The following quote jumped out at me from a little book someone sent me:

“Christianity is a crime which the world can never forgive.”

Get ready to get hammered if you preach that Christians will overcome sin in their life!

John Nelson–who wrote the above quote–was one of the first laymen to preach with John and Charles Wesley. He was forced into the army by people angry at his preaching and open rebuking.  It seems in those day that vagrants and other unwanted folks in a community were taken care of by simply forcing them into military service.  It would seem to me that an army of outlaws would not be very trustworthy, but we’ll leave that for now…

John Nelson was considered an evil man in his day.  His crime?  Tell folks they can know their sins are forgiven, and tell them they can, and should, live above sin.  He had bricks, eggs, potatoes and other objects hurled at him, and the house he was preaching at had all the windows busted out on one occasion by an angry mob.  His wife was beaten so severely by other women angry at John’s preaching, that the baby she was carrying in her womb was killed.

The crime?  Telling people that real Christians do not sin willfully.

While I do not agree with all of John Nelson’s theological points, the little book has proven to be thought-provoking and convicting…or at least challenging.  As mentioned, John reproved everyone he met for sins like swearing.  If you can imaging getting abducted into the army (by the way, he refused to kill anyone, according to Jesus’ command) with a bunch of godless outlaws as your companions, and then faithfully reproving them for every swear word–yes, EVERY swear word–then you can imagine John’s situation.  But it had its rewards.  On one occasion, within 24 hours all the soldiers around him quit cursing in his presence because of his rebukes.  And others people fell under conviction of sin at one of his reproofs.

The early Methodists were known for their reproving of sin.  You can read more about them in my book How the Circuit Riders Saved America.

Whether you read the book or not, just remember that Christianity–the real Christianity–is a crime the world cannot forgive.  And if the world is forgiving us and not persecuting us, then maybe we had better look to see if our walk with God is real.

Bumper sticker made by Watchman Gospel Signs

Would you like to advertise for Jesus?  Years ago I noticed how much folks advertise for the devil on their vehicles and T-shirts.  And it hit me that I should advertise for Jesus.

Watchman Gospel Signs, owned and operated by Brother Roger Hertzler, will gladly help you with bumper stickers or yard signs.  His site has many photos of what can be done with lettering in the windows or on the body of a car.  As well, check out the various articles that he has posted on evangelizing.  Roger is also the author of the book Through the Eye of a Needle- The Doctrine of Non-accumulation.

If you like, you can paint your own signs.  The picture on the right

Hand-painted advertisement for Jesus on the ol' Ford

is a sample of what I did on my old Ford truck.  The “Fear God” lettering is based on the font used in the popular phrase “No Fear”.  I traced the lettering from the bumper sticker Roger made for me, and then painted it freehand on the tailgate.

Advertise for Jesus!  Of course, the best way to advertise is to walk the walk, but we also need to talk the walk.  Enough of the Devil getting all the promotion!

Exciting new release for Spanish speakers

This is to announce the release of the Diccionario de la iglesia primitiva.  Tell all your Spanish-speaking friends!

The Bohemian Brethren were a group of men and women in Bohemia, which is the western half of modern Czech Republic.  The eastern third of the republic is comprised of yesteryear’s Moravia.

While most Christians who read church history have a basic idea of the Moravian Brethren with Count Zinzendorf in Germany, very few have any idea of their forerunners, the Bohemian Brethren.

While not 100% like the later Anabaptists, their practice and doctrine was similar enough that some of the Bohemian Brethren seem to have joined up with (their own movement was drifting by this time) the Anabaptists when the latter finally showed up in Moravia a century after the Bohemian Brethren had starting tracing their course.  They were definitely a “kingdom church”.

Anyways, you can read about the birth, life, and death of the Bohemian Brethren revival by clicking the link.

Or if you write me at mike at primitivechristianiy dot org, I now have some hard copies available.