Remnant Magazine: Issue 6

CONTENTS

04

Rev. Bud Robinson

(from Herald of Holiness , April 24, 1912)

Bud Robinson Says

10 13 16

Rev. Paul R. Hartley

Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit: A Relevant Life

Dr. Paul Whiteford

What Is Entire Sanctification?

Rev. Jenee Noriega Yarbrough

Holiness in the Hood

Rev. Darrell Stetler II

Can We Disciple People in Holiness?

The Missing Link of Holy Discipleship? 20

Dr. Matt Friedeman

The Purpose of Remnant

As a publication of the Holiness Partnership, the purpose of Remnant Magazine is to promote Scriptural holiness through applicable theology and practice. The Holiness Partnership is a Wesleyan-Holiness organization seeking to re-discover the vision and understanding of biblical Christianity, re-emphasize the biblical doctrines of the Holiness church, re-invigorate the local church for mission and evangelism, and re-capture fidelity to biblical truth. We, at Remnant, pray that the Holy Spirit guides our messages, helps us bring clarity to holiness approaches to cultural issues, fosters a charitable dialogue in a polarized world, and enables us to speak the truth boldly in love, even in a time when the truth is unpopular.

We must have holiness churches where the Holy Bible can be preached in its purity. It is our honest conviction that, at this age of the world, God has raised up the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene to do this very work.

POWER LIVING OF THE

IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

A RELEVANT LIFE

BY REV. PAUL R. HARTLEY

Change, challenge, confusion. Words that are somewhat descriptive of our culture in 2023, no matter what part of the world you call home. I suppose many of those from times that far precede our own could describe their piece of history similarly. Yet the fact remains we live in rapidly changing, challenging, and confusing days that some would say are reminiscent of the description in Matthew 24 of the End Times. You remember the picture painted by the words of Christ: false messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, famines and earthquakes, persecution, many turning away from the faith, false prophets,

deception, an increase of wickedness, love of most growing cold (reference Matthew 24:4-14).

When I read these passages about the future and look around at our society, the striking similarities are blatant. Please don’t misunderstand me; I am not predicting the culmination of the age, although it may be sooner than we anticipate.

I would simply like for us to consider a question, bearing in mind the world in which we live: how do we as God’s people, redeemed by His wonderful grace, make a

godly impact in our world today? Christ’s mission is very specific: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10, NLT).

The Great Commission expands on this thought. “Jesus came and told His disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT).

I trust these Scriptures are very familiar to you, as they are to most Christians. Could I ask you, How are we doing regarding this mission, specifically, here in North America?

Yes, the last few years have been difficult for individuals, families, communities, and the Church. Most of you reading this article are familiar with the statistics, and they are not very encouraging. Our current situation seems more like defeat than victory.

So, what is the answer? Is there a key that will open new possibilities, turning defeat into victory, darkness to light, bringing new freedom and empowerment to fulfill the call and commission of the living God?

The key I believe is found in these familiar words:

“...Entire Sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect. It is wrought by the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit and comprehends in one experience the

cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service. Entire Sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought instantaneously by grace through faith, preceded by entire consecration; and to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness” (from Article X 20172021, Church of the Nazarene Manual).

OUR WORLD IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF A HOLY SPIRIT-LED HOLINESS REVIVAL...

WHERE THE STRONGHOLDS OF THE ENEMY ARE BROKEN.

Volumes of theology books have been written on this distinctive Holiness doctrine of entire sanctification. Dr. J. Kenneth Grider—one of many Holiness Theologians—has written much on this subject. In his book entitled A Wesleyan Holiness Theology , he discusses the components of the Experience: “A Separation to God’s Use, A Cleansing Away of Original Sin, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit, An Empowerment, A Sealing, A Growing State of Right Relationship, A Perfection, An Establishing Experience, The Component of Love, The Social Component, The World Mission Interest, and Its Otherworldliness.”

Let me highlight one sentence from Article Ten of the Manual: “It is wrought by the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit and comprehends in one experience the cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service.”

Again, let me reference Dr. Grider in his work, A Wesleyan Holiness Theology , page 388: “An Empowerment. While the Holiness Movement has stressed the cleansing away of original sin, we have also known that power, as well as purity is associated with the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 makes this clear: ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth’” (NASB).

