"The Purpose of the Second Coming" by Bob Mumford

This afternoon I was hugely irritated when our internet broadband, television and phone went down thanks to Virgin Media - from 12:00 to 20:00. However I decided to use the time profitably and type up a New Wine Magazine article from 1974 by Bob Mumford on the Second Coming of Christ. I find this issue one of incredible significance - because it seems to me that the church uses the 2nd coming as an "escape hatch" when things get tough. Rather than fighting and becoming militant about what we believe in - many look to the skies and say with a sigh; "Ah well - Jesus will come soon".

As Bob Mumford clearly shows - the second coming of Christ was never meant to be the escape hatch for the church. He may have written the article in 1974 but I still think the teaching carries much truth for today. Here it is;

"The 2nd Coming is more than a divine rescue mission

As a serious and eager seminary student, I was assigned the research topic of “The Second Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ”. I was taken aback when reading in one of the massive reference volumes I was using, “Every serious student of prophecy would do well to remember that no one has ever accurately interpreted scriptures which pertain to future events”. The experiences of the following years have proven that admonition to be exceedingly accurate. As a result, I have spoken little about prophetic events and above all, felt the necessity not to be dogmatic. I should however make it clear from the beginning that I hold to a literal, visible return of Jesus Christ in glory (Acts 1:9-11). I also believe that the usual dispensational and popular teachings concerning the rapture, marriage supper, tribulation etc have been grossly misinterpreted and soul-ishly interpreted. As we approach the end of the age, pre-, post- and mid-tribulational interpretations that accompany them will undergo major adjustments. There will be many facts and events and texts that we should have seen but in reality did not. These new ingredients will modify much of our understanding concerning prophetic events. As the prophet Hosea explained, “Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3).

A simple illustration of the prophecies and events of Christ’s first advent will serve to illustrate what I mean. It was written about the origin of the Messiah, “Out of Egypt I have called My Son” (Matthew 2:15). “That He was born in Bethlehem” (Micah 5:2). “Yet He was from Nazareth”. Can you see the impossibility of accurately interpreting all the biblical facts in proper perspective until the circumstances of His birth were known? How could the readers of the prophecies possibly understood that His parents were from Nazareth and that was to be His home? And that due to a decree for taxation, Mary was taken by Joseph to Bethlehem where Jesus was born? Also, that being warned in a dream not to return to Nazareth the family of Jesus fled to Egypt where they were later led to return? How clear it seems to us now, but how confusing to the prophets and prophetic interpreters prior to the unfolding of the events.
Anyone browsing casually in a religious bookstore will quickly be overwhelmed by the overabundance of printed material of different theories and interpretations about the 2nd coming. Even the general attitude and approach of the Scriptures can seem confusing. The time of Christ’s return is unknown (Matthew 24:36-42); but the concept of imminence (that He may come today) has always been a truth held dear to the heart of the church (James 5:8). On the other hand, examination of many scriptures tend to give us another view; that certain events, such as spiritual maturity in the church, world evangelism, establishment of His government and kingdom etc must be accomplished PRIOR to His coming. This seems to exclude any possibility of immediate return.

Bible truths are often set in opposition to each other – like parallel lines – which act as balancing factors in the life of the church. “Behold I come quickly” is balanced by the command; “Occupy until I come”. These parallel lines can only meet in the infinite Creator.

Purpose of His Coming.

It will not be my purpose to examine the reality or circumstances of His coming but to try and shed some light on the purpose of His coming. We cannot dwell on the entire purpose of the 2nd coming but rather examine what I feel to be one major purpose of His coming.

Unfortunately much of the popular teaching that centres on events in the world that will preceed the coming of Christ (i.e. wars, famines, natural disasters, the rise of the antichrist and satanic activity) has tended to make us believe that Christ is coming back to snatch the church out of the world just before it self-destructs! For the cataclysmic-minded believers it has become a divine rescue mission to save the persecuted church in it’s last gasp. If we examine the 2nd Coming in the light of the purpose of the church, the bride of Christ and her mission on the earth, it takes on a very different meaning. The coming of the Lord Jesus is the consummation or completion of God’s plan for the church through the ages. It is a victory celebration rather than a rescue mission!

As the Apostle Paul speaks of the Lord’s coming in 2 Thessalonians 1:8, he writes of a fiery judgement that will come upon the world. Then in verse 10, he speaks of Christ’s coming as it will relate to the church. He says; “ ... He shall come to be glorified in His saints”.

The concept of a spiritual coming in the saints prior to His physical coming for His saints is overlooked by most people.

Paul clearly teaches that Jesus is coming for a bride that is “glorious ... not having any spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27). This is Christ revealed in the saints. This same theme is carried on elsewhere in Scripture. Galatians 4:19 reads; “My little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you”. Acts 3:21 states; “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world begun”. And James 5:8 admonishes us; “Be patient therefore brethren until the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman (God) waiteth for the precious fruits of the earth and hath long patience for it, until He receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stabilise your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh”.

Many of us have been given the idea that Christ’s coming is what defeats the foes and establishes His kingdom. Jesus said however that all power (authority) had been given to Him in heaven and in earth; and because of that we were to go into all nations and disciple them. Rather than thinking of Christ’s coming as an event that accomplishes His purpose in the earth, let us consider His coming as God’s consummating His eternal purpose by that very event.

Concerning the purpose of His coming, Bakers Theological Dictionary says,

“So Jesus’ parousia (coming) is not the decisive event of the gospel; it is rather the inevitable sequel of the decisive event which took place with His death and resurrection. The time of it’s occurrence does not matter so much as the fact that it’s occurrence is assured!”.

Sequence of Events:

It is this inevitable sequence of events which begins with His death and resurrection and sees Him establish a kingdom on the earth (His revelation in the saints) that is consummated by His visible return for the saints. At this present time He is in the process of establishing that spiritual kingdom in the earth. Psalm 110:1 is one of the verses most quoted by New Testament writers. It speaks even to the casual reader that there is a purpose to be accomplished by Christ being seated at the right hand of God the Father. “He (Christ) will sit there until ...”. I make your enemies your footstool”. A similar theme is carried throughout the New Testament ... “Until” ... the redemption of the purchased possession (Ephesians 1:14) ... the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6) ... the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:14) ... the harvest of tares and wheat (Matthew 13:30) ... we all come in the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:13). The same Psalm is quoted in Acts 2:35. “Until I make thy foes thy footstool”. This expresses Peter’s understanding of Psalm 110:1. Jesus ascension to the right hand of the Father would continue until something that that approximated Christ’s victory in the human situation had been accomplished here on the earth.

There is a present kingdom just as surely as there is a future one. But the kingdom of God must be proclaimed, received and established in some degree prior to the coming of the King of that kingdom to rule. Matthew 24:14 teaches us this much.

Does it seem incongruous to believe that the body, which is His church and bride be won, sanctified and prepared before He comes for her?

