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About the Book
"You Are God's Best" by T.L. Osborn is a powerful and inspiring book that teaches readers about their worth and potential as children of God. Through personal anecdotes and biblical teachings, Osborn shares a message of hope, empowerment, and self-worth, emphasizing that each person is valuable and unique in the eyes of God. The book encourages readers to embrace their identity as God's children and live a purposeful and victorious life.
Charles Finney
Childhood and Teen years
Charles Grandison Finney was born the year after Wesley died on 29th August, 1792 in Warren, Connecticut. In 1794 his family moved to New York state, eventually settling at Henderson, near Lake Ontario. Although he received only a brief formal education he decided to study law and joined the practice of a local lawyer, Benjamin Wright. He was also very musical, played the cello and directed the choir at the local Presbyterian Church pastured by Rev. George Gale.
His conversion
His conversion on October 10th 1821 reads like something out of the book of Acts. Smitten with conviction from Bible reading he decided to âsettle the question of my soulâs salvation at once, that if it were possible, I would make my peace with God.â (Autobiography)
This conviction increased to an unbearable level over the next couple of days and came to an head when he was suddenly confronted with an âinward voice.â He was inwardly questioned about his spiritual condition and finally received revelation about the finished work of Christ and his own need to give up his sins and submit to Christâs righteousness.
As he sought God in a nearby wood he was overwhelmed with an acute sense of his own wickedness and pride but finally submitted his life to Christ. Back at work that afternoon he was filled with a profound sense of tenderness, sweetness and peace. When work was over and he bade his employer goodnight, he then experienced a mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit, which was recorded as vividly as the day he experienced it, though it was penned some fifty years later.
The next morning Finney announced to a customer that he was leaving his law studies to become a preacher of the Gospel.
Charles Finney licensed to preach
He was licensed to preach in 1823 and ordained as an evangelist in 1824. His penetrating preaching was quite different from many local ministers and included an obvious attempt to break away from the traditional and, as he saw it, dead, orthodox Calvinism. He married to Lydia Andrews in October 1824 and was also joined by Daniel Nash (1774-1831), known popularly as âFather Nash.â Undoubtedly Nashâs special ministry of prayer played a great part in Finneyâs growing success as an evangelist.
Things really took off when he preached in his old church, where Rev. Gale still ministered. Numerous converts and critics followed! Similar results were experienced in nearby towns of Rome and Utica. Soon newspapers were reporting his campaigns and he began drawing large crowds with dramatic responses.
Soon he was preaching in the largest cities of the north with phenomenal results. Campaign after campaign secured thousands of converts.
The high point of Finneyâs revival career was reached at Rochester, New York, during his 1830-1 meetings. Shopkeepers closed their businesses and the whole city seemed to centre on the revivalist. Responding to his irresistible logic and passionate arguments many of his converts were lawyers, merchants and those from a higher income and professional status.
His Preaching
Finney openly preached a modified Calvinism, influenced with his own theology of conversion and used what were perceived to be ârevivalistic techniques.â
These âmeansâ included the use of the anxious bench (a special place for those under conviction), protracted meetings, women allowed to pray in mixed meetings, publicly naming those present resisting God in meetings and the hurried admission of new converts into church membership. Opponents viewed his preaching of the law as âscare tacticsâ and his persuasive appeals for sinners to come to Christ for salvation were seen as over-emphasising the responsibility of men and ignoring the sovereignty of God.
His theology and practise soon became known as the âNew Measuresâ and attracted many opponents from the Old School Presbyterians led by Asahel Nettleton (himself no stranger to true revival and , the revivalistic Congregationalists headed by Lyman Beecher.
Pastor at Chatham Street Chapel
Finney accepted an appointment as pastor of Chatham Street Chapel in New York City in 1832 where he remained until 1837. It was during this time that he delivered a series of sermons published in 1835 as âLectures on Revivals of Religion.â Here he clearly stated his views regarding revivals being products of the correct use of human means. Such was the controversy that he left the Presbyterian denomination and joined the Congregationalists in 1836.
