From Broken to Blessed: The Transformative Power of One Life

In a world often filled with despair and division, the message of transformation through faith shines brightly. Pastor Bill Brannan explores how one individual’s encounter with the Holy Spirit can not only change their life but also inspire millions to seek reconciliation and renewal. This blog delves into the profound teachings shared in his sermon, emphasizing the importance of authentic Christianity and the power of personal change.

Introduction to World-Changing Through Life-Changing

Transformation begins at an individual level. Each person’s journey towards change can create ripples that affect entire communities and nations. When one life is transformed, it can lead to a chain reaction of faith, hope, and renewal. This idea is central to understanding how personal encounters with the Holy Spirit can lead to broader societal change.

In this context, we explore how life-changing experiences can catalyze world-changing movements. The goal is not merely personal improvement but a profound shift that can inspire others to seek their own transformations. It is about embracing the potential within each individual to contribute to a greater cause.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Transformation

The Holy Spirit is a fundamental agent of change in the lives of believers. Through the Spirit, individuals experience renewal, empowerment, and guidance. The promise of being ‘clothed with power from on high’ enables Christians to become witnesses of Christ’s love and grace.

As believers seek to embody the teachings of Jesus, the Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in their transformation. It is through this divine influence that hearts of stone are replaced with hearts of flesh, leading to a life marked by compassion, understanding, and purpose.

Frank Buckman and His Vision for Change

Frank Buckman was a visionary whose life exemplified the power of personal transformation. His belief that one person could change a million lives laid the groundwork for significant societal impact. Buckman’s journey began with a deep desire to address the spiritual and moral crises of his time.

He sought to empower individuals to have their own encounters with grace, emphasizing personal responsibility in the quest for change. His approach was not about mass evangelism but rather about meaningful relationships and one-on-one discipleship. This method proved effective in reaching diverse populations, including those from different faith backgrounds.

The Oxford Group and Historical Context

The Oxford Group emerged in the early 20th century as a movement focused on personal transformation through spiritual principles. It was a response to the moral and social upheavals of the time, including the aftermath of World War I. The group’s emphasis on honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love resonated with individuals seeking deeper meaning in their lives.

As the movement grew, it became a vehicle for reconciliation and healing across various sectors of society. The Oxford Group’s influence reached leaders in business, politics, and religion, demonstrating how spiritual awakening could lead to tangible change in the world.

Materialism and Its Impacts

Materialism poses a significant challenge to spiritual and personal growth. When societies prioritize possessions and wealth over relationships and values, they risk losing their moral compass. Buckman recognized that materialism was not only a societal issue but also a deeply personal one that affected individuals’ spiritual lives.

He argued that the root of many societal problems lies in a lack of spiritual foundation. By promoting a return to moral and spiritual values, he believed that individuals could reclaim their purpose and contribute positively to society. The antidote to materialism is a commitment to love, service, and community.

Revival, Revolution, and Renaissance

The journey of transformation often leads to a revival of spirit, which can spark a revolution of ideas and practices. This cycle of revival, revolution, and renaissance reflects the potential for societal renewal through individual change. When lives are transformed, they inspire others to seek similar experiences, creating a movement of change.

Buckman’s vision encompassed this cycle, advocating for a rebirth of humanity characterized by compassion, understanding, and mutual respect. He believed that true revival would lead to a revolution of thought and action, ultimately resulting in a renaissance of human flourishing.

Guidance from the Spirit of God

Seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit is essential for anyone desiring to effect change in their lives and communities. The Spirit provides wisdom, direction, and comfort, empowering individuals to navigate their journeys of transformation. This divine guidance is crucial for making decisions that align with God’s will.

As individuals learn to listen to the Spirit, they become more attuned to their calling and purpose. This connection fosters a sense of community and shared mission, enabling believers to work together towards common goals. The Spirit unifies and strengthens the body of Christ, making collective transformation possible.

Healing Beyond Belief

Healing is not limited to physical ailments but extends to emotional and spiritual wounds. Buckman’s work highlighted the importance of holistic healing, recognizing that true transformation involves addressing the entirety of a person’s being. This approach allows individuals to experience freedom from past hurts and resentments.

Through encounters with the Holy Spirit, many find healing that transcends their understanding. This healing leads to a renewed sense of identity and purpose, empowering individuals to contribute positively to their communities. The journey of healing is often the first step toward broader societal change.

Human Flourishing and Personal Growth

Human flourishing is the ultimate goal of transformation. It encompasses not only individual growth but also the well-being of communities and societies. When individuals are empowered to grow and thrive, they contribute to a culture of positivity, resilience, and hope.