Is it not logical to assume that the kingdom in spiritual form be established – literally established – on earth in the saints before God reveals His King and His kingdom? (Revelation 5:10). New Testament grammar teaches us that His coming (parousia) is to be a revelation (unveiling) of Jesus Christ. Somehow and His own spectacular way, God will reveal Jesus His Kingdom and church and bride by the events of His parousia.

The Place of the Church:

Whatever God has yet to do in the earth, He purposes to do it through and by means of a militant church, an advancing kingdom, a united body which is rising to the challenge!

“Thy people will be willing in the day of thy power” says the Psalmist in 110:3. The years of spiritual warfare, evangelism, missionary endeavour, combined with the present global outpouring of the Holy Spirit, cause me to know that God is setting the stage to consummate His purpose in the earth by the revelation and return of His King – which has been delayed ... until!
Let’s turn to the book of Revelation for a glimpse of what I am trying to express.

“Behold He cometh with clouds and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him” (Revelation 1:7).

This is the literal return of the One who was taken in the clouds (Acts 1:9-11). What an unveiling of God’s eternal purpose in Christ, His Son! What a sudden consternation and embarrassment to the world which has rejected God’s Son and abused His church! What joy and triumph for those who belong to Him – for those called according to His purpose! As the writers of Hebrews says; “ ... and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation”.
Whatever the unique turn of prophetic events or unexpected developments in the church or in the nations; those who have come to see the purpose of His coming, will not be preoccupied with dates, signs or dispensational charts or attempting to place the label of antichrist on a world figure.

In Revelation 22:17 we find these words;

“And the Spirit and the bride say come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely”.

As one who longs for His coming, but also sees the purpose of His delay, the Lord began to say something to me from this verse. When the Spirit and the bride say; “Come ... Come Lord Jesus” = it will be then that those who are sensitive to that which the Holy Spirit is saying will know that His coming is in fact very near. The Spirit and the Bride are now saying; “Unity ... plurality ... submission ... obedience”. The Spirit is seeking to draw us – each of us – into a belonging – a kind of spiritual community if you will. All of these words plus the quickening pace of the pain and peril of the day in which we live, cause me to listen carefully to hear a cry – not just teaching – but a cry in the Spirit among the beloved that groans and sighs. This cry when heard and interpreted will say; “Come, oh come Lord Jesus – the Spirit and the bride are ready – come Lord Jesus!”. When we hear this, sense this, perceive it among the beloved, it is then that we can know that His purpose for delay is nearly completed. The bride has made herself ready. The Holy Spirit who was given to present her faultless before Him in her wedding garment agrees .... “Yes she is ready! Come Lord Jesus!”.

“He which testifies those things saith, surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so. Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Changing the World!!

I've spent the afternoon reading through some of my collections of past Restoration, New Wine and Renewal magazines. Everyone tends to focus on books in the Christian world - and indeed no one is more thankful for books than I. However we should not forget the importance of journals and magazines. In the academic world indeed - journals and magazines are seen as more current and up to date than books because of their more rapid production. I am toying with the best way to catalogue my magazines and journals so I can find key articles of interest. Maybe that's why journals and magazines are not quite as popular.

But I was particularly encouraged to read through the Newfrontiers Magazines. I love the vision and passion of these people! They ask the questions that few dare to ask. Guest author Dr Martin Robinson wrote an article called; "Movements to change the world" in the September/November 2004 edition and said;

"Can we imagine a world where Christians have creditable research, where we develop a grass roots network of activists to support particular campaigns and where we strategise winning campaigns to shape opinion and change legislation?".

This so "scratches where I itch" to use the words of a former hero of mine. Christianity has been blessed with so many great minds and hearts - Wayne Grudem, Don Carson, Sam Storms, John Piper, Terry Virgo - to name just a few. Why are we not impacting the world more than we are? Why aren't governments listening to us? Why isn't John Piper being invited to the White House to counsel Barak Obama on the issues facing the USA? Why isn't Terry Virgo being invited to pray for the Prime Minister and Cabinet here in London?

Then Martin Goldsmith makes it applicable to us;

"If you had stood at the end of the 18th century you would have been in despair. But in a single generation they turned it around. History is full of single generations that turned the tide".

And this is particularly what grabbed me;

"The future is determined not by apathetic majorities but by committed minorities".

Let me quote that again;

"The FUTURE is determined NOT by apathetic majorities but by COMMITTED minorities".

It occured to me why the devil does not need to make his demons known in the Western world. If we know that we are facing hordes of spiritual darkness that tends to motivate us to prayer. Depression and darkness can cause us to do nothing because of lack of hope - more than any other weapon in Satan's arsenal! The only way that we will determine the future is if we remain committed to our vision!

What do you believe in? And are you prepared to die for it?

New Wine Magazine - July 1983

This is one of my favourite copies of New Wine Magazine - the July 1983 edition - marking the release of Dr Ern Baxter's latest book; "I Almost Died!". I actually have it framed on my bedroom wall - and decided to put it into PDF format so that it is preserved and protected!

I will never forget probably "the" Shepherding Movement historian - S David Moore who wrote; "The Shepherding Movement: Controversy and Charismatic Ecclesiology" made a comment:

"...essential for an accurate history of the Shepherding movement is a complete collection of New Wine. The magazine published from 1969 through to 1986 was the principal publishing voice of the five teachers and the movement."

It is my belief that these journals - New Wine Magazine and the Restoration Magazine here in the UK - were the key and unique element for the Charismatic Movement. Far more people read these magazines than would usually sit down to read a "theological" tome so it is highly likely that the charismatic teachers such as Ern Baxter or Bob Mumford or Terry Virgo or Bryn Jones reached a massive audience at that time.

And their message should not be lost!

Restoration Magazine - 1975 to 1992

I have been very excited to have received a CD through the post with the ENTIRE collection of Restoration Magazines in PDF format from the Revival Library! It has been a continued source of frustration to me trying to hunt down and find these key foundational magazines to much of my charismatic heritage.

I've got a massive collection of New Wine and Restoration Magazines from my home church in Dunstable when much of the charismatic past was being erased. However there were large gaps in both magazines. David Moore has written possibly the most academic review of the Shepherding Movement in particular and said;

"...essential for an accurate history of the Shepherding movement is a complete collection of New Wine. The magazine published from 1969 through to 1986 was the principal publishing voice of the five teachers and the movement."

It is commonly understood in academic study in general that journals are an essential part of any research - even more useful than many books. Books are written and are often out of date as soon as they are published whereas the journal can tend to keep up to date with the rapidly changing scene of life. I think the same is true for church life and was definately so in the Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement.

