1 history makers – the life of charles...
TRANSCRIPT
Lessons About Christian Living From Men Who Changed the World
1
“If we have no concern for the lost, we need to put a telescope into hell.” — Charles Finney Christian historians say that this is a guy who probably led more people into a relationship with Christ than any person previous to his time. Finney’s impact on today’s church:
1. P______________ M_______________ – he was the first guy to institute prayer meetings that would last a minimum of 3 weeks before he would even consider coming to do a revival.
2. S_______________ classes – he was the guy who formed classes for what he called “anxious inquirers,” those who were curious about discovering more about Jesus Christ.
3. H____________ V_____________ -‐ he started home visits for those who were sick in body or had questions about the faith, he would take other strong Christian leaders into these homes to minister to these people
4. A_____________ C________ – Finney, 175 years ago, was the first one to ever do what we call today altar calls or invitations for people to rise up and come forward.
Yet it was Finney’s submitted life unto the power of God, which deserves the most attention. He was a guy who learned how to submit himself to the power of the Holy Spirit unlike almost anybody that we know. He discovered the power of God in a very special way and by faith we are going to ask God to help us discover that same sort of power in our lives. The “Power” of God in the Greek language is dunamis. Scholars say you could translate the word dunamis as the most explosive miraculous power of God. This is what Charles Finney’s wife, Lydia Finney, the woman who knew him better than anyone else said about him: “Oh my dear, though I know you love me, yet you are terrifying when the power of God comes upon you. You stand there like a mighty angel, shouting the Gospel and wielding the flashing sword of judgment.” We are going to look at three Biblical principles that Finney applied to his life and we’re going to ask God to make them real for us.
1) DISCOVER THE POWER OF ____________ _________________. Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ Acts 2:38 WORD STUDY: What does the word repent mean it comes from the Greek word metanoia where we get the word metamorphosis, and it means to change your thinking, to change your direction. REPENT = “Re” means to turn around, “pent” is like the penthouse the highest. Change your thinking from the lowly ways of this world to the highest things of God. “A little consideration convinced me that I was by no means in a state of mind to go to heaven if I should die... [I] was brought face to face with the question whether I would accept Christ as presented in the gospel, or pursue a worldly course of life…” Charles Finney
Lessons About Christian Living From Men Who Changed the WorldHistory Makers – The Life of Charles Finney
Lessons About Christian Living From Men Who Changed the World
“If we have no concern for the lost, we need to put a telescope into hell.” — Charles Finney Christian historians say that this is a guy who probably led more people into a relationship with Christ than any person previous to his time. Finney’s impact on today’s church:
1. P______________ M_______________ – he was the first guy to institute prayer meetings that would last a minimum of 3 weeks before he would even consider coming to do a revival.
2. S_______________ classes – he was the guy who formed classes for what he called “anxious inquirers,” those who were curious about discovering more about Jesus Christ.
3. H____________ V_____________ -‐ he started home visits for those who were sick in body or had questions about the faith, he would take other strong Christian leaders into these homes to minister to these people
4. A_____________ C________ – Finney, 175 years ago, was the first one to ever do what we call today altar calls or invitations for people to rise up and come forward.
Yet it was Finney’s submitted life unto the power of God, which deserves the most attention. He was a guy who learned how to submit himself to the power of the Holy Spirit unlike almost anybody that we know. He discovered the power of God in a very special way and by faith we are going to ask God to help us discover that same sort of power in our lives. The “Power” of God in the Greek language is dunamis. Scholars say you could translate the word dunamis as the most explosive miraculous power of God. This is what Charles Finney’s wife, Lydia Finney, the woman who knew him better than anyone else said about him: “Oh my dear, though I know you love me, yet you are terrifying when the power of God comes upon you. You stand there like a mighty angel, shouting the Gospel and wielding the flashing sword of judgment.” We are going to look at three Biblical principles that Finney applied to his life and we’re going to ask God to make them real for us.
