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About the Book
"Becoming A Disciplined Man Of God" by Adam Houge is a practical guide for men seeking to deepen their relationship with God and live a disciplined, purposeful life. The book outlines key principles and practices for spiritual growth, self-discipline, and becoming a man who reflects Christ in all aspects of life.
A. A. Allen
Born in Sulphur Rock, Arkansas, in 1911, he grew up with an alcoholic father and an unfaithful mother who lived with a series of men. âBy the time I was twenty-one,â recalled Allen, âI was a nervous wreck. I couldnât get a cigarette to my lip with one hand. . . . I was a confirmed drunkard.â (Lexie Allen, Godâs Man of Faith and Power, p57, 1954). Two years later he served a jail sentence for stealing corn in the midst of the depression and thought of himself as âan ex-jailbird drifting aimlessly through life.â It was at this point that Allen was converted in a âtongues speakingâ Methodist church in 1934 He met his wife, Lexie in Colorado and she became a powerful influence in shaping him for his future ministry.
Licensed by the Assemblies of God as a minister in 1936 began an effective evangelistic ministry at a small church in Colorado. After a two year pastorate he spent four-and-a-half years during World War II, as a full-time revivalist. He was the worship leader, musician and preacher but low finances and mediocre results took their toll on this father of four children. He left the itinerant ministry in 1947 when he was offered the security of a pastorate in a stable Assemblies of God church in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Soon after moving to Texas he heard news of the revival and read a copy of âThe Voice of Healingâ magazine which he found incredulous and labelled the revivalists âfanatics.â However, in 1949, he attended an Oral Roberts campaign in Dallas where he was enthralled by Robertsâ power over the audience and left convinced that the revival was from God
Back in Texas, when his church board refused to sponsor a radio program, he resigned and began conducting revivals again with the hope that he too might develop a major healing ministry. In, He sent his first report to The Voice of Healing in May 1950, from Oakland, California, âMany say this is the greatest Revival in the history of Oaklandâ in what was to become typical AAA style.
He said, âAlthough I do not claim to possess the gift of healing, hundreds are being miraculously healed in this meeting of every known disease. I do not claim to possess a single gift of the Spirit nor to have the power to impart any gift to others, yet in this meeting, as well as in other recent meetings, all the gifts of the Spirit are being received and exercised night after night. (The Voice of Healing May 1950)
Observing the burgeoning ministry of others he noticed that the evangelists who were drawing the largest crowds were doing so under canvas. In the summer of 1951 joined the ranks of the tent ministries giving a down payment and commitment to pay off the remaining amount as the ministry grew â and it did. He established his headquarters in Dallas and in 1953 launched the Allen Revival Hour on radio. He conducted overseas campaigns in Cuba and Mexico regularly, and by1955 was broadcasting on seventeen Latin American radio stations as well as eighteen American ones.
Allenâs sanguine personality expressed itself in his enthusiastic reports, unparalleled showmanship and startling miraculous claims. He was a persuasive preacher, with a compelling presence and unusual empathy and rapport with the common people. He preached an old-time Pentecostal message with consummate skill. His message of holiness resonated in the hearts of those reared in austere Pentecostalism.
His stage presence and theatrical approach endeared him to the economically deprived working class and also to black communities. Ever the showman he made religion enjoyable and church-going fun.
But, above all, it was the power of God which attracted the huge audiences over the years. Thousands were converted in the midst of dramatic public healings and deliverances from evil spirits. Nothing was âdone in a cornerâ but all was employed to support the message that Jesus was alive and interested in the needs of ordinary people.
A. A. Allen considered himself the most persecuted preacher in the world. The Assemblies of God were not happy with his apparently questionable, or at least exaggerated, claims. His readiness to publicly counter-attack his accusers brought a continual stream of criticism and alienation from mainline Pentecostals.
But the accusation that he drank abusively was the straw that broke the camelâs back. In the fall 1955, he was arrested for drunken driving while conducting a revival in Knoxville, Tennessee. The local press took the opportunity to attack and expose Allen and the beleaguered minister forfeited his bail rather than stand trial on the charge.