The spiritual scene was changing so rapidly as God poured out His Spirit on the church that in our experience it was the New Wine Magazine (Ern Baxter, Charles Simpson, Bob Mumford, Don Basham and Derek Prince) and of course Restoration Magazine that was key. For those who don't know - Restoration Magazine was started by Bryn Jones and Harvestime Publications but was unique in that for some years it united other apostles and prophets in the United Kingdom such as Bryn, Keri Jones, Terry Virgo, Tony Morton, Arthur Wallis and my senior pastor Dr Stanley Jebb.

There are 106 magazines on the CD that will keep me busy reading for a while. I have already printed off some articles that caught my attention already - here's a few;

1. Report from the Lakes Bible Week 1975 - from Restoration Magazine - September/October 1975.

2. Report from the Dales Bible Week 1977 - from Restoration Magazine - September/October 1977.

3. "Taking the Nations" by Ern Baxter - from Restoration Magazine - November/December 1977.

4. "How to Interpret the Scriptures" by Stanley Jebb - from Restoration Magazine - November/December 1979.

5. "Growing Churches - Clarendon Church Hove" (now Church of Christ the King in Brighton) - from Restoration Magazine - July/August 1981.

6. "The Best is Yet to Come" by Arthur Wallis - from Restoration Magazine - March/April 1983.

And there are just a few! I am sure there will many Pentecostal/Charismatic quotes (I have already posted one amazing quote from Larry Tomczak) to come from these amazing articles. But already I am finding they are feeding my ache for a new flood of renewal and revival from God. The 1970's and 80's were indeed a unique and amazing time and an extrordinary blessing and demonstration of the grace of God. Do I wish that I had been born a little earlier? Sometimes. I'd have loved to have followed Ern Baxter's ministry in person.

But I do believe without a shadow of doubt that the best is yet to come!

The Earth is the Lord's!!

The Bible - the very Word of God - is so full of declarations of TRUTH that it staggers me how Christians, the church and I struggle with disbelief, doubt and fear. There is no ambiguity in the Word of God. It just states it. Such as;

"The earth is the Lord's and all it contains, the world and all that dwell in it".

Another favourite Scripture of mine is Numbers 14:21;

" ... but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD".

Pete Day and I have been communicating lots this week - mainly getting excited my discoveries on the "Revival Library" - the Restoration Magazine collection and the Arthur Wallis conference notes. Pete commented on something very interesting - he said;

"I keep getting the sense that there is going to be a wonderful marriage of grace with restoration. Until we heard of Rob we were passionate about restoration, and then restoration took a back seat while I began to hear of grace. And now restoration is coming back into my thinking... but in the context of grace. When the two go together it is divine combustion!!".

This was such a vital comment for me. What is the point of grace unless the object is that the farthest reaches of Planet Earth hear of the glory and wonder of what Christ achieved on the Cross for us? Surely if we keep grace to ourselves then we will become as bad as the early Charismatic Movement days when they saw the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a "personal experience" to be kept private along with their "private prayer language - tongues". Rubbish! This is something to be shouted from the rooftops!

So this article from Ern Baxter is key to be read. It is from the New Wine Magazine - January 1985 and is entitled; "The Earth is the Lords". Read it here!

Here are some quotes from the articles;

"The gospel is destined to be victorious in time, space and history. Jesus Christ will remain in heaven until all things spoken of by the prophets have come to pass".

Victorious! That is a phrase that we don't hear often these days in Christianity and I'm not sure why. It's back to my first statement in this blog - that the Word of God makes statements that have yet to be believed and acted upon. For example the Word of God stated that when Jesus died on the Cross He completely and finally defeated principalities and powers and put them under His feet! Another statement from the Word of God that Ern Baxter actually quoted in his article;

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth".

Ern commented on that verse;

"That means in the United States of America, Jesus Christ has all authority. In the (now ex) Soviet Union, Jesus Christ has all authority. In China Jesus Christ has all authority. It means that there isn't a better gospel coming. There isn't a better Jesus yet to be revealed. It's done! It's finished!".

So as Pete Day said - let's not neglect the glorious array of truths that the Word of God has promised. Grace has come to us in glorious abundance for a reason - that the lost may hear and believe!

Ern Baxter Archives

I've been busy tonight and early into this morning scanning and making PDF files of the Ern Baxter archives. Here are some further files uploaded onto Google;

1. "The Holy Spirit in the Book of Galatians".

2. "Prophecy" and "Prophecy - the Voice of God to the Church".

3. "The Gift of Tongues".

4. "The Doctrine of Laying on of Hands and the Impartation of the Holy Spirit".

This file in particular is of interest. It was two monthly magazine articles from the "Evangelical Tabernacle" - a church that Dr Ern Baxter pastored in Vancouver, Canada. The articles were written in June and July 1957.

5. "Evangelical Tabernacle Magazine articles".

I hope that this is a project that will be on-going and I can build on throughout the year. Dr Ern Baxter and his ministry is one that should not be silent or forgotten!

Many Thanks to a Friend of Ern Baxter!!

I was absolutely thrilled to get an email from a man called Jerome "Jerry" Lukas. He worked with Ern Baxter and the brothers back in the days when "New Wine Magazine" was being produced and ran, and has come across this blog - as a tribute to Ern himself.

Jerome wrote some very gracious words of encouragement which meant a lot to both Pete Day (my fellow blogger and accountability friend - should I stray into heresy) and myself. Blogging is an unusal form of communication - it has the scope and the potential to reach so many but unless they leave comments, I am always of the opinion that no one is reading it!

But he has also kindly re-designed the mast-head for this blog and sent a unique pencil drawing of Ern he did which I have put here and you will see are now in place on the blog.

"The Power of the Printed Word" by Don Basham

from New Wine Magazine - July 1982

"When God wants to communicate the gospel to men, He rarely uses angels. He uses men. In the book of Acts we read that God sent an angel to Cornelius to tell him to ask Peter to preach the gospel to him. Why didn't the angel himself just preach the gospel to Cornelius? Because that is not the way the gospel is spread. The good news is preached by men and as we men have the burden to publish the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our motivation as publishers - whether of magazines, newsletters or tapes - is to communicate God's truth.

We believe that God has entrusted us with a truly significant ministry, and because of that we want to enlist your prayers and your support. Our vision of the work we have to do can be outlined briefly by ten observations concerning the significance of the printed word in ministry.

1. The published word prepares the way for personal ministry.

As the members of the Educational Board have travelled in ministry over the years, we have discovered a greater degree of preparedness among audiences in areas where our literature has gone before us to pave the way for the spoken ministry.

2. The published word greatly extends personal ministry.

The written word can reach a much broader audience than the spoken word. I began to realize this truth 3 weeks after "Face Up with a Miracle" was published when I received a letter from a missionary in Thailand who said that the book was being used to help foster a tremendous spiritual revival there. Almost overnight, my ministry had extended halfway round the world.

3. The published word refines our personal ministry.

When we first present the word of God in a spoken setting, it is usually at the developing stage. But by the time the word is published, it has been refined, clarified, distilled and matured.

