Meeting Transcripts

Lifting Up a Standard

“Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people” (Isaiah 62:10).

Introduction

Isaiah was challenged by the Lord to lift up a standard for the people. A standard is a visual rallying point.

We see the use of a standard in the Bible in Numbers 2:2: “Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house; far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.” Each tribe had a standard; it was a visible ensign—a flag or some means by which the tribe would know where to pitch their tents and where to set up camp. The ensign was also used to capture the attention of the people in a different manner, gathering the armies to a rallying point so they would know to forge ahead. So, the listeners of Isaiah’s words knew what it meant to lift up a standard for the people.

Isaiah’s standard was symbolic rather than visible. The standard was the message, and we see that message in the chapters leading up to our opening verse. Isaiah 58 and 59 speak of deliverance and the need for a life of holiness. Chapter 60 describes a coming kingdom. Chapter 61:1 proclaims salvation, including the familiar words that Jesus read in his hometown of Nazareth, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.” This was the message Isaiah was told to deliver as a rallying point.

Some contemporary examples of a standard might be the sign in front of the church here that advertises the Monday night concert. If you want to come to the concert, this is the place; this is the rallying point for all who want to come. Also, we think of the United States flag. That is a standard. It has meaning; though it has no words, it speaks. When we sing the “Star Spangled Banner,” we stand, putting our right hands over our hearts. The flag is a standard. Another visible standard is the Apostolic Faith logo. We also have Sunday school emblems. Sometimes they are attached to a pole to let those of a certain age know where their rallying point is.

Our Rallying Point

In Isaiah, the standard was figurative rather than literal; it was his message for the people. Continuing in Isaiah, we read in verse 11, “Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh.” We are also charged with lifting up a standard for the people. Again, it is not something visible and symbolic. The standard we are to lift up in the Apostolic Faith is the message of the Latter Rain Gospel. This is what sets us apart from so many others. Our desire in lifting up the Latter Rain Gospel is not motivated by being set apart, however. We are motivated by the fact that God has assigned us that message. We are to lift it up and not stray from it, preaching the same doctrines that were preached at the beginning of this work, and indeed, by the holiness people leading up to the beginning of this work: salvation, sanctification, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and divine healing.

We strive not just to preach the Latter Rain Gospel, but to experience it. Its relevance is evidenced by the fact that we can live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. This message sets us apart, because we don’t accommodate sin or excuse it; we preach deliverance from it. We must be true to that. The message is appealing to people even though there is always and has always been downward pressure exerted on any holiness work. It is something that we expect. Sinners tend to want to justify sin. We were sinners. Before we got saved, we didn’t want to admit the fact that our actions, deeds, and thoughts were displeasing to God. We did our best to try to tell ourselves that we were okay. So, it is the nature of carnality to try to excuse or cover sin. But we heard the Gospel, responded to it, and were delivered! It behooves us now to lift up the same standard for others that was lifted up for us.

The Message has Appeal

In Portland, we have had one man coming to church for months who has spoken with a few of our ministers here and there. Finally, I introduced myself to him and found he lived nearby. In conversation, he said he had been burned out on church life. I don’t necessarily put a lot of stock in that phrase, because sometimes people assign responsibility for their problems to the church when the responsibility lies with the one they see when they look in the mirror. He continues to come at our church because he believes the Bible doctrine that we espouse. He said, “You have here what I have been trying to create (he had gathered people in his home)—the preaching, the music, the prayer service.” Now he has brought some of the people from his gatherings. We will see what becomes of it. I don’t have any expectations high or low. The point is the message has appeal.

Another example is that just one or two weeks ago, someone came to church, and in the first visit asked, “How do I get into the choir?” Well, the answer was, “You just come and get to know us, and let us get to know you.” We know our people, and we have known for a long time those who are asked to participate in our work. How long were you around before you were invited to be a Sunday school teacher or a van driver? Those who grew up in the church were well known, and those of us who didn’t grow up in the church came around for a while. We did not just show up and were asked to teach Sunday school.

I mentioned a week ago in Portland that we had a visitor from Haiti. It was a man representing a group of one hundred churches who have wanted to be Apostolic Faith for some time. At first Brother Bob Downey corresponded with him regularly, and now he has communicated with me. How we have approached the situation reminds me of when Debbie and I were first married and were trying to set up a home. We needed to buy a washer and dryer, and it was recommended to us that we come to Portland and see Brother Clem Gander. We did, and he showed us the different appliances and the options involved. Nowadays people try to upsell; they try to get you in the door with an advertised leader, and then try to sell you something more expensive. Brother Clem did not operate that way. He tried to down-sell us. He showed us the features, and I specifically remember that one model had an extra button. For twenty more dollars, we could buy up. Brother Clem said, “You do not need that. It would be like taking a twenty and lighting a match to it. Just take this standard model.” The way we approach things when people say they want to be Apostolic, is to say, “Well, that is good. God bless you. Come around and see what we are about.”

