Call to Commitment

 I left for a trip to arrive in Dals-Ed, Suecia on March 1. I arrived first in Barcelona and the girls had prepared a terrific lunch. My friends, Mateo and Irina, Dani, Sofi and the twins, were also invited and Olga, who I´ve known for many years, was the cook. I spent a good part of the afternoon, answering questions and then returned to Ripollet for a meeting with couples. (Jose and Ana had been on a trip and returned to attend part of the meeting.) The following day, I spoke at the regular Sunday meeting, and later that afternoon, after a meal with Ángel, Rebeca and their children, I was taken to the airport.

Shelley and Dan

 You will read about a drunk in Dan’s story, who interrupted a Christmas program, and how a little boy found Christ, resulting from that interruption. Here’s good news that Dan could not tell at the time he gave his message. At 80 years old, that man, who came to church drunk, found Jesus, was transformed, and is a vibrant witness for Christ.  

 On the site, where I listened to Dan’s message and wrote it for all of you, I discovered in the comments, one from the lady, of whom Dan speaks, at the end of his message, Deb Reynolds. She writes: “I came upon this video just as Dan was speaking about my life. I know that I am here today because of my church family and my belief in God. I am truly blessed.” In his first chapter, Mark tells us that many were healed in Capernaum. Dan mentions that the son of a nobleman in the town was also healed. There is a story in the Gospels about a Roman centurion in Capernaum, who believed. Now, we will follow in Mark, verse by verse, as Dan relates another story of what surely can be called, a revival in Capernaum… 

The Capernaum Paralytic (Mark 2:1-12)

 Dan Brueckner during the first days of Covid

And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.  

Jesus has moved from Nazareth to Capernaum and after being there a short time, it was reported that He was at home. Many people gathered and in Luke’s account in chapter 5, verse 17, you find that the scribes are coming from every village in Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem. Quite a crowd gathered and there was no room, even at the door to get in. 

Rachel and Mike

Today, I am posting an outstanding message by Mike, given in 2021, about the four women in the genealogy of Christ. It was of great encouragement to me, and I think you will also find it to be something, which will feed your soul.

Jesus´ Family Tree (Matthew 1:3, 5-6)

Mike Brueckner, Christmas 2021 

The prophet Isaiah said that God´s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. In fact, he says, Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, that’s how much higher His ways and His thoughts are beyond us. In 1 Corinthians 1, it teaches that God uses the things that the world would consider foolish, or not usable, and uses those things, so that He may be glorified.

This article contains accounts of Christians, who have found the highest level of communion in their relationship with their Lord. In so doing, they have discovered the meaning of the creation of man, made in the image and likeness of God. It is something that causes bewilderment in the mind of an unbeliever, even if he happens to be the husband of a believing woman, as we will see in the first account below. It is followed by the story of another woman, who finds the high calling of an intimate relationship with God, which becomes the greatest thing in her life… more than life itself. Next, we will see an elder in a church, grown cold, although occupied in playing a leading part in religion. He is revitalized in a moment, by one touch of God upon his life. We will see how the overwhelming power of the truth, frees and transforms someone, who had been deceived by error that had been falsely presented to him as Christianity.  Finally, before turning to Finney’s own story, we will see a beloved believer, traveling through the valley of the shadow of death, but no valley or shadow appears, only the hope of joining the triumphant saints in glory.

The amazing work of God in the hearts of human beings

 There was a lady living in the first Ward by the name of Childs, the Christian wife of an unconverted husband. She was a lady of great refinement, and beauty of character and person. Her husband was a merchant, a man of good moral character, and as I should judge from what I heard him say, passionately fond of his wife. She attended our meetings, and became very much convicted for a deeper work of grace in her soul. 

 A few days afterwards her husband called on me one morning with his sleigh, and asked me to take a ride with him. I did so, and found that his object was to talk with me about his wife. He said that she was brought up among the Friends, and when he married her, he thought she was one of the most perfect women that he ever knew. But finally, he said, she became converted, and then he observed a greater change in her than he thought was possible, for he thought her as perfectly moral in her outward life before as she could be. Nevertheless, the change in her spirit and bearing at the time of her conversion was so manifest, he said, that no one could doubt it. "Since then," he said, "I have thought her almost or quite perfect. But." said he, "now she has manifestly passed through a greater change than ever. I see it in everything," said he. "There is such a spirit in her, such a change, such an energy in her religion, and such a fullness of joy and peace and love!" He inquired, "What shall I make of it? How am I to understand this? Do such changes really take place in Christian people?"

 In the last article, I posted some of Finney’s accounts of what took place, as he witnessed a new beginning of true and lively Christianity in Rochester, N.Y. He wrote that “this revival made a great change in the moral state and subsequent history of Rochester. The great majority of the leading men and women in the city were converted.” In this article, I have included a revival in a Rochester high school. As I scanned the book anew, I found that Finney wrote of the Fulton Street revival in New York City. The only connection with Finney was apparently chronological. The revival began because a single layman had a desire to start a one-hour prayer meeting for businessmen, at lunch time in the city. God worked and this effort produced a revival of prayer among the lay people of New York, resulting in the conversion of many souls.

 This article begins with an interesting incident, as Finney has taken by a volunteer from New Lebanon to Stephentown. Then Charles Finney gives some general characteristics of revival, using Stephentown as an example, and after that, he describes the fear of God and His presence in Rome, NY.  In the second section, Finney tells of an occurrence among the Methodists of falling under conviction of sin. Following that, we will read of the foundation of a crowded church, settling into the ground during a meeting. Finally, Finney writes of the forementioned revival in a Rochester high school.   

General revival characteristics, godly fear, and one exemplary meeting

 Accordingly, the next Sabbath, after preaching the second time one of the young converts at New Lebanon offered to take me up in his carriage to Stephentown. When he came in his buggy to take me up I asked him. "Have you a steady horse?" "O yes!" he replied, "perfectly so"; and smiling asked, "What made you ask the question?" "Because," I replied, "if the Lord wants me to go to Stephentown, the devil will prevent it if he can; and if you have not a steady horse, he will try to make him kill me." He smiled, and we rode on; and strange to tell before we got there that horse ran away twice, and came near killing us. His owner expressed the greatest astonishment, and said he had never known such a thing before.