1) DISCOVER THE POWER OF ____________ _________________. Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ Acts 2:38 WORD STUDY: What does the word repent mean it comes from the Greek word metanoia where we get the word metamorphosis, and it means to change your thinking, to change your direction. REPENT = “Re” means to turn around, “pent” is like the penthouse the highest. Change your thinking from the lowly ways of this world to the highest things of God. “A little consideration convinced me that I was by no means in a state of mind to go to heaven if I should die... [I] was brought face to face with the question whether I would accept Christ as presented in the gospel, or pursue a worldly course of life…” Charles Finney
2) DISCOVER THE POWER OF LIFE-‐CHANGING _____________. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-‐8
History Makers – The Life of Charles Finney Dr. Brandon Park – September 10, 2014
2
2) DISCOVER THE POWER OF LIFE-‐CHANGING _____________. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-‐8 He would ask the churches, “Would you simply believe God at his word. Would you believe that prayer changes things?” When was the last time that you prayed and ask God to do something so big that there was no way it could be accomplished without Him? “Lord, we want rain. We do not presume to dictate unto Thee, but our pastures are dry, and the earth is gaping open for rain...Unless Thou givest us rain, our cattle will die and our harvests will come to naught. O Lord, send us rain, and send it now! Although to us there is no sign of it, it is an easy thing for Thee to do. Send it now, for Christ’s sake. Amen.” Charles Finney
3) DISCOVER THE POWER OF A __________ ___________. Finney found that there were a lot of people especially the upper class, who were afraid to be known as “anxious inquirers.” They were afraid to stand up for their faith, they didn’t want to be embarrassed. In fact I would argue today that in a lot of churches in our country we see people today who would rather be comfortable, and not be challenged. When you are a fully devoted follower of Christ, you cannot have life without controversy. Everybody else is coming out of the closet, it’s time the Christians come out of the closet. This is what Finney would say: “You stood publicly and boldly in your sin, now you stand publicly and boldly for Christ. You sinned before all mankind now you stand for righteousness before all mankind.” And he would again and again quote the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:32-‐33: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-‐33 “…I want you who have made up your minds to become Christians and will give your pledge to make your peace with God immediately should rise up…those of you who are resolved that you will not become Christians…should sit still.” Charles Finney Finney facts for extra study: ·∙ Bridged the gap between camp meetings and the church ·∙ Rejected extreme Calvinism ·∙ Linked Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening ·∙ Personalized the salvation message ·∙ Led 100,000 people to Christ and to be church members through the Rochester Revival ·∙ Thought to have led more people to Christ than any previous person “The Holy Spirit descended on me…like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves of liquid love…I remember crying out, ‘I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.’ I said, ‘Lord, I cannot bear any more,’ yet I had no fear of death.” Charles Finney
He would ask the churches, “Would you simply believe God at his word. Would you believe that prayer changes things?” When was the last time that you prayed and ask God to do something so big that there was no way it could be accomplished without Him? “Lord, we want rain. We do not presume to dictate unto Thee, but our pastures are dry, and the earth is gaping open for rain...Unless Thou givest us rain, our cattle will die and our harvests will come to naught. O Lord, send us rain, and send it now! Although to us there is no sign of it, it is an easy thing for Thee to do. Send it now, for Christ’s sake. Amen.” Charles Finney
3) DISCOVER THE POWER OF A __________ ___________. Finney found that there were a lot of people especially the upper class, who were afraid to be known as “anxious inquirers.” They were afraid to stand up for their faith, they didn’t want to be embarrassed. In fact I would argue today that in a lot of churches in our country we see people today who would rather be comfortable, and not be challenged. When you are a fully devoted follower of Christ, you cannot have life without controversy. Everybody else is coming out of the closet, it’s time the Christians come out of the closet. This is what Finney would say: “You stood publicly and boldly in your sin, now you stand publicly and boldly for Christ. You sinned before all mankind now you stand for righteousness before all mankind.” And he would again and again quote the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:32-‐33: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-‐33 “…I want you who have made up your minds to become Christians and will give your pledge to make your peace with God immediately should rise up…those of you who are resolved that you will not become Christians…should sit still.” Charles Finney Finney facts for extra study: ·∙ Bridged the gap between camp meetings and the church ·∙ Rejected extreme Calvinism ·∙ Linked Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening ·∙ Personalized the salvation message ·∙ Led 100,000 people to Christ and to be church members through the Rochester Revival ·∙ Thought to have led more people to Christ than any previous person “The Holy Spirit descended on me…like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves of liquid love…I remember crying out, ‘I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.’ I said, ‘Lord, I cannot bear any more,’ yet I had no fear of death.” Charles Finney
Lessons About Christian Living From Men Who Changed the World
1
“If we have no concern for the lost, we need to put a telescope into hell.” — Charles Finney Christian historians say that this is a guy who probably led more people into a relationship with Christ than any person previous to his time. Finney’s impact on today’s church:
1. P______________ M_______________ – he was the first guy to institute prayer meetings that would last a minimum of 3 weeks before he would even consider coming to do a revival.
