This kind of person finds it very 

difficult to accept anything at its face 

value. There is always a searching for 

ulterior motives behind what people 

say or do, so that situations arc often 

misunderstood or misread. Such 

people are usually super-sensitive 

and everybody has to tread warily to 

avoid stepping on their corns. They 

easily feel 'got at' or discriminated 

against 

With others a spirit of mistrust is 

displayed by shyness, timidity, fear of 

exposure, feelings of insecurity, and 

consequently reluctance to open up 

their lives to others. 'I couldn't join 

that lot', said a Christian lady about a 

church I was involved with; 'theVd 

find out what kind of a person lam'. 

It is obvious that no strong and 

healthy relationships can be formed 

until those concerned are delivered 

from such an attitude of mistrust 

Mistrust has its root in fear. Again, 

the way of deliverance begins by 

accepting responsibility for a wrong 

attitude, rather than blaming that 

'bad experience' or the deeply suspicious 

nature I inherited from 

Grandma. 

Christ's death on the 

cross was not only to 

deliver us from our sin, 

but also from our fear 

(Heb 2:14). 

By faith we can 'cash in' on this 

pan of our spiritual inheritance. We 

may nor know where that spirit of 

timidity came from, but we can be 

sure it did not come from God. 

'God has not given us the spirit of 

timidity, but of power, of love and of 

self-discipline' (2 Tim 1:7).Bythithl 

can loose myself from my bond of 

captivity. 

Once free, you will be able to 

share with your brothers and sisters 

what God has done for you, and that 

will be the first vital step in opening 

up yourself to them. Now that the 

fear has gone, you will find yourself 

able to receive their love at its face 

value, and to discover to your surprise 

that they are wholly for you. It will 

be God's love, flowing through them, 

that will complete the healing. 

Attitudes are a function of the 

heart. Just as Malachi exhorts us, 

'Watch your spitif, so Solomon warns 

us, 'Guard your heart, for it is the 

wellspring of life'. So many of our 

words and actions flow out from our 

attitudes. We have been placed in 

the body- of Christ, each with a 

unique role to play. But the hody of 

Christ is so constituted that we 

cannot fulfil that adequately without 

our brothers and sisters. We can 

only function effectively and fruitfully 

out of relationship. A dislocated 

shoulder means an arm that is nonfunctionaL 

The NT has so much to 

say about relationships in the body 

of Christ because relationships are 

so important They will never come 

right without right attitudes. As we 

take heed to our spirit God will see 

to it that strong and healthy relationships 

are forged, enabling us to 

function in security and fruitfulness.

'I will send you the prophet 

Elijah before that great and 

dreadful day of the Lord comes'. 

We are all familiar with these 

deeply significant words with 

which the OT record closes. 

Some view John the Baptist as 

the fulfilment of this prophecy, 

but John denied that he was 

Elijah. Some are still looking 

for a great prophetic figure to 

arise; already there have been 

some false claimants to the 

title. Others see the prophecy 

as having a corporate fulfilment. 

What is the truth? Let us look 

more closely into the Scriptures. 

Elijah pursued a spectacular ministry, 

marked by great miracles, in the 

days of Israel's decadence. The details 

may be found in the eight chapters 

between 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 2, 

ending with his bodily translation 

straight from this world into the 

presence of God. 

But that was not the end of Elijah! 

The closing verses of the OT promise 

that God will again send him 'before 

the day of the Lord comes' (Mal 

4:5), the day of judgment that will 

'burn like a furnace' (vi). When he 

conies he will 'turn the hearts of the 

fathers to their children, and the 

hearts of the children to their fathers' 

(v6). As the NT era dawns we find 

an angel announcing the impending 

birth of John the Baptist, who will 

come 'in the spirit and power of 

Elijah, to turn the hearts of the 

fathers to their children' (Lk 1:17), a 

clear reference to the Malachi prophecy. 

As a grown man, John denied that 

he was the promised Elijah, not, at 

least, in the complete sense (Jn 1:19- 

21), though Jesus later indicated that 

John was a partial and preliminary 

fulfilment— 'he is the Elijah who was 

to come' — quoting Malachi in 

reference to him (Mt 11:7-14). Things 

only come to real clarity in Matthew 

17, by which time John the Baptist 

has been beheaded. Elijah appears 

with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration. 

On the way down the 

mount, Jesus explains to the three 

elated disciples that, whereas in the 

person of John 'Elijah has already 

come' (Mt 17:12), it is still true that 

'Elijah is coming and will restore all 

things' (vii). 

So the enigma is solved at last! 

John was a preliminary fulfilment of 

Malachi's prophecy but we should 

look for a greater and more complete 

fulfilment, an Elijah who will 'restore 

all things', something John never 

achieved. And when is this to take 

place? In the period prior to 'that 

great and terrible day of the Lord' 

when Jesus returns and the ages are 

wound up. 

So much is clear. There has been 

some controversy about the rest. 

One possibility is the return of the 

original Elijah, which seems unlikely. 

John the Paptist was a different 

individual, coming only 'in the spirit 

and power of Elijah'. That is, he had 

an Elijah-type ministry. And so it will 

undoubtedly be again. From time to 

time indivduals have claimed — or 

others have claimed for them — that 

they were 'Elijah to come', and 

movements of this kind are still with 

us. Others see a corporate Elijah, an 

end-time body of faithful believers 

whose lifestyle and ardent godliness 

will mark them out from an increasingly 

decadent world society. 

Certainly there is a marked absence 

of any NT confirmation that Elijah 

to come will be a single man, the 

whole emphasis there being upon 

the church, the people of God, who 

are described as a corporate entity, 

e.g. 'the Body of Christ' and 'the 

Bride', There is at least a hint in 

Revelation ii of a corporate Elijah, 

in the form of the 'two witnesses'. 

They are not called Elijah but they 

certainly have his characteristics: they 

have 'power to shut up the sky so 

that it will not rain' (v6, cf iKgs 

17:1); their presence is a torment to 

those who live on the earth (viO, cf 1 

Kgs 18:16); and they go up to heaven 

in a cloud (v12, cf 2 Kgs 2:11). 

A practical pointer in the corporate 

direction is the immensity of the 

sphere of activity in which the endtime 

Elijah would operate. Ministering 

to the people of tiny Israel was a 

small-scale operation well within the 

powers of the original Elijah or of 

John the Baptist. But God's sphere 

of active involvement has expanded 

since Pentecost to embrace the ends 

of the earth. He is moving on a 

worldwide scale. No individual could 

be expected to present a positive 

public testimony to the whole of 

Europe, never mind to the millions 

in India, China, the USSR, Africa, 

the Americas and the vast number of 

'ELIJAH TO 

COME' 

smaller countries throughout the 

world, many with rapidly- growing 

populations. 

Could it be, then, that we should 

identify the new Elijah with the 

people of God living prophetically 

in the freshness of kingdom life in 

every corner of the world, or at least 

with the prophetic ministry active 

amongst them? And since we are 

undoubtedly fast approaching the 

end of the age, could Elijah be here 

now? — a youthful Elijah, perhaps, 

but growing fast and rapidly finding 

his identity, becoming daily more 

thrilled at the realisation of his calling. 

Such seems likely when we consider 

some of the features of Elijah's ministry 

which mark the people of God to an 

ever-increasing degree today: 

1. He came 'to make ready a 

people prepared for the Lord' (Lk 

1:17). 

God is not simply looking for people 

but for 'a people'. Here is a reference 

to unity. There is no future for 

ecumenical uniformity, based as it is 

on a lowest-common-denominator 

credal basis, but there is a growing 

faith today for a living, organic unity 

amongst God's children worldwide. 

it is certain that we shall see it 

because Jesus prayed for it, and his 

prayer must be answered. 

