Salt Guide to Practical Holiness

    "WHO IS WISE, AND HE SHALL UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS?  

    PRUDENT,  AND HE SHALL KNOW THEM?   FOR THE WAYS OF 

    THE  LORD  ARE RIGHT,  AND THE JUST SHALL  WALK  IN 

    THEM:   BUT  THE TRANSGRESSORS SHALL FALL THEREIN."  

    Hosea 14:9

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    4:6 MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR LACK 

    OF  KNOWLEDGE:   BECAUSE  THOU  HAST 

    REJECTED  KNOWLEDGE,   I  WILL  ALSO         	Rejection

    REJECT THEE,  THAT THOU SHALT BE  NO         	Precept/Promise
                                                 
    PRIEST  TO  ME:   SEEING  THOU  HAST 

    FORGOTTEN THE LAW OF THY GOD, I WILL         	Anti-Nomians
                                                 
    ALSO FORGET THY CHILDREN.



At the end of World War II General Patton was 

in  the  last great tank battle  with  Rommel 

that brought the final downfall of the German 

forces in North Africa.  General Patton walk-

ed  out  onto the smoking battlefield  strewn 

with  dead American and German  soldiers  and 

shouted, "Rommel, I read your book!"



Rommel had written a book on tank warfare and 

George Patton, being a good commander, wanted 

to  know as much about his enemy as possible, 

so he read Rommel's book on tank warfare, and 

because he read that book, he learned Rommel.                      



Knowledge is power and advantage - especially 

the knowledge of God's Word.



    6:3   THEN  SHALL  WE  KNOW,  IF  WE 

    FOLLOW  ON TO KNOW  THE  LORD:   HIS 

    GOING FORTH IS PREPARED AS THE MORN-

    ING;  AND  HE SHALL COME UNTO US  AS         	Latter Rain

    THE  RAIN,  AS THE LATTER AND FORMER 

    RAIN UNTO THE EARTH.

              

First there is the rainy season that  signals 

the end of the growth of the harvest.



It  is  the events that take place after  the 

latter  rain that are  most  important!   The 

latter rain only alerts us.   For,  you  see, 

after  the latter rains (last) comes the  dry 

HOSEA                       SALT GUIDE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS
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season  when the grain turns golden and  dry.  

Then  quickly  the grain is cut and  let  lay 

until   there  is  the  proper  low  moisture 

content.   Then, and only then, is the  grain 

raked and stored in the garners!!   You don't 

have  a  harvest  in  the  rain.   You  don't 

actually  have  a harvest until the grain  is 

brought in from the fields and stored!   Have 

we  confused the latter rain with the  actual 

harvest?   They  are not the same!   There is 

much  more to happen to the church after  the 

rain.   The  latter rain signals the reaping.  

Have   we  been  wondering  what   has   been 

happening  these latter years to  the  latter 

rain?  Have we passed through the latter rain 

and   entered   into   the  dry   season   in 

preparation   of  the  great  harvest?    The 

farmers understand the importance of the  dry 

season.



Upon  examining  the  latter rain  of  Joel's 

prophecy  and conditions developing today  in 

the  so-called era of the  Charismatic  move-

ment,  we see a difference between the latter 

rain  realities of the first 50 years of  the 

Pentecostal movement and the last 30 years of 

the Charismatic movement.  There is a notice-

able difference between the outpouring at the 

turn  of the last century beginning with  the 

ministry of Dwight L.  Moody,  and the begin-

ning  of the Charismatic movement in approxi-

mately 1950.



What marked the early (1900) outpouring  that    	Latter Rain

is not a part of the Charismatic claims.



1. SPONTANEITY  - All one needs to do is read 

   the accounts of the early outpourings such 

   as recorded in Frodsham's work.  There was 

   no  human elaboration of spiritual  power.  

   We  didn't  wear  pins  and  necklaces  to 

   advertise Him and it was far from  popular 

   to  be  in the camp of  the  Pentecostals.  

   Today   we've  made  the  Holy  Spirit   a 

   celebrity  and  the  baptism of  the  Holy 

   Spirit a symbol of  "charisma,"  something 

   of  a  novelty  while the full  range  and 

   manifestations  lessen or are  claimed  to 

   exist  (coexist) with rank worldliness and 

   lack of moral principle.