Whatever the truth was Allen called the incident an âunprecedented persecutionâ aimed at ruining his ministry. As always he employed even the worst accusations to reinforce his claims that his commitment to Godâs work in Godâs way was truly from heaven, despite the fact that the Devil continually tried to destroy his ministry. His Miracle Magazine published his defense:
Allen declares that all this is but a trick of the devil to try to kill his ministry and his influence among his friends at a time when God has granted him greater miracles in his ministry than ever before. . . . If ministers pay the price of real MIRACLES today, they will meet with greater persecution than ever before. The only way to escape such persecution is to fold up and quit! But we are going on! Will you go on with us? (Miracle Magazine October, 1955)
Gordon Lindsay felt that the Voice of Healing had to take âa strong stand on ethics.â Allen resigned from the group, pre-empting their imminent dismissal. He immediately began publishing his own magazine, and, although he affected a cordial relationship with his former colleagues in the Voice of Healing, feelings remained strained.
In some ways independence suited Allen. His daughter recalled:
The Knoxville event also led to Allenâs separation from the Assemblies of God. It was suggested that he âwithdraw from the public ministry until the matter at Knoxville be settled.â Allenâs response was to surrender his credentials as âa withdrawal from public ministry at this time would ruin my ministry, for it would have the appearance of an admission of guilt.â
By the mid-1950âs many of the more moderate ministers tried to continue to work with the Pentecostal denominations â or at least to remain friendly â but Allen repeatedly attacked organized religion and urged Pentecostal ministers to establish independent churches which would be free to support the revival. He charged that the Sunday school had replaced the altar in the Pentecostal churches and that few church members were filled with the Holy Ghost:
âRevivals are almost a thing of the past. Many pastors, and even evangelists, declare they will never try another one. They say it doesnât work. They are holding âSunday School Conventions,â âTeacher Training Courses,â and social gatherings. With few exceptions the churches today are leaning more and more toward dependence upon organizational strength, and natural ability, and denominational âmethods.â They no longer expect to get their increase through the old fashioned revival altar bench, or through the miracle working power of God, but rather through the Sunday School.â
In fall 1956, Allen announced the formation of the Miracle Revival Fellowship, an alternative fellowship intended to license independent ministers and to support missions. Theologically, the fellowship welcomed all who accepted âthe concept that Christ is the only essential doctrine.â Allen urged laymen as well as ministers to join his fellowship, through his âEvery Member an Exhorter plan.â Although Allen announced that âMRF is not interested in dividing churches,â he also disclosed that âthe purpose of this corporation shall be to encourage the establishing and the maintenance of independent local, sovereign, indigenous, autonomous churches.â The fellowship listed more than 500 ministers in its âfirst ordination
Interestingly, as other ministries were struggling and the revival was waning, Allenâs charisma and ministry skills coupled with well-staged revivals and an amazingly gifted team, enabled him to re-establish his ministry and rebuild a substantial and effective work.
Miracle Magazine was resounding success. At the end of a yearâs publication in 1956, it had a paid subscription of about 200,000,and, according to Mrs. Allen, was âthe fastest growing subscription magazine in the world today.â In 1957, Allen began conducting the International Miracle Revival Training Camp, an embryonic ministerial training centre. In 1958, he was given land in Arizona where he began building a permanent headquarters and training centre. At the height of the 1958 crisis in the revival, Allen announced a five-pronged program for his ministry: tent revivals, the Allen Revival Hour radio broadcast, an overseas mission program, the Miracle Valley Training Centre, and a âgreat number of dynamic books and faith inspiring tractsâ published by the ministry. In 1958, Allen purchased Jack Coeâs old tent and proudly announced that he was moving into the âlargest tent in the world.â His old-time revivalism, up-beat gospel music and anointed entertainers continued to attract the masses.
Allan died at the Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco, California on June 11, 1970 at the age of 59. Some claim that Allen died an alcoholic because the coronerâs report concluded Allen died from liver failure brought on by acute alcoholism. Others know that he had battled with excruciating pain from severe arthritis in his knees, for over a year. It is true that Allen had undergone surgery on one of his knees and in June of 1970, was considering surgery on the other knee. They believe that the Coronerâs Report of âfatty infiltration of the liverâ was a result of the few times he used alcohol in his last days to alleviate the excruciating pain of his arthritis.
Whatever is true of his death the life of A. A. Allen was one of extraordinary commitment to Jesus Christ which brought victory over the enemy of mankind. A. A. Allen was a true survivor. Even though the revival was declining in the late 1950âs and 1960âs his commitment to old-time faith-healing campaigns ensured the continuing testimony of signs and wonders to the next generation. He may have had his personal âquirks and foiblesâ but the testimony of thousands of the blessing they received, the enduring love for God that resulted and the demonstration of the power of the Gospel are good reasons to give God thanks for such an amazing life!