Oberlin College
The next year he became professor of theology at Oberlin College (Ohio) where he taught until his death. He was President here from 1851 until 1866, but still continued regular revival meetings in urban settings (twice in England, 1848, 1851) until 1860. During his stay at Oberlin he produced his, Lectures to Professing Christians (1836), Sermons on Important Subjects (1839) and his famous Memoirs.
The Father of Modern Revivalism
There is no doubt that Charles Grandison Finney well-deserves the title âThe Father of Modern Revivalism.â He was an evangelistic pioneer whose model was followed by a long line of revivalists from D. L. Moody to Billy Graham. His writing have made a massive impact on the entire evangelical world and particularly the âLectures on Revivalsâ which has, arguably, ignited more fires of revival than any other single piece literature in evangelical history.
This âPrince of Revivalistsâ passed away peacefully at Oberlin on Sunday, 16th August, 1875 aged almost 83 years.
Bibliography: I Will Pour Out My Spirit, R. E. Davies, 1997; Ed: A. Scott Moreau, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, 2000; Dictionary of Evangelical Biography 1730-1860, Vol. 1, 1995.
Tony Cauchi
The Story of Experiencing God
Kareem was a graduate student from North Africa working on a Ph.D. in biology. Bob, his professor, witnessed to him on numerous occasion; but because he was a moral man, Kareem saw no need for a Savior. He did start going to church with Bob though. The church offered a menâs Bible study using Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God that I had written with Henry Blackaby. Kareem decided to join. Bobâs first thought was, Heâs not even a Christian; this wonât make sense, but next he thought, What could it hurt? About 10 weeks into the study, Kareem came to Bob in the laboratory and said, âI have to confess.â Bob assumed he must have broken some lab equipment. âNo, I must confess Christ.â âKareem,â Bob asked, âall the times Iâve talked with you, you never saw a need for Christ. Why now?â "I see these men in our class are experiencing God," Kareem responded. "I know I can't experience Him that way without a relationship with Him." So, he made a public profession of his faith in Christ. Next, he needed prayer. His parents had arranged his marriage to a woman back home in North Africa. The church prayed. Soon, he began to receive letters from his future bride where she was quoting Scripture to him. She had come to faith in Christ and was praying for Kareem. I donât know who came to Christ first, but half a world apart, both experienced God. Experiencing God, the Course I first met Henry Blackaby in 1986, as he spoke at a conference in Georgia. Unexpectedly, he was asked to speak on the topic of knowing and doing the will of God. Avery Willis, my manager, and I realized God had entrusted to Henry a very significant message for the body of Christ. We began working with Henry to capture this life-message so it could minister to people far beyond Henryâs ability to present it in person. Henry had studied the way God worked with people throughout Scripture to accomplish His purposes. He used the story of Godâs call of Moses at the burning bush to illustrate Godâs work in and through an individual to accomplish His purposes. He would draw a diagram and explain the process. We summarized the process in the âSeven Realities of Experiencing Godâ diagram. In John 5:17, 19-20, Jesus described the way He came to know and do the will of His Father: âMy Father is still working, and I am working also. ⌠Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him greater works than these so that you will be amazed.â Henry summed up Jesusâ approach for us: âLook to see where God is working and join Him.â In October 1990, we released the first edition of a work-book titled Experiencing God. We couldnât have imagined what God would do with this message. In the past 30 years, it has sold more than eight million copies in various English editions. Translated into probably 60 or more languages, Experiencing God has spread all over the world. Trans World Radio even developed the message into radio programs and broadcast them as a radio discipleship tool in Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and English. Because the message was so clearly biblical, people of nearly every Christian denomination we know have used it. A Love Relationship Experiencing God isnât just a course to be studied, however. Itâs about a love relationship with a heavenly Father. Reality Two says, âGod pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.â When Henry and I began teaching Experiencing God, we learned that people who had experienced a poor relationship with an earthly father often had great difficulty getting close to God as their heavenly Father. I began to learn experientially that God can heal the brokenness of the past, set people free from the bondage of their past, and bring them into a vibrant, personal, and intimate love relationship with Himself. One woman who had been abused by her dad said, âItâs like Iâve received a heart transplant.