Although this message has been gaining in popularity in recent years, due possibly to the ministry of Paul Washer, it is not the word which will bring revival.
If it were, we would have been seeing true revival and we are not. True revival is more than sorrow over one's sin and regret, it must go one step further and this message does not have the power to do it due to the spiritual condition of the preacher. There may be times where the presence of God is felt and a measure of repentance but it cannot reach the full mark of the start of revival.
A true preacher of holiness, that has the power of the Holy Spirit on his/her preaching, or the unction, must be holy themselves, and not just desire to be holy. In itself, that is a good desire, but it is not enough. We must encourage each other to aim to be holy, but that is not enough. For there to be power and living waters poured out that bring life unto others, the life must be there and that life is holiness.
The truth is that this message and it's preachers, have always opposed the real message of holiness, by saying that it cannot be achieved in this life, and that desiring holiness is what God is looking for. No, God is not interested in our human desires if they do not bring about their goal - a pure heart and a man who walks as Jesus walked, not merely in desiring holiness, as our Lord had no need to desire it, but to have it imparted. It is a gift of grace not an exercise of human endeavour.
Moreover, this message leads to legalism and we have witnessed it recently on this forum. Sister Nancy demonstrated it herself when she mentioned the man with a cross and a drink of alcohol in his hand.
The man was also an attendant at a wordly sporting event, an event of wordly entertainment, where one has to pay a sum of money which supports this worldly entertainment and necessitates one to be in a huge crowd where bad language can be heard, and no doubt cursing as well as swearing, yet the sister does not see this as contradicting her position of thinking herself better than the man because she has no alcohol in her hand.
This is exactly the lack of discerment that comes along with this brand of holiness message. If she acknowledges herself to be still below the mark that has been set, then how can she judge the heart of another. Maybe the man was holding it for a person he had brought to the game in order to witness Jesus to him, for the man to go to the bathroom, and he does not drink himself.
Those who are preaching holiness usually do demonstrate their lack of it and it brings shame on the church. Just like the witness of fat preachers and an example has been given of Spurgeon who also smoked, both of which are bigger sins than the odd glass of wine so far as damaging the holy temple which is our body. Well which is our body if it has been cleansed of all sin.
I have noticed repeatedly with these preachers that they give the game away by bringing up something they see in another, such as the recent conversation. Things have been twisted round to criticise those who defend the right of the brethren to drink alcohol which is allowed in scripture, with the proviso that they do not do it in front of the weaker brethren who may fall, whilst thinking of themselves more righteous. They do not see their legalism.
It is a very dangerous doctrine that is being preached by such as Nancy as she stands looking exactly like the women of the world, in her makeup, jewellery, high maintenance hair style, and fashionable dress, talking about her attendance at a sporting event. She has not renounced the world herself yet points her finger at a man whom she knew nothing about at the game.
The true holiness message is that there is not one who is better than the other by their actions, no matter how holy they attempt to be. Unless a man has been born again and has a pure heart, he is under the curse of the law and working his own flesh, instead of having it put to death.
Holiness is from God and there is nowhere in scripture that says it is confered after death. It says BE holy not attempt to be holy, whilst putting down others in the process.
The preachers that Nancy mentioned were all against the true message of holiness and stood strongly against those who preached imparted holiness or later after these saints have left us, take from their messages what suits them and leave behind the meat which offends them.
Scripture says we are to remove the log from our own eye before removing the splinter from another.
What we gear from these preachers is the counterfeit.
Edited recently.
