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About the Book
"Baptism in the Holy Spirit" by Derek Prince explores the biblical foundation, benefits, and practical implications of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This book is a comprehensive guide for believers seeking a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit and a greater understanding of spiritual gifts and empowerment for Christian living.
William Still
I recently read Dying to Live (Christian Focus, 1991), the autobiography of Scottish pastor William Still. I became interested in Still after reading his book The Work of the Pastor earlier this year.
The first half of Dying to Live tells about Still’s early years into young adulthood and his beginning in pastoral ministry. Still had an unsettled childhood. His parents were separated in his early years, and his father was an alcoholic. He was a sickly child who took refuge in music and became an accomplished pianist. He was part of the Salvation Army as a young man but then entered ministry in the Church of Scotland and served at the Gilcomston Church in his hometown of Aberdeen from 1945-1997.
The second half of the book deals with various aspects of Still’s pastoral ministry. Still was an evangelical. In his early ministry he worked with Billy Graham, Alan Redpath, and others in evangelistic events. With time, however, he moved away from what he came to call “evangelisticism” to develop a solid expositional ministry.
Still faced his fair share of hardships during the course of his ministry. When he moved away from pragmatic evangelistic methods, for example, more than two hundred people stopped attending his church almost overnight. In the preface, he references Martin Luther’s observation that there are three things which make a minister: study, prayer, and afflictions. He observes, “He who is not prepared to make enemies for Christ’s sake by the faithful preaching of the Word will never make lasting friends for Christ, either” (p. 93).
He describes one particularly difficult controversy early in his ministry when he confronted a group of disgruntled elders. At the end of one Sunday service, he read a statement confronting these men, which ended, “There you sit, with your heads down, guilty men. What would you say if I named you before the whole congregation? You stand condemned before God for your contempt of the Word and of his folk.” He adds, “The moment I had finished, I walked out of the pulpit. There was no last hymn—no benediction. I went right home. It was the hardest and most shocking thing I ever had to do in Gilcomston” (p. 124). That same week seven of his elders resigned and Still was called twice before his Presbytery to answer for the controversy. Yet, he endured.
Still maintains that in light of the unpleasantness one will face in the ministry that the minister of the Word must possess one quality in particular: “…I would say that this quality is courage: guts, sheer lion-hearted bravery, clarity of mind and purpose, grit. Weaklings are no use here. They have a place in the economy of God if they are not deliberate weaklings and stunted adults as Paul writes of both to the Romans and to the Corinthians. But weaklings are no use to go out and speak prophetically to men from God and declare with all compassion, as well as with faithfulness, the truth: the divine Word that cuts across all men’s worldly plans for their lives” (p. 140).
Still was a pioneer in several areas. First, he developed a pattern of preaching and teaching systematically through books of the Bible at a time when this was rarely done. He began a ministry of “consecutive Bible teaching” starting with the book of Galatians in 1947, calling this transition from “evangelisticism to systematic exposition … probably the most significant decision in my life” (p. 191).
He was also a pioneer in simplifying and integrating the ministry of the church. After noting how youth in the church were drifting away, even after extensive involvement in the church’s children’s ministry, Still writes, “I conceived the idea of ceasing all Sunday School after beginners and Primary age (seven years) and invited parents to have their children sit with them in the family pew from the age of eight” (p. 171). He laments “the disastrous dispersion of congregations by the common practice of segregating the church family into every conceivable category of division of ages, sexes, etc.” (p. 173).
Dying to Live is a helpful and encouraging work about the life and work of the minister and is to be commended to all engaged in the call of gospel ministry. As the title indicates, Still’s essential thesis is that in order to be effective in ministry the minister must suffer a series of deaths to himself (cf. John 12:24). On this he writes:
The deaths one dies before ministry can be of long duration—it can be hours and days before we minister, before the resurrection experience of anointed preaching. And then there is another death afterwards, sometimes worse than the death before. From the moment that you stand there dead in Christ and dead to everything you are and have and ever shall be and have, every breath you breathe thereafter, every thought you think, every word you say and deed you do, must be done over the top of your own corpse or reaching over it in your preaching to others. Then it can only be Jesus that comes over and no one else. And I believe that every preacher must bear the mark of that death. Your life must be signed by the Cross, not just Christ’s cross (and there is really no other) but your cross in his Cross, your particular and unique cross that no one ever died—the cross that no one ever could die but you and you alone: your death in Christ’s death (p. 136).