No Holiness, No Heaven
No one will be in heaven who did not walk in good works on earth. In other words, and in the words of Hebrews 12:14, there is a âholiness without which no one will see the Lord.â Abbreviated, âno holiness, no heaven.â In directness, âFaith without works is deadâ (James 2:26 NASB). In confession, âFaith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification: yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by loveâ (Westminster Confession). In commandment: âWork out [literally, produce] your own salvation with fear and tremblingâ (Philippians 2:12). âNo one will be in heaven who did not walk in good works on earth.â In illustration: âEvery branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away . . . and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burnedâ (John 15:2, 6). In lyric, âHe leads me in paths of righteousness for his nameâs sakeâ (Psalm 23:3). In repetition: no one will be in heaven who did not walk in good works on earth. Two Familiar Heresies Now, to say this, I hasten to avoid a different heresy: no one will be in heaven based upon good works. âBy grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boastâ (Ephesians 2:8â9). âA person is not justified by works of the lawâ (Galatians 2:16). Christâs righteousness, not ours, justifies entirely. The man, woman, or child who believes in him who justifies the ungodly shall be counted righteous before God. His blood brings us near to God, his righteousness imputed to us is needed. In other words, him, him, him â not us â so that no man may boast. Although the Christian walks into the narrow path full of good works, God prepared them for him to walk in beforehand. So here we have it: no one will be in heaven who did not walk in faith-producing good works on earth â âthe obedience of faithâ (Romans 1:5; 16:26) or âfaith working through loveâ (Galatians 5:6) â and no one in heaven will be there on the basis of his good works. One heresy says it doesnât matter if you work, run, or fight at all; the other, that your working, running, and fighting earn your place before a holy God. James calls the first the faith of demons (James 2:19). Paul calls the second the faith of the bewitched (Galatians 3:1). One error sits comfortably among evangelicals; the other among Catholics. It is the dead faith closer to home that I wish to address. Once Saved, Always Saved Dead faith (which produces no works) is not necessarily a silent faith. It often rehearses (and abuses) golden mantras such as, âOnce saved, always saved,â putting a jewel, as it were, up a pigâs snout. âNothing shall separate his true children from the love of God; the Shepherd will lose none of his sheep.â Properly understood, âOnce saved, always savedâ would stand for the amazing truth that from the vantage point of the eternal mountain of God, his children, predestined to be saved before time began, will not fall away â he will bring them home. He carved their names in the book of life; his Son has atoned for their actual sins; he seals them with his very Spirit as a down payment â the Spirit that shall surely bring his work to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. Nothing shall separate his true children from the love of God; the Shepherd will lose none of his sheep. From this, however, some draw crooked lines. Instead of deducing with Paul, âGodâs firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: âThe Lord knows those who are his,â and, âLet everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquityââ (2 Timothy 2:19), some conclude that the perseverance of the saints is optional. They may imagine God putting souls on a conveyor belt to glory. âOnce saved, always savedâ â no matter how deeply compromised their lives may be. In so doing they pit the essential doctrine of justification against the blood, sweat, and toil of the essential doctrine of sanctification, judging the first to eclipse the second. We do not need holiness, it is thought, because once saved, always saved. And by âsavedâ we cannot help but conclude they include âsaved from needing to obey.â Texts that speak conditionally of inheriting eternal life (conditions God empowers his true children to meet) bewilder dead faith. They cannot stomach texts about the need to continue stable and steadfast in the faith, to endure to the end, to stand firm through trials, to put the flesh to death by the Spirit, to work out oneâs own salvation with fear and trembling, to make our calling and election sure through energetic striving (2 Peter 1:1â11). The shouts of their dead faith cry âLord, Lordâ while they disobey him with their lives. Theirs is a faith I knew too well. A faith soberly depicted by the character Talkative in Bunyanâs animated theology, The Pilgrimâs Progress. Along the Road with Talkative A man named Faithful, in Bunyanâs allegory, possessed a faith that worked, while Talkative possessed a faith that did not. They had a conversation along the way. Faithful: Are you going to the heavenly country? Talkative: I am going to that same place. Talkative believes himself headed to the Celestial City. And whatâs more, he speaks very Christianly, possessing excellent Reformed doctrine: By this [profitable talk of the Scriptures] a man may learn the necessity of the new birth; the insufficiency of our works; the need of Christâs righteousness, and so forth. Besides, by this a man may learn what it is to repent, to believe, to pray, to suffer, or the like; by this also a man may learn what are the great promises and consolations of the Gospel, to his own comfort. Further, by this a man may learn to refute false opinions; to vindicate the truth; and also to instruct the ignorant. Bunyan teaches that proper orthodoxy communicated well is not a sufficient sign in itself of living faith. Faithful, not knowing the report of Talkative, whispers to his companion, Christian, âWhat a brave companion have we got! Surely this man will make a very excellent pilgrim.