As believers engage in personal growth through the Holy Spirit, they become catalysts for change. Their transformation inspires others to seek their own paths to flourishing. The impact of one life transformed can lead to countless others finding their way to healing and purpose.

Overcoming Fear and Developing Courage

Fear often paralyzes individuals, preventing them from living out their true potential. To overcome fear, one must cultivate courage, a divine gift that empowers believers to act despite their anxieties. This courage is rooted in faith, the assurance that God is with us in every situation.

As we confront our fears, we can lean on the promises of Scripture. For instance, Isaiah 41:10 reassures us that we need not fear, for God is with us. By embracing this truth, we can take bold steps forward, trusting that God’s presence diminishes our fears.

Steps to Developing Courage

• Recognize Your Fear: Acknowledge what fears hold you back.
• Seek God’s Strength: Pray for courage and strength to face your fears.
• Take Small Steps: Begin by taking small actions that challenge your fears.
• Surround Yourself with Support: Engage with a community that encourages and uplifts you.
• Reflect on Past Victories: Remember times when you overcame challenges to inspire confidence.

The Impact of Changing Lives

When individuals undergo transformation, the effects ripple throughout their communities. A single changed life can inspire others, creating a chain reaction of faith and hope. This impact is not limited to personal relationships but extends to societal structures.

Each transformed life contributes to a collective movement toward goodness and righteousness. Whether through acts of service, sharing personal testimonies, or simply living authentically, changed lives become beacons of hope for those around them.

Real-Life Examples of Transformation

• Community Leaders: Individuals who lead by example inspire others to pursue positive change.
• Volunteers: Those who dedicate their time to serve others can ignite passion in their communities.
• Mentorship: Transformative experiences shared through mentorship can empower the next generation.

Power of the Holy Spirit for Empowerment

The Holy Spirit is essential for empowerment in the life of a believer. This divine presence equips individuals with gifts that enable them to serve others effectively. It is through the Spirit that we find the strength to act in love and compassion.

Empowerment comes not just from personal strength but from divine enablement. As believers yield to the Holy Spirit, they can experience transformation that leads to impactful service in their communities.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

• Wisdom: The ability to make sound decisions that align with God’s will.
• Understanding: Insight into the deeper truths of faith.
• Courage: Boldness to speak and act for justice and love.
• Service: A heart for helping others in need.

Discernment and Awareness of the Wrong Spirit

In a world filled with various influences, discernment is crucial. Believers must develop an awareness of the wrong spirit that seeks to lead them astray. This requires a deep connection with the Holy Spirit and a commitment to truth.

Understanding discernment involves recognizing the fruits of the Spirit versus the fruits of the wrong spirit. When we operate in love, joy, peace, and patience, we reflect the character of Christ. Conversely, bitterness, anger, and manipulation indicate a departure from the Spirit’s leading.

Practicing Discernment

• Engage in Prayer: Seek guidance from the Holy Spirit in decision-making.
• Study Scripture: Regularly read the Bible to understand God’s truth.
• Consult with Wise Counsel: Surround yourself with spiritually mature individuals.
• Reflect on Your Motives: Assess whether your actions align with God’s heart.

The Fruit of the Spirit and Character Development

The fruit of the Spirit represents the character traits that should define a believer’s life. These traits—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are evidence of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Character development is a continuous process that reflects our growth in faith. As we cultivate these fruits, we become more like Christ, influencing those around us positively.

Developing the Fruit of the Spirit

• Practice Love: Show unconditional love to others, even in challenging situations.
• Embrace Joy: Find joy in serving others and celebrating their successes.
• Seek Peace: Be a peacemaker in conflicts and strive for reconciliation.
• Exercise Patience: Cultivate patience in your relationships and interactions.

The Spiritual Search: Seek and You Will Find

The quest for spiritual truth is a journey that requires intentionality. Jesus invites us to seek, ask, and knock, promising that those who earnestly pursue Him will find what they are looking for. This search involves both a desire for knowledge and a longing for a deeper relationship with God.

Engaging in this spiritual search means being open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth. As we seek God, we uncover layers of understanding that deepen our faith and empower our witness.

Steps to Deepening Your Spiritual Search

• Commit to Daily Prayer: Establish a regular prayer life to deepen your connection with God.
• Engage with Scripture: Read and meditate on the Word to gain insight and wisdom.
• Participate in Community: Join a group of believers for fellowship and mutual encouragement.
• Be Open to New Experiences: Attend workshops or retreats that foster spiritual growth.