"A Dream Reveals God's Healing Power of Love"
Have you ever had an experience so exceptional you hesitated to share it with others who might not believe it? In the mid-1970s, I worked for a Knoxville company, selling to grocery stores, campgrounds, etc. My route often took me to Chattanooga, where one of my customers lived and was a Christian. We would often share our views and testimonies. One day, after he had shared a beautiful Spiritual experience with me, without thinking, I said, "Wow, is that for real?" He instantly turned away and tartly said, "I don't share this with everyone because I know they won't believe, but I thought you would!" But we were fine; I apologized and explained that it was only a reaction, and I didn't doubt his word. The following article is about a vision I have shared with only a few who I thought would believe. God's Healing Power of Love In 1996 during an incredibly stressful situation, my personal and home life were crashing, and there seemed to be nothing I could do. I was depressed, and Satan repeatedly taunted me with self-harm suggestions. I knew he was a liar, but he always attacks our weakest points. Even those closest to me were unaware that I had encountered one of the lowest points in my life. Our problems and troubles always seem worse at night, don't they? One night in the wee hours, awake and leaning against my pillow, suffering from what I now know was another brutal satanic attack, something happened that changed my life forever. My Vision Suddenly I was sitting in the drivers' seat of a large truck; it had been in an accident, and everything around me was in small broken pieces. The windshield was gone, broken glass and large shreds of sharp metal dangled from the ceiling and were scattered all around. Observing my injured body, I said, I must have been in a fatal accident! Just then, a kind-looking a well-dressed man calmly opened the smashed passenger door and stepped up to the truck. Reaching through the debris, he caught my hand, and I miraculously passed through the twisted metal, glass, and shredded material and out the passenger door to the ground. As I stepped out, I realized how well I felt, no aches or pains, and no depression. I was amazingly well! We started walking, and after about 50 yards, I saw what can only be described as a place or an opening. What I saw/experienced inside cannot accurately be put into words, but I will try. As we drew closer, I became aware of an unspeakable beauty; colors I had never seen, and music that radiated beauty, peace, and healing. Even more were the penetrating feelings of joy, total acceptance, and sense of well-being. The emotional and Spiritual healing powers were beyond what I thought possible. I stood as though glued to the ground, as I was repeatedly bathed with wave after wave of blissful sensations of healing, love, and total acceptance, powerless to move. I am convinced it could only have been a glimpse of Heaven. The power was so penetrating and extreme that I do not believe if it had occurred outside the vision, I could have remained standing. I do not know how long we were there, but perhaps only a few minutes when my friend indicated it was time to leave. We quietly walked back to the front of the wrecked truck. Then, as quickly as the vision started, it ended, and I was again sitting up in bed, awake. But the sensations remained. I trembled as my heart pounded, and the beauty and euphoria from the vision replayed in my mind. I knew without a doubt this was from God; it could not have been anything else. Again, I cannot put this into words, but it was so powerful that I would have knowingly gone through an actual truck wreck and even death to have this experience again. As I sat there searching for understanding, and wondering aloud I asked, "does this means that I am going to lose my life in a terrible accident?" Then a powerful and comforting Spiritual voice immediately responded, "No, I just wanted you to know that I love you and for you to experience the healing power of my love." I was instantly and permanently healed, and my days were once again enjoyable. Although it was winter and in the northern U.S., I would walk through the snow conducting business humming or whistling, and nothing could cause me the slightest bit of worry. The problems in my life did not change, but I did. The things I was so anxious about happened anyway, but I was okay because this miracle from God had brought total healing. God healed and removed me from the most miserable time in my life! It was a miracle that brought healing, joy, and hope for the future, and, most of all, newfound confidence in God. I was laughing and talking with my co-workers again. I didn't discuss my experience with them because some were not Christians, and I was concerned that they could not understand, and it was so precious and powerful that I didn't want to take the chance of someone not believing. This miracle was a token of God's love, and it did more for me than a truckload of pills. It was only a small sample of God's healing power of love but has remained one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The Apostle Paul's actual visit to Heaven and the things he saw and experienced were so wondrous that God would not allow him to speak of them. Paul was so captivated by his Glorious Visit that the only reason he would willingly return to earth was to complete God's message to the world. Twenty-Five Years Later Twenty-five years later, I still remember that experience in detail but can only now understand how much it changed my life. This vision, and a couple of others, are mostly responsible for establishing this ministry and website. I would never again doubt God's reality or wonder about His healing power, and it has given me faith for the countless times I have prayed with others. Now, when troubles and depression try to return, all I need to do is recall that vision, and the healing powers return. No matter how discouraging things become, or how trying the circumstances, remember that nothing is impossible with God; the healing power of God's love is enough to overcome them all. Samuel Mills