4. The published word perpetuates personal ministry.

In other words, the published word becomes permanent. We can be grateful for that because if all we had was the oral tradition of Bible times, much that God said to His people probably would have been lost. The vast volume of literature that is our heritage exists because the revelations given by God to inspired men through the years have been put in a permanent record and widely distributed.

5. The published word is extremely portable.

Books, tapes, newsletters and magazines will go into places that a person would never be able to go.

6. The published word seems non-threatening and disarming.

Often people in need of ministry may feel threatened by a church or other group setting. In such a situation, a publication can often get into a home or any other setting and bring about a revolution.

Although the published word is innocent in appearance it actually has the power to change lives.

7. The published word is comparably inexpensive.

We can distribute a great deal of significant truth over a vast area for a relatively small amount of money.

8. The published word can be distributed in tremendous quantities.

With the proper resources we can blanket an area, a nation or even the world with the truth of the gospel.

9. God anoints the published word just as He does the spoken word.

We continually recieve testimonies about how God used the things that have been written and recorded. People's lives have often been dramatically changed by what they have read - even healings have taken place when God anointed someone's use of the material. I once received a letter of testimony from a young housewife who had polio and been on crutches for six years. She had been sitting in her laundry room reading "Face Up With a Miracle". Without realizing that God had touched her as she read, she got up, walked over to the washing machine and was emptying out before she realized that she had left her crutches behind.

The Lord had healed her as she sat in the chair reading the book, God will anoint the published word just as He will anoint personal ministry.

10. Finally the published word preserves and provides a record of God's revelation to His people in our day.

Every generation has a responsibility to record it's own heritage of God's dealings with them. The published word preserves our heritage and leaves a legacy for generations to come.

We believe that by God's grace He has given us a unique ministry. The five of us - Charles Simpson, Bob Mumford, Derek Prince, Ern Baxter and myself - who by His design were joined together more than a decade ago, certainly don't have the only message God is speaking today. But we believe that He has given us a unique and distinct message, and we feel a deep responsibility as stewards of it. We have come to see that one way God can extend, bless and use our message is through the published word. So we ask your prayers and support to help us be faithful in the presentation of the ministry that God has entrusted to us.

"A Sleeping Giant" by Bob Mumford

from New Wine Magazine - July 1982

"Recently the Lord clearly reminded me of something the apostle James said; "Although ships are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder" (James 3:4). Then He added,

"Just as surely as the ship can be turned by the rudder, so the Church can be turned by the prophetic word".

And with that word from God came a tremendous gift of faith into my spirit. Much of the Church seems to have surrendered our nation and our future to the devil, giving in to the despairing attitude, "It's bad and it's getting worse". But the prophetic burden I feel these days is that God wants to help us awaken the sleeping giant that is the Church, stirring that sleeping giant by His prophetic word, so that just as a rudden turns a huge ship, we can change the direction we are going. If God will help us to publish the prophetic word as He was saying it, I have no doubt in my own heart that even the nations of the world can be turned towards God and His Kingdom.

The task is ours. And to help us understand some of the unique opportunities we have for fulfilling this task, I want to make a few brief observations about what is happening in our society today;

1. An increasing collapse of confidence in the academic community.

Little by little a college degree is meaning less. The academic world has promised much and delivered little and gradually the tremendous hope once placed in the academic world is being eroded. The problems facing us are not primarily educational, but moral and spiritual.

2. A continuing rise of the occult and the demonic.

Interestingly enough, this increase is apparantly forcing the Church to find answers. Many churches that previously avoided the supernatural realm of ministry are now beginning to ask questions because of the extent of demonic activity.

3. The failure of the "isms".

Communism is failing. It is no longer the irresistable monster that we have feared would gobble up the world. The Communists have made promises but they have failed to deliver and little by little all over the world the whole Communist empire is beginning to shake. Secular humanism is also failing as people are beginning to understand that our hope cannot be based on the human race.

4. The "sixties generation" is like a sleeping tiger.

I feel very deeply in my spirit that there is an entire generation of young people who have refused empty religion and are hungr for something real and alive. The rebellious, restless youth of the sixties may wear three-piece suit now but they are still searching. I believe that God will enable us to speak to the "sixties generation" a message that is real and powerful and they will respond.

If the Church is to respond effectively to these opportunities we must recognize three basic hungers in present society:

a. Our generation is hungry for the supernatural.

Though most would not admit it, they are seeking a genuine encounter with the living Christ - not just some intellectual assent to truth, but a real vital spiritual experience with a living Person.

b. Our generation is becoming increasingly hungry for something to live and die for outside of themselves.

The more selfish you become, the more miserable you are, until finally you say; "There must be something else to live for".

c. Our generation is hungry for a clear, non-religious proclamation of the gospel.

The message of the Kingdom of God must be proclaimed without the artificial religious trappings which have so often been an unnecessary stumbling block to our generation. I see things trembling and shaking everywhere.

If ever there were a time when the sleeping giant of the Church needs to wake up, it is now. We need to stand strong in a positive attitude and say; "I believe this nation can be turned". And if this nation can be turned, what about the others? The hour is now.

Further New Wine Magazines Available!!

I was excited to note that the Charles Simpson Ministries have made another 2 years of New Wine Magazines available in their archives on their website - from January 1981 to December 1982. These magazines covered the span of several decades and contained prophetic content that wasn't seen before and still isn't seen very much since. While the five men involved - Charles Simpson, Bob Mumford, Derek Prince, Don Basham and Ern Baxter - were known for more controversial reasons surrounding the Shepherding Movement, they were primarily five extraordinary men with apostolic/prophetic giftings and above all a passion for the glorious Church. That alone makes the New Wine Magazines worth preserving and reading.

New Wine Magazine was a charismatic magazine - in that they believed in the Presence and power of the Holy Spirit for today in church and to be welcomed as manifest - but they did not focus on the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit to the exclusivity of other aspects of church life. Even more theologian S David Moore - the only man to so far objectively chart the Shepherding Movement's history - wrote;

"...essential for an accurate history of the Shepherding movement is a complete collection of New Wine. The magazine published from 1969 through to 1986 was the principal publishing voice of the five teachers and the movement."

It is my hope to build up a catalogue of the huge amount of magazines so that the articles and authors can be accessed more easily and quickly. For now here is a number of magazine articles which Ern Baxter wrote and the topics they deal with as well as the links.

New Wine Magazine - February 1981

"Discipling the Nations - God will use His prophetic community to speak to the nations" - by Dr Ern Baxter (p4).

New Wine Magazine - September 1981

"Kingdom Culture - Rediscovering Our Mandate" by Dr Ern Baxter (p14).

New Wine Magazine - April 1982

"King of Glory - The Cross was only the beginning of Jesus conquest" by Dr Ern Baxter (p28).

New Wine Magazine - May 1982

"The Holy Spirit" by Dr Ern Baxter (p10).

