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Andrew Murray
and the 1860 Revival

This year Christians in South Africa are celebrating the 150 anniversary of a most remarkable Revival which swept across the Cape in 1860.

A Spiritual Wilderness

The Cape Colony prior to the 1860 Revival was a spiritual wilderness. The Dutch East India Company controlled the appointment of pastors and establishment of congregations. Yet, in the first 150 years of Dutch rule in the Cape only five congregations had been established, all within 130km radius of Cape Town. Most of the farmers and Trekboers had no access to pastoral guidance, or opportunities for religious services. Even more seriously, although few of the people in the colony spoke Dutch anymore, the authorities deemed their vernacular, Afrikaans, to be unworthy for church services, prayers, or even for personal devotions. This led to very stilted services where the average member of the congregation struggled to understand the high Dutch of the pulpit and found it hard to express themselves in prayer through the Dutch language. The only Bible available was Dutch, which most of the population had trouble reading. Without the ability to pray from the heart, most resorted to following fixed formulas of well worn expressions.

(Click here for more)

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How the Vikings
Were Won to Christ

The Scandinavians were the last great group of Teutonic people to abandon heathenism and embrace Christianity. The Viking marauders from the pagan north wrecked havoc throughout Northern and Western Europe. Throughout the 9 th and 10 th centuries Vikings raided, killed and plundered. They also established strong Viking settlements in Normandy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, throughout the Baltic and in Russia.

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CH Spurgeon
The Puritan Prince of Preachers

In an age of great preachers the greatest was Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892).

Born and raised in rural Essex, Charles Spurgeon came from a line of solid dissenting ancestors. Both his father and his grandfather were independent congregational ministers. Charles was born in 1834 in Kelvedon, Essex, an area with a long tradition of Protestant resistance to Catholicism dating back to the persecutions of “Bloody Mary” in the 16th century.

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OLIVER CROMWELL –
THE PROTECTOR
And The English Civil War

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) was one of the greatest leaders ever to rule England. He was a dedicated Puritan, deeply and fervently devoted to carrying out the will of God. He was relentless in battle, brilliant in organization and with a genius for cavalry warfare. With a Psalm on his lips and a sword in his hand he led his Ironsides to victory after victory first against the Royalists in England, then against the Catholics of Ireland, and finally against the rebellious Scots.

(Click here for more)

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JONATHAN EDWARDS
- A Mind on Fire for Christ
America’s Greatest Theologian

Jonathan Edward (1703-1758) played a leading role in The Great Evangelical Awakening (1735-1744) and in defending the Reformed Faith against the attacks of Deists and Arminians . Jonathan Edwards has been recognised, even by secular historians, as one of the most original thinkers, and influential intellectuals in the history of New England and of American theology. He has also been described as: “America’s greatest theologian.”

(Click here for more)

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Gustavus Adolphus
The Lion from the North

Gustavus Adolphus is one of the most inspiring characters of the Reformation. The rapid rise to fame of Gustavus Adolphus, the young King of Sweden, his military innovations and dramatic victories in battle turned the tide in The Thirty Years War and saved Protestant Germany from annihilation.

Military strategist Carl von Clausewitz and French emperor Napolean Bonaparte considered Gustavus Adolphus one of the greatest generals of all time. Gustavus II is famous for employing mobile artillery on the battlefield, and very aggressive tactics where attack was stressed over defense and mobility emphasized over the usual linear tactics. His musketeers were widely known for their shooting accuracy and reload speed, three times faster than any contemporary rivals. He was an active participant in his battles, and chose to lead charges himself at crucial moments.

(click here for more)

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George Whitefield
Evangelist, Revivalist and Calvinist

 

George Whitefield was described by his contemporaries as: “the marvel of the age.” Whitefield was an eloquent preacher who electrified his audiences. He drew some of the greatest crowds ever assembled up to that time, across two continents, without any institutional support, through prayer and the sheer power of his personality. The Great Evangelical Awakening that swept across the British Isles and North America in the 18 th Century has been attributed primarily to the dynamic ministry of George Whitefield.