The signs of unity are all around 

us. There is a reaching out in love of 

one believer to another on the basis 

15

of righteousness, a scaling by faith of 

the longstanding denominational 

barriers which have kept us apart. 

On the domestic front, steps are 

being taken to mend broken family 

relationships. The turning of the 

estranged hearts of fathers and children 

back to each other is a current 

emphasis of the Holy Spirit which 

no-one can ignore. And as these 

basic relationships are put right we 

are finding it possible to build wider 

relationships in God. 

It is worth noting that in the 

father-children relationship is implied 

the concept of authority. Certainly 

there can be no substantial move 

towards unity without a due acknowledgement 

of spiritual authority among 

God's people. A renewed concern 

for this very thing is apparent at this 

present time. Never has there been 

such an interest in the function of 

eldership and the ministries described 

in Ephesians 4. The stated purpose 

of apostles, prophets, evangelists, 

pastors and teachers is 'to prepare 

God's people for works of service.. 

until we all. . become mature' (Eph 

4:12-13). That 'preparing' echoes 

the ministry of John the Baptist, the 

intermediate Elijah, who prepared 

the way for Jesus' first coming. We 

now approach his second coming 

with an urgent sense of the need for 

preparation. The Bride is making 

herself ready. 

2. He spoke out against a decadent 

world system. 

Elijah never went looking for trouble 

but his very godliness brought him 

into conflict with the corrupt society 

of his day, and more particularly with 

its leaders in the persons of Ahab 

and Jezabel. 

As we take advantage of the 'all 

things pertaining to life and godliness' 

which the Lord has put at our disposal, 

we are being seen as ever more 

'different' in the eyes of a spiritually 

destitute world. God's people are 

taking a clearer stand than ever on 

such issues as sexuality, marriage, 

divorce, abortion and the rearing of 

children. 

Just as Elijah and John lived a 

separated life, different in dress and 

habit and keeping themselves to 

themselves so as to emerge into the 

sphere of everyday society with an 

unction and freshness from the 

presence of God, believers today are 

beginning to live together as children 

of God in redeemed communities, 

16 

partaking of a whole new kingdom 

culture, with the result that in their 

everyday contact with a sick society 

they constitute, in lifestyle as well as 

in word, a pointed condemnation of 

that society. The church is a community, 

not a commune, and so their 

separation is spiritual, not spatial 

Their impact on a godless world will 

be even more striking than that of 

John the Baptist coming into the city 

fresh from his desert home, 

3. He brought about a polarisation 

of good and evil. 

'You will again see the distinction 

between the righteous and the wicked, 

between those who serve God and 

those who do not', declared Malachi 

of the last days (3:18). In the final 

analysis there are only these two 

categories of men, the righteous and 

the wicked. God himself established 

the line of division when he 'put 

enmity' between Satan's offspring 

and that of the woman, namely 

Christ, whose body we are (Gen 

3:15). Alas, history has blurred that 

distinction. 

The institutional church, the false 

doctrines of the brotherhood of man 

and the universal fatherhood of God, 

not to mention the notion of'respectability', 

have cast a fog over the key 

distinctions between sheep and goats, 

darkness and light, being dead in sin 

or alive to God, in Adam or in 

Christ. 'Wheat and tares have not 

only grown together in the world, as 

Jesus taught, but even in the professing 

church. 

But Elijah demanded, 'How long 

will you waver between two opinions? 

If the Lord is God, follow him; but if 

Baal is god, follow him' (1 Kgs 

18:21). Today the wheat and tares, 

as they ripen together in God's 

purposes, are each showing their 

true colours. Nominal Christianity is 

rapidly ceasing to be an option. 

Society is pulling apart, with the 

inner state of men's hearts being 

revealed so that birds of a feather are 

flocking together both sides of the 

great divide. 

Elijah, with his prophetic blast, 

blew away the fog in the midst of 

which the 7,000 faithful worshippers 

of the Lord mingled with the followers 

of Baal. Once the fog was dispersed, 

each man's ultimate loyalty became 

apparent. Today the fog of religion is. 

being blown away, dispersed by the 

presence of a people who are zealous 

for God, their very existence revealing 

nominal or casual Christianity for 

what it really is, a pathetic parody of 

the truth, totally incapable of bringing 

down the fire of God's presence 

onto the Carmels of our day. 

4. He experienced exceptional 

miracles. 

The miracles of Elijah served two 

purposes. They were a token of 

God's loving care in the midst of a 

troubled world, and they stood as a 

testimony to unbelievers of the mighty 

power of God. 

God's end-time Elijah-people are 

not being shaken by the social, political 

and economic chaos which is so 

prevalent. They know there will 

always be ravens with bread and 

meat when other supplies run out (1 

Kgs 17:5-6). And if the ravens die, 

the angelic providers will not (1 Kgs 

19:5-6). Nor can the anger and 

displeasure of the powers that be, 

even of present-day Ahabs and 

Jezabels, though it may be alarming 

and depressing, daunt the people of 

God. In Christ, the supply of refreshment 

for both body and spirit enables 

them to engage in feats of supernatural 

endurance (1 Kgs 19:1-8), whatever 

the opposition. They even endure 

martyrdom to be finally vindicated 

by God (Rev 11:8-11). 

In an age when men are sick of 

words, miracles will reach their hearts. 

It was after Elijah raised the widow 

of Sarepta's son that she affirmed, 

'Now I know that you are a man of 

God and that the word of the Lord 

from your mouth is the truth'. Our 

own Elijah ministry is beginning to 

follow the same pattern! 

Finally, let us not forget that Elijah 

went out in a blaze of glory, translated 

directly from earth to heaven. And 

such will be the experience of the 

mature Elijah-people of the end 

time, 'caught up in the clouds to 

meet the Lord in the air' (1 Thes 

4:17). What days to be living in! 

What prospects! What a challenge! 

David 

-'--i--v

Healed of 

Leukemia 

A Testimony by Barry and Maureen Gould 

The woman hospital doctor looked at us sadly. 'We 

think your little daughter has leukemia. We've phoned 

for an ambulance to take her to Great Ormond Street 

Hospital for Sick Children.' 

Leukemia. The word brought the sense of numb 

shock that bad news usually brings. It was hard to 

believe this was happening to us. 

Our lovely blonde daughter Clare would be four in 

a few weeks' time. Earlier that week (last October) she 

had been ill with a virus infection. Most of the other 

children in her playgroup had it but for some reason it 

affected her differently— instead of being sick she had 

high temperatures and severe headaches. 

Then on the Friday evening we noticed little blood 

blisters all over her body. By Saturday morning she had 

much larger ones on her lips and inside her mouth, as 

well as a broken blood vessel in her eye. 

Our local doctor sent her immediately to the 

nearest hospital for bed rest and tests. There we were 

assured that there was only one chance in a million of it 

being anything more serious than a virus. The blood 

tests showed otherwise. There were abnormalities in 

the white cells and a complete lack of clotting agents. 

The doctors felt there could be little doubt that Clare 

had cancer of the blood. 

Before we left home that Saturday morning we 

phoned a number of our housegroup leaders asking 

them to pray for Clare and for us. Now that the 

situation appeared to be worsening we felt the next 

obvious step was to have our elders pray over Clare 

and anoint her withoil. We quickly phoned them. 

Just as the ambulance arrived the other elders 

walked in and we were given a few moments. Oblivious 

of the staff and patients around us we prayed and wept, 

then hurriedly left for the London hospitaL 

During the hour-long drive through busy Saturday 

traffic we both committed Clare to the Lord. Within a 

few hours our lives had been turned upside down, and 

the heartaches were incredible. But during that journey 

we were both able to say, 'Father, we love our little 

one. But if you love her so much more that you want 

her with 

you, we release our hold on her'. 