2. S_______________ classes – he was the guy who formed classes for what he called “anxious inquirers,” those who were curious about discovering more about Jesus Christ.
3. H____________ V_____________ -‐ he started home visits for those who were sick in body or had questions about the faith, he would take other strong Christian leaders into these homes to minister to these people
4. A_____________ C________ – Finney, 175 years ago, was the first one to ever do what we call today altar calls or invitations for people to rise up and come forward.
Yet it was Finney’s submitted life unto the power of God, which deserves the most attention. He was a guy who learned how to submit himself to the power of the Holy Spirit unlike almost anybody that we know. He discovered the power of God in a very special way and by faith we are going to ask God to help us discover that same sort of power in our lives. The “Power” of God in the Greek language is dunamis. Scholars say you could translate the word dunamis as the most explosive miraculous power of God. This is what Charles Finney’s wife, Lydia Finney, the woman who knew him better than anyone else said about him: “Oh my dear, though I know you love me, yet you are terrifying when the power of God comes upon you. You stand there like a mighty angel, shouting the Gospel and wielding the flashing sword of judgment.” We are going to look at three Biblical principles that Finney applied to his life and we’re going to ask God to make them real for us.
1) DISCOVER THE POWER OF ____________ _________________. Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ Acts 2:38 WORD STUDY: What does the word repent mean it comes from the Greek word metanoia where we get the word metamorphosis, and it means to change your thinking, to change your direction. REPENT = “Re” means to turn around, “pent” is like the penthouse the highest. Change your thinking from the lowly ways of this world to the highest things of God. “A little consideration convinced me that I was by no means in a state of mind to go to heaven if I should die... [I] was brought face to face with the question whether I would accept Christ as presented in the gospel, or pursue a worldly course of life…” Charles Finney
Lessons About Christian Living From Men Who Changed the WorldHistory Makers – The Life of Charles Finney
Lessons About Christian Living From Men Who Changed the World
“If we have no concern for the lost, we need to put a telescope into hell.” — Charles Finney Christian historians say that this is a guy who probably led more people into a relationship with Christ than any person previous to his time. Finney’s impact on today’s church:
1. P______________ M_______________ – he was the first guy to institute prayer meetings that would last a minimum of 3 weeks before he would even consider coming to do a revival.
2. S_______________ classes – he was the guy who formed classes for what he called “anxious inquirers,” those who were curious about discovering more about Jesus Christ.
3. H____________ V_____________ -‐ he started home visits for those who were sick in body or had questions about the faith, he would take other strong Christian leaders into these homes to minister to these people
4. A_____________ C________ – Finney, 175 years ago, was the first one to ever do what we call today altar calls or invitations for people to rise up and come forward.
Yet it was Finney’s submitted life unto the power of God, which deserves the most attention. He was a guy who learned how to submit himself to the power of the Holy Spirit unlike almost anybody that we know. He discovered the power of God in a very special way and by faith we are going to ask God to help us discover that same sort of power in our lives. The “Power” of God in the Greek language is dunamis. Scholars say you could translate the word dunamis as the most explosive miraculous power of God. This is what Charles Finney’s wife, Lydia Finney, the woman who knew him better than anyone else said about him: “Oh my dear, though I know you love me, yet you are terrifying when the power of God comes upon you. You stand there like a mighty angel, shouting the Gospel and wielding the flashing sword of judgment.” We are going to look at three Biblical principles that Finney applied to his life and we’re going to ask God to make them real for us.