World-Changing Through Life-Changing

The transformation of individual lives is the catalyst for broader societal change. As people experience personal renewal through the Holy Spirit, they become agents of change, impacting families, communities, and nations. This ripple effect highlights the interconnectedness of our lives and the power of one transformed person.

By living out the principles of love, forgiveness, and service, transformed individuals can inspire others to embark on their journeys of change. The world-changing potential of a single life is profound, reminding us that every act of kindness contributes to a greater narrative of hope and renewal.

Examples of Life-Changing Impact

• Community Service: Individuals volunteering can uplift entire neighborhoods.
• Advocacy: Speaking out for justice can lead to systemic change.
• Mentoring Relationships: Guiding others can transform lives and futures.

The Identity of the Sons of God

Understanding our identity as sons and daughters of God is foundational to living out our faith. This identity shapes our actions, attitudes, and relationships. When we recognize that we are children of the King, we are empowered to live boldly and authentically.

As sons of God, we are called to reflect His character in our interactions with others. This includes showing love, grace, and mercy, even in challenging circumstances. Embracing our identity allows us to walk confidently in our purpose, knowing that we are equipped for the tasks ahead.

Embracing Our Identity

• Know Your Worth: Understand that you are valued and loved by God.
• Live Authentically: Let your actions reflect your identity in Christ.
• Act with Confidence: Step into your calling with the assurance of your identity.
• Share Your Story: Testify to the transformative power of God in your life.

World Changing Will Come Through Life-Changing

(Preaching Outline)

1)      Last week we proposed a draft model for becoming more like Jesus:

a)      Model:

i)        We must be filled with the Holy Spirit

ii)      We need a continual revelation of Jesus

iii)    We need the body of Christ

iv)    We need to feed on the Word of God

v)      We need a life of prayer

b)      Today we are going to further explore the power of the Holy Spirit.

2)      The Holy Spirit

a)      Luke 24:49 (ESV) — 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

b)      Ezekiel 36:26–27 (NKJV) — 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

3)      Frank Buckman, the Oxford Group and MRA

a)      Became intrigued through our book club on Tuesday

b)      One man changed. A million changed. A nation changed.^[1]

c)      Human nature can be changed. That is the basic answer. National economies can be changed. That is the fruit of the answer. World history can be changed. That is the destiny of our age.^[2]

d)      World-changing will come through life-changing.^[3]

e)      My paraphrase of his story.

i)        Boys Home – Keswick church with Jessie Penn-Lewis

ii)      Penn State

iii)    Oxford

iv)    The world

f)       EXAMPLE OF A CHANGED LIFE: Fredrik Ramm hated Danes because of a dispute over fisheries, he became notorious through Scandinavia for the violence of his writings.  “The main thing I am here to tell you is that my greatest fault was the hatred of the Danes. My mind was poisoned with that hatred. I used my pen as well as I could in the service of my hatred and justified myself as an idealist. Then I met the Oxford Group with its challenging quality of life. . . .Now I am here to put things right with my old enemies.”^[4]

g)      Would God heal non-believers of bitterness, anger, strife and resentment?

4)      Why I have a passion to study Buchman:

a)      A great compassion in my heart over the moral and spiritual condition in America and the world.

b)      I have been thinking along the lines of:

i)        Human flourishing

ii)      The image of God in man

iii)    A world governed by love not fear.

c)      Examples of ideas I have been pondering

i)        Liberty vs. tyranny (totalitarianism)

ii)      Persuasion vs. Coercion

iii)    Freedom of thought, speech and belief are God given.

iv)    We need to overcome fear, greed, bitterness, hatred and unforgiveness in the world.

5)      Let us look to scripture and behold Jesus the true life changer!

a)      Matthew 5:43–45 (NKJV) — 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

b)      Just 2 of the Beatitudes: Matthew 5:8–9 (NKJV) — 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

c)      Galatians 5:16 (NKJV) — 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

d)      Colossians 3:12–14 (NKJV) — 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

e)      Self-righteousness and Pharisaicalism

f)       “If He knew what kind of woman”

g)      Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV) — 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

6)      World changing will come through life-changing.

a)      One man changed. A million changed. A nation changed.^[5]

b)      Human nature can be changed. That is the basic answer. National economies can be changed. That is the fruit of the answer. World history can be changed. That is the destiny of our age.^[6]

c)      I am encouraged to see someone with such convictions who set out to change millions of lives and succeeded… but it all begins with one person changed!