Dr. Grider continues, “The Holiness Movement could well emphasize the aspect of our Pentecost more than it does. And it could well admit that the power means power for witnessing for Christ. It is more than just the power to live a holy life. Jesus Christ sits on the edge of our lips, waiting to be talked about. He will give us the power to tell

people, in more or less winsome ways, whose we are, and He will help us as we seek to lead them to Him.”

Our world, North America, especially, is in desperate need of a Holy Spirit-led Holiness revival where anointed preachers fearlessly proclaim the power of the Holy Spirit unleashed to bring transformation at every level—individuals, families, and communities. A revival where the strongholds of the enemy are broken, people are set free to follow Jesus with completely yielded lives, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct them in making an eternal difference. We need the “Baptism with the Holy Spirit” power residing in our pastors, church board members, Sunday School teachers, and every attender of our congregations. Can you imagine with me a mighty host of Spiritfilled, completely consecrated, sold out, on fire, children of the Living God, who are seeking to be on mission, following the Holy Spirit’s leadership in sharing His Love and bringing the Good News of the Gospel to those in desperate need of hope, help, and healing?

I don’t know about you, but I want to be part of this kind of Holiness movement—one very close to the heart of God the Father, bringing glory to Jesus the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I believe it rings true to the promise found in 2 Chronicles: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (7:14, NIV).

My heart cries out for another Great Awakening, another powerful revival, another time in history that our Living God breaks into the fabric of culture in all His transforming life-giving power. May it be so.

“No, Aleck, no! The danger of ruin to Methodism does not lie here. It springs from quite a different quarter. Our preachers, many of them, are fallen. They are not spiritual. They are not alive to God. They are soft, enervated, fearful of shame, toil, hardship… Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or

laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth.”

- John Wesley—writing at age 87 to Alexander Mather—quoted in Luke Tyerman’s The Life and Times of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 3, page 632 (London, 1871).

CAN YOU IMAGINE WITH ME A MIGHTY HOST OF SPIRITFILLED, COMPLETELY CONSECRATED, SOLD OUT, ON FIRE, CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD, WHO ARE SEEKING TO BE ON MISSION, FOLLOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT’S LEADERSHIP?

What Is Entire Sanctification?

By Dr. Paul Whiteford

Iwas a young religion student when I asked a professor for some clarity on the doctrine of entire sanctification. I have, over the years, heard a great deal of hesitant and unsatisfactory answers. I’d like to offer a brief answer to that question.

Salvation is more than conversion.

we are declared not guilty on the merits of the atonement. Sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in which He makes a reality in our lives what Christ did for us on the cross. This theology we share with most denominations. The question is not if sanctification matters, but to what extent does it matter, and what is its highest potential fulfillment in the life of a disciple?

1. 2.

The New Testament is a testimony to this fact. It was written, under the inspiration of the Spirit by Christians for Christians, and provides the essential apostolic witness to the meaning of the Gospel and how that Gospel transforms our lives and world. We are called to be “more than conquerors through him who loved us!” (Romans 8:37). Why would anyone urge people to expect to be less than conquerors?

Sanctification takes place after justification in our lives. We sometimes refer to justification as initial sanctification. There is widespread agreement across denominational lines that sanctification follows justification. Justification is a legal state in which

There are two major types of sin. Both are dealt with in the atonement.

We have all committed sins peronally that need to be forgiven, but we are also born with a sinful nature. It is out of this inborn sinfulness that we have all committed sins. We are not responsible for being born sinful; we inherited that from our parents going all the way back to the Fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. Since we are born with a sinful nature—or inherited depravity—we have

a bent or propensity to acts of sin that continue even after we are converted. This is a problem! Christians of every stripe believe that while our sins are forgiven completely, the sinful nature that we are born with remains after conversion. It is an inborn spirit of rebellion that continues to try to assert itself in our lives as Christians.

The question then becomes: are we to struggle against this inner remaining depravity the rest of our Christian lives with its corrupt influence still causing us to fall into sin? This is where the point of departure is for those of us who believe in entire sanctification. We believe God has enough overcoming grace available to drive out the remaining inner rebellion of inbred sinfulness and give us a pure heart that is empowered for Christlikeness and service. The question is not: do I have enough power to overcome inner sinfulness? I most emphatically do not! The real question is: does God have enough power to overcome my inner sinfulness? We say most emphatically He does! And that it is His will to do something about it!