"50 Year of Ministry - A tribute to Dr Ern Baxter" (p15).

New Wine Magazine - October 1982

"Before the Throne - An interview with Dr Ern Baxter on Worship" (p20).

So most importantly get to the New Wine Magazine Archive and start reading! Or if your time is limited, then keep your eyes open for the New Wine Magazine catalogue that I will be publishing as soon as possible.

Larry Tomczak – from New Wine Magazine – September 1986

I am so incredibly grateful to God for the service that the Charles Simpson Ministries are doing in preserving the New Wine Magazine and ensuring that it doesn't get lost in the dusty archives of history but is available here on their website for everyone to see and read. There is much awesome, anointed material that is in these pages! The collection isn't quite complete yet and I am waiting in anticipation for them to make the magazines after 1980 available. I read this one article by Larry Tomczak in the September 1986 edition and was so blessed by it and by the grace of God in which he writes. My dear friend Don Baker has always spoken so highly of Larry Tomczak and his apostolic gifting and in reading this article - I can see why. It is my hope to eventually track down audio tapes by Larry and articles - a project which Don and I are working together on.

For now - here is the article which I have typed up - you can sense the same "grace" and "vision" tones in which both Ern Baxter and Rob Rufus (my other heroes) speak and write;

“It’s Time to Fly – Practical Help for Achieving Your Calling”

God has a unique call and purpose for each of our lives. He wants us to break out of mediocrity, out of a dull and aimless existence, in order to step into a life of purpose and vision, fulfilling the assigned task He has set before us. He wants us to play a part in the restoration of His Church so He can effectively reach this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well and good, you say. But how do we go about it? What can we actually do, in concrete, practical terms that will help us keep our divine appointment with destiny?

1. Appreciate Your Acceptance.

Each of us, all day every day, is fed a steady diet of lies about what it means to be an acceptable person. Our culture, especially through the media, bombards us continually with subtle and not-so-subtle messages that tear down our self-esteem. “You’ve got to be cool to be accepted”. “You’ve got to produce”. “You’ve got to measure up”. “You’ve got to use this product to be a real man (or woman)”. “Your skin is aging and your teeth are dingy. You don’t wear the right clothes, have the right car, or use the right cologne. You’re not thin enough either, and your hair is drab”.

The situation is compounded by the fact that our enemy, Satan, uses accusations as his number one weapon against us (see Revelation 12:10). He wants us to feel unworthy as individuals and especially as Christians. “Who are you trying to kid? You really expect God to forgive you, after all you’ve done?”. God wants us to be free from the lies of our culture and from the slanders of Satan. He wants to shatter worldly counterfeits and the bondage of legalism and to empower us to rise above Satan’s fiery darts.


He wants us to lay hold of this simple but revolutionary truth; that He loves us or accepts us, not because of what we do or don’t do but because of who we are – His children, saved by His grace, forgiven by His mercy, adopted into His family, being transformed into the image and likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ.

2. Celebrate Your Value.

We are constantly underselling ourselves because of imagined or self-imposed limitations. Sometimes we even blame God for our supposed shortcomings. “Why did you make me like this God? Is this really the best that you could do?”. God has a sobering word for us on that score:

“Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker … Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ … Do you question me about my children or give me orders about the work of my hands?” – Isaiah 45:9, 11.

The Lord is the Master Potter and we are the clay, moulded and formed by Him exactly the way He wants us to be. “We are God’s workmanship”, Paul declares (see Ephesians 2:10). The original language of Scripture implies that “we are continually his workmanship” – not a finished product but a magnificent work in progress. The word translated “workmanship” carries the sense of “creative masterpiece”. Did you realise that you are a masterpiece of the God of heaven?

3. Embrace Discipline.

In my Bible I have written the words, “Go for it!” above a passage that has inspired me for years.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” – (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

The Greek word for “competes” is agonizomai from which we get our word “agonize”. It calls to mind the kind of training and discipline a champion athlete goes through in preparation for the Olympics. The point of the passage is that we must likewise embrace discipline in our spiritual life – learning to regulate our conduct by principle rather than by impulse. Of course by discipline I do not mean mere self-effort or willpower but rather the act of humbling ourselves to admit our inadequacy and to receive God’s grace so that we can go forward in “the strength of His might”. The passage also says “Run in such a way as to get the prize”, and points out that in an athletic competition there is only one prize and therefore only one winner. In our case, the emphasis is not so much on the singularity of the prize but on the attitude of the competitor. Launch out, not half-heartedly or with a loser’s mentality but as a winner, determined to please the Lord and accomplish God-given tasks for His glory.

4. Break Out of the Routine.

God is a God of newness. Scripture speaks of the new covenant, of new wine, of a new and living way, of a new song and so on and so on. “Forget the former things” God tells us through the prophet Isaiah. “Do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing!” – (Isaiah 43:18-19). What about you? If you are going to rise above mediocrity and be used by God, you must not be content to drift through life on the river of a routine. For a start ask God to instil in you a pioneering spirit. Then look for opportunity to get “out of the rut” you may have inadvertently slipped into.

By books, tapes or conferences expose yourself to the exciting things God is doing in the world today. Resist sitting in the same seat all the time or travelling the same familiar path. Reach out in love to some new people. Pray and then involve yourself in a sphere of service you have thought about but never done. Rather than ordering “the usual” for lunch, try something you have never eaten before. Doing new and different things – or even doing familiar things in a new and different way – can give fresh perspective and help you cultivate a more adventurous and flexible way of life. Wait on God and then open your eyes to the vast world of opportunity surrounding you.

5. Learn How to Fail.

It may be obvious that if we are going to try new things, we are occasionally going to experience failures. “The righteous man falls seven times”, the Scripture promises, “yet he rises again” – (Proverbs 24:16).

I am convinced that God is more pleased with those who step out and fail than those who sit back and do nothing out of fear of failure.

God can vindicate our mistakes and bring good out of our failure. The ability to handle failure in a positive, productive way is crucial if we are to make progress in pursuing our divine appointment. Remember the stories of Peter, David, Moses and other heroes of our Christian faith. They had enough faith to risk failure.

Don’t let failure make you fearful of trying again. Turn your trials into triumphs, your stumbling blocks into stepping stones, your tests into testimonies. Follow Paul’s example;

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heaven-ward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things” – (Phil 3:13-15).

6. Draw Inspiration from Others.

“Iron sharpens iron”, Scripture teaches, “and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). And again, “He who walks with wise men becomes wise” (Proverbs 13:20). Putting ourselves in touch with wise, stimulating, faith-building people who help us move ahead in our own Christian life. Some of the people who can inspire us most are those zealous Christians in our sphere of life whose examples of character, not personality, we are to emulate. We need to make it a point to follow their example in Christ so that their faith and zeal can “rub off” on us. Scripture warns us that bad company corrupts good morals so we must carefully chose the company we keep. Fortunately this principle also works the other way around; good company strengthens us in our walk with the Lord.