At the hospital Clare was put into a ward full of 

children with cancer. Many had the same symptoms as 

Clare — persistent cough, yellow complexion and 

exceptionally dark eyes. There could be no mistaking 

the similarities. 

Two cancer specialists confirmed the diagnosis. 

One of them, a leukemia researcher, explained that 

Clare had a 50:50 chance of survival depending on the 

type of leukemia she had. If it was a milder form, 

treatment would take two or three years and would be 

very severe, especially during the first 12 weeks. One 

side effect would be that all Clare's lovely hair would 

fall out. Despite the sad news he brought, we warmed 

to this doctor. We soon learned why. He was a 

Christian and he prayed for each one of his little 

patients every day. 

He apologised to us that because the laboratories 

were closed for the weekend we would have to wait 

until Monday for the vital bone marrow tests. We were 

pleased. It gave our church a whole day to seek God for 

Clare. 

The following day, Sunday, our daughter seemed to 

get worse. Blood started appearing in her urine and 

there was the fear that her kidneys could become 

permanently damaged. We began to make practical 

plans for coping with leukemia and we decided to tell 

our two oldest daughters— Stella (10) and Helen (6)— 

the truth about their sister. 

That Sunday evening a brother whom God has 

begun to use in healing visited the hospital to pray for 

17

Is 

dare. Our church spent much of that evening in 

prayer. It was evidentlya remarkable time. A real spirit 

ofheartache and a deep yearning for God to heal went 

through the meeting. Many felt as though it was their 

own little daughter and that this awful shadow hung 

over their own family. 

Weeping and crying out to God mingled with the 

Holy Spirit's prophetic voice, often from peopie who 

had never used the gift before, saying that he had 

touched the church in its most sensitive area. He was 

probing deeply to the marrow of the bone and the 

apple of the eye. Finally, he said, 'Because you have 

humbled yourselves I will do it for you'. The meeting 

turned from weeping to joy as people realised God was 

going to heal Clare. 

God seemed to minister in a special way to many of 

those who met to pray. One elderly grandfather told us 

he had never in his life been to a prayer meeting like it. 

A young couple said they sensed the presence of the 

Lord as never before, as well as feeling a closeness to us. 

Another man likened the meeting to 'standing in 

heaven itself, in the very presence of God'. 

The following morning at the hospital the Christian 

cancer researcher greeted us excitedly. 'Your prayers 

have been answered', he said. She has definitely not 

got leukemia. You have no idea how relieved I am'. 

Clare still had the virus infection and had to remain 

in hospital for a week. But those terrible symptoms, 

Every man is unique, and his uniqueness is given to 

him that he may unfold it and make it flower. . . It is 

unfolded by his way of living with others. 

Martin Buber 

Relationship is seeking to understand, not to be 

understood. 

Ken Jones 

To keep your relationship itt love do the following: 

when you are wrong admit it, when you are right be 

quiet. 

Voices 

When you are right, you can afford to keep your 

temper; and when you are wrong, you cannot afford to 

lose it 

G.I. Lorimer 

A man should never be ashamed to own that he has 

been wrong. He is but saying in other words that he is 

wiser today than he was yesterday. 

A. Pope 

blood in the urine, yellow skin and persistent cough 

had all gone. She had been healed of leukemia. 

We knew how Abraham must have felt on Mount 

Moriah when God told him to put away his knife and 

receive his child back from the dead. God had given us 

back our Clare, and in a way that made a lasting impact 

on the hospital staff, the church and our own lives. 

There have been many opportunities to talk to our 

non-Christian friends about thi healing. One family 

were so excited about what God had done that they 

gave us a turkey to celebrate Clare's recovery. 

* * * Barry and Maureen Gould are from Biggin HIlL Kent, 

where Barry is a local teacher as well as being a housegToup leader 

and recently-appointed elder of Biggin Hilt Baptist Church. Five 

years ago Barry established the Religious Studies department in the 

newly-opened local comprehensive school 

You can make more friends by being interested in 

other people than by trying to get other people 

interested in you. 

Dale Carnegie 

Forgiveness is first granted not felt. 

Jay Adams 

Only imperfection is intolerant of imperfection. 

Archbishop Fenelon 

It is not your actions that speak loudest but your reactions 

to other people's actions. 

Ken Jones 

You cannot know someone unless you live with him. 

o Nash Like Martha, I was too busy working in the kitchen to 

sit in the living room. 

Jamie Buckingham 

Wild geese fly in V formation, say the ornitholigsts, 

because each pair of flapping wings creates an uplift for 

the one following. In this way the flock achieves a 

greatly increased flying range. The moment a bird starts 

to lag behind he finds it harder work, and so speeds up 

to regain formation. It doesn't pay to be a loner. 

Arthur Wallis 

rxeTi3ones

Sk 

Bible Studies on: 

Prophetic Relationship in Adullam's Cave 

PROPHECY 

IN HiSTORY 

God has not left the future to 

guesswork. We, 'on whom the 

fulfilment of the ages has come' (1 

Cor 10:11 NIV), the spiritual Israel 

(Gal 6:15-16), may learn invaluable 

lessons from the 'pilot scheme', the 

'working model', namely the development 

of natural Israel (1 Cor 10:1- 

13). 

At his first coming our Lord Jesus 

inaugurated the most crucial age of 

all history. He will effect its consummation 

by his return. We who live 

near the end of'these last days', must 

appreciate the unfolding of the 

kingdom or rule of God among the 

ancient tribes of Jacob in order to 

steer a straight course for world 

conquest, otherwise we shall fail of 

God's grand purposes as did many 

generations of 'Israel' before us. 

After the reign of David Israel's 

history became a saga of decline 

interspersed with only a few brief 

renewals. So Davids time represents 

the prophetic peak of the OT story. 

Messiah sirs on David's throne as 

David's son (Acts 2:30), holding the 

key of David (Rev 3:7) and dispensing 

the holy and sure blessings of David 

(Acts 13:34). And he will rebuild 

the tabernacle olDavid (Acts 15:16). 

While Islam, Communism and 

other religions and philosophies thrive 

on the vision of world dominion, 

very few Christians dare to believe 

that it is possible to capture the 

nations with the gospel of the kingdom 

because history discourages us from 

such grand ideas, and many think 

that Scripture prophecy is against it. 

But, then, the course of Israelite 

history gave David no hope of 

possessing all of Canaan. Were he 

and his generation greater than Moses. 

Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, that they 

should dare presume to press on to 

inherit the land fully? David refused 

to derive his hope from history; 

instead he based his faith on the 

longstanding promises of God to 

Abraham. For our part we must 

place our confidence in the prayers 

(Jn 17), commands and promise 

(Matt 28:18-20) of our Master. We 

must be his witnesses to the ends of 

the earth, discipling the nations 

because he who has all authority in 

every square centimetre of heaven 

and earth will be with us to the end 

of the age. Through the unity of his 

followers the world wiLl believe in 

his reality and victory. 

David's years of preparation for 

the kingdom as an outlaw of Saul's 

oppressive regime offer helpful lessons 

for us today. Here we will limit 

ourselves to the brief paragraph 1 

Samuel 22:1-5, noting the prophetic 

significance of relationships in Adullam's 

Cave. 

A. THE MIMSTRY GOD 

APPOINTED 

To what kind of ministry should 

we relate in our generation? 

1. A Man Called and Anointed. 

David had in no way 'arrived' at 

his ultimate potential. But no one 

could gainsay the reality of his 

commission and equipping by the 

living God. Even the evil spirit 

which tormented Saul acknowledged 

the anointing of the Spirit 

in David's guitar-playing! 