Entire Sanctification is a second work of grace.

It is second because it occurs after conversion. It is a work of grace because God does something in response to our remaining sin problem that we cannot do and was not done at conversion. We call this entire sanctification (I Thessalonians 5:23-24) because sanctification began at conversion, but it becomes complete when the inner rebellion of our hearts is defeated and the entire sin problem is dealt with decisively. Entire sanctification purifies the heart from all remaining sin.

This immediately will draw protests from some who insist that sinful nature is permanently attached to the human heart for life. Where does that come from, and why would we argue that God is unable or unwilling to vanquish this inner foe? This is a point at which the language of the fullness of the Holy Spirit is helpful. The Holy Spirit’s distinctive work is as the sanctifying Spirit (I Peter 1:1-2; I Thessalonians 4:3-8; Acts 15:89). When the Holy Spirit fills the heart, where is there room for a contrary spirit of rebellion?

The question might then be asked: can a human heart be made pure? Apparently so because Jesus said “blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). God can make a pure heart if He wants to (Acts 15:9), and all indications are that He wants to do exactly that! If a heart is purified, on what grounds do we insist on allowing sin to

The question is not if sanctification matters, but to what extent does it matter, and what is its highest potential fulfillment in the life of a disciple?

pollute our nature and lives?

Entire sanctification is received by faith in God. And because it is received by faith it can be received in a moment.

The question is often asked: is entire sanctification a result of growth or an instantaneous crisis? The answer is “Yes!” There is growth before entire sanctification. We do not even begin to have heart cleansing on our radar until after we have been converted. It is the struggle with inbred sin that causes the heart of a Christian to cry out for a remedy to the inner rebellion of the sinful nature.

Additionally, it is instantaneous because of the power of God’s word. God’s word has creative power. He speaks and light appears; He speaks and planets are spun into orbit. If He says be holy, what force will prevent that from happening in a willing heart in a moment? Certainly, a God who can speak worlds into creation will have little trouble purifying a consecrated heart.

A few clarifications in conclusion:

What Entire Sanctification Does Not Do For Us

1. It does not eliminate temptation. It is the power to cope with temptation. Jesus had no sinful nature and He was still tempted.

2. It does not make it impossible to sin or place us in a static sinless state. The sanctified expectation is that we will not sin, but if we do sin, we have an advocate and remedy provided by Jesus (I John 2:1).

3. It does not heal all scars and wounds from the past. It does not bring about instant maturity. It does not bring automatic mental and social well being.

It does not end the need for growth. Our entire sanctification is the door to greater growth!

4. It does not make our judgement or our understanding superior. It should humble us to consider others before ourselves.

5. It is not unimprovable. As our capacity for understanding, maturity and growth increases, our experience will deepen and broaden.

What Entire Sanctification Does Do For Us

1. It manifests itself most clearly in Christlike love.

2. It is an establishing grace. We are more stable and less prone to failure.

3. It is empowerment for service. Ultimately, we are sanctified that the world may know the Lord (John 17:17-23; Acts 1:8).

4. It is the reign of God in our lives giving us victory.

The question is often asked, is entire sanctification a result of growth or an instantaneous crisis? The answer is “Yes!”

HOOD HOLINESS

BY REV. JENEE NORIEGA YARBROUGH

What good can come out of the warzone in Albuquerque, New Mexico? I lived my whole life in the inner city—a kaleidoscope of South Central Los Angeles, California; Atlanta, Georgia; El Paso, Texas; and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Living in the hood was a lifestyle—from the food and music to the sirens and gunshots. A life of pure survival.

My mom is full-blooded Laguna Indian and was left by her parents as a baby in an abandoned house on the reservation. She ran away at the age of 13 years old and had me when she was 15. My mom was an alcoholic by that time, and I was born a sick baby. My dad was 16 years old and very abusive to her. Both of my parents abandoned me at two months old.

My grandmother raised me (my dad’s mom); we were poor and lived in an area in Albuquerque called the “warzone.” It was a community of poverty, single parents, drugs, and alcohol. I started getting molested at the age of five years old. By the time I was 13, three different family members were sexually molesting

me—two of which were women.

