I recently finished a book entitled, Movements That Change the World. It is an easy read and you would find it very encouraging. Steve Addison, the author has a track record as a church planter and writes out of that experience and what he has studied about movements historically and in contemporary times. This is not a book review but I thought it would be good to share his, Five Keys to Spreading the Gospel, “plus one,” for our personal lives and corporate lives. I can strongly recommend that you would read it.
The author begins by talking about a, White-Hot Faith. I guess another way of describing what he stresses, is to have, “a fire in the gut!” I am not talking about eating too much Mexican food but a Holy Spirit Got-to-do-it drive that needs to go and tell. It is that dynamic which we read about in Acts 1:8 and what was moving the early believers to talk to other people about Jesus and salvation in Him. I have to ask myself as I ask you, “Do we have a “White-Hot Faith?” We need revival! Movements happened when there is a spiritual movement in the hearts and lives of people!
Secondly, and this is the “plus-one,” – A vital prayer life. Sloth in prayer is the formula for spiritual sloth. It is so easy to let our private and public prayer time slip away from our daily lives. Prayer less churches are powerless churches. I am saddened and deeply concerned about how few AFLC congregations have prayer meetings and also, how few attend. We in the AFLC are in need of spiritual revival so that prayer is not a matter of convenience but necessity!
Thirdly, the author talks of a “Commitment of a Cause.” He points to Jesus commitment to the Father’s cause to save the world. Quoting Addison, “Jesus expected the same unwavering commitment from his disciples. … Only those willing to take up their cross and follow him could be his disciples.” Once again, convenience has superseded what Jesus spoke of and a commitment to a cause does not fit our comfort zones. I really believe that we are spot-on theologically within our AFLC but being doctrinally correct must follow being spiritually fervent. Addison says, “Committed people make history by living in alignment with their deeply held beliefs.”
Fourth, he talks about Contagious Relationships. He points out that movements are not so much about some sort of program but the result of saved people maintaining viable relationship outside of their spiritual huddle groups called the church. It is a great chapter giving principles of contagious relationships but to me it really boils down to this, to be real people to real people coming out of that ‘white-hot faith.”
The fifth is the Rapid Mobilization and I am not going to say much about this point except to mention that Addison is correct in his emphasis on the difference between sterility by external control verses turning the new believer free to do what God has called him to do – Go! Tell! To again quote Addison, “Christianity has flourished when it is not longer dependent on foreign leadership, funding and control.” That is another a good focus for us.
Lastly, Adaptive Methods. I agree with the author that too many times we have been caught up with conforming people to programs or fads rather than to let God move people. That is a true movement – God at work in the hearts and lives of deeply burdened souls that just needs to express themselves.
This book has helped me to keep in balance the great need for spiritual life and fervor as well as living free in obedience to the work of the Holy Spirit. We have great opportunities in AFLC World Mission Committee to listen, catch the vision, counsel, prayerfully support and sent those whom God has called. Let’s be a movement!
by Dick Gunderson