2. A Man Tested and Cast Upon 

God's Grace. 

David arrived at Adullam from a 

humiliating experience in the palace 

of Gath in which he had feigned 

madness, being 'very much afraid' 

(1 Sam 21:12). He had been 

tested on his strongest point, that 

fearless faith by which he had 

conquered lion, bear, and Goliath 

of Gath! 

The ministry God will use today 

to establish his kingdom will not be 

super-saints filled with theory hut 

men who know his grace. Not that 

they have to fall into actual sin to 

discover 'grace to help', but they 

must have felt the weight of various 

temptations and appropriated God's 

supply 'in time of need'. Even Jesus 

was only entrusted with his Messianic 

ministry after being filled with the 

Spirit, and led by the Spirit into a 

desert place to be thoroughly tested 

by Satan, Then he returned in the 

power of the Spirit to set the prisoners 

free (Lk4:l-21). Gift is not enough. 

Israel's actual advance ocurred 

only under the leadership of 

three great men of God: 

1. Moses brought Israel out of 

Egypt. Prior to the exodus Israel 

was only a tamily of twelve s ins, 

Under Moses' minisn'y the nation 

was horn: 

a) by the Blood of the passover 

Limb, 

h) through Water Baptism in 

the Red Sea, and 

c) under the Spirit—anointing of 

the Cloud of Fire (I Cot 10: 

1— 2). 

These three features illustrate 

our own initial salvation: 

a) by redemption from sin through 

the Cross of Christ, 

b) by water baptism into Christ, 

an LI 

c) by baptism in the F loly Spirit. 

Unfortunately rhey spent the next 

forty years marking time. Then — 

2. Joshua led the nation in to 

Canaan. Leaving Sinai's external 

demands they entered into Cud's 

rest (Hebrews 3 and 4). This 

parallels for us the release from 

the struggle of Romans 7 into 

'life in the Spirit' of Romans 8. 

However, they failed fully to 

dispossess the Canaanites despite 

the 'revivals' during the period 

of the Judges. Ground recovered 

at any one time was lost by the 

next generation so that no lasting 

progress was ever made. 

3. David eventually brought them 

up to Zion. capturing Jerusalem 

and all the rest of the territories 

promised to Abraham, Isaac and 

Jacob. He was therefore qualified 

as an old man (Ps 37:25) to 

testify about the kind of people 

who 'will inherit the land' (Ps 

37:9,1 1,22,29,34). 

19

It is gift plus experience plus character 

that equals ministry. The Son of 

God learned obedience through the 

things which he suffered in order to 

become the means of wholeness to 

others (Heb 5:7-10). 

3. A Man Rightly Related. 

a) David had a healthy relationship 

with his peers. Some have denied 

papal infallibility only to set themselves 

up as charismatic popes 

only relating to weaker fellow 

elders in their local house churches. 

The Lone Ranger is a vulnerable 

man, David had given himself to 

Jonathan the prince in deep 

covenant bonds —a man from 'the 

old order', in fact! What a tragedy 

that Jonathan stayed yoked to the 

leadership which had lost its original 

anointing, and so missed participating 

in the later triumphs of the 

kingdom. 

God is again bonding ministries 

together in covenant instead of 

mere business-type functional 

association. The covenant is that 

established at Calvary, not some 

exclusive Mutual Admiration Society. 

But let us not overlook the 

fact that Jesus was closer to some 

of his disciples (e.g. Peter, James 

and John) than others. 

Covenant does not imply intensity 

but practical loyalty. When David 

was depressed, Jonathan did not 

heap sentiment on him — 'you 

poor old chap'. Rather, he injected 

some healthy repentance into 

David's heart, helping him 'find 

strength in God' (1 Sam 23:15- 

18) — 'Where is God in all these 

troubles, brother? Who called 

you to be king? And preserved 

you from Saul's javelin again and 

again?' 

David also had the prophet Gad 

with him in the cave who gave 

him the 'now word' of the Lord's 

strategy (1 Sam 22:5). 

b) He was also a family man (1 

Sam 22:3,14). God in his wisdom 

gives to his 'under shepherds' as 

their first charge their wives and 

children. Too many preachers have 

lost their families by giving the 

needs of 'the work' top priority. 

Elders are essentially fathers of 

the churches who have first succeeded 

as fathers at home (1 Tim 

2:1, 4-5). 

B. THE MEN GOD ACCEPTED 

1. They were Needy— 'in distress 

20 

or in debt or discontented' (1 

Sam 22:2), They could not cope 

with the oppression of a regime 

which had forfeited the kingdom 

(1 Sam 15:26). 

2. They were Honest about the 

situation in the land and about 

their own need of help and training. 

3. They had Vision. They did 

not just drop out of society. They 

became an alternative fellowship 

under efficient government; not 

'come-outers' but 'go-inners'! 

Who would have predicted that 

these unlikely outlaws would 

ultimately unite the entire nation? 

Does not their inspiring saga give 

the lie to the dogmatic assertion 

that 'you must stay within your 

historic denomination' ? God 

seet-ns to make a habit of taking up 

rejects in order to unite his people, 

e.g. Joseph, Moses, David. Were 

there any official rabbis, priests or 

Sanhedrin members among the 

twelve apostles of the Lamb? 

Although Jesus blessed the multitudes, 

he only built with those 

few chosen for him by his Father— 

in order to pioneer a kingdom 

which would ultimately bless all 

the families of the earth. 

C. THE METHOD GOD 

APPROVED 

1. Gathering Together (1 Sam 

22:2). Few Christians seem to 

appreciate the NT concept of 

church membership as a matter of 

organic 'joining' (Acts 5:13,9:26) 

and 'knitting' (Col 2:2 KJV), like 

members of a body. Traditional 

church life by contrast resembles 

the loose and occasional membership 

of a club! 

2. Submission to Accountable 

Oversight (1 Sam 22:2). 

Democracy is the bane of most 

non-conformist congregations. We 

do well to recall that the democratic 

vote often spies against two caused 

a whole generation of Israelites to 

miss their rightful possession of 

Canaan. But when they heeded 

the God-appointed leadership of 

Moses, Joshua and David — none 

of whom were dictators but men 

of prayer and self-sacrifice — they 

advanced into their inheritance. 

'Obey your leaders and submit to 

their authority. They keep watch 

over you as men who must give an 

account' (Heb 3:17). 

ESSENTIAL 

FOUNDATI ONS 

1. The Individual Christian Life 

can only develop soundly if based 

on the full foundation of a personal 

relationship to Jesus Christ (1 

Cor 3:11; Heb 6:1-3), not mere 

academic knowledge of facts about 

him, not sentimental admiration 

of certain gentler aspects of his 

nature. The Jesus of Galilee still 

demands radical severance of everynatural 

relationship — father and 

mother, brothers and children, 

wife or husband — so that all 

relationships should henceforth 

operate only under his absolute 

lordship (Lk 14:25-27, 33). 

2. Corporate Church Life also 

must be based on a foundation of 

relationships, namely with apostles 

and prophets, as ministries appointed 

by the Head of the church 

himself (Eph 2:19-22), Occasional 

listening to their preaching is not 

enough. There must be life-joints 

with the men themselves. 

The NT texts and the OT story 

press us for a verdict and practical 

actions so that God's kingdom 

may come and his 'will be done 

on earth as it is in heaven'. 

Hugh Thompson 

Maintaining Relationships 

John Wesley formulated a resolution. It had six points: 

1. That we will not listen or willingly inquire after any ill concerning 

each other. 

2. That if we do hear any ill of each other we will not be forward to 

believe it. 

3. That as soon as possible we will communicate what we hear by 

speaking to the person concerned. 

4. That until we have done this, we will not write or speak a syllable 

of it to any person whatsoever. 