I remember I was so excited when I finally got to meet my dad for the first time at ten years old. He came from California, was a Jehovah’s Witness, and played lead guitar like a pro. He took me and two of my cousins to my first concert ever—Iron Maiden. I remember that night vividly. The smell of weed as a fog of marijuana smoke hung in the air, wild fans headbanging in the mosh pit, the adrenaline rush of intense music pulsing in my chest, the crowd parroting each word at the top of their lungs, flames spewing up from the stage as the band jammed out. I absorbed every moment of that electric night.

After the concert, my dad took my cousin Karen and me back to my grandmother’s little apartment in the hood. There was a pallet made on the living room floor for all three of us; Karen laid in the middle, and I laid on my side facing the wall heater. The magical memories of that concert brought the heater’s flames to life, reminding me of the thrill that accompanied each burst of flames on the stage. With a swoosh sound

every few seconds, the hot glow would intensify and then dim like a dragon’s breath.

The heater was not the only sound I heard that night. As I lay quietly watching the fire lick the walls of its restrained domain, crocodile tears slid down the contours of my cherub face. I wanted to escape the nightmare that was happening behind me, but I was too afraid to move. The following morning there was no shame, apologies, nor promises—except my promise to Karen that I would not tell anyone about the violated trust and trauma we experienced. Secrets stayed in the family, no matter how vile. This man I waited to meet for so long… tried to have sex with my cousin Karen in front of me. Betrayal tends to lead to even more brokenness, so my life turned in the wrong direction, as a spirit of rebellion reared its ugly head. I started hanging out with the neighborhood kids. When my grandma called for me to go inside, I ignored her and started running away from home. The group that seemed to care about me, accept me, and include me were the local thugs, dope dealers, prostitutes, and gangsters. It was not much longer before I met a young man. He was a little bit older but made promises of love and took me

under his care. Every girl needs to feel beautiful, cherished, and loved. He made promises that my heart longed to hear and I thought would fill this emptiness inside. He invited me into his motel room on the main street in Albuquerque. He had this whole concoction laid out on the motel table and said, “Jenee, if you love me, try this.” He said all I had to do was inhale as he lit it. It seemed like such an easy request. I needed to keep up my tough and fearless façade, but I secretly would have traded my soul to feel wanted and loved. This was my first hit of crack cocaine at the age of 11, and a long journey of destructive choices and overwhelming darkness was about to begin.

I started stealing, selling dope, jacking cars, and living on the streets. I was on New Mexico’s Most Wanted at the age of 16 years old. I saw my cousin shot dead after I was hit in the head with a gun. At the age of 19, I was facing a sentence of 10-to-life after being arrested by the FBI. I ended up doing state time for attempted murder that was then dropped down to an aggravated battery charge with great bodily harm. Once released, I was a menace to society again and even began to break the street codes that I was once loyal to.

I started crying out to God: “Where are you? Are you real? Do you hear me?”

I pulled into the handicap parking space at the local Walmart. With me was my three-year-old daughter, the twelveyear-old babysitter, a twelve-pack of beer, and a bottle of vodka. I hurried into the Walmart and stole my six-month-old a baby bottle. When I came out of the store, my car was surrounded by police officers. In fear, I remember going to the back of the parking lot, falling to my knees, and asking myself, “What am I doing?” I walked back to my car, and they asked if this was my child and car. I said “yes,” and off to jail I went (and rightly so). God hit me like a brick wall that day. That was my wakeup call.

My boyfriend at the time called

I NEEDED TO KEEP UP MY TOUGH AND FEARLESS FAÇADE, BUT I SECRETLY WOULD HAVE TRADED MY SOUL TO FEEL WANTED AND LOVED.

his sister-in-law, who was a bonds lady, to bail me out of jail. The following day when I was released, I called a woman named Debbie Vanhook. She was a thirdgeneration Nazarene. On a couple of occasions, I had reached out to the church she attended. One time was to get a turkey and another to ask for prayer after a three-day drug binge. That is when she took my contact information.

