Christian Documentary on the Moravian Revival and Community

Thanks Greg.

This was very beneficial and revealing. It blessed me to see the Moravians' dedication and desire to know and have reason for everything to the glory of God. It seemed like this piece brought up many questions than it answered though it provided a much more human to a group I have only heard about in anecdotes in messages stripped of their context.

There was something that bothered me when the Moravians moved to Bethlehem. The arm of the flesh was introduced to support the work of God. Looking at the more recent mission movement in the Western Church seems to have had the same life. Rather than living 100% for Christ as pilgrim and stranger following the Cloud withersoever It leads, they settled and sought to provide funds to back the missions, even buying ships to enable the missionaries. Doesn't this sound eerily like those who have purchased cruise ships, helicopters, jets and motorhomes in our day? Or those who start a business to "support the Gospel" only to get lost in the lust for money or trying to stay afloat?

I am a reminded of Denny Kenaston's account of his own experience running a business with his sons. He relates that he started the business wite the purpose of being able to work with his children and be close to home. He found that it changed to trying to figure out what things to carry, the right strategy and how to be more successful. In the end he warned about getting into something for the wrong reason. He had similar motives to the Moravians wanting to glorify God in all that he did, serving his family and spreading the Gospel but he too got wrapped up in the cares of this life. He is someone we can relate to today.

The issue of being a pilgrim and stranger that the host commented on regarding himself and the Moravians was rather interesting. It made me wonder. He states that most of the Moravians were refugees from other areas when they fled to Hernhoff thus there was a practical aspect to their alienation that supplimented their belief. I would suggest that this does not constitute what it really means to be an alien and stranger. Having lived among people who spent their formative years outside of their home country, I have found that being a real outsider has more to do with home. I have met missionaries that were aliens abroad but very much at home in the US though their cultural references were out of date. If you visited their homes in the field, you would find that they were a homage to their home country rather than the Heavenly Jerusalem and the presence of The Lord. I have been in homes that were simple and those that have been ornate that demonstrated the fragrance of Christ and the reverse. The issue of being not of this world is foundational to being a Christian and we must work out what that means so that we are not found unworthy of our Lord.

He Jeremy,

I rarely get online but I stopped by this blog and thought I would just mention a few of my thoughts.

I read your remarks. Interesting thoughts. I appreciate your perspective. I particularly appreciate them when I consider where you have come from. I can understand that from your background, seeing material and business endeavors mixed with a pretense of holiness as nothing but, "the arm of the flesh.” However, I honestly think it is unfair to call what these brothers did by this label. I believe that Christ came in the flesh. Because of this He has sanctified all parts of our lives. I agree that most abuse this "flesh” part. But I believe that Christ is glorified when He can be lived out in every part of our lives.

The same with Bro Denny… I agree that Bro Denny was stretched beyond measure. I also agree that the challenge of ministry, business and family was near impossible. However, I don’t think that to put him in the camp of the Lancaster County big businessmen would not be fair either. I venture to guess that if you asked his son Daniel (African missionary) about those days when he was working next to his dad in the wood shop that he would say that they were some of the best discipleship days that he ever had.

I believe this was also the motivation for the Moravians. As a matter of fact, I remember a little remark in the Bethlehem Journals that blessed me when I read it. It was a little remark about a barn that they were putting up. They had abuilding group that would do this. Now, on one hand someone could argue perhaps, that the "barn company” that was putting this barn up was nothing more than a modern Anabaptists "mini barn business” ☺ ….. But I think the Moravians looked at it very differently.

Anyway… it just mentioned in the journal that a young David Zeisberger was there working with the crew. Later, as you know, this man grew up to be one of the greatest missionaries of all times. Now I can’t say that this work made this young man, but It just made me wonder what affect this kind of sanctified-work had on his young life.

To the Moravians, it was this involving of their whole lives in everything they did that worked as a powerful discipleship tool. To them there was no division between the sacred and the profane. Everything was to them, "holiness to the Lord.” Likewise, thousands of native-pagan people around the world were converted and found these "businesses” as wonderful ways to work with the brethren and be discipled. Hundreds of converts later took that training and became preachers and missionaries themselves.

