A SUMMONS TO LEADERSHIP

"Give me 100 men who love only God with all their heart, 

and hate only sin with all their heart,...

we will shake the gates of hell, 

and bring in the kingdom of God in one generation."  

John Wesley

 As Commander in Chief of the greatest military force on earth, the President of the United States will often summon the Joint Chiefs of Staff from the Pentagon to convene in the White House to offer a first-hand situation report from the battle front.  Their assessments, detailed analysis, and strategic recommendations are vital for victory.

As a 4^th generation preacher of holiness who has lived all his life in a parsonage, a church-planter in one of America’s largest cities, a student of Church history, a first-hand witness to the breathtaking changes sweeping across the American Church, an observer of modern culture, and a Christian optimist convinced that “the gates of hell will not prevail,” I am concerned.

Our greatest concern is not with the people who are filling our pews, rather it is focused on those who have accepted the mantle of leadership.  Those whom God has called and gifted to be prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11), are too often beset with complacency, lethargy, uncertainty, futility, pessimism, and distraction. 

COMPLACENCY

Unaware of the urgency of the hour, the necessity of their voice, and the importance of their place in the battle, they have succumbed to complacency and a pathetic apathy.  They lament, “There’s nothing that we can really do.”   They may not admit that they no longer care, but their choices and their voices betray their apathetic spirit.

LETHARGY

Sadly, those who see the need are often too lazy to get up and engage the enemy.  Their minds have been numbed by the idiocy of modern media and gaming, their bodies are weakened by their lack of discipline and lack of restraint, and like the sleeping disciples in Gethsemane, “their flesh is weak.”

UNCERTAINTY

Tragically, the constant din of skeptics, cynics, and the faithless, have worn down that intense sense of conviction that once burned in the hearts of those on the front lines in the battle for truth. Where are those who will declare, “Thus saith the Lord!”  Where are those who will challenge this generation, “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.”  Where are those who will confront sinners, “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 5:3) Where are the men of solid Scriptural conviction? 

FUTILITY

Some are overwhelmed by the sense that their efforts are futile.  They suppose that anything they do, any call they make, any sermon they preach, any plan they make, and any prayer they pray is of little or no worth.  Futility makes them fruitless.

PESSIMISM

Pessimists are certainly not in short supply!  I would love to have a nickel for every time a leader has said to me, “We will never again experience revival,” “It will never be as great as it was in the old days,” “It’s not possible to see people genuinely converted,” “Calling doesn’t work,” or “No one will ever see the significance of separation from the world.”

These nattering nabobs of negativity are so paralyzed by pessimism, they have abandoned any expectation that God can move in their work.   I have heard them confess that if they can just get their immediate family to heaven they will be satisfied.  Sadly, some despair of their own salvation.

DISTRACTION

And distraction—the allure of entertainments, the desire for and the maintenance of our possessions, along with the never ending, always increasing press of daily life (i.e. errands, appointments, visits, caring for family needs, calls, e-mails, facebook, twitter)—has so weighted down some of our best leaders, they are delayed from, or totally kept from, their place of duty.

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THE 2012 ST. LOUIS HOLINESS CONVENTION is a wonderful place for CHRISTIAN LEADERS, PASTORS, MISSIONARIES, and CONCERNED CONGREGATIONS to assemble together for concerted prayer, insightful teaching, stimulating conversation, powerful preaching, and “koinania”—close Christian fellowship.

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WE ARE NOT IGNORANT OF OUR SITUATION!  We are not blind to the onslaught of the enemy.  And we are not unwilling to face facts.

BUT THAT IS WHY WE ARE OPTIMISTIC!

The Lord Jesus said, “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH!”  And He will!

Jesus declared, “YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER AFTER THAT THE HOLY GHOST IS COME!”  The disciples did, and we will too!

The empty tomb, the power of Pentecost, and the infallible revelation of God’s Word, are our guarantee.  THIS is no time for complacency, lethargy, uncertainty, futility, pessimism or distraction!

This is the time for GOD PEOPLE to gather together, pray for a fresh outpouring of Pentecostal power, and rise up to flood the whole earth with the glorious gospel of full salvation and “holiness unto the Lord.”