I had said the “sinner’s prayer” a dozen times prior to this moment; being in jail as much as I had, you learn this prayer. But somehow this time was different. I called to see if she would come pray with me. She said “yes” (however, she tells me today that she was certainly hesitant and afraid in that moment). I am sure when she and her husband, Tim, walked through my doorway, the demons went on high alert and scattered out of my apartment. Debbie said to me, “Jenee, I am going to pray with you, and then I want you to repeat this prayer after me.” As she began to pray, I started to cry, and the flood gates of my soul opened. It was as if every piece of filth, refuse, and muck that I had collected during my life was being washed clean with my tears. I was so tired of living like this. I had two daughters and did not want to leave them because I knew what it felt like to be abandoned. However, I also did not want to keep them as a mother addicted to drugs. So, this day I was desperate—so desperate I prayed as I had never prayed before. I sobbed as if someone had died. I believe to this day that it was me—the self-will—who died that day. The old was gone; the new had come. I stood up and was miraculously delivered from a 19-year drug addiction and lifestyle.

Five months later, I had to go to jail for 30 days. During those days in jail, the Lord sanctified me wholly as I surrendered my past, present and future to Him. The message of holiness was made real to me. I knew that was what I had been desiring this whole time, and it was what God wanted for me. No more darkness, no more bondage. I was not

only free from the slavery of sin, but I was set in His throne room as His child. I never wanted to be separated from God again. I hungered for righteousness; I was thirsty for His Word. I heard God say to me, “Jenee, quit stealing and go get a job like everyone else.” You see, I was a hustler; it was how I survived most of the time. But in Ephesians 4:28 it says, “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work doing something useful with their own hands that they may have something to share with those in need.” Then the Lord told me, “Jenee, quit cussing.” I had a bad, toxic mouth and spewed filth with practically every other word. Ephesians 5:4 says, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” So, even my speech changed. I heard the Lord say, “Out of the heart the mouth speaks.” I had now been set free from everything that held me captive and stood between me and God. I had been made holy.

I was called into ministry, and I knew the Lord had called me to teach that there was deliverance and freedom through the God’s plan of entire sanctification. I am currently the lead pastor of an urban core church plant in the inner city of Kansas City and have seen many saved and sanctified. My family and I serve as missionaries to the urban core of Kansas City and across America. There is hope for the hood and a hunger for holiness there.

I WAS NOT ONLY FREE FROM THE SLAVERY OF SIN, BUT I WAS SET IN HIS THRONE ROOM AS HIS CHILD.

CAN WE DISCIPLE PEOPLE IN

HOLINESS?

A

The first time the young man heard about the doctrine of entire sanctification, he said, “That’s heresy!” He couldn’t see how it was possible to live in full surrender and victory over sin. And he couldn’t get past the word “perfect.”

I met that young man a few years ago. Perhaps you’ve met some like him in your town.

Ever wondered, “How can we even disciple someone toward entire sanctification in a world like this?”

To answer that, let’s first look at what we need to overcome.

That young man is representative of an important dynamic in our culture: The “Nobody’s Perfect” Cultural Narrative.

Cultural Narratives vs. Holiness Theology

Humans are wired to understand life through stories. It’s the way we process events, pass on values, and create meaning. But it isn’t just individuals. Cultures tell themselves stories, too. Think

young man from a rough background in Miami’s inner city became a believer.about the stories our culture tells:

• Rags to Riches

• Evil Group vs. Courageous Man

• I’m a Victim

• And many more…

These narratives are powerful. They help us create sense out of the world and its complexity.

So what story does our culture tell itself about perfection?

Finish this sentence: “Well, nobody’s _______.” What word would most people in our culture put there? “Perfect.”

Why? Because there’s a deeply embedded cultural current that we are swimming against, and even we in the Wesleyan-Holiness world know the pull of it, even if we don’t agree with it!

This means that when we stand up and say, “I’ve been made ‘perfect in love’ by the power of the Holy Spirit,” it sounds not just wrongheaded but also arrogant in the cultural moment in which we live.

Cultural Narratives in the Holiness Revival

In the 1800s, human perfectibility

and achievement were objects of fascination. Culturally, the USA was a potent blend of possibility thinking, spurred on by:

• The cultural currents of romanticism and transcendentalism

• Influence of authors such as Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman, and Alcott

• The wonders of science and the Industrial revolution

It was a time of rapid social change, featuring events like the outlawing of slavery in Britain and the United States (within 30 years of each other!). It was the era of Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days . The fastest travel that had ever been available in human history was building around the world: railroads, hot air balloons, steamships, and more. Medical advances were taking place as vaccines were starting to have a real impact on diseases.