5. That neither will we mention it after we have done this to any 

person. 

6. That we will not make any exception to any of these rules unless 

we think ourselves absolutely obliged in conscience so to do.

\Vhen relationships break 

down they can be repaired. 

The 'how' is outlined 

in Scripture with 

the greatest clarity. If all 

God's people acted upon 

it, the church would be 

transformed. 

David Mansell 

1rLH1 

My earliest recollection of coming 

under conviction from God's Word 

dates from my early Sunday School 

days. I was put out of the Sunday 

School for putting chewing gum 

in the hair of the superintendent's 

daughter. The following Sunday, 

as the rest of the family left for the 

meeting, I was left at home with 

instructions to read the book of 

Proverbs and note the things 

Solomon said to his son about 

good behaviour! 

I clearly remember God speaking 

to me from chapter 6 verses 16 and 

i. 

29: 'There are six things which the 

Lord hates, yes, seven which are an 

abomination to him. . . one who 

spreads strife among brothers'. 

My catalogue of sins came before 

me: throwing hymn books, dropping 

coal from the balcony, coming each 

week with a farthing for 'the outing 

fund', asking for the hymn that I 

knew the pianist couldn't play, 

changing the words of the choruses 

to make everyone laugh, asking the 

teacher to explain what a concubine 

was — and now the chewing gum I 

got out my pen and underlined the 

verse in my Bible. 

21

Certainly, 'spreading strife among 

brothers' rates high in the list of 

Satan's destructive tactics in the 

church. In the Gospels, Jesus oniy 

twice referred to the church by name 

and on both occasions he explained 

how to repair broken relationships, 

In seeking to bring the Holy Spirit 

and the work of restoration into a 

church, one of the greatest obstacles 

is the web of broken relationships, 

hurts and bad attitudes that often lie 

just below the calm surface of the 

Sunday service. Everything ranging 

from family feuds to 'she sat in my 

seat'. 

The result of unrepaired relationships 

is bondage. It is impossible to 

be in fellowship with God while out 

of fellowship with my brother. If I 

refuse to get things right and forgive 

those who sin against me, or if I 

simply let the situation continue by 

non-action, Twill find myself bound. 

And I will continue bound until 

things get put right. 

Time Doesn't Heal 

After Jacob had cheated Esau of 

his birthright, the fear of what his 

brother might do to him made him 

run away to live with his uncle. Years 

later, when Jacob returned home a 

rich man, he found the same old fear 

rising up inside him again. Time may 

cause our memory to become dim, 

but in the end, if we are to get back 

together again, the original issues 

must be raised and forgiveness asked 

and received. 

We all have ways of avoiding the 

crisis of humbling ourselves, asking 

for forgiveness and setting things 

right: 

• Pretend nothing has 

happened, 

Either pretending we have not been 

hurt, or acting 'all innocent' over 

22 

what we have said or done. 'Did I say 

that? Oh, I didn't mean it that way! 

How could you think that of me ?' or 

'No, everthing is just fine. I have 

nothing against you; you just don't 

understand me'. Forced conversation 

is just as bad: 'How are the kids 

today, dear ? Busy day ? Lovely meal, 

dear; don't know how you do it on 

the housekeeping'. 

• Be extra nice. 

An explosion over who is going to 

take the children to school is not put 

right by a bright and breezy 'Hello, 

darling, I just thought you'd like this 

box of chocolates/bunch of flowers/tickets 

for the theatre', on returning 

home from the office. Neither is it 

any use singing happy choruses from 

the kitchen as you noisily wash the 

dishes to announce the fact that you 

are trying to atone for the morning's 

disaster. 

One can do the same thing in the 

church. Ask the elder round for a 

meal in place of the apology. Invite 

the brother to speak at the meeting 

rather than get clear. Pay the man a 

half-compliment in the next issue of 

the church magazine instead of 

apologising for your character assassination 

of him. 

• Making a joke of it. 

'Sorry about this morning dear, Haha! 

Got a bit knotted eh!' Or, 'I think 

you're getting a bit over-sensitive; I 

was only joking when I called you a 

silly idiot'. 

• Tit for tat. 

'I'm sorry about my bad reaction to 

your rudeness. We'll have to try to 

avoid misunderstandings, won't we?' 

Getting Things Right 

1. The responsibility to take action 

over a broken relationship always 

lies with me. This is true not only if 

I have sinned against my brother, but 

also if he is at fault or if I know he has 

something against me. The natural 

reaction when he is at fault is, 'It's up 

to him to come to me and be open'. 

But Jesus said, 'If therefore you are 

presenting your offering at the altar, 

and there remember that your brother 

has something against you, leave 

your offering there before the altar, 

and go your way. First be reconciled 

to your brother, and then come and 

present your offering' (Mt 5:23-24). 

And again, 'If your brother sins, go 

and reprove him in private' (Mt 

18:15). 

The starting place is the getting 

together of the persons involved in 

the issue to hear one another. It is 

only when we are not heard in 

private that the matter is to be 

extended to include witnesses or the 

whole church. 'In private' needs to 

be written large lest the family or 

church be destroyed by gossip. 

2. When the two parties get 

together it is vital that they establish 

their ground of relationship before 

attempting to thrash out the issue. 

We go to our brother not just an 

offender. We approach our husband 

or wife not a problem. When Jesus 

had an important issue with Judas he 

came to him and said, 'Friend'. If I 

have already withdrawn in heart 

from the one who has offended me, 

all he will hear is the hurt attitude I 

carry and will feel that my motive is 

merely to correct him for my own 

convenience, 

If I can say to my brother, 'I am 

coming to you as my brother and as a 

brother to you', then this can reestablish 

a flow of life so that the 

issue can be discussed in peace. If, 

however, it is simply throwing accusations 

over the wall that divides, it 

will only serve to build the wall yet 

higher. 

3. Faced with my wrong, I must 

come fully clear without escape 

clauses, excuses, opt-outs or any 

conditions on my part. 

'I was wrong' — full stop ! This is the 

only way. 'I was wrong but.. .' or 'If I 

have wronged you . . .' can never 

bring any release, as the person who 

says this is not really confessing his 

fault or seeking forgiveness. 

It is, of course, rare that in any 

situation of broken relationship the 

fault lies entirely with one party. 

Nonetheless, the Word of God 

enjoins me to confess my sins and

seek forgiveness without the added 

clause, 'Only if you confess your sins 

too, or else I withdraw my confession'. 

It is always so easy to see the other 

man's fault that we often fail to see 

our own contribution to the issue. 

Though it be only 5%, it still needs to 

be confessed unconditionally and 

forgiveness sought If I will but confess 

my sin and ask forgiveness I remove 

the ground from my brother who 

then can no longer hide behind the 

thing I have done. 

4. Confession of fault must be 

specific. 

I remember being present when a 

brother said to another, 'Please will 

you forgive me for all the things I've 

said about you?' 'No, I won't' was 

the reply. Shocked, the other enquired 

why. 'Because you need to ask my 

forgiveness specifically for all the 

harmful things you've said and face 

up to the difficulties you've caused'. 

An hour later and after many tears 

there was a real asking and giving of 

forgiveness. 

It is not sufficient to say, 'Forgive 

me for being a poor husband'. Confess 

your faults! Or'.. .for all I've done'. 

Tell me what it is. Or ' . if I've 

wronged you'. — Have you? If so, 

name it and ask for forgiveness. 

'I'm sorry I was thoughtless' is not a 

confession; it merely tells you that I 

feel sorry. To say 'sorry' gives no 

ground for forgiveness. We can say 

'sorry' again and again without feeling 

the need for forgiveness. How often 

have you heard someone say in an 

aggressive manner, 'I said I was sorry, 

didn't I ?' But to say, 'I have wronged 

you; please will you forgive me?' 

puts me at your mercy to release me. 