5 POWERFUL DAYS OF PRAYING, PREACHING, TEACHING, CONVERSATION, AND FELLOWSHIP
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19

The Convention & Indoor Campmeeting Schedule are under the leadership of the HOLY SPIRIT and our plans will give way to HIS! 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012       

6:30 pm  DOORS OPEN FOR PRAYER
7:00 pm  EVANGELIST P. L. LIDDELL (Church of the Nazarene, Michigan)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012          

9:00 am  PRAYER GATHERING & DEVOTION
10:00      OPENING CHALLENGE - PASTOR RICK JONES (Crusaders, Missouri)
11:00      EVANGELIST BEN CRAWFORD (Bible Methodist Connection, Alabama)

LUNCH BREAK - Served in the parsonage next door. Enjoy great food and fellowship.

1:30 pm  PASTOR ANDREW DURST (Great Commission Camp, Illinois)
2:15       THE GREAT CONVERSATION (A open discussion time)
3:15       MELVIN WATERS, (Wesleyan Nazarene Church, Arkansas)
4:00       KEN THOMPSON, (Church of God Holiness, Missouri)

EVENING MEAL - Served in the parsonage next door. Stay to visit with others attending. 

7:00 pm  WILLIAM CAWMAN, (Emmanuel Church Association, New Jersey)
Singing by the Duane Elmore Family (Bible Holiness Church, Missouri)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012                  

9:00 am  PRAYER GATHERING AND DEVOTION BY P L LIDDELL 
10:00      GARY JACKSON (Bible Methodist, Pastors Troy Bible Holiness, Missouri)
11:00      WALLACE THORNTON, Sr. (Church of the Nazarene, Kentucky)
LUNCH BREAK - Served in the parsonage next door. Enjoy great food and fellowship.
1:30 pm  MISSIONARY STEVE GIBSON (Holiness Pilgrim Mission, Indiana)
2:15 pm  THE GREAT CONVERSATION (A open discussion time)
3:00 pm  MARK AVERY, (Church of God Holiness, Missouri)
3:30 pm  MARSH JONES, (Crusaders Church, Illinois)
4:00 pm  GENE HOOD, (Independent Church of the Nazarene, Indiana)

EVENING MEAL - Served in the parsonage next door. Stay to visit with others attending. 

7:00 pm  WILLIAM CAWMAN, (Emmanuel Church Association, New Jersey)
Singing by the Duane Elmore Family (Bible Holiness Church, Missouri)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012       
        10:00 am  SOUL-WINNING, WORK and WITNESS

6:30 pm  PRAYER SERVICE
7:00       EVANGELIST BEN CRAWFORD (Bible Methodist Connection, Alabama)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2012       

9:00 am  Sunday School Bus Rolls
10:45      SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVOCATION
11:00      MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE (Evangelist P L Liddell)
6 pm      PRAYER SERVICE
6:30       EVENING RALLY (Evangelist Ben Crawford)

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Dear Friends of Christian Holiness,

If you believe that a revival of Scriptural Holiness is our most urgent need, then you will not want to miss the 2012 ST. LOUIS HOLINESS CONVENTION, Thursday, February 16 and Friday, February 17. 

More than economic growth, more than social reform, and more than political change, we need to recover the romance of loving God, the optimism of victorious faith, and the power of Spirit-driven living.
 

It is our conviction that as the message of holiness was supplanted in our nation by the neo-Calvinists of the early 20^th century, the Charismatic movement of the late 20^th century, and the Church Growth Movement of the past few decades, the Church lost her sanctifying influence in the life of her people and in the culture at large.

Today we are witnessing what the Apostle warned we would face: “men having a …form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”  (2 Timothy 3:5). 

Tragically this “form” is not only powerless to transform sinners it is also unappealing to the masses.  Fewer and fewer Americans are attending Church.  Statistics show that at one time over 40% of Americans attended church on any given weekend.  Today fewer than 20% attend. 

We are witnessing the demoralization of our nation.  Our national character is anemic, our moral convictions are few, and our spiritual concern is notable for its absence.  I am convinced that at the root of our social, economic, and political malaise, is our loss of Christian conscience.   

This profound loss can be blamed on the professing Church that prefers playing above praying, feasting more than fasting, and worldliness over holiness. 

YET GOD HAS ALWAYS HAD HIS PEOPLE!  AND IF HIS PEOPLE WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES, WILL  PRAY, WILL SEEK GOD’S FACE, AND WILL TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, (I would say this is a call to the kind of Holiness we seek), THEN GOD WILL HEAR, GOD WILL FORGIVE, AND GOD WILL HEAL.

GOD HAS RAISED UP THE JOHN WESLEY FOUNDATION of ST. LOUIS “For such a time as this.”