7. Discover Your Gifts.

The value of your life as a Christian will be determined by the degree to which you use what God has given you. Stated differently; “What you are is God’s gift to you. What you make of yourself is your gift back to God”. How are we to discover our unique God-given gifts? Of course the first step is to seek God for His will. But we also need the confirmation and assistance of others in exercising the gifts. This is why we need to be a vital part of a body of Christians who believe in, teach on, and give opportunities for meaningful development and expression of spiritual gifts.

Moreover though we know that intellectual or academic achievement is not the same as holiness, we also know that God gave us our intelligence as a powerful tool to be used in his service. As good stewards it is right for us to keep our minds sharp and alert, able to process new information and make decisions and form value judgements crisply and clearly. Maintaining a program of inspirational and devotional reading is one way to do this. Another is to enhance our abilities in evangelizing, child-rearing, counselling and other areas through seminars, conferences and tapes. Interestingly enough, one thing that brings many people a greater self-confidence is learning how to speak in front of an audience. You don’t need to become an electrifying orator but learning how to express your ideas and speak on your feet can be a tremendous boost to your self-confidence. How are we going to preach the gospel to all nations if we can’t explain it to our next-door neighbour or make a simple presentation to our class? Nervousness is natural. But we can overcome it with practice and with faith in the enabling power of God.

8. Give Yourself to Others.

We must be careful not to focus so intently on “what I can do to pursue my unique calling in life” that we forget that the whole point of the Christian life is serving others. We live in a self, materialistic culture which emphasizes the importance of “looking out for number one”. But Jesus declared, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). He also said, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

John D Rockefeller Sr, drove himself hard to be a success. He became a millionaire by age twenty three and in twenty years was the richest man on earth. One night as he fell asleep he came to his senses as he realised his “house of cards” was tumbling down around him. He realised he could take nothing with him beyond the grave. The next day he embarked on a new way of living. Rather than hoarding money and possessions he began to give them away to those in need. Establishing the Rockefeller Foundation, he channelled his fortune into hospitals, research and missions work and gave away a portion of his riches to scores. His contributions eventually led to the discovery of penicillin. Cures for malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria also resulted from his giving. At the age of 53 John D Rockefeller seemed destined for imminent death. The resolution to “give rather than get” altered his life so dramatically that he eventually lived to the ripe old age of ninety eight! Jesus put it this way, “Give and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38).

9. One Step at a Time.

God tells us in His Word not to “despise the day of small beginnings” (Zechariah 4:10). Many times people set goals that are unrealistically ambitious and their enthusiasm quickly fades. An old saying goes, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time”. As you seek the Lord concerning some of the challenges that lie before you, remember to move forward one step at a time. As you make steady progress, your confidence will be bolstered and you will be able to pick up the pace. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you set appropriate goals and then to help you meet them.

An old story tells of a young boy who thought he had found a way to trick the village wise man. He caught a bird and held it in his cupped hands. Then he asked the village wise man, “Is the bird alive or dead?”. The old man realised that if he answered, “It is alive”, the boy would crush the bird between his hands and kill it and if he answered, “It is dead”, the boy would simply open his hands and let the bird fly away. So he looked the young man in the face and said, “My son, the answer to that question is in your hands”.

As we seek to fulfil our divine appointment in life, we too need to recognise the extent of what God has placed in our hands. He has given us His Holy Spirit, His Word, His Call, and His Power. He says to us this day, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life” (Deut 30:19). “He is at work in us for His good pleasure” and He challenges us today by saying, “In your hands you hold the seeds of failure or the potential for greatness”. It is my conviction that in this hour of church restoration to reach a lost and hurting world, we can rise up and claim our divine appointment and so fulfil our unique destiny as the people of God.

How about it? Will you “go for it”?

Ern Baxter Interview from New Wine - July 1980

I was excited to find this short interview with Dr Ern Baxter in the latest New Wine Magazine I have been printing off. It contains some interesting personal information about what Ern was doing in 1980 but more interesting was some comments he made about moving to Mobile, Alabama and his relationship with Charles Simpson. Although he doesn't label the relationship, it is quite clear the relationship was an apostolic one. I find it tremendously challenging and stirring that even at his mature age, Ern Baxter was open to the prompting of the Spirit of God to move across the nation if God so said. The natural inclination of most is to settle and build a "nest". Not so in the Kingdom of God.
Hope it proves interesting as I found it. Here is the transcript of it;

New Wine: In your last Update, you shared about the tremendous improvement in your health. What further improvements have you experienced since then?

Ern Baxter: First of all, I would like to express my pleasure at the positive responses I received from New Wine Magazine readers regarding my Update in the January 1980 issue. It was exciting to see the concern among Christian men - perhaps more specifically among their wives, who were concerned about the welfare of their husbands. My wife Ruth enjoyed responding to enquiries and kept quite busy sending out bread recipes to many of the wives.

As far as my personal health is concerned, my sugar has stabilized and there is no sign of the diabetes. It is such a relief not to have to poke myself with a needle every morning for an insulin injection. Up to now I have lost forty pounds. In fact I have been without those forty pounds for several weeks now and I am keeping them off. Ruth and I are walking regularly - morning and evening.

I am also getting in some vigorous racketball. So as a result of these improved developments and activities, I am very alive and alert physically - much better than a year ago when it was difficult for me to even walk without angina pain. I don't want to give the impression that the remarkable measure of restoration I have experienced is some kind of return to youth. I have very significantly upgraded my physical condition but I am still semi-bald, the vacancies in my mouth have not sprouted new teeth and this upgrade of health has not eliminated any wrinkles. But I am praising God for my ability to age a little more gracefully than I was a year ago. Because of all this I continue to be a bit evangelistic about the necessity for taking care of your health, especially to young people.

New Wine: Could you enlarge upon the importance of paying attention to good health when you're young?

Ern Baxter: The problem is (and I experienced this myself), when you are young you can abuse your physical machinery and seem to get away with it. But it is amazing how much it catches up with you. It's like sin. Paul says that you are heaping up wrath against wrath. It piles up and then all of a sudden it hits you. This is happening to many servants of God. My concern is to find a way to get young men and women to see that now is the time in their lives to build some real life insurance into their physical bodies.

New Wine: Could you let our readers know some of your reasons for moving to Mobile?

Ern Baxter: First of all, let me say that moving is always rather painful and traumatic; but this move was made much easier by my improved physical condition. I am amazed at my physical responses as opposed to the last move we made when I was not well, which was terribly burdensome. We're in the process of getting settled and enjoying our new home.