Simply to say 'sorry' is an attempt to 

release myself, but it never rebuilds 

the broken relationship as it is not 

what Jesus told us to do. 

5. It is insufficient to pray in the 

church meeting a general or specific 

prayer of contrition. 

'Oh God, we are so weak and need 

your help and forgiveness. You know 

how I have failed to be faithful to my 

brothers. Please help me and let your 

Spirit be mighty in me in the days to 

come'. This is not the answer. Just go 

to your brother in secret as Jesus 

said. 

6. Only true confession of 

forgiveness will lead to change. 

All too often we find ourselves 

committing the same sins against 

23 

one another, apologising, and then 

doing one more trip round the 

mountain, and we are back where we 

started with the issue unresolved. 

Forgiveness 

Asking and giving forgiveness is a 

serious matter. It is not a formality, 

but something we do before God. If 

someone seeks forgiveness, we should 

not say, 'Oh it's nothing, forget it'. 

Even if the matter seems small, if it is 

a wrong that has been done we need 

to release the brother. We may have 

been unaware of the wrong attitude 

the brother has to us, but when he 

seeks our forgiveness, we need to 

say, 'I forgive you and release you in 

Jesus' name'. It is not the question of 

a formula, but a word to bring that 

release that he needs through our 

forgiveness, 

Forgiveness is never conditional. 

True forgiveness releases the man 

totally to be fully restored to fellowship. 

That is how God forgives me 

and that is how I should forgive my 

brother. David 'forgave' Absolom, 

but still refused to see him. The 

result was a further outbreak of 

rebellion and division in Israel that 

could have been avoided if David 

had given practical expression to the 

reconcilitation with his son. If he felt 

unable to do this he should have 

taken the matter further until Absalom 

could be properly restored. Partial 

restoration leads to confusion. Agreeing 

to differ means in practice 

that we disagree. 

But what if he does it again ? If he 

confesses his fault and seeks my 

forgiveness I'll forgive him again. 

But how many times should I forgive 

my brother like this? Seven times? 

No, seventy times seven. We must 

not say, 'I forgive you' and then hold 

back from that brother in heart, 

otherwise we have not forgiven him. 

He can only change in an atmosphere 

of forgiveness and restoration, not 

amid restriction and suspicion. 

And what if my brother wrongs 

me more than once in the same 

way? I must not go back and raise 

the previous occasions as if they 

need to be forgiven again. He is only 

guilty of the present act, not the 

previous history; that has been 

forgiven. I can mention the past to 

give instruction, but not to hit him 

over the head. If a man is only 

forgiven provided he doesn't do it 

again, we have a situation where he 

will keep tripping up over matchsticks. 

We counselled a couple who had 

suffered a long history of marriage 

problems. Each one had a long list of 

grievances against the other. The 

crisis came and all was confessed and 

forgiven. However next week the 

first little fault precipitated the 

resurrection of all the previous history! 

'You're still the same'. 'Nothing's 

different'. 'You always.. . '. Itwas a 

small issue but it showed that there 

had been no true forgiveness that 

totally released the past to start 

afresh in God. 

God never raises my past to 

condemn me, only for instruction. If 

I owe the milkman for this week's 

milk, he can't raise all the previous 

bills that were overdue but now 

settled and demand a second payment 

on the basis of this week's default. 

Forgiveness that doesn't forget is 

no forgiveness. 

Let us obey the words of Jesus, 

'Go to your brother'. There can be 

no restoration without repairing the 

relationship we have already broken. 

Getting Things Right 

1. The responsibility to take 

action over a broken relationship 

always lies with 

me. 

2. \Vhen the two parties 

get together it is vital 

that they establish their 

ground of relationship 

before attempting to thrash 

out the issue. 

3. Faced with my wrong, I 

must come fully clear 

without escape clauses, 

excuses, opt-outs or any 

conditions on my part. 

4. Confession of fault must 

he specific. 

5. It is insufficient to pray 

in the church meeting a 

general or specific prayer 

of contrition. 

6. Only true confession of 

forgiveness will lead to 

change.

( 'word; of'wisa(onv 

• Many are waiting for an anointed word when God wants to send an anointed 

man. 

• Tears without repentance are only dead works. 

• Talking to yourself Is the first sign of wisdom. (Eph 5:19) 

• The key to the growth of every member is the growth of the whole body. 

• The restrictions that God sets on my life are so that he might bless the world. 

(Gen 45:5.7) 

David Mansell 

You are invited to submit words of wisdom for inclusion in this feature. We are looking not forquotations but for 

succinctly-expressed insights into life and experience which the Holy Spirit has given. Send, them, along with a brief 

explanation of the circumstances involved, to David Mansell, Turnours Hall, Gravel Lane, Chigwell, Essex, lG7 ÔDQ, 

England. 

p 

'Word's ofwislonv 

BIBLE WEEK 1981 

The Bible Week will be held 

at Plumpton in Sussex 

25—31 July 1981 

Send for details to:- 

Downs Bible Week Bookings Secretary, 

Wymarks Oak, Shermanbury, 

Horsham, West Sussex. 

Al 

I

In this first of a two-part report, Hugh Thompson outlines the history of Christianity 

in Norway. 

The Gospel From Britain 

'It does not seem strange to us to 

receive inspiration and help from 

brothers from England,' remarked 

my Norwegian friend Erling Thu, 

'because Christianity came to us 

originally from your country'. 

Olav Trygvason, King of Norway, 

while visiting Britain in the tenth 

century, heard of a man living in a 

cave in Scotland who could foretell 

future events. Olav sent one of his 

men disguised in his royal robes to 

meet this mystic. 'You are not King 

Olav,' the hermit exclaimed, then 

predicted various events which would 

occur in the next 3 days. When these 

matters came to pass Olav visited the 

holy man to ask the source of his 

wisdom. He was told it came from 

'the white Christ'. 

Returning to Norway he spread 

the Christian message among the 

heathen Vikings, often accompanied 

by signs and wonders. His successor, 

OIav the Saint, who also had strong 

links with Britain, completed the 

establishing of the gospel throughout 

the land in a powerful way. 

State Church Beginnings 

Six centuries later Lutheranism 

became the official religion of Norway 

when the Danish king who ruled 

over them accepted Luther's methods. 

However, there was no real reformation. 

In contrast to the effective 

witness of the first Christian kings 

this was a mere 'paper arrangement' 

enforced by unspiritual priests. Much 

of Viking superstition remained mixed 

with official church beliefs. 

The First Revival 

Then one Spring day in the 

eighteenth century God sovereignly 

took hold of a farmer's boy, Hans 

Nilsen Hauge, as he ploughed the 

fields, baptising him in the Holy 

Spirit. He surprised his mother by 

returning home early to announce, 

'It's Springtime throughout the land'. 

He carried the revival all over Norway 

on foot. He wrote 40 books, teaching 

plough-boys to bind them for him. 

Because only the priests were licensed 

to preach, he was imprisoned for 14 

years. The authorities eventually 

released him so that he could harness 

his business abilities to extracting 

salt from the sea, the commodity 

being extremely scarce due to wars 

in Europe. In fact he conquered the 

nation for God by his powerful 

ministry linked with business acumen. 

A distinction now became evident 

among 'Christians' throughout Norway. 

The revival gave birth to 'prayer 

houses' pulsating with spiritual life in 

contrast to the dead ritual of the 

State Church. But those who attended 

the bedehus maintained their official 

membership in the official Lutheran 

system. Due to the influence of this 

and subsequent revivals most priests 

today are born-again men. 