â At this, Christian modestly smiles and answers plainly, This man with whom you are so taken will beguile with this tongue of his twenty of them that know him not. . . . He is best abroad; near home he is ugly enough. . . . Religion hath no place in his heart, or house, or conversation; all he hath lieth in his tongue, and his religion is to make a noise therewith. His Christianity lies only in his tongue. How does Christian know this? âI have been in his family and have observed him both at home and abroad.â The tree is known by its fruit. He is âa saint abroad, and a devil at home.â Like the Pharisees of Jesusâs day, he says much, but obeys little (Matthew 23:3). âThe new covenant promises Christians with new hearts will hate their sin and feel it to be the shame it is.â It is easy for us to imagine that God has saved us because we know right doctrine. Talkativeâs great religion of tongue proved untrue in his loves, his relationships, his life. He talks of truth he was never changed by. The grace he speaks of never trained him to say no to ungodliness and to live a godly life (Titus 2:11â14). Borrowing a phrase from C.S. Lewis, he speaks of new life like âa scholarâs parrot may talk Greek.â He repeats what he overhears without knowing the reality of it, as the parrot listening to a scholar may repeat words like charis and sĹtÄria. Christian observes what is true of many Talkatives today: âHe talks of prayer, of repentance, of faith, and of the new birth; but he knows but only to talk of them.â What a fearful place to be. Questions for Self-Examination Are you like this Talkative? I was, and God woke me from my delusion. I pray he would for others like me. Talkative, in the end, does not venture from the City of Destruction. He labels Christian and Faithful judgmental and parts from them. His words traveled beyond his faith and obedience; in the end, he was lost. He never examined himself to make sure he was in the faith and truly born again. At times, we all ask plainly, Am I born again? Christian counsels Faithful concerning Talkative, âAsk him plainly (when he has approved of it, for that he will) whether this thing be set up in his heart, house, or conversation.â Some questions Faithful and Talkative discuss are still helpful to ask today. Do you hate your sin? Not merely talk about hating it, like a hypocritical pastor who denounces the secret sin he indulges. The new covenant promises Christians with new hearts will hate their sin and feel it to be shameful: âYou shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committedâ (Ezekiel 20:43). Blessed are those who mourn for their sin (Matthew 5:4); God will not despise the heart broken over its sin (Psalm 51:17). Do you love God? Paul said as plain as day, âIf anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursedâ (1 Corinthians 16:22). Do you love him? Do you desire to know him? Do you love him above father, mother, spouse, child? Can you confess that his steadfast love is better than life? Do you hate your remaining sin because it is against him, your soulâs Treasure? Do you obey what you know? Jesus says, âIf you know these things, blessed are you if you do themâ (John 13:17). âThat servant who knew his masterâs will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beatingâ (Luke 12:47). We can imagine we have advanced much in religion or the love of Christ because we know more and more texts on the subject. But these texts must be believed, obeyed, loved. They must take root in us. If we truly know and love him, we will keep his commandments (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3). What do others see? Bunyan writes, âA work of grace in the soul discovers itself either to him that hath it, or to standers by.â Other Christiansâ judgments are not infallible, but they can help to reveal blind spots to us (and signs of grace) we do not see in ourselves. As the Faithfuls and Christians today keep along the narrow way with the Book in their hands and love in their hearts, they will do good in this world. They will because God is working in them to will and to work for his good pleasure, producing the fruit of the Spirit in them. They must do good, in fact, because they have a Book of promises commanding, warning, and wooing them onward to the Celestial City. No one in heaven will be there on the basis of his good works, and no one will be in heaven who did not walk in good works on earth. So, we press onward in holiness toward our heavenly home because Jesus has already made us his own. Article by Greg Morse