I think that my coming to Mobile was something in the spiritual evolution of God's purpose for me. I had moved from Fort Lauderdale to Southern California a couple of years ago to do some teaching at the Morris Cerullo School of Ministry. About six months before we decided to move again, Ruth and I had been talking and we felt that a change was coming for us, and we both felt very strongly that we ought to consider Mobile as our permament home. I mentioned this to Charles Simpson, who is senior pastor of Gulf Coast Covenant Church in Mobile, while he was visiting with us during a time of ministry in California and his response was a very, very positive one.

For several years I have felt a closeness to to Brother Charles - in fact that feeling dates back to our first meeting at the Seattle Charismatic Conference in 1971. Later on when I came into covenant relationship with the other teachers, including Charles, a real warmth developed between us as our relationship continued to grow. While I am the oldest member of the teachers and Charles is the youngest, I have no problem looking to him as a pastor in my life. I don't want to sound audicious, but I also hope to be able to serve him in some way through my pastoral experience and support by moving to Mobile.

I also felt that in my latter years of life I need to be in some kind of stable situation which could serve as a base for whatever service was left in me. Through the years of covenant relationship with the teachers, I have also grown close to Don Basham, Editor of New Wine Magazine and have had an interest in the success of the New Wine Magazine. When God providentially brought Don to Mobile with New Wine's move here, I felt that there was some significance in that for me - and when the opportunity and time seemed to be right - Ruth and I made the move.

There was another factor in our decision to move. Having moved around the country and the world for so many yeasr, being responsible for establishing and strengthening churches, we often missed out on the kind of church life in which we could take refuge and find security, rather than bearing the main responsibility for the church. We felt that Mobile offered us the personal sense of spiritual and church security that we were in need of.

Since coming to Mobile I have only been confirmed in feeling that Gulf Coast Covenant Church is a most unique church. It pretty well represents what I have personally envisioned as a community of Christian people in church life through the years.

New Wine: What are the practical outworkings of your role in the ministry here in Mobile?

Ern Baxter: The brothers have graciously received me. I'm serving in the leadership of Gulf Coast Covenant Church which permits me the opportunity of sharing from my pastoral experience and the ability to lend what support I can to Brother Charles and the elders. From time to time I will be sharing with those who are part of the church in it's public meetings. I hope to become more involved in New Wine Magazine as opportunity affords, and I also hope to have the chance to do some writing.

New Wine: What subjects will you be directing your attention to in future writing and study?

Ern Baxter: As soon as I get settled from our move, I want to zero in on two things presently in my mind. The response to the January Update stirred me to the point of feeling that rather than trying to answer lettersabout my remarkably improved health on an individual basis, I would like to put something out in book form - reporting my own experience, offering some concrete suggestions and giving some counsel as to how people can upgrade their physical, spiritual and mental health.

I also carry a concern to examine biblical facts concerning nations. We are presently witnessing a great deal of interaction and conflict among the nations, and as we search for reasons for this, we wonder about itand take sides on the issue. But the Bible is very clear that behind national and international problems is one Whom the Bible calls the "God of the nations". These are the two subjects that I have assigned myself to for the year.

Also the other teachers have asked me to work on the preparation of a training curriculum - training material for men who are emerging into various aspects of Christian leadership. We don't know at this point just what form that will take.

New Wine: Do you have any upcoming speaking engagements around the country that you are particularly excited about?

Ern Baxter: My travelling has been reduced considerably due to my move and due to what I feel are more demanding priorities. However I am looking forward to spending the month of September in South America. I am also doing some travelling and speaking at leadership conferences. But at the present I would like to apply myself to getting settled here, finding more about what God wants me to do.

New Wine: What priorities do you see facing you personally on the national level with the Body of Christ?

Ern Baxter: My personal priorities probably fall into two categories. First I feel that in the beginning God called me to be a proclaimer and this is what I must be involved in. My field has been preaching and proclaiming and I'm looking to God for the kind of platform that will enable me to best proclaim the Word of God.

I especially feel it is a priority to proclaim some of the great objective truths of redemption. So often we get bogged down in the "how-tos" and lose sight of the great objective realities that give us the ground to build up the Body of Christ.

Then I feel it is a priority to prepare the people of God for whom I am responsible to face the obvious world crisis in which we find ourselves - one many Christians are ill-prepared to face.

New Wine: Do you feel a responsibility for the Church on a national level to speak to the nation in some way?

Ern Baxter: Yes but I believe that proclamation without a solid platform can sometimes be just a noise and that's why I am greatly concerned about the disunity among the people of God. It's great to be able to declare the concepts of the Kingdom and declare the sovereign purposes of God - His right and intention to reign - but if in actuality we don't form behind those concepts a solid block of unanimity then the concepts fall to the ground for a lack of a platform. I sincerely believe that God will precipitate whatever crisis is necessary to bring that kind of unity about because I believe it is His purpose to have a voice to the world through the redeemed community.

If the world is going to hear the voice of God, they're going to hear it through the people of God. It's not going to be some voice out of the clouds - it's going to come through a very real living witness and demonstration of God's people as they relate to one another under the Lordship of Christ. I believe the bankruptcy of the unregenerate community makes them a ready audience for what we have to do and teach.

Where I Am Right Now ...

I got the idea for this blog post from the Pyromaniacs. Phil Johnson runs this neat little box by the side of the blog which details what he is reading, what is on his Ipod and links that he has liked lately. I do the occasional blogspotting post every now and then but I thought for a change I would follow the Pyromaniac idea. I'm not doing it for any other reason that I thought it would be interesting to organise my hideously random reading, listening and browsing! Who knows - by the time I finish this post I might be so horrified that I never do it again! We will see.

1. What I am Reading Right Now ...

I am re-reading Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones masterful series on the Book of Romans and have just got to Chapter 9. It has been an incredible read as many evangelicals tend to focus on Romans 1-8 and the later chapters are more of an unknown territory. I posted a number of key quotes from the book on our Quotes blog. Here are two key ones that floored me;

"God forbid that any of the spirit of prejudice that was in the Jew should ever possess us and lead us to this pathetic position ... We must be orthodox but we must not be proud of it, we must not rely on it - even that. Let us realise this great lesson of the sovereignity of God, His great and glorious purpose; that it is He who calls and He calls whom He wills; He raises and He puts down".

And the second one;

"God forbid that in our desire to safeguard against certain errors, we should become guilty of quenching the Spirit. We can become so assured of ourselves and so much in control of the position that we are not giving the Spirit of God an opportunity".

Secondly I am re-reading Arthur Wallis's classic "In the Day of Thy Power". The prophetic word and the vision that I got a few nights ago has really emphasised the importance of knowing how the people of God should behave in a time of revival.

Thirdly I am reading Nigella Lawson's latest cookbook release; "Nigella Express". No I joke not. I really enjoy cooking and I have been fascinated to learn a "Nigella" tip to cook chips in a new way. You get 250g of new potatoes and put them into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin and then deep fry them! How cool is that?!