d)      Romans 8:14 (NKJV) — 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

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The cause of the world’s state is not economic; the cause is moral. It is there where the evil lies. It is the want of religion which we ought to possess.[1]

THE OXFORD GROUP is a Christian revolution, whose concern is vital Christianity. Its aim is a new social order under the dictatorship of the Spirit of God, making for better human relationships, for unselfish co-operation, for cleaner business, cleaner politics, for the elimination of political, industrial and racial antagonisms.[2]

One man changed. A million changed. A nation changed. That is the programme of the Oxford Group. [3]

World-changing will come through life-changing.[4]

The Oslo daily newspaper Tidens Tegn wrote, “A handful of foreigners, who neither knew our language nor understood our ways and customs, came to this country. . . . A few days later the whole country was talking about God, and two months after the thirty foreigners[5]

In London, The Spectator stated, “A national awakening has sprung to life. . . . It has abundantly revealed that social regeneration comes as a fruit of changed lives.[6]

Fredrik Ramm hated Danes because of a dispute over fisheries, he became notorious through Scandinavia for the violence of his writings.  “The main thing I am here to tell you is that my greatest fault was the hatred of the Danes. My mind was poisoned with that hatred. I used my pen as well as I could in the service of my hatred and justified myself as an idealist. Then I met the Oxford Group with its challenging quality of life. . . .Now I am here to put things right with my old enemies.”[7]

And that old country has certainly been shaken. You feel it in every department of life— not only the butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker, but the intellectuals of the country. Tonight in Viborg, the judges, the barristers and the lawyers, the intelligentsia, are witnessing to the positive power of Jesus Christ.[8]

The Oxford Group is a Christian revolution for remaking the world. The root problems in the world today are dishonesty, selfishness and fear— in men and, consequently, in nations. These evils multiplied result in divorce, crime, unemployment, recurrent depression and war. How can we hope for peace within a nation, or between nations, when we have conflict in countless homes? Spiritual recovery must precede economic recovery. Political or social solutions that do not deal with these root problems are inadequate. Man-made laws are no substitute for individual character. Our instant need is a moral and spiritual awakening. Human wisdom alone has failed to bring this about. It is only possible when God has control of individuals.[9]

Dr Kung, Chinese Minister of Finance, sent a cable which was quoted last week by Lord Addington in the House of Lords. It read as follows: The world today is in a state of chaos, degeneracy and disintegration, because men are dominated by selfishness, jealousy and materialism. The Oxford Group advocates the four principles of “absolute love, honesty, purity and unselfishness”. It is a movement which transcends geographical divisions, racial distinctions, party differences and class conflict. I believe the principles and the discipline of the movement will help to bind men and women of the world together in a common moral and spiritual awakening which is urgently needed to evolve a new and better social order. Only the inspiration and guidance of a Higher Will can change human nature and conciliate men and nations so that there may be “peace on earth and goodwill among men”.[10]

What is our real problem? You all know what a drought is. Well, we are suffering today from a spiritual drought. Fear and greed are like a dust storm. They spread over nations. They blind and choke people. They set man against man, class against class, nation against nation.[11]

National and world problems remain the same because the root problem— human nature— remains unsolved. Until we deal with human nature thoroughly and drastically on a national scale, nations must still follow their historic road to violence and destruction. Three thousand miles of ocean do not change this fundamental problem— and will not save us if we fail to solve it. The symptoms may differ in Europe and America. The disease is the same. What is the disease? Isn’t it fear, dishonesty, resentment, selfishness? We talk about freedom and liberty, but we are slaves to ourselves. The only possible alternatives today are collapse or God-control. And collapse is simply the selfishness of all of us together. Collapse or God-control.[12]

What we must have is a world-wide Christian front against the oncoming forces of materialism. We read of burning churches. The only answer to burning churches is a Church aflame. The god of efficiency is not enough. Goodwill and good works do not reach the heart of the trouble. Idealism has not succeeded. The truth is that any lasting social and economic recovery can only be built on the foundation of a moral and spiritual recovery. When you and I are not one hundred per cent God-guided and God-controlled, we are really helping chaos. All lukewarm people are really helping chaos. The fate of nations depends upon whether you and I are God-controlled.[13]

Absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness, absolute love. Those are Christ’s standards. Are they yours? You may have to put things straight. I had to. I began by writing to six people, admitting that ill-will between us was my fault, and not theirs. Then I could really help people. Remember— if you want the world to get straight, get straight yourself.[14]

