Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians

I have uploaded this wonderful biography to Scribd for your downloading and reading pleasure. It was written by James Gilchrist Lawson in 1911 and contains biographical sketches of men and women of faith from Old Testament times through the 20th Century. It was a labor of love to convert the scanned book image PDF file to Word. I had to delete pics from the document because they did not convert (pics became series of numbers and letters). You can now download this book in either PDF, Microsoft Word, or plain text formats.
Enjoy and be blessed.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/62621076/Deeper-Experiences-of-Famous-Christians

The only person described in the book that held to a "second blessing" theology is Wesley. So don't throw out the entire book because of one person who doesn't fit with your idea of sound doctrine.

Thank you very much for uploading this edition!

PS: I like second blessings. And third, fourth, fifth,... blessings. I hope you all have more than one blessing in your christian life.

let me explain why I did this:

here in germany many (mostly conservative baptist/mennonite/lutheran) christians think something as a second blessing is total heresy. they argue: if we have grace/bornagainexperience/baptism we have it all

than you have all the pentecostals/charismatics/neocharismatics, they say: if you have the second blessing (tongues/gifts/power/whatever), you have it all. you need no third, fourth, etc blessing.

No I believe both are totally wrong. Their lifes testify that both groups have no changed life (fruit of the spirit), very little spiritual gifts and no power.

You see in Acts that the apostles had more than two blessings. and Pauls says, we have to be filled with the spirit always.

NOWHERE IN THE BIBLE IT SAYS THAT ONE OR TWO EXPERIENCES IN THE PAST ARE SUFFICIENT TO ALWAYS LIVE A HOLY LIFE. YOU HAVE TO BE FILLED NOW - IF NOT ALL YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES ARE WORTHLESS.

thats why you have more than one encounter with the spirit. most of us were filled with the spirit at some point in their life and after a short while they lost it (because of sin, pride, judging, etc) - was the same with me. What do you do then? You go hard after God to have another encounter with him. you confess your sin before others. you humble yourself... and then god will give you grace, and you sure will have another "Blessing".

Dear Brenda,

Thank you for your words. I can agree whole heartedly with them. You are a great encouragement.

Thank you, too, "TrueWitness" for your love in uploading "DEEPER EXPERIENCES OF FAMOUS CHRISTIANS", which I shall eagerly read (by the way, didn't Frances Havergal burn with the message of the 2nd blessing? And didn't George Muller write of the night when "the old George Muller died and the new George Muller began to live" long after he had began God's great work in Bristol? -- but what does terminology mean anyway, it's the lived-out life that counts, isn't it...the crucified-with-Christ life).

And thank you, too, "Aussiedler" for your comments about the need for ongoing blessings. As an Englishman living in Germany for most of my life I can certainly understand the comments made about Germany.

Germany has had it's "completely-surrendered" servants, too - Gerhard Tersteegen, Johannes Gommel and Basilea Schlink to name but a few who have inspired and encouraged me - especially the latter, who, as far as I know, didn't use the terminology of 2nd blessing, but much more so emphasized the DAILY WALK in repentance, surrender of the will, and the first love, bridal love for Jesus. Bridal love was her central theme and still is that of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, which she founded, today.

It was a great surprise for me about 2 years ago, to have my own personal experience of what some call "the 2nd blessing"! It took me completely by surprise. For 41 years I had been a Christian (experiencing my new birth when I was 18 years old at an outdoor meeting in England -- again, completely by surprise and by God's grace). And of those years 35 had been in full-time service for the Lord.

My experience happened after hearing an audio-sermon by Duncan Campbell on this very website (what a blessing this website is). Of course, the 2nd blessing was an integral part of his preaching (a 2nd work of grace in the heart of a child of God, usually later on in his or her life and often at a moment of crisis, as Duncan could himself testify). I prayed the simple prayer with him at the end of his message, not even thinking that my compromised Christian walk could change at such a late stage in my life. But in the days that followed the Holy Spirit became free to do His work. I would awake earlier and earlier each morning with a deep hunger for the Word of God. Sometimes there was no time for sleep, and the hours in precious fellowship with the Lord went by unnoticeably. I know that this was a work of grace. There is no way I could have worked this up. I can only be ashamed for all the years that I had shared my heart with other things and had not surrendered it completely unto God.