What the Moravians pulled off was something very "other-worldly.” The believed that Jesus came to establish a kingdom on this earth. They believed that this sanctified kingdom would be counter to the evil and carnal kingdoms of the earth.
Like Jesus described in his parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13, the early Moravians believed that if we were totally dedicated to serving Jesus with all of our hearts, Christ’s kingdom would grow and glorify His name. Furthermore, instead of working for carnal means they lived their entire lives only for Jesus and for His service. Yes they bought ships…. But wow, when you read about what they did with them it makes think.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The Moravians had their issues too. Big ones. At the end of the day, I’m not sure if I could have even joined them.

But… that’s not why I made the documentary.

First of all I made it for myself. I made it so that I would be reminded that if I have faith, and total dedication to God I could go further than I am now. Secondly I made it out of a burden that the Lord has put on my heart for the church of Christ. Christ came to bring in His kingdom. My gut feeling, my burden is that as a church, we can go a lot further than we are now.

To give you an example of what I mean by this using sports as an example… Before 1954, most people assumed that it was just about impossible to run a mile in under four minutes. People would try hard and come close, but it was accepted as a general norm in those days that the 4-minute barrier was the human limit. However, one young man, a medical student from Oxford University felt that it wasn’t impossible. As a matter of fact, he was so confident that it was not impossible that he determined in his mind and body that he would break the 4-minute barrier””and he did. Today, most all Olympic-class runners break the 4-minute mile.

That’s why I made the documentary.

When people tell themselves that something is impossible, it usually is””at least for them. Such preconceived limits become our cages””cages that prevent us from dreaming, growing, and pursuing other possibilities. We could aptly name all such cages: "Tyranny of the Impossible.” When we make up our mind that something is "impossible” we cripple ourselves and prevent our true capabilities.

When the impossible is something like running a mile faster than everyone else, perhaps you could argue that it really doesn’t matter. But I am afraid that we as Christians are more apt to fall prey to this crippling mental condition in the Christian world than anywhere else, and it is here that the consequences are most devastating. The "Tyranny of the Impossible” is killing the dreams, visions, creativity, and most catastrophically, the faith of the Church””the kind of faith that moves mountains.

Please don’t think that I desire a carbon copy of the Moravians. I do not. But I do want to try to be be humble enough to see what a zealous group of young radical Christians did. Trying to exactly repeat the past would be a big mistake. I have had to repeat of this desire in my life.

As a matter of fact…(if you allow me to ramble a bit more.) A few years ago I discovered that I had a very strange allergy. I realized that I was allergic to Old books-- Seriously. I brake out in a rash and even get short of breath around old books. When I was at the Bethlehem vault I had to pull my t-shirt over my mouth to prevent the breathing the dust.””but I still felt dizzy ~Silly I know. But I realized that as much as I appreciate church history, God does not want me to be content with just studying the testimonies of the past. He wants a living testimony today. He is a creator God, and I believe that what the Spirit does today will not be a carbon copy of what was done in the past. But on the other hand these heroes of the past are not dead. They are alive, still worshiping their Lamb, and they stand in that great cloud of witnesses watching for us to continue the fight.

Just some of my thoughts. ☺

Dean

I did not post, Bear, because it left me speechless and with an insatiable longing in my heart....wonderful documentary!

I wanted to share a beautiful correlation to the Moravian revival. It is often quoted that the Spirit fell when they set aside differences and joined in unity in Christ.

In Art Katz' "The End-Time Man of God," recounts an encounter he had at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, early in his ministry. He was invited to debate a atheist professor at a Jewish fraternity (the university has the most Greek fraternities and sororities in the US). The students that invited him were from all different denominational backgrounds but they united in prayer during this six hour encounter that saw 15 of our brethren saved. One of the important messages of God's work through the Moravians is not only the importance of prayer but unity in Christ Jesus and prayer. Our Lord never changes.

Thanks for posting this ,cause a jealousy in me to some degree