Dissenters 

Only in 1844 did parliament pass 

the Dissenter Law permitting believers 

to form churches distinct from the 

national church. The Quakers who 

first took advantage of this new 

freedom soon set sail for America 

together with multitudes of other 

impoverished emigrants. 

Believer's baptism was first practised 

by the Misjon Forbunde (Mission 

Covenant), but they have always 

given their members the choice 

between this and baby christening. 

In fact many of their people retain 

State Church membership also. 

Out of the Mission Covenant 

work came a holiness movement 

known popularly as Free Friends 

who practise believer's baptism consistently 

but choose not to have any 

official membership in their congregations. 

The Pentecostal movement spread 

from Oslo after T.B. Barrett, a 

Methodist, returned from the USA 

in 1905 without the funds he had 

hoped to raise in the land of origin of 

Norway's Methodist Church, but 

baptised in the Holy Spirit. Disowned 

by Methodism, he was adopted by 

the Free Friends until he began to 

structure the local churches which 

came into being through his ministry. 

Second Generation 

'Outlaws' 

After the nationwide awakening 

in the l930's, when at least 5% ofthe 

population were converted under 

the ministry of the Swedish preacher 

Frank Mangs (not to mention the 

work of other effective evangelists), 

spiritual apathy settled over Norway 

during and after World War II. 

The Maranata ministry of Age 

Samuelsen arose in the mid-fifties, 

attended by healings and free praise, 

rescuing many sinners from a working 

class background and drawing adverse 

reaction from (now) middle class 

pentecostals. 

In the 1960's Aril Edvardsen, a 

pentecostal of State Church boyhood, 

set out in successful evangelism. 

This 'Lone Ranger', drew flak from 

pentecostal churches by unwittingly 

'poaching' in their 'parishes'. The 

fund which he and his wife started 

privately to support overseas evangelists 

launched an annual convention 

week in 1964. Pentecostal churches 

all over Norway divided violently 

over this independent work and 

maintained their opposition even 

when later all its property and activities 

caine under the oversight of the 

local pentecostal church in Kvinesdal, 

where the radio work, publishing 

house, Bible school and Convention 

Hall is based. About 15,000 attend 

the annual conference to hear men 

like Ortiz of Argentina and Yonggi 

Cho of Korea. And 1000 national 

workers in many countries are supported 

through this charismatic 

ministry. 

In part 2, Hugh Thompson deals with more recent developments within the country 

in the wake of this background. 

25

26 

CALLING ALL LEADERS 

A special supplement called LEADERSHIP TODAY 

is available for leaders of local churches and fellowships, 

without extra charge, provided they are regularly 

receiving Restoration. 

It consists of a 4 - page leaflet edited by Bryn Jones 

and will deal with themes of immediate concern to 

ministers, elders and home group leaders. We hope in 

coming issues to deal with such subjects as: 

The character of the leader. 

Using spiritual gifts in counselling. 

A competent minister of the new covenant 

Coping with leadership pressures. 

Laying sure foundations in the local 

church. 

Leading a home group. 

Please register my name to receive a regular copy of 

LEADERSHIP TODAY. 

To: Restoration Magazine, Harvestime House, 

Hall Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD4 7DG. 

or: Restoration Magazine, P.O. Box 2128, Mary 

lands Heights, Missouri 63043, U.S.A. 

Name (blocks please) 

Address 

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Position in Leadership 

I obtain my copy of Restoration via: 

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NB If your Church bookstall has copies of Restoration, 

please check whether they come direct from Harvestime, 

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Required for Sept 1st 1981 (or earlier), experienced, 

born-again teacher (preferably science orientated), 

willing to sacrifice to help pioneer a new Christian 

School as part of the ministry of West Street 

Christian Fellowship, Dunstable. Applicants should 

be committed members of a church involved in the 

present move of the Holy Spirit Up-to-date references 

will be required from applicant's pastor/elders as 

well as from present educational appointment 

Application forms and further details from Stanley 

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Street, Dunstable, Beds, LU6 1NX. 

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THE COMMUNITY CHURCH, 

SOUTHAMPTON 

'For the vision is yet for an 

appointed time — though it 

tarry, wait for it; it will 

certainly come, it will not delal 

(Hab 2:3). 

Now four years old, with about 

five hundred committed members 

and supporting several full-time 

ministers, the Community Church 

in Southampton can trace its roots 

back to a move of God in the early 

1970's. At that time many local 

Christians in all denominations were 

blessed with the baptism of the Holy 

Spirit and along with this refreshing 

came a hunger to grow in the Lord 

and see him glorified through his 

church in the city. God laid a burden 

of intercession on the hearts of many 

to see the Holy Spirit moving in 

might among a people living in the 

reality of Christ's resurrection power. 

In the university a number of 

students began to meet together, 

initially to pray for the work on 

campus, but God extended the 

burden to pray for revival through 

the university to the city and even to 

the world beyond. As they prayed 

God began to unfold by stages the 

things he expected of them in 

individual commitment, in worship 

and in community life. As they 

received his word and reached to 

him for the faith to walk in it, so he 

prepared their hearts for the next 

step in his unfolding plan. A communal 

tea, 'The Agape', developed 

into a time for prayer and worship, 

and later for teaching too as God 

raised up leaders to share his heart. 

As the believers learned to submit to 

the Lordship of Christ in every area 

of their lives, they were prepared for 

teaching on spiritual authority and 

church government — a step that 

then enabled this amorphous group 

of students to find a common bond 

with two housegroups which had 

grown up in the city. Under the 

direction of Bryn Jones and Dave 

Mansell, the three groups came 

together as the Southampton Christian 

Fellowship. 

At that time it was thrilling to see 

how God had been preparing and 

leading the three separate groups so 

similarly towards this union, and the 

first meeting in March 1975 saw 

about 60 people gathering with much 

excitement to worship God together. 

The greatness of God's love and the 

importance of right relationships were 

the major emphasis. Although at 

first there was very little numerical 

growth, God was laying a groundwork 

of commitment, body ministry and 

worship which was to be very important 

in the days of expansion 

ahead. Sunday meetings were first 

held in a Day Centre for the Blind 

and then in school halls. The weekday 

meetings continued in small housegroups, 

with the university group of 

about forty soon dividing down into 

more workable units. 

L' - 

_a ___________ ___________ 

A Lime of worship in one of the 

monthly church meetings, held in a 

large lecture theatre at the University. 

By 1976 the leaders were in close 

contact with those of an Evangelical 

church at West End, on the outskirts 

of the city, which was being covered 

by Arthur Wallis. In October'77 the 

two churches joined under the new 

name, The Community Church. 

Arthur and Dave Mansell came to 

set in elders and encourage the church 

to move forward in unity and faith. 

Since then Arthur has had a continuing 

ministry of covering and input 

to the church, thereby strengthening 

relationships with what God is doing 

in many other parts of the country. 

Growth continued and accelerated. 

By the end of 1978 the church had to 

leave the school hail because numbers 

exceeded those allowed by fire 

regulations. Since then, despite 

continual prayer and much carcful 

searching, no suitable venues have 

been found for regular Sunday worship 

for the whole body. It was a good 

discipline for a time to be deprived 

of dependence on big meetings. The 

lack of a hall emphasised the importance 

of each individual's commitment 

and ministry and there was much 

growth within the smaller groups 

based in homes. 

27

By this time the leaders of the 

church were having more and more 

contact with groups outside Southampton 

and several fellowships 

developed under the oversight of 

Tony Morton. It has been thrilling to 

see God's purposes in restoration 

extending out beyond local boundaries 

and to know a oneness in him 

with those he is leading along similar 

paths in different places. 