All of this change was perceived as a positive. It led to a very hopeful cultural narrative: What next? How high can we go? Look what can be accomplished! During this time, there was also a tremendous revival of Wesleyanism

and teaching on Christian perfection. Movements and currents rising during this time included:

• The National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Holiness

• Phoebe Palmer and the “Tuesday Meetings”

• The Methodist Church was planting 2 churches per day during the mid1800s

• Holiness teaching crossed denominational boundaries and became ecumenical.

Of course, it was accomplished through the moving of the Holy Spirit. None of it was possible without His power! But there’s more. While not desiring to take away from the sovereign power of God to overrule cultural currents, I want to point out that He sometimes uses them.

The cultural zeitgeist of that moment did not lend itself toward “nobody’s perfect.” Huge swaths of American culture were wearing what I call “possibility glasses.” And with those glasses, they saw Christian perfection as a perfectly reasonable solution and embraced it in large numbers. The Holiness Movement

leaped across denominational barriers and impacted millions.

You might be thinking: but what can we do today?

God has called us to live in this age. We can’t afford to spend the one life we have wishing we could live in another era! How can we move forward on discipling people in holiness in this era?

1. Focus on modeling holiness.

We’ve all been around someone in our past whose godliness and holiness we could not deny. Their combination of gentle and quiet boldness, the sense of the holy love of Jesus flowing from them… we couldn’t explain it any other way. We must let our lives be “the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15, NKJV). Holiness moves from “impossible” to plausible, when people see it modeled!

2. Be patient and slow to over-spiritualize the objections of those you’re discipling.

We run the risk of alienating people if they do not quickly accept what we

believe. It is far too easy to give up and say, “Well, they just don’t want holiness.”

Remember, they are swimming against a mighty current. The cultural narrative of “nobody’s perfect,” spiritual warfare against their holiness, the poor examples of many Christians, and a church world that is full of teaching of a grace that doesn’t transform. Patience is needed as their mind is renewed.

3. Liberally use Scripture, even more than systematic theology.

The call of Scripture is our basis for pointing our disciples toward the possibilities of grace. We must remind them to:

• “Perfect holiness” (2 Cor. 7:1)

• Be “entirely sanctified” (1 Thes. 5:23-24)

• Be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18)

• Be “perfect as your Father in heaven is” (Matthew 5:48)

• “Yield our bodies” (Romans 12:1)

• “Count yourselves dead to sin” (Romans 6:17-18)

• “Love God with all your heart” (Matthew 22:37)

God has given an abundant supply of phrases and metaphors for the work of holiness in our hearts. Let’s use the

It’s important that your disciples know that holiness is both “timeless” (historically valid) and “timely” (currently relevant).

terminology God uses! I am not so worried about my disciples accepting my systematic theology; but I am concerned about them not experiencing the possibilities of grace!

4. Introduce old and modern sources of Scriptural teaching on holiness.

It’s important that your disciples know that holiness is both “timeless” (historically valid) and “timely” (currently relevant).

Find two or three old holiness books that you can recommend, and share those. Then, find someone teaching on holiness in a modern way. Books such as:

• Called To Be Holy by Dr. John Oswalt

• Holiness for Growing Christians by Dr. Allan Brown

• From the Classroom to the Heart by Dr. Paul Kaufman

• Pursuing Holiness Workbook by Rev. Darrell Stetler II

Discipling People in Holiness Can Be Done

Remember the young man who heard about Christian perfection and said, “That’s heresy”?

That young man’s name was Ronald

Pauleus. He was fortunate to be mentored by a pastor in Florida who was WesleyanArminian named Carl Guillame. Carl began teaching and training Ronald. He introduced Ronald to classic holiness writings, systematically studied the Bible with him, and modeled a life of holiness before him.

Ronald eventually became a convinced “Methodist.” By God’s grace, he came to experience what he called “a clean heart.” He attended and graduated from a holiness Bible college… and today he’s one of the pastors at my church in Oklahoma City!

Sure, society might be morally worse off than in years past.

But it can be done!

This calls for patience with people AND with ourselves.

This calls for wisdom in our preaching and our choice of words.

This calls for consistency of holiness in our lives and homes.

And it calls for persistence in proclaiming entire sanctification in whatever place the Lord Jesus has called you, until he comes again to “perfect all things in one.”

