4/25/08

"Shining Lights" #1

SHINING LIGHTS:

THE CONCEPTION, CHARACTER AND CATALYZING INFLUENCE OF THE MORAVIAN MOVEMENT

“Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? And, thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?” Ps. 88: 12

“Will the Lord reject us forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion? Then I thought, to this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.” Ps. 77: 7-12

“…That you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life.” Phil. 2: 15-16

“You are meant to incarnate in your lives the theme of your adoration, you are to be taken, consecrated, broken and distributed, that you may be the means of grace and vehicles of the eternal charity.” -Augustine

“God hath had it much on His heart, from all eternity to glorify His dear and only begotten Son; and there are some special seasons that He appoints to that end, wherein He comes forth with omnipotent power to fulfill His promise and oath to Him: and these times are times of remarkable pouring out of His Spirit, to advance His Kingdom; such a day is a day of His power.” -Jonathan Edwards

The study of history is of vital importance to any people or generation. The venerable wisdom of Santana remains as true today as ever… “He who forgets the errors of history is bound to repeat them.”1 Although the thought of perusing the dank and dusty corridors of time is often considered boring or monotonous in our self-absorbed, fast-food culture; God expects us to know the failures and foibles, victories and valor of others in history (Ps. 77-78, 1 Cor. 10: 1-13).

The renowned Shakespeare echoed our popular notion when he said, “History is sound and fury meaning nothing.”2 While human history gives lengthy endorsement to the reality of man’s fallenness; behind the noise and chaos, the veil of human flesh, is an unmistakably frank providential record revealing the sovereignty of God and the profound influence of men’s lives and ideologies.

English author and lecturer John H. Y. Briggs said, “Historical awareness is essential for the health and well being of any society. It enables us to know who we are, why we’re here, and what we should do…Just as a loss of memory in an individual is a psychiatric defect calling for medical treatment, so too any community which has no social memory is suffering from an illness.”3

Our society and much of “Christendom” is sick… afflicted with chronic amnesia. Blinded by generational ignorance and arrogance, we have fallen headlong into a pit of cultural trendiness and humanistic philosophy. “Our morbid preoccupation with ourselves has created an ambivalence and ignorance of the past, and trapped us under a recalcitrant present… History must be our deliverer.”4

Timothy Dwight said it best, “We need to remember and search for our roots in the luminaries, the risk takers and the movements of the church through the centuries… overcoming the narrowing amnesia that leaves us floundering.”5 Historical awareness is redemptive and therapeutic; and those who grasp its lessons live a timeless and inspired existence – marked by a pervading sense of purpose.

In the annals of Christian history, few stand out as prominently as the Moravians of Herrnhut. They shined as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life (Phil. 2: 15-16). “It could be argued that they became the most spiritual, noble, self-sacrificing body of believers since the first century church. It could also be argued that the world has probably not witnessed a movement of this quality since.”6

There are prophetic parallels found in history that can help to guide us in the necessary preparation for our times. We are going to search the conception, character and catalyzing influence of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians of Herrnut. As we gain an understanding of the history, background and characteristics of this renewal/missions movement, we will see the historical/context conditions and key people were in place to experience renewal, propagate Gospel and Biblical rediscoveries, and create new spiritual dynamics (re-contextualized) and leadership patterns. Understanding how the foundation was laid in this influential revival can help us understand the foundation and vision God desires for His church today.

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