Haiti

The Haitian man, Lord willing, will be here tomorrow. Be sure to greet him. His name is Brother Moise. Others, who we hoped could come, could not get visas. They have met, by the way, with our leader in Haiti, Brother Rolland Deler. The churches are led by a ninety-seven-year-old man who founded their work in the 1940s and is concerned about leaving the work in good hands. At the risk of repeating myself from Sunday I will give some details. Brother Moise came in May and sat through a weekend of meetings—a Friday Young People’s Meeting, and the Sunday morning and evening services. We met with him at that time on Saturday and Monday. I thought his opinion might be that our meetings were not lively enough, but instead he said, “This is what we have been looking for.” Their website includes the name Apostolic Faith, and they have seventeen doctrines that mirror ours, including salvation, sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. In speaking of our headquarters, Brother Moise said, “We have been looking for our father and we feel like we have found him.”

It may be that their roots are in this work, but we don’t know. We communicated and found out how they are structured. They do some things differently, such as voting on leaders. We explained our position on marriage and that was not an issue; they hold the same position. We spoke about jewelry, and that was not a problem; they wear no jewelry. People think we are unique, and we are somewhat unique, but we are not alone in the world. This holiness tradition that has been delivered to us is one that is kept at different points around the world. I looked at some of the photos on their website, and they looked just like the Apostolic Faith people we would expect to see anywhere in the world. I couldn’t observe their mode of worship, whether it is conservative or leans toward fanaticism.

Brother Moise has asked me to come to Haiti in September for a three-day conference, and to lead them. I cautioned him saying his churches would have a new leader. His leaders would have new leaders. His organization would no longer be determining roles. Those assignments would be discussed between Brother Rolland and his leaders, and then the decision would be made at a different leadership level. His reply was, “We want that because we are losing our way, and we need accountability. The next generation, we feel, is straying from what they have been taught.” The ninety-seven-year-old, in particular, is fearful that when he passes, the work will fall away from their holiness tradition. I asked him, “What about the one hundred churches? This is how you feel, but we haven’t spoken with your leaders directly. Maybe one church feels this way and another that way.” He said, “If you come and tell us what to do, we will follow. Those churches will follow.”

Having said all this, we are not intending to go in September. Instead, we have invited them to bring those leaders here. They have tried to come, including the elderly man. So, we will see where this goes. In terms of my personal expectations, they are not high or low. We just leave it with the Lord. It is all about the sound doctrine of the Latter Rain Gospel. It is about lifting up a banner. Those who choose to rally to it will rally. Some rally to it, and some run from it. That is immaterial; it is not relevant to our commission.

Isaiah was told, “Lift up a banner for the people.” That is where your responsibility ends. Then it is the responsibility of those who hear and see. We are just thankful we have the privilege to be a part of it. We sometimes look for ways to inspire and motivate people to want to rally, but it is an individual matter between each person and God. We do not want people to rally because they are rallying to us personally. That will not hold anyone. Eventually, we will fade off the scene. So, lifting up the banner does not mean lifting up us or the organization; it means lifting up the message. That is what we want to do.

Challenging the Young People

How does one challenge younger ministers and their spouses to feel that commission, that call from God? That is what we pray the Lord will help us to do, particularly when we are working with people who are giving their all already. We cannot convey to them that they are not measuring up. We must convey in an appreciative manner what they are trying to do while at the same time lifting up a standard for the people. That can be challenging. We know that the spiritual level of the church will rise to no higher standard than that of its ministers. The lay ministers will elevate themselves to no higher standard than what they see in us. That is a challenge to us. We must challenge in a positive manner those who are younger, and also those who have been serving for a long time. Pray they will feel a personal burden to say, “Yes, I want my children to grow up in this. I want my grandchildren to hear what I have heard and have been taught.” Then, we pray that it be an individual matter, and will be responded to when the Lord bears down on them.

That is what we pray for this camp meeting. We have a wonderful work around the world. Obviously, it is heavily populated during camp meeting by Portlanders. We have a terrific group of Portlanders. Many veterans and seniors are here, and many of my peers who have adult children and grandchildren. We have many young couples in their twenties and thirties who are very solid. Some have kids that are heading toward teenage years. I feel that there is a revival waiting for those ages ten to fifteen. Where we seem to have a gap is among the mid-teens. The reason there is some lack of stability is that their parents, at age twenty-five or so, demonstrated instability. There is still time for those in their mid-teens to respond. That age is where the Spirit of God speaks more easily. Well, He speaks easily to everyone, but that age is where they more easily respond—in their teen years rather than in the years of their parents. Though it does happen in people’s forties. Let us pray it will happen this camp meeting—that a stirring will break out. We can be blessed to be part of it by lifting up a standard for the people to run to.

Pray

We appreciate all of you. When we think of the altar service, that is the key to every service. That is the target. I know many of you are multi-tasking during camp meeting, and we thank God for that. As we can, let us devote ourselves to prayer and to helping others pray who need their deeper experiences. Also, be alert to those you might know from out of-town, who we don’t know as well, sitting in the back and pausing. Be bold. Have courage in the Lord to go back and ask, “Would you like to pray?” The worst that could happen is they say, “No.” However, we know that the Lord is speaking, so let us expect them to say “Yes.” That is all we have for today. Let’s expect a great camp meeting. Please stand and we will be dismissed in prayer.