(click here for more)

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THE WALDENSIANS
Firm and Faithful Alpine Fighters for the Faith

Peter Waldo was a wealthy merchant, well respected and a man of influence, in the community of Lyons. One evening, while entertaining friends at his home, one of them suffered a sudden seizure and died. This incident so shook Waldo that he began to seriously think of his soul and eternity beyond the grave. He began to regularly attend church services, but was not satisfied with the superficial rituals in Latin. He employed two priests to come to his house to translate the Gospels of Christ into French. Waldo was most excited as he read, meditated on and carefully studied the Words of Christ.

(click here for more)

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THE REFORMATION ROOTS OF WESTERN CIVILISATION

Western civilisation has been blessed with the greatest freedom, productivity and prosperity ever known in history. The liberty, standards of justice and creativity enjoyed in Western civilisation is a direct result of the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th Century.

Our Lord Jesus Christ taught: “But seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

(click here for more)

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REFORMATION or ISLAMISATION?

or

Europe is in danger of falling to Islam. There is an urgent and serious need for a new Biblical Reformation and for a fresh Spiritual Revival. Only Christianity – true Biblical Christianity - can defeat radical Islam. Secular Humanism and Hedonism are no match for Islamic Jihad. By rejecting Christianity, Europe is committing spiritual suicide. By embracing secular Humanism and welcoming Islamic immigration, Europe is committing cultural and economic suicide. By intermarrying with Muslims and building mosques and madressas throughout the continent Europe is betraying future generations to bondage. The decline of Christianity in Europe is catastrophic.

History is repeating itself. Like in the 15th and 16th Centuries, Europe is experiencing a renaissance of paganism and facing an aggressive Islamic expansionism that threatens Faith and freedom.

...click here for more info or Order the CD (English of German)

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ULRICH ZWINGLI - The Reformer of Zurich

Ulrich Zwingli was the father of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born and raised in the Alps, Zwingli was one of the most colourful and audacious characters in Swiss history. A devout student of the Scripture, Zwingli was transformed and shaped by the Word of God. He has been described as “an amazing combination of intellect, passion and wit.”

...click here for more

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A Heart Aflame and a Mind Renewed
The Legacy of Reformer John Calvin

The exiled French Reformer, John Calvin, became the most influential man of his age and his teachings have proven to be some of the most influential in the shaping of Great Britain and the United States of America.

...click here for more

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How the Reformation Changed the World
How Luther Reformed Marriage and the Family

Martin Luther, the German Reformer, is generally remembered as the theological professor, the Bible translator, the writer, even as the composer of hymns. However, Martin Luther was also a husband and a father of six children. He provided the church its first and most prominent example of a pastoral family.

While still a celibate priest, Luther wrote extensively on marriage. He saw marriage as an institution in as much crisis as the church - and no less in need of reform..... click here for more

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WILLIAM TYNDALE and The Battle for the Bible

Bishop Stephen Bradley observed:  “We are in danger of forgetting truths for which previous generations gave their lives.” 

 

That our churches are in danger of forgetting the great Reformation truths, for which previous generations of martyrs willingly laid down their lives, was forcefully impressed upon me during a recent ministry trip to Europe.  I had the opportunity to visit Oxford and see the Martyrs Memorial.  It drew my attention to an event that occurred 450 years ago..... click here for more  

 

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Reforming our Churches

Are our churches changing the world, or is the world changing our churches? 

If Martin Luther, John Calvin, R. C. Lyle, D. L. Moody or Charles Spurgeon were to walk into our Sunday morning service, what would they think?  Would they be shocked at the type of clothes worn?  Would they be able to recognise any of the great hymns of the Faith, or have drums and choruses taken over in your congregation?.... click here for more

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