SALT GUIDE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS                       HOSEA
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2. GODLINESS  - The early outpouring  thrived 

   in the atmosphere of holiness  (separation 

   from the world) people.   The lifestyle of 

   the  early  Pentecostals  was  simple  and 

   separated.   They began to experiment with 

   vanity  in the name of expediency  - after 

   all,  the  world listens to us if we don't 

   put  so much difference between  ourselves 

   and  them.   They further discovered  they 

   could be vain,  worldly,  watch adulterers 

   and fornicators on TV and still speak with 

   tongues.  We stopped practicing separation 

   and  decided  after  some  experimentation 

   that  we could shiver,  jerk,  cry,  speak 

   with  tongues,  be extravagant,  lewd  and 

   fashionable  while  enjoying  this  funda-

   mental   faith  in  Christ.    We  removed 

   articles  from  the constitutions  of  our 

   churches that named worldly practices.  We 

   started going back to the movies,  and  in 

   fact,  have  Pentecostal movie stars!   We 

   buy and sell on the Lord's day.   We strip 

   down  on the public beaches and even  hold 

   cosmetic classes  for our  ladies  in  the 

   church.   Divorce  is common now with some 

   couples    even    switching     partners, 

   remarrying and staying in the church.  Yes 

   sir  ...  we've  come  a long way  in  our 

   pursuit of the deeper life.   In fact,  we 

   became  so  thrilled with  this  discovery 

   that we decided holiness was all wrong and 

   just non-essential legalism.   We  decided 

   that  our  human experience  and  feelings 

   are sufficient to guide us.   We know  now 

   that holiness is a troublemaker.



3. SACRIFICE   - The   human  nature   cannot 

   tolerate  and will not take an  injustice.  

   You must be divine to take a wrong without 

   reacting with anger or revenge.    Matthew 

   5:39.   The early outpouring of the latter 

   rain  carried  the theme  of  "sacrifice."  

   The  Holy Spirit teaches us to  be  frugal 

   and self-denying.   Look at us today ... a 

   lusting  bunch  of chocolate soldiers  all 

   dressed  up  to kill.   So  programmed  to 

   luxury  by  our air-conditioned  world  we 

   can't  even produce a generation that  can 

   evangelize   the  hard  places  of  world.  

   We're  cosmetic,  soft and self-indulgent.  

   Our fathers of just three generations past 

HOSEA                       SALT GUIDE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS
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   launched  the full Gospel on it's  mission 

   of  world evangelism.   In those  days  we 

   accepted   sacrifice   in  the   form   of 

   privation, persecution ... and even death!  

   See  Sacrifice,  Contentment,  Discipline.  

   Today  the  call  of God is  stymied  with 

   educational requirements, psychology tests 

   and mission  boards who do not even have a 

   life of prayer!   Missionaries return from 

   the field defeated at a high rate.   We've 

   lost the spirit of sacrifice.



4. ANOINTING - In the time of the latter rain    	Anointing

   the anointing was common and mistakes were 

   admittedly  frequent.   Today   education, 

   professionalism and religious humanism has 

   turned  us  into respectable  institutions 

   smothered with programs and entertainment.  

   Sophistication and respectability not only 

   makes us more acceptable to the world, but 

   has  (which  we  would  never  admit   to) 

   encroached   the  anointing  of  the  Holy 

   Spirit.   To  be  socially  respected  and 

   raise  our social acceptance to a  worldly 

   level, we have ignored the Bible standards 

   and  the moral state of the church in  the 

   process. 



1. PERSECUTION  - Jesus said,  "in the  world    	Persecution

   you  will have tribulation."    John 6:33.  

   He also said,  "If the world hates me,  it 

   will  hate you also."    John 15:18.   The 

   latter rain church grew and thrived on the 

   hate and persecution heaped upon it by the 

   world  and its enemies within the  church!  

   They  hated  us because we were  loud  and    	Holiness

   holy!   Pentecostal denominations grew  at 

   such a fast rate it was the only thing the 

   world  and the nominal churches could  say    	Godliness

   about them.   But as we passed through the 

   period  of the latter rain and moved  into 

   Charismaticism   we   began  to  see   our    	Charismaticism
                                                 
   reproach    through   backslidden    eyes.  

