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Five books that shaped my
life
by
Commissioner Douglas Davis
With the
proviso that the Song Book of the Salvation Army may be
allowed special mention, as in a category of devotional
resource that is second only to the Bible, I list the
following five books that have changed my life in terms of my
spiritual formation and ministry:
THE CRAFT OF THE SERMON
W.E. SANGSTER
As a young accepted candidate I sat in the corps band next to
the late Brigadier Victor Pedersen OF. Vic was a passionate
evangelist whose fervent allegiance to the Christian
Scriptures and their exposition was a consistent mark of his
'flying padre' ministry in Australia's remote north –
Crocodile Dundee country. During 1958 the Pedersen family came
south to Melbourne for a respite appointment of 12 months
duration before returning to the tropical Northern Territory
where their hearts lay in outreach to the people on cattle
stations and in establishing a corps in Darwin.
Vic loaned me his copy of Sangster's book which I