Those were the nights! And the days were a walking side by side in a sort of constant fellowship with my Father - a closeness to Him, that I would not have thought possible. Yes, it was a "one-time" Calvary moment for me. But I have learned since then that the blessing does not remain automatically. God in His loving jealousy will not share my heart with anything or anyone else. And He is quick to withdraw whenever I decide to willingly sin and turn my attention to things I should not do. In His love He has been thus teaching me to stay completely in His will. Obedience (DOING His will) is for me at this present moment the key word, and the thing that keeps me on course. So I can understand from experience that the "2nd blessing", or "entering into the second covenant" as Andrew Murray termed it, is or can be a one-time complete surrender of the whole heart to God, but it is also a blessing that needs to be renewed daily, beginning in my early morning quiet time, soaking myself in the Word of God, and DAILY deciding afresh to lay my life unreservedly upon His altar (Romans 12:1) out of love for Him.

I cannot boast about the above experience, I can only boast of God's love and grace to me. He let me see my nothingness so that He could be my ALL. And I share it with you only as an encouragement. He can take the worst of us, no, I think He DELIGHTS in taking the worst of us and transforming us into the image of His Son. Praise and glory be to Him.

Thank you that I can fellowship with you in this way. Not many who I have met know about what I have shared with you, so it's a real encouragement to share with kindred spirits.

God bless you.

I don't know if we are really in agreement, because I will never make a formula out of this (= speaking in tongues, entire sanctification, enter his rest, callitwhateveryouwill).

Everyone made a formula, wesley did, quakers did (maybe not Fox, but his followers, pentecostals did...)

With "making a formula" I mean I put this in some theological frame so that you can say "follow step 1 - 5 and then you get it". This will never work. God never honors formulas, God honors brokeness and humility.

I concur, God cannot be placed into a formula nor can his moves. He is a creative God, it would be like tell all artist you can only use paint in your work and you can only use the color black.

There is also a danger that I see in it and that is false baptism Especially in the Pentecostal movements where speaking in tongues is so largely emphasised I came out of this type of church and it has left me a bit jaded in terms of Holy Spirit baptism. Anyone can "speak in tongues" when their acceptance hinges on it.

wonderfull testamony shorn lamb

what was the sermon called from camble

God is a God of relationship and relationship and formulas cannot live together.

Dear brothergary,

Thank you.

The sermon by Duncan Campbell that helped me was:
"Building the Walls"
- especially his words in the last 2 or 3 minutes about how "the Lord can lift you up into a whole new level, a new consciousness if you would but take His hand tonight and ask Him to do so".(my words).
You can find it among the Audio Sermons on this website under Duncan Campbell (first page), or use the link:
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=383

He talks about the experience of a 2nd blessing in many of his sermons. His own experience of it on the battle field during WW I (which he shares in his personal testimony) is also very moving.

NOWHERE IN THE BIBLE IT SAYS THAT ONE OR TWO EXPERIENCES IN THE PAST ARE SUFFICIENT TO ALWAYS LIVE A HOLY LIFE. YOU HAVE TO BE FILLED NOW - IF NOT ALL YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES ARE WORTHLESS.

Ezekiel 36:26-28 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Experience and or blessing is not the right word for the work God wants to work.

However God does promises a dual work that dual work is

1. The giving of a New Spirit

2. The removing the Old Heart and the giving you a New Heart.

That work will cause us to walk in his statutes, and that work will cause you to keep his judgments and to do them. We will dwell in the land that he gave to our fathers, we will be his people, and I he will be your God.

Lets look at the new New Testement.....

Romans 1-5 teaches how men were justified by the Grace of God from the days of Abel, Noah, Abraham, after the giving of Law, and now today in the Church.(1. The giving of a New Spirit)

Romans 6 teaches how the believer in Christ can be rid of the still existing Adamic life. (2. The removing the Old Heart and the giving you a New Heart.)