Finally I have just got to the New Wine Magazine - June 1977 in my reading of those wonderful resources that are available online. I absolutely loved the front cover because they have illustrated Peter walking on the water to Jesus. Most evangelical paintings or illustrations show Peter sinking and the Lord reaching out to save him. But the New Wine team were making the point that while he did need help from the Lord, he still stepped out and walked on the water!

2. What I Am Listening To Right Now ...

I love listening to sermons - I could listen to them all day if I could. I have two main sources at the moment for my sermonic input.

Rob Rufus and City Church International, Hong Kong - I just absolutely love the blend of preaching and teaching on the grace of God - the true grace of God not just a name - and the glory and Presence of God by His Holy Spirit. I am listening to a sermon that Rob preached on the 10th June 2007 called; "Aligning Our Allegiances For The Annointing To Flow At Full Volume". It's particularly interesting because he had a Chinese translator so the sermon was 2 hours and 6 minutes! I urge any and everyone to listen to at least one sermon of Rob Rufus's. It will change your life potentially.

Church of Christ the King, Brighton - anyone who has followed this blog for a short period of time know the profound affection and love I have for this church. Like Rob Rufus, they seek to preach the "whole counsel of God" but it is infused and set alight by a passionate desire for the Holy Spirit to come down and touch their meetings, their lives. Joel Virgo is really establishing himself as the lead elder and his sermons are outstandingly prophetic.

3. What I Am Browsing Now ...

Jesse Phillips has started posing "Questions of the Week" which are excellent for posing serious issues to the church. The charismatic renewal is over 30 years old and it isn't enough to ride on the laurels of our fore-fathers. I know of at least 3 churches that call themselves "open to the Holy Spirit" but haven't had a spiritual gift or a manifestation of His Presence for over a year. It isn't enough for us to hear our fathers talk about the battles they fought and won. The devil doesn't rest or give up just because some aspects of the Holy Spirit's work has been restored to the church. He will be RELENTLESS in attempting to get that work quenched and stopped and has been extremely successful. Jesse's blog is vital. "Earnestly desire" is a command of Scripture not a secondary option.

My fellow Newfrontiers friend Luke Wood is blogging more regularly this month and it isn't to be missed! He is settling into his new church in Southampton - Life Church - which is on my list of churches I really want to visit. Waiting for an invite first though Luke ... hint, hint. ;) Like me he has learnt from the dangers of legalism creeping in on our blogging and said this. I love it! I LOVE it!

"To be living in the grace of God, diving into the Bible and lingering in His presence is pretty much what it's all about".

That is it. End of.

Finally I must draw attention again to my best friend Pete's blog. The title says it all; "The Best is Yet to Come". Pete isn't and can't be a regular blogger due to his pressurised work commitments in his church in South London but when he does blog, boy is it worth it! I plead with you to make it a point to try and check as often as you can. I will also do my best to point out when he has blogged if that will help people also. His posts are prophetic - because he prays earnestly through everything he writes and posts. His latest post is; "Who Will Speak For Us?". He ends by saying this;

"Who will speak up, who will help? Will it be us? We are to be the joy of the whole earth (Ps 48v2). Our Master set the example as He went about "doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil". We have the power and authority, and the call, to follow in His footsteps".

So there we have it - that's what I am upto in my life at the moment! I am so incredibly grateful to God for giving me a time in my life when I have regular access to the internet, to books that I can read, for eyes and a brain that can digest what I read. I pray that what's going in will be of service somehow to the extension of His glorious Kingdom.

New Wine Magazine - March 1975

March 1975

"Partakers of His Holiness" - Derek Prince.

"Spiritual Holiness" - Charles Finney.

"Beyond Cheerleading" - Dean Merrill.

"Breathing Room" - Bob Mumford.

"On Offences Given and Offences Taken" - John Calvin.

"Lifes Ambitions" - John Wright Follette.

"Satan's Snare" - Don Basham and Dick Leggatt.

"Bible Study" - Holiness.

"Echoes of the Spirit" - Significant Events in the Body of Christ.

"New Wine Forum" on Holiness with Derek Prince, Don Basham and Jack Hayford.

New Wine Magazine Archive Reference List

Since the New Wine Magazine was made available online courtesy of Charles Simpson Ministries, I have been spending my book allowance on printer cartridges and paper and binding so get my own complete set of these awesome magazines! My reason for this was a quote from David Moore;


"...essential for an accurate history of the Shepherding movement is a complete collection of New Wine. The magazine published from 1969 through to 1986 was the principal publishing voice of the five teachers and the movement."


I am well on my way through the Archive of magazines available so far and I thought it would be a useful resource to catalogue each magazine so there is a quick and easy reference list to see which New Wine teachers wrote in which magazines and which topics they dealt with. Like the New Wine Magazine Archive this will be a cumulative post that I will add to as I print off more.


New Wine Magazine - June 1969 - "New Wine in New Wineskins".


New Wine Magazine - October 1969 - "Empty Tomb - Jerusalem".


New Wine Magazine - November 1969 - "A Body Thou Hast Prepared".


New Wine Magazine - December 1969 - "Baptism".


New Wine Magazine - January 1970 - "Christian Television".


New Wine Magazine - January 1971 - "A Highway for the Lord".


New Wine Magazine - January 1974 - "Morals and Ethics".


New Wine Magazine - February 1974 - "Unity".


New Wine Magazine - November 1974 - "The Holy Spirit".


New Wine Magazine - January 1975 - "And He Shall Reign".


New Wine Magazine - February 1975 - "Deception".

New Wine Magazine - March 1975 - "Holiness".


New Wine Magazine - April 1975 - "Prayer".


New Wine Magazine - September 1975 - "Becoming a Servant".


New Wine Magazine - October 1975 - "The Restoration of Manhood".


New Wine Magazine - January 1976 - "Grace".


New Wine Magazine - February 1976 - "The Body of Christ".


New Wine Magazine - June 1976 - "Yielding to Change".


New Wine Magazine - July/August 1976 - "Evangelism; Personal and Global".


New Wine Magazine - October 1976 - "Unforgiveness".


New Wine Magazine - December 1976 - "Christmas".


New Wine Magazine - January 1977 - "Prophecy".


New Wine Magazine - March 1977 - "Binding the Strongman".


New Wine Magazine - July/August 1977 - "Kansas City Conference".


New Wine Magazine - September 1977 - "Overcoming Rejection".


New Wine Magazine - October 1977 - "Jesus Exalted" - Conference Transcripts.


New Wine Magazine - January 1978 - "Balancing the Goodness and the Severity of God".


New Wine Magazine - February 1978 - "Embracing Suffering".


New Wine Magazine - March 1978 - "Overcoming Fear".


New Wine Magazine - December 1978 - "Fruit".


New Wine Magazine - February 1979 - "Secular Humanism - Part 1".


New Wine Magazine - March 1979 - "Secular Humanism - Part 2".


New Wine Magazine - January 1980 - "Preparing for the 80's".