1) DISCOVER THE POWER OF ____________ _________________. Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ Acts 2:38 WORD STUDY: What does the word repent mean it comes from the Greek word metanoia where we get the word metamorphosis, and it means to change your thinking, to change your direction. REPENT = “Re” means to turn around, “pent” is like the penthouse the highest. Change your thinking from the lowly ways of this world to the highest things of God. “A little consideration convinced me that I was by no means in a state of mind to go to heaven if I should die... [I] was brought face to face with the question whether I would accept Christ as presented in the gospel, or pursue a worldly course of life…” Charles Finney
2) DISCOVER THE POWER OF LIFE-‐CHANGING _____________. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-‐8
History Makers – The Life of Charles Finney Dr. Brandon Park – September 10, 2014
rayer eeti ngs
eeker
ome isits
ltar alls
humble repentance
2
2) DISCOVER THE POWER OF LIFE-‐CHANGING _____________. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-‐8 He would ask the churches, “Would you simply believe God at his word. Would you believe that prayer changes things?” When was the last time that you prayed and ask God to do something so big that there was no way it could be accomplished without Him? “Lord, we want rain. We do not presume to dictate unto Thee, but our pastures are dry, and the earth is gaping open for rain...Unless Thou givest us rain, our cattle will die and our harvests will come to naught. O Lord, send us rain, and send it now! Although to us there is no sign of it, it is an easy thing for Thee to do. Send it now, for Christ’s sake. Amen.” Charles Finney
3) DISCOVER THE POWER OF A __________ ___________. Finney found that there were a lot of people especially the upper class, who were afraid to be known as “anxious inquirers.” They were afraid to stand up for their faith, they didn’t want to be embarrassed. In fact I would argue today that in a lot of churches in our country we see people today who would rather be comfortable, and not be challenged. When you are a fully devoted follower of Christ, you cannot have life without controversy. Everybody else is coming out of the closet, it’s time the Christians come out of the closet. This is what Finney would say: “You stood publicly and boldly in your sin, now you stand publicly and boldly for Christ. You sinned before all mankind now you stand for righteousness before all mankind.” And he would again and again quote the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:32-‐33: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-‐33 “…I want you who have made up your minds to become Christians and will give your pledge to make your peace with God immediately should rise up…those of you who are resolved that you will not become Christians…should sit still.” Charles Finney Finney facts for extra study: ·∙ Bridged the gap between camp meetings and the church ·∙ Rejected extreme Calvinism ·∙ Linked Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening ·∙ Personalized the salvation message ·∙ Led 100,000 people to Christ and to be church members through the Rochester Revival ·∙ Thought to have led more people to Christ than any previous person “The Holy Spirit descended on me…like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves of liquid love…I remember crying out, ‘I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.’ I said, ‘Lord, I cannot bear any more,’ yet I had no fear of death.” Charles Finney
He would ask the churches, “Would you simply believe God at his word. Would you believe that prayer changes things?” When was the last time that you prayed and ask God to do something so big that there was no way it could be accomplished without Him? “Lord, we want rain. We do not presume to dictate unto Thee, but our pastures are dry, and the earth is gaping open for rain...Unless Thou givest us rain, our cattle will die and our harvests will come to naught. O Lord, send us rain, and send it now! Although to us there is no sign of it, it is an easy thing for Thee to do. Send it now, for Christ’s sake. Amen.” Charles Finney
3) DISCOVER THE POWER OF A __________ ___________. Finney found that there were a lot of people especially the upper class, who were afraid to be known as “anxious inquirers.” They were afraid to stand up for their faith, they didn’t want to be embarrassed. In fact I would argue today that in a lot of churches in our country we see people today who would rather be comfortable, and not be challenged. When you are a fully devoted follower of Christ, you cannot have life without controversy. Everybody else is coming out of the closet, it’s time the Christians come out of the closet. This is what Finney would say: “You stood publicly and boldly in your sin, now you stand publicly and boldly for Christ. You sinned before all mankind now you stand for righteousness before all mankind.” And he would again and again quote the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:32-‐33: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-‐33 “…I want you who have made up your minds to become Christians and will give your pledge to make your peace with God immediately should rise up…those of you who are resolved that you will not become Christians…should sit still.” Charles Finney Finney facts for extra study: ·∙ Bridged the gap between camp meetings and the church ·∙ Rejected extreme Calvinism ·∙ Linked Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening ·∙ Personalized the salvation message ·∙ Led 100,000 people to Christ and to be church members through the Rochester Revival ·∙ Thought to have led more people to Christ than any previous person “The Holy Spirit descended on me…like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves of liquid love…I remember crying out, ‘I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.’ I said, ‘Lord, I cannot bear any more,’ yet I had no fear of death.” Charles Finney
prayer
public faith