Romans 7 teaches about how men under Law still had a struggle going on with the Adamic Life. As mentioned by the Apostle in verses 4 and 5… “when we were in the flesh”. Romans seven teaches a comparison of how a man under Law struggled to keep Law…without the Grace of God!(The believer has a New Spirit but the Stony Heart still remains)

Romans 8 teaches how the righteousness of the Law can be “fulfilled in us" by the sanctifying power of the Grace of God. Romans 8 teaches how the believer in Christ is “rid” of the Adamic Life (The stony heart). Romans 8 shows that a believer in Christ can be completely delivered from the Adamic life (The Stony Heart).

In Romans 8 Gods Dual work is complete...

Hope that helps......

you are theologically right, but EXPERIENCALLY NO ONE HAS A PERFECT HEART since the time he got born again.

Every newborn child of god realises one month or week after his conversion, that there is still much "dirt" left in them and God still convicts them of sins and imperfections.

My focus is on the real life, not on doctrine (because we will be judged after our works, so the born again husband who's beating up his wife or who lies and steals or slanders will not excuse his deeds with Ezekiel 36 when he stands before christ...thats the same like saying "but I prayed the sinners prayer"

and you are right in explaining the old man from romans 6 - but the old man/flesh can come alive every moment, if the believer decides to do so (stop believing that the old self is dead. Paul says in him IS (present tense) still nothing good.

so we are not really contradicting, but with different focus.

Aussiedler wrote:
PS: I like second blessings. And third, fourth, fifth,... blessings. I hope you all have more than one blessing in your christian life.

God bless,
Lisa

The experience of a deeper walk with God, a 2nd blessing, a calvary moment, a being-broken - call it what you will - is indeed an experience. It is not a formula, not an emotion, nothing legalistic, but a work of grace worked in the life of an undeserving child of God by God alone. That is my belief and experience. I also believe that God's aim is that we love Him with ALL the heart, and that He wants this for us more than we do ourselves. He knows that this is the key to our true happiness. He knows that only then can His Holy Spirit really fill us. He is jealous, He will not share our hearts with other things. And He often has to wait a long time until we finally come to the end of ourselves and our own strength (especially as Christians!) so that He can at last step in and take over. This can perhaps sometimes happen at the beginning of our Christian walk, but seldom does - probably because of all the corruption and deformities of sin in our hearts that God through Christ BEGINS to cleanse. From what I have read I believe that the moment of complete surrender often comes as a conscious decision of a child of God later on in his or her walk with the Lord.

Of course it is NOT a once-and-for-all life-changing decision. It is, however, the BEGINNING of a new, deeper walk with God which, I believe and know to be true for myself, needs to be RENEWED DAILY. Daily I need to surrender my All to God before the day begins, in my prayer closet, and renew my prayer to Him to take and keep my whole heart as His throne. I for myself have found that each new day begun in this way has been a deeper journey of getting to know my Father and Friend in a way and depth that I had not known for most of my Christian life in full-time service for the Lord. The day becomes a walking with Him in almost unbroken communion.

Please forgive me. I know that I'm not eloquent or a brilliant speaker or writer, and I may well have forgotten to mention things that might be important or missing for you, but may I humbly suggest that you might read, if you have time or interest, what men more capable than I have written on this theme:

"THE TWO COVENANTS AND THE SECOND BLESSING"
By
Andrew Murray

Link: http://savior-of-all.com/The%20Two%20Covenants.pdf
(to read online or download)

...or a more recent book by John Mulinde describing the same experience. He doesn't use the term "Second Blessing", but this brother's experience is essentially the same. In a very heart-warm and up-to-date way he explains how this call to (and gift of) a deeper Christian walk came during the events of 9/11 as he was working for the Lord in the USA. He writes how it is God's call to us believers today who live in the end times, in a Church that has become compromised and almost ineffectual. It's a good read, Biblically-based and very practical - one to pass on to others:

"SET APART FOR GOD: THE CALL TO A SURRENDERED LIFE"
By
John Mulinde

ISBN: 1-85240-430-2
(as far as I know it's not online yet)