â Her love for God as her Father was transformed. The love relationship is critical for all the other realities. Jesus described the love of the Father for the Son. Because of that love, the Father revealed what He was doing so the Son could be involved in the Fatherâs work. Thatâs exactly why we need a healthy love relationship with our Father. He longs to work through us, so we, and those around us, can know God by experience as He accomplishes God-sized things. "People experience God and they tell everybody what God has done. ⌠many have come to faith in Christ as they realized they didnât have a personal relationship with Him. Others have experienced Godâs healing touch and they now experience new dimensions of the abundant life Jesus came to give." Impacting Lives Experiencing God is about a real experience with God. This is one reason it has been so well received. People experience God and they tell everybody what God has done. Like Kareem, many have come to faith in Christ as they realized they didnât have a personal relationship with Him. Others have experienced Godâs healing touch and they now experience new dimensions of the abundant life Jesus came to give. I couldnât begin to tell you all the ways weâve seen God work through common ordinary people like us. A huge impact has come in prisons like the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola (formerly one of the bloodiest prisons in America). In 1995, inmates began using Experiencing God. A seminary extension program began training them to lead the more than 20 churches within the prison. Inmates began leading other inmates to faith and discipling them. Today more than half the inmates are Christians, and Angola is one of the safest prisons in America. Baylor University Research describes the change as âidentity transformation.â Inmates have been rejected, condemned, and cast off by society as worthless. Then they come to faith in Christ and realize God created them for a purpose. They cultivate a relationship with God that changes everything. They realize they have a meaningful purpose for living to minister to others. I met a former diplomat in South Africa who had served at the time Apartheid ended. He had been introduced to this message by some missionaries in another country where he served. He came back to South Africa and began using Experiencing God to train new diplomats who would represent their country through Christ-transformed lives. A South African banker told me about a visitor from another African nation who was planning a military coup to overthrow the corrupt government in his homeland. After the 12-week study of Experiencing God, he sensed God telling him to seek a political and peaceful strategy to spare the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who would have died in the conflict. One church began 27 ministries after studying Experiencing God. With confirmation from the church body, people realized God was calling them to far more than the traditional church programs. Churches have experienced a new unity. Ordinary people have recognized Godâs call, responded to that call, and experienced God working mightily in their businesses, homes, marriages, and communities. By the mid-1990s, international missions leaders identified an âemerging pathwayâ to the call to missions. Over half the new missionaries testified to sensing Godâs call to missions as they studied Experiencing God in church groups. Again, the course isnât the key. God is the key. We encourage people to enter the love relationship with God, learn to hear His voice, and respond in obedience. God has called people to things we would never have dreamed to ask. Repeating a Tragedy In the early days, I remember standing with Henry Blackaby when a prominent Southern Baptist leader came up with tears steaming down his face. He said, âHenry, if I had only known this 30 years ago my entire ministry would have been different.â All his outward human success didnât make up for missing out on what he could have experienced of God. I remember one broken pastor weeping as he asked, âWhy are we just now being told these things?â Henry responded by encouraging him to rejoice that God has now chosen to reveal these truths. I completed seminary and experienced some failure in ministry as I tried to do things for God. When I met Henry and learned this message, I experienced a 180-degree shift in ministry perspective and fruitfulness as I began to join God in what He was doing. I wished someone had taught me these truths a decade earlier. Not long ago, I introduced Experiencing God to 52 college students who were serving as summer staff for a Christian camp. Many of them were considering missions or ministry as vocations. Of the 52, only two had even heard of the course. On another occasion, I spoke to 35 seminary students, most of whom had never been introduced to this message. I tried to warn them not to follow my path of ministry failure by depending on my human reasoning and resources and missing the experience of Godâs presence and fruitfulness. If you've experienced God and understand this message, donât allow a new generation to miss experiencing Him. If you havenât experienced God in these real and significant ways, you can start right now. God desires to revive His people as His life flows through them to change the world. Letâs watch to see where God is working around us and join Him. This article was originally published in HomeLife magazine. Claude V. King
