Possessing Our Spiritual Possessions

In 1969, I was a senior in high school.  I had been a Christian for one year and was at the time sensing God's call to vocational ministry...to be a preacher.  It was during those early days in my Christian life that I saw first hand the divine providence of God.  It was in those early days that I learned the value of investing my life into the lives of others.  It was by the providence of God that I was invited to a meeting in the home of a man and woman, husband and wife, who had come to know the meaning of the Christian life.  It was as a result of a "crisis" in the lady's life that she had a life changing encounter with Christ and at that time committed to God to share the secrets of the victorious Christian life with others for as long as she would live.  This she did.  This wonderful couple held a meeting in their home on the second Monday night of each month.  I remember it as the "Second Monday Night" meeting.  It was by providence and, in many ways, a miracle that I was an invited guest to these meetings.  You see, I was just a country boy with very few connections with people in town.  The host and hostess of the "Second Monday Night" meeting were people of position and influence.  But, God in his goodness arranged for me to be a part of this informal and unofficial discipling process.  (We did not call it mentoring or discipling back then...it was just sharing with others what Christ had done for you.)

The "Second Monday Night" meetings began in a large den and about 12 to 20 people were present.  Our hostess sat in a chair near a reel to reel tape player.  The machine was loaded with a tape and ready to play.  The hostess and her husband had, in their personal pilgrimage with Christ, come to know many of the Keswick Christian Life Convention preachers and other men who preached the great truths of fullness of life in Christ.  In these meetings I heard men like Stephen Olford, who became a life long friend and mentor, Stuart Briscoe, Alan Redpath, G. Allen Fleece and others.   Our hostess would introduce the speaker and the topic and for an hour or more all of the "students" would sit with an open Bible, an open notebook and open heart listening to an exposition of God's word. At the conclusion of the sermon our hostess would teach us how to understand and to apply what we had heard.  We would then take a break and have a piece of cake and some coffee or a soda and then return to the den to repeat the process again...yes, two hours of preacing and as much time as needed for application.  It was in the months that I attended the "Second Monday Night" meeting that I was introduced to the Keswick Christian Life Convention in England.  The mission and message of Keswick became a primary influence in shaping my theology and my understanding of New Testament Christianity.

For over 25 years a Keswick Convention was held for one week every March in Birmingham, Alabama.  I was blessed to be involved in that convention for many years.  For a time I served on the Board and also served as Chairman of the Board.  Since that time I have attended the English Keswick twice.  It has been my dream to one day preach in the the historic English Keswick...mainly because I have wanted to personally thank the dear folk of Keswick for the impact the ministry has had on my life.  I have preached at Keswick Conventions in the states, Trinidad &Tobago, and Japan.  The Keswick Conventions in Japan still follow the traditional English Keswick pattern and the committees there are quite serious about maintaining the integrity of the Keswick Message in Japan.  It will be my privilege to preach at five Japan conventions in February.

My love for Keswick is not difficult to understand.  It was because of the Keswick Convention that I was introduced to people who discovered their possessions in Christ and then made it their life mission to tell others how to enter into all of their spiritual possessions.  Jesus came that we might have abundant life. (John 10:10)  This life is available to every born again Christian...but it is not experienced by every Christian.  Have you entered into fullness of life in Christ? 

May God bless you as you learn of your Riches in Christ.

RDW