This calls for consistency of holiness in our lives and homes... proclaiming entire sanctification in whatever place the Lord Jesus has called you.

The Missing Link of Holy Discipleship?

By Dr. Matt Friedeman

Iarrived at the prison a bit late. The Bible study we conducted there a few times a week was already proceeding as they decided not to wait and started without me. I slipped in and sat down with some dozen or so of us, as a leader from my church plowed through Romans. As I quickly looked around the men seated at the two adjoining tables, my eyes met those of a felon named David. He was jailed for multiple drug charges and, by his own admission, had taught his kids how to sell those drugs. Incredibly, he drank a gallon of vodka a day for a number of years and remembers little of what was happening to him then. I knew none of that at the time, but I gave him a quick smile and a wink and continued to look around the group.

Years later, that same felon would become the executive pastor at the

church I serve. He talks glowingly of our church’s weekly presence at the facility where he was incarcerated. Once, while we were reminiscing about those days in his life, he remarked that my eye contact and wink at the Bible study that night gave him enormous hope.

“I just knew, in that moment, that everything in my life was going to be alright.”

The Holiness Movement has long had a keen appetite for compassionate ministry—whether it was the Wesleys of the original Methodist revival, or the Booths of The Salvation Army, or B.T. Roberts of Free Methodist fame, Phineas Bresee of the Nazarenes, or Phoebe Palmer going door to door in her community seeking out the poor.

Whenever in history people took holiness seriously, ministry to the poor and needy was inherent.

Let’s zero in on the prominent Wesley brother. From 1729 to 1735, John Wesley resided at Oxford as a tutor in the Greek New Testament. Upon arrival, John was surprised to find that Charles had gathered around himself a number of spiritually-minded scholars and had started what would become known as The Holy Club. Their plan for spiritual growth included spending an hour in private prayer both morning and evening, devoting an hour each day to meditation, fasting twice a week and attending Church regularly, and there taking communion at least once a week. In addition to those exercises, members of The Holy Club visited prisons, ministered to those in sweathouses, cared for the destitute, and reached out to numerous others in dire circumstances.

In 1739, Wesley began his renowned network of discipleship groups—otherwise known as his system of societies, classes, and bands. Of the societies he said:

“It is expected of all who continue in these that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation by… doing good, by being in every kind merciful after their power as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men. To their bodies, of the ability which God giveth; by giving food to the hungry; by clothing the naked, by visiting or helping them that are sick or in prison.” 1

The emphasis on the poor was not a peripheral aspect of Methodist discipleship. John Wesley described the Methodist way to his preachers and those who followed them.

Wesley notes in his sermon “On Visiting the Sick” the importance of understanding works of mercy as nonnegotiable means of grace:

“Surely there are works of mercy, as well as works of piety, which are real means of grace. They are more especially such to those that perform them with a single eye. And those that neglect them, do not receive the grace which otherwise they might. Yea, and they lose, by a continued neglect, the grace which they had received” 2 (author’s emphasis). That last phrase—“lose…the grace which they had received”—clearly insinuates that works of mercy are a necessary discipline in order to maintain one’s salvation. Indeed, using Matthew 25:31-46 (the sheep and the goats teaching), Wesley asserts that “continuance in works of mercy is necessary to salvation.”

Wesley drove this point home quite forcefully in his articulation of both salvation and sanctification:

“But what good works are those, the practice of which you affirm to be necessary to sanctification? First, all works of piety; such as public prayer, family prayer, and praying in our closet; receiving the supper of the Lord; searching the Scriptures, by hearing, reading, meditating; and using such a measure of fasting or abstinence as our bodily health allows.

“Secondly, all works of mercy; whether they relate to the bodies or souls of men; such as feeding the hungry; clothing the naked, entertaining the stranger, visiting those that are in prison, or sick, or variously afflicted; such as the endeavouring to instruct the ignorant, to awaken the stupid sinner, to quicken the

There seems to be a balance between the inward construction of the soul and the outward-bound life.

lukewarm, to confirm the wavering, to comfort the feebleminded, to succor the tempted, or contribute in any manner to the saving of souls from death.