May the answer not be found in a reawakening to the fundamental values on which democracy was built; in a rededication of our people to those elementary virtues of honesty, unselfishness and love which so many of us have allowed to take a secondary place? In an age when lowered moral standards have become a breeding-ground for destructive forces, is it not time for democracy to seek again the sources of her strength, and to demonstrate to the world the power of moral principles?[15]

You will do well today to read the fifty-first psalm. It is a tremendous human experience. And then read in the New Testament about the Cross of Christ. You will never, never, never come into this experience until you know the Cross of Christ. Some of you have heard about it, Sunday by Sunday, but it’s not an experience. If it were experience, you would not shrink from anything.[16]

Government, as one Prime Minister said, is then made easier. For the more men, under God, govern themselves, the less they need government from outside. Taxation goes down as honesty goes up. And the people naturally choose as leaders those who are most clearly led by God.[17]

In time of war, a nation mobilises every energy for national defence. If nations see a common enemy, they will unite in common action, sinking their national differences. Suppose the world were invaded by a vast army from Mars, threatening our existence, would not the whole world join forces in self-defence? Is there no common enemy against which all the nations must fight shoulder to shoulder? There is. The common foes of fear, greed and resentment have worked with deadly accuracy to bring the nations to the brink of catastrophe.[18]

Humanity is at the crossroads. We must reach a final decision for ourselves and for our nations. Do we choose the road of selfishness that leads to uncontrollable violence and darkness? Or will it be the road of the Cross to a sound world, where we learn how to live together, where the ancient virtues of justice, understanding and peace rule under God over a sane humanity?[19]

On Armistice Day, 1938, The Times published a letter from the Earl of Athlone and other national leaders which read, in part, “The strength of a nation is shown in the courage to admit her own faults. The glory of a nation is to have a creative message for the world. For this we need not only inspired statesmanship but daily inspiration in every business, every workshop, every home. We must teach ourselves to apply practically to conduct the Christian standards of honesty, purity, and love, and to make fulfilment of the will of God the touchstone of public and private life. . . . “Moral re-armament must be the foundation of national life, as it must be of any world settlement. The miracle of God’s Living Spirit can break the power of pride and selfishness, of lust and fear and hatred; for spiritual power is the greatest force in the world. . . .[20]

But as an Edinburgh landlady told me, “It is one thing to pray during the crisis, as hundreds have done. It is another thing so to live that it does not happen again.” Now, how can we find this new quality of living? How can we capture that spirit that can change the world? It can only come from a genuine religious experience— that is valid for a change of heart, for changed social conditions, for true national security, for international understanding. It is valid because it originates in God, and issues in actual changes in human nature.[21]

We must recapture the power of personal religious experience. Children are born every day. It ought to be just as natural for people to be reborn every day.[22]

Changed lives are the true foundation of a new world order. An eminent editor has said that life-changing on a colossal scale is the only hope left for the world today. We know that everything else has failed.[23]

We must let the Prince of Peace Himself dictate the programme of peace to men who have learned that the secret of peace lies first in their own hearts, then in their homes. Then they can hope to bring peace in the family of nations. A peace conference or a League of Nations can only succeed with new men. First we must have new men. New nations will follow naturally and logically. Then we shall have a new world where war shall be no more, where faction shall not rise against faction, class against class, interest against interest, or nation against nation.[24]

To be valid in these decisive days, our religious experience must once again become a marching, fighting, conquering world force. A mighty change on a colossal scale is the only hope left. This change begins with a change in human nature through Jesus Christ.[25]

To the leaders of Nazi Germany Moral Re-Armament appeared as “the Christian garment for world democratic aims”. The official Gestapo report on the Oxford Group (see page 307) denounces Frank Buchman and the Oxford Group for “uncompromisingly taking up a frontal position against National Socialism”, and states, “The Group breathes the spirit of western democracy . . . they encourage their members to place themselves fully beneath the Christian Cross, and to oppose the cross of the swastika with the Cross of Christ, as the former seeks to destroy the Cross of Christ.”[26]

Look at those four standards. See how they reach up strong, unbroken to the stars. They are the four standards of Moral Re-Armament— absolute honesty, absolute unselfishness, absolute love and absolute purity— personally and nationally. They are the four standards of personal, national and international life.[27]

At times of great crisis people just naturally look to God, and they expect their leaders to give them the lead. In a fateful hour when pronouncements are made, men hope against hope that there will be some force at work that will put off what we all deserve.[28]