As an interim measure, monthly 

church meetings were begun on 

Saturday evenings in a large lecture 

theatre at the university. God has 

greatly used these times and they 

gave opportunity for the church to 

be exposed to those outside. Many 

who have come to watch have been 

converted, healed, filled with the 

Spirit and found themselves challenged 

by God to commit themselves 

filly to him. As God continued to 

close doors in the search for a suitable 

hall, the elders began to feel he was 

preparing us for a new stage in our 

ministry. Since last September the 

church has been meeting on Sundays 

in four area settings, so allowing 

families with children to come and 

worship togethet This also facilitates 

the children's work and allows a 

more local base for outreach in the 

different parts of the city. The monthly 

evening meeting has been retained, 

thus keeping a sense of 'one body' 

and the vision for the city. 

28 

The elders meet every Monday for a 

day of prayer and fellowship. The 

picture shows, from left to right, the 

full time elders: Tony Morton, Geoff 

Wright, Roger Popplestone andPeter 

Light. The other elder, not shown, is 

Mick Caws. 

From the church's inception God 

laid a burden on hearts to pray for a 

great move of his Spirit in Southampton. 

Now, with an established 

church structure, five elders, twenty 

housegroups and an effective administration, 

God is stressing that the 

church is at a new place of beginning. 

He has been teaching believers to 

live individually each day in the 

power of the Holy Spirit, to deepen 

unity by serving one another in faith, 

and as a body to move out in 

spiritual warfare to pull down the 

strongholds of Satan in our city and 

to set the captives free. 

The vision, of course, goes beyond 

Southampton The leaders are looking 

to God to use the church as a base 

for reaching out to many different 

areas, bringing the gospel of the 

kingdom as he has revealed it in their 

own area. In the future the church 

expects to send out teams of trained 

ministers and believe that many lands 

will be touched from this centre. At 

the Bible Week God called the 

church to a place of priestly intercession 

to bring into being the 

revelation he has given (Ps 2:8). 

Though the work has progressed 

so far, God is constantly stressing 

that he has so much more for his 

people as they look to see the kingdom 

extended throughout the earth. 

'Look at the nations and watch 

and be utterly amazed. 

For lam going to do something 

in your days that you would 

not believe even if you were 

told' (Hab 1:5). 

.rc 

The Leaders 

At present there is a leadership 

team of five elders, led by Tony 

Morton. Although the elders work 

very much as a team, each has his 

own sphere of responsibility and 

there is also a full-time administrator 

whose job it is to ensure 

eldership decisions are imi' 

mented and all runs as 

as possible 

* Tony and Hannah Morton 

came to Southampton as students 

and have been involved in the 

church from the verybc 

f After graduating, Tony 

r for a time in advertising 

then, with Hannah, rráinec 

teaching. Alter a very hectic year 

as teachers, also coping with the 

demands of shepherding and 

teaching in the growing fellowship, 

theymoved into hill-time ministry 

in 1976. 

Tony's ministry now extends 

well beyond the confines of 

Southampton. For some years he 

has been involved in establishing * 

and strengthening other fellowships 

in Hampshire and one in 

Teddington, and as the eldership 

has developed Tony has been 

more free to give of himself in 

leadership training, both here 

and overseas 

Chris Thomas 

Chris Thomas, one of the original 

student group at Southampton University, 

now edits Agape, the church magazine. 

Her husband, Adrian, is a deacon. 

44 

I 

r

Olive Tree Recordings 

First Fruits 

1k 

NEW MUSIC —18 original songs from the Basin gstuke 

Comntunitv Church, the fruit of exciting experience 

and growth in the Body of Christ. 

A variety of sound and songs music ranges from 

fully orchestrated songs to solo voice and simple 

guitar accompaniment, with all lyrics and mu3ic 

created within the Basingstoke community fellowship. 

C 60 cassette £3.95 ( plus)Opposta&packing 

Catalqgue of Olive Tree Publications also available 

The Olive Tree 18 London Street Basingstoke Rants 

Roll INT England 

Telephone: Basingstoke (0256) 23199 

0 I4R3t6 KMC316 £4.25 

produced by Springtide Music 

published by IKJ)lgStVa9MllSIC 

MASTER 

NJ 1LDER 

God is truly restoring the tabernacle of David 

world-wide as he promises by Amos He is producing 

prophetic music that not only gladdens his own 

heart and refreshes his people but 'many (non- 

Christians) shall see (this new song) and feaT and 

put their trust in the Lord'. 

It is my joy to commend this recording from the 

Iocalcomrnunity of believers in Bolton— the lyrics, 

runes, singers and musicians all proceeding from 

the 'midst of the church'. Hugh Thompson 

£4.20 + ZOp p&p from: ReignMusic, 92 Ainsworth 

Avenue, Horwich, Bolton, 8L6 6NW. 

Quantity discount ott request. 

Cheques payable to Community of Christians 

Bokon. 

Our eyes 

have seen the 

Songs of Fellowship Vol.3 

Worship in song has been an essential feature of 

the life of the COMMUNITY CHURCH, 

SOUTHAMPTON, since its beginning. 

With the wealth of new songs being written by 

songwriters in the fellowship, the desire came to 

make these more w:dely known through the 

medium of a recording. Many songs have become 

known around the country and have become 

favourites at Dales and Downs Weeks 

Songs included are: Victory/The Lord has built up 

LoWWe'lI sing a new song/C Lord you've done 

great things/ The Lord Reigns/Lord God, heavenly 

King, and 5 others. 

Available from Christian Bookshops or direct frcm: 

The Community Church, Quob Lane, West End, 

Southampton. Hants, 503 3HN. 

Please include with your relitittance, 40 pence to 

cover the pos: and packing.

t?,1es 

'Z3thiUtkk 

ccncraz c5cm/nars 

SEMINAR 1 

HANG UP YOUR HANG-UPS 

Practical answers for permanent release from 

fear, shyness, guilt, compulsions, inferiority. 

SEMINAR 2 

BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT & SPIRITUAL GIFTS 

How to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and 

power. How to use spiritual gifts in personal life 

and in the church. 

SEMINAR 3 

MARRIAGE 

How to bring your marriage up to your wedding 

day expectations. 

SEMINAR 4 

PARENTHOOD 

Cat, 

____________ ____________ 

1g 

The family should be fun. This seminar shows 

how to enjoy and be fulfilled in being Mum and 

Dad. 

SEMINAR 5 

DEVELOP YOUR DEVOTIONAL LIFE 

Changing your times with God' from a thing of 

duty to a thing of delight. 

SEMINAR 6 

LIVING IN A SECULAR WORLD 

How to be salt and light, living righteously and 

victoriously in the age of the micro-chip. 

out eminars 

SEMINAR 10 

HOW TO BE A SUCCESS 

(17 years and over) 

SEMINAR 7 

God wants us all to be a success and gives clear 

principles in his word how this can be achieved. 

PURPOSE IN LIFE 

To know not only where you have come from, but where 

you are going is essential for your spiritual progress. 

7 1 

'at2'C13Di1o 

SEMINAR 11 

c,lllnars 

SEMINAR B 

HOME GROUP LEADERS 

LOVE AND COURTSHIP 

How you know when you are in love, and how you 

conduct yourself in courtship. 

How to bring lives to maturity while avoiding bringing 

pressure on your home and family. 

SEMINAR 12 

SEMINAR 

MINISTERS AND FULL TIME ELDERS 

THE WAY OF FRIENDSHIP 

How to deal with locked up situations and move forward 

Many are lonely due to lack of a true friend. How to find 

one and how to keep one. 

to build a dynamic church. Applyfora registration form to 

attend. 

Send for brochure giving details to 

Dales Bible Week, Harvestinie House. 136 HaIl Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD4 7DG, U.K.

k11 -Lk - The Community Church

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