“This is the repentance, and these the ‘fruits meet for repentance,’ which are necessary to full sanctification. This is the way wherein God hath appointed his children to wait for complete salvation.” 3 Here there seems to be a balance between the inward construction of the soul and the outward-bound life. Necessary to God having full sway in a believer’s life was this piety-mercy interplay that assured the believer would have a maturing soul with immediate impact in the community through compassionate ministry. Wesley repeats this emphasis in numerous places.

For instance, in his “Scripture Way of Salvation”:

“…Both repentance, rightly understood, and the practice of all good works, works of piety as well as works of mercy (now properly so called, since they spring from faith) are, in some sense, necessary to sanctification.” 4

Sermon 85, “On Working Out Our Own Salvation” 5 articulated a similar sentiment:

“But what are the steps which the Scripture directs us to take, in the working out of our own salvation?... Be zealous of good works, of works of piety, as well as works of mercy…” 6

Other of Wesley’s sermons and writings, however, seem to contain not a plea for some kind of balance between these piety-mercy means of grace but rather a clear preference for one over

more for works of mercy; seeing ‘God will have mercy and not sacrifice,’ that is, rather than sacrifice. Whenever, therefore, one interferes with the other, works of mercy are to be preferred. Even reading, hearing, prayer, are to be omitted, or to be postponed, ‘at charity’s almighty call’; when we are called to relieve the distress of our neighbor, whether in body or soul.” 7

To Wesley and to those who would take Scripture seriously, it seems clear: if you are saved and want to stay saved, practice compassionate ministry.

If you want to move towards entire sanctification, practice compassionate ministry.

If you want to maintain your sanctification, practice compassionate ministry.

There is no holiness without it. It is inherent to saving faith.

David came to our church from prison and began engaging in works of piety and mercy. Because of his love for Jesus and commitment to ministry, he rose to the position of executive pastor. As often as possible, he now goes back to the prison where the church initially found him. He knows what works of mercy did in his life, he understands what they are building in his sanctification today, and he wonders which person might be a future church pastor that he is ministering to as he leads his own Bible studies in that facility this week.

John Wesley, “General Rules of the United Societies” Works [BE], 9, 72.

Ibid, 385.

John Wesley, “The Scripture Way of Salvation” Works [BE], 2, 166.

John Wesley, “The Scripture Way of Salvation” Works [BE], 2, 164.

5 To be fair, “Wesley was always careful to reiterate that works of piety and mercy are totally impotent without the inward faith.” (David Werner “John Wesley’s Question: ‘How is Your Doing?’” Asbury Journal, 65/2 - 2010). Cf. Sermon 2: “The Almost Christian.” According to Wesley, what was needed to be saved from being an “almost Christian” was the love of God, the love of neighbor, and faith.

John Wesley, “On Working Out Our Own Salvation” Works [BE], 3, 205.

John Wesley, “On Zeal” Works [BE], 3, 314.

CONTRIBUTORS

Alaska District Superintendent for the Church of the Nazarene (13 years), US Navy veteran, graduate of Nazarene Bible College and MidAmerica Nazarene University, and pastor for over 40 years in Washington, Kansas, Saskatchewan (Canada), and Alaska

Dr. Paul Whiteford

Lead pastor of Hurricane First Church of the Nazarene in Hurricane, West Virginia and has served as a Nazarene pastor for 35 years in Ohio, California, Indiana, and West Virginia

Lead pastor of Total Life Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City, Missouri and Associate Pastor of Evangelism & Discipleship at Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City, Missouri

Lead pastor of the Bible Methodist Church in Oklahoma City and author of Pursuing Holiness, a 40-day journey toward a biblical theology of entire sanctification

40daysofholiness.com

John M. Case Chair of Evangelism and Discipleship at Wesley Biblical Seminary and senior pastor of Dayspring Community Church of the Nazarene in Jackson, Mississippi

EDITORIAL STAFF

Executive Editors

Rev. Jared K. Henry

Rev. Andy Lauer

Rev. Bill Castillo

Managing Editor

Mallory Auer

Dr. Matt Friedeman

Rev. Jenee Noriega Yarbrough

Rev. Paul R. Hartley

Rev. Darrell Stetler II

WHO WE ARE

The Holiness Partnership is a Christian organization in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Our mission is to re-discover the vision and understanding of biblical Christianity, re-emphasize the biblical doctrines of the Holiness church, re-invigorate the local church for mission and evangelism, and re-capture fidelity to biblical truth.

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