   Charismatic   emphasis   grew   to    feel 

   persecution   and  zeal  was  unnecessary, 

   after  all,   "we  are  not  second  class 

   citizens."   We have certain dignities and 

   we  ought  to  show the world  we  can  do 

   anything   they  can  do  and   still   be 

   Christians.     So    these    Pentecostal 

   businessmen   and  Catholic  Pentecostals, 

SALT GUIDE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS                       HOSEA
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   displayed   an  extreme  loyalty  to   the 

   tongues  experience  even  though  through 

   this  "revival" of the 50's all  attention 

   toward  sanctification,   holiness,  sepa-

   ration and righteousness was being dropped 

   from  mention.   We grew to  despise  this 

   idea  of separation and rejected the Bible 

   holiness of the Fathers for this new thing 

   which  the Catholic Pentecostals gave  us.  

   The   theme  of  perfection  gave  in   to 

   liberalism  and "holiness  people"  became 

   "Charismatics."



   But  original Pentecost,  the pure  latter 

   rain    movement,    did   possess   these 

   qualities;  1) Spontaneity,  2) Godliness, 

   3)  Sacrifice,  4)  Anointing,  5)  Perse-

   cution.  These  qualities hardly exist  in 

   the church of today.         

      

The Charismaticism of today is not at all the 

same religion our Fathers embraced at the end 

of the last century.   Therefore,  the modern 

Charismatic  movement  has  its own  era  and 

identity.   Neither does it bear the biblical 

image  of  the  early  church.    It  can  be 

identified as a movement that came out of the 

latter  rain,   but  is  not  a  latter  rain 

movement  as it believes itself to  be.   But 

like a comet, the real thing has come and the 

real  thing has  gone!   Charismaticism,  not 

being  a moralistic movement,  is spiritually 

dead.  It is only kept alive with emotion and 

the   remnants   of  a  pure   fundamentalist 

religion.   It  is the Laodicean movement  of    	Apostasy

Revelation  three  that has  no  moral  theme 

whatsoever.   It  claims life and riches  and 

cites   prosperity  as  the  sign  of   God's 

blessing  and approval.   But it has none  of 

the   moral  characteristics  of  the   Bible 

church.   Sincere  Christians  who are in  it 

should  move into the Word of God and  repent 

of their identity with it.   



We are in the period of the dry  season.   We 

are  a generation of great spiritual  claims.  

God describes us as He sees us.  If you are a    	Latter Rain

true  member  of the remnant and you  are  in 

touch  with  God,  you will be like Anna  and 

Simeon,  you will know the true condition  of 

the  day you live in.    I Chronicles  12:32.  

HOSEA                       SALT GUIDE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS
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We are not in a period of revival,  we are in 

a period of apostasy in spite of loud Charis-    	Apostasy

matic  claims.   This is not to say that  God 

will not do signs among them because they are 

Charismatic.   God  blesses people and honors 

faith  and pays no attention to where  He  is 

when  He finds it.   But Charismaticism as  a 

movement is anti-sanctification.  Amos 5:20.



    7:2  AND THEY CONSIDER NOT IN  THEIR         	Heart

    HEARTS  THAT  I REMEMBER  ALL  THEIR 

    WICKEDNESS:   NOW  THEIR OWN  DOINGS 

    HAVE  BESET  THEM  ABOUT;  THEY  ARE 

    BEFORE MY FACE.  (See Psalm 50)



Moral digression leads to self-destruction.



God's silence and patience is not to be  con-    	Judgment

fused as God's approval!  Psalm 50:21  Sooner 

or   later  God  must  make  sin,   continued    	God, Silence of
                                                
rebellion and flesh honoring religion come to 

its senses.  God's first reason for remember-

ing  "all their wickedness" was that  in  the 

anguish of it all they might  repent.   Reve-

lation 9:20,21; 16:9,11.



    9:9 THEY HAVE DEEPLY CORRUPTED THEM-

    SELVES,  AS  IN THE DAYS OF  GIBEAH:  

    THEREFORE  HE  WILL  REMEMBER  THEIR 

    INIQUITY, HE WILL VISIT THEIR SINS.



So  again  we see as in Hosea 7:2  and  Psalm 

50:21,  that  iniquity  is not always  judged 

immediately.   Sometimes  it is  "remembered" 

later.