We all look at the headlines. But we can do more than that. Moral ReArmament is everybody’s chance to do something about them. We can look at ourselves and our own nation, and see where we need to be different. For when men change, nations change. Moral Re-Armament is a world network of hate-free, fear-free, greed-free people.[29]

Think of the cost of hate, fear and greed. Millions of men and women must carry gas-masks today because men the world over have been living behind masks for years. Millions of men and women must grope through darkened cities because the nations have been living in a spiritual blackout. Millions of men and women today must listen to air-raid warnings because nations have not listened to the Voice of God in days gone by.[30]

Materialism and atheism are breeding grounds for corruption, anarchy and revolution. These have their allies in the selfishness that rules our homes, the bitterness that separates class from class, and the spirit of faction that divides a nation.[31]

Any man can begin today to listen to God. Any man can begin today to bring a new spirit to his home, his city and his nation. The greatest revolution of all time whereby the Cross of Christ will transform the world is enlisting men today. The condition of the world makes it imperative that we enlist now, and to this task we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honour.[32]

So we have Communism and Fascism, two world forces. And where do they come from? From Materialism which is the mother of all the “isms”. It is the spirit of anti-Christ which breeds corruption, anarchy and revolution. It undermines our homes, it sets class against class, it divides the nation. Materialism is Democracy’s greatest enemy.[33]

America must discover her rightful ideology. It springs from her Christian heritage and is her only adequate answer in the battle against materialism and all the other “isms”. But America does not hate materialism. Think of America destroying herself with the very force that she condemns in others. The battle of the ideologies was the granite of the Old and New Testaments. So many people today instead of giving the granite, give the sugar— and so we never cure materialism.[34]

M RA first of all goes straight to the fundamental problem —it recognises sin. Sin is the disease. Jesus Christ is the cure. The result is a miracle.[35]

You must have that emphasis on morals plus the saving power of Jesus Christ. Then you experience the dynamic which is almost forgotten— the Holy Spirit, that gives the guided answer and tells you exactly what to do as a clear direct call from God. That’s the programme for the Church today. I believe with all my heart in the Church, the Church aflame, on fire with revolution. We haven’t begun to experience the spiritual revolution we need. You need revolution, and then when you come into the clear light of God’s Presence, you will experience a glorious renaissance. You will come to see what Christ means this old world to be.[36]

America doesn’t have much of her great moral heritage left. Just think, if we fail to give emphasis to a moral climate, where will our democracy go? Some of us have been so busy looking after our own affairs that we have forgotten to look after the nation. Unless America recovers her rightful ideology nothing but chaos awaits us. Our destiny is to obey the guidance of God. The true battle-line in the world today is not between class and class, not between race and race. The battle is between Christ and anti-Christ.[37]

If this is America’s answer, then we are in a global effort to win the world to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Then the great truths of the Gospel will once more become great and Jesus Christ will be King. There is your ideology. It is the whole message of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The message in its entirety is the only last hope that will save the world. God’s chance is a revolution under the Cross of Christ that can transform the world.[38]

The only hope. Our only answer. Go forth with that message united and you will save the world. And now shall we have a few moments of quiet. Oh, Thou best Gift of Heaven, Thou Who Thyself hast given, For Thou hast died: This hast Thou done for me— What have I done for Thee, Thou crucified? I long to serve Thee more; Reveal an open door Saviour to me. Then, counting all but loss, I’ll glory in the Cross, And follow Thee. The Cross of Christ adequate for a revolution that will bring a renaissance, that will change the world. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.[39]

Human nature can be changed. That is the basic answer. National economies can be changed. That is the fruit of the answer. World history can be changed. That is the destiny of our age.[40]

“Isms” grow from unsolved problems in the life of men and nations. One man’s hate kindles a million hates. One man’s suspicion explodes a million suspicions. It spreads like a prairie fire. Or it creeps like a flame underground to burst out unexpectedly in a hundred places. Is America free from hates, fears, suspicions, greed?[41]

We have learnt that democracy without an ideology can win a war but cannot build a peace; that ideological preparedness is the task of the whole nation, and is the one sure basis of national strength, moral, military and economic.[42]

Someone has said that the modern man is not worried about his sins, but the result is that he is worried about almost everything else. Moral Re-Armament takes sin seriously. And it takes Christ seriously. Bishop Wurm of Germany writes, “In Moral Re-Armament people do not talk so much about the Cross of Christ, but they live by the power of the Cross of Christ. All come under its influence. That is why they can unite people of different parties, nations and confessions.”[43]

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