Catherine and William Booth co-founded the Salvation Army, which at one time was one of the most passionate, sacrificial, and aggressive gospel preaching missions anywhere in the world. (Thank God for the Salvation Army remnant that remains true to its calling.)
When I became close with Leonard and Martha Ravenhill in the late 1980's, they gave me as a gift six volumes of Catherine Booth's sermons published by the Salvation Army but out of print for many years. These quotes are primarily taken from her message "Aggressive Christianity," and most are found in my book How Saved Are We? I pray that they will light a fresh fire in you as you read them!
On the lack of opposition and persecution as a bad sign: "Opposition! It is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day that it provokes so little opposition. If there were no other evidence of it being wrong, I should know from that. When the Church and the world can jog along together comfortably, you may be sure there is something wrong. The world has not altered. Its spirit is exactly the same as it ever was, and if Christians were equally faithful and devoted to the Lord, and separated from the world, living so that their lives were a reproof to all ungodliness, the world would hate them as much as it ever did. It is the Church that has altered, not the world."
On how we should approach the lost with the gospel: "Take the bandage off their eyes which Satan has bound round them; knock and hammer and burn in, with the fire of the Holy Ghost, your words into their poor hardened, darkened hearts, until they begin to realise that they are IN DANGER; that there is something amiss. Go after them."
On why we have so many weak and unstable believers: "Here is the reason why we have such a host of stillborn, sinewless, ricketty, powerless spiritual children. They are born of half-dead parents, a sort of sentimental religion which does not take hold of the soul, which has no depth of earth, no grasp, no power in it, and the result is a sickly crop of sentimental converts. Oh! the Lord give us a real, robust, living, hardy, Christianity, full of zeal and faith, which shall bring into the kingdom of God lively, well-developed children, full of life and energy, instead of these poor sentimental ghosts that are hopping around us."
Catherine Booth also said: "There is nothing like the light of eternity to show what is real and what is not.”
This was part of her triumphant attitude: "The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under, but over."
Let's do this! On with it!
When I became close with Leonard and Martha Ravenhill in the late 1980's, they gave me as a gift six volumes of Catherine Booth's sermons published by the Salvation Army but out of print for many years. These quotes are primarily taken from her message "Aggressive Christianity," and most are found in my book How Saved Are We? I pray that they will light a fresh fire in you as you read them!
On the lack of opposition and persecution as a bad sign: "Opposition! It is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day that it provokes so little opposition. If there were no other evidence of it being wrong, I should know from that. When the Church and the world can jog along together comfortably, you may be sure there is something wrong. The world has not altered. Its spirit is exactly the same as it ever was, and if Christians were equally faithful and devoted to the Lord, and separated from the world, living so that their lives were a reproof to all ungodliness, the world would hate them as much as it ever did. It is the Church that has altered, not the world."
On how we should approach the lost with the gospel: "Take the bandage off their eyes which Satan has bound round them; knock and hammer and burn in, with the fire of the Holy Ghost, your words into their poor hardened, darkened hearts, until they begin to realise that they are IN DANGER; that there is something amiss. Go after them."
On why we have so many weak and unstable believers: "Here is the reason why we have such a host of stillborn, sinewless, ricketty, powerless spiritual children. They are born of half-dead parents, a sort of sentimental religion which does not take hold of the soul, which has no depth of earth, no grasp, no power in it, and the result is a sickly crop of sentimental converts. Oh! the Lord give us a real, robust, living, hardy, Christianity, full of zeal and faith, which shall bring into the kingdom of God lively, well-developed children, full of life and energy, instead of these poor sentimental ghosts that are hopping around us."
Catherine Booth also said: "There is nothing like the light of eternity to show what is real and what is not.”
This was part of her triumphant attitude: "The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under, but over."
Let's do this! On with it!
\o/ ! "All Aboard !"
ReplyDelete" Onward, Christian Soldiers" -->
(Wimps,He doesnt need! :D.)
During at least one time period, the early church was said to have "favor with all the people." (Acts 2:47). The Salvation Army was and is generally respected because they put what they say they believe (about loving their neighbors) into action, and Mother Teresa was loved and respected by nearly all, including Hindus, Muslims and atheists, because she lived the Gospel. Perhaps if we do more "showing," folks will be more open to our "telling." We evangelicals tend to be very good at remembering the Great Commission, but not so good at carrying out the Great Commandment. One author (sorry, can't recall the cite) pointed out that perhaps we are "neo-gnostics," focusing on the "soul" (spirit), but thinking that the temporal doesn't matter much. There are some indications, however, that this attitude seems to be changing for the better...
ReplyDeleteThanks Randy I think you present a balanced point of view.
DeleteRandy you have that backwards. The problem is we don't care enough about the person's eternity. We need to speak the Truth in Love & the Truth is that the temporal doesn't really matter in light of eternity; hell is forever. Notice Jesus didn't feed the thousand until first He preached the Gospel of the Kingdom; notice Mark 8:2 The people were hungry for his words of Truth & then he fed them "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat". He was more concerned about their eternal state than their temporal. He would often say "your sins are forgiven you" before healing their physical outside. We are NOT told to feed everybody. In fact, the bible says if you do not work, you don't eat. Let's remember what Jesus came to do: To seek & save that which was lost. The Word doesn't say He came to clothes & feed the poor. The problem is the church looks too much like the world. No DIFFERNCE. God said to Love Him & Love Others.The 10 commandments tell us how to do this. The 1st 4 commandments tell us how to Love God & the last 6 commandments how to love others. What does it matter if I give food to the poor & they eat for a day but spend eternity in hell. The main thing is to get them saved preach the Good News cause the world doesn't have any Good News...only bad. We had the Truth that can save them, the world doesn't.
DeleteA woman pastor/preacher?
ReplyDeleteA woman anointed and called by God.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I agree.
DeleteThank you for sharing those powerful and inspiring quotes. William & Katherine Booth were totally sold-out servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. everything they did was for HIM and for souls for His Kingdom. ... btw, I don't believe 'women pastors' are scriptural, ... but women CERTAINLY can be called and ARE CALLED to minister and testify and walk in their anointing and giftings from GOD. It is, however, a mistake {AS PER GOD'S GOVERNMENT} to "ordain" women in executive positions over men. I am sure the Katherine learned not to usurp authority over her husband, William, as either husband in the home or as chief executive and General in the ministry. It all a matter of Divine Order and proper submission to WHAT GOD SAYS.
ReplyDeleteThose are great quotes from sister Catherine. She must have been some gal. Mother T, not so much. From the gospel perspective she was a washout, and way too accommodating to the evils of ungodly Hinduism.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious if Dr. Brown would agree that Mother Teresa was a "washout" from the gospel perspective.
DeleteBlessed is the man who is punked by Jesus. He will fear no other.
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading Aggressive Christianity and I'm getting challenged like never before. The world is waiting for the body of Christ to stand up and engage them. Not just with a scripture but with good works. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete