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Faith & Salvation

God Moves in Seasons

By Roger Loomis

What God does is always purpose-driven. He moves in seasons! And I'm not referring to Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter. God's seasons always coincide with what He's doing on the earth. It seems that God brings necessary re-emphasis when and where it's needed. The Church at large has a tendency to negate or at least minimize "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). Heavenly reminders continue to make history "His story!"

Because heaven continues to have a vested interest in the souls of men, God continually introduces new methods to propagate the Gospel, and to reinforce what Jesus Christ purchased by His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection. And I believe with strong conviction that God's intended and on-going agency to win the lost and subsequently disciple new believers still remains every local church's priority.

Although He uses parachurch and specific ministries to reach millions, His heart still yearns to see local churches complement, not compete with what He does on a much larger scale. For example, Billy Graham always used local church volunteers to work alongside him during his great crusades. Then, after each crusade ended, all new converts were funneled into local churches.

I remember while raising our four children, I had to every so often sit them down and reiterate house protocol, as familial guidelines tend to slip over time. God does that for His children, too. Why? Calvary entitles us to share God's fullness on the earth. And often He has to send us reminders! Please understand, however, that what God initiates, Christian leaders are called to steward. Unfortunately, many "seasons of God" eventually bring either abuses or imbalanced approaches, and often reproach on the gospel. We are a messed up lot sometimes, aren't we?

Let me re-introduce a few of God's seasons He has rekindled in just the American Church over the past 200 years. This is not a comprehensive list, but it does illustrate the fact that God constantly sends reminders to us, who tend to forget our "inheritance in the saints" (Colossians 1:12). Obviously, whatever God brings to the earth never operates on a "stop-start basis," but rather overlaps one another. While the message forever remains "Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2), methods evolve.

And all that God institutes on the earth is designed to strengthen and build the local church. A precursory look at the book of Acts and later, Paul's epistles to the various churches, supports the idea that whatever God does on the earth, He funnels through the local church and desires that churches everywhere glean from the heavenly fall-out. Let's begin, as much as possible, in a chronological fashion that takes us back to the 1800's. Consider these "reminders:"

  1. Holiness Movement (late 1800's)
  2. Revivalistic Movement (late 1800's)
  3. Pentecostal Movement (early 1900's)
  4. Healing Movement (1940's to 1950's)
  5. Jesus Movement (late 1960's to early 1970's)
  6. Crusade Ministry. Who comes first and foremost to mind when you think of crusade ministry? Billy Graham, of course. (1947 to 2005)
  7. Evangelistic Crusades (extended revivals, mostly in local churches) (1950's to 2000)
  8. Fellowship of Christian Athletes (1954 to present)
  9. Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International (1952 to present)
  10. Women's Aglow Fellowship (1967 to present)
  11. Teaching Movement (1980's to present)
  12. Catholic Charismatic Renewal (late 1970's)
  13. Word of Faith (1980's to today)
  14. Prophetic Movement (late 1980's to today)
  15. River Movement (1990's to today)
  16. Tele-Evangelists (1970's to today)
  17. Promise Keepers (1990 to present)
  18. Pensacola Outpouring (1995 to 2000)
  19. Mega-Church Movement (early 2000's to today)
  20. Home Church Movement (mostly 2000 and beyond)

Perhaps in a future blog I will elaborate on God's purpose for each new "reminder." But for today, remember that heaven works feverishly to bring "sons and daughters into glory" (Hebrews 2:10). I came to Christ in 1970, in the middle of a "salvation wave." Later, around 1992, I heard the late Norvel Hayes say, "Over seventy-percent of ministers preaching the Gospel today were saved during the 70's." I am part of that statistic and how I praise the Lord that I responded to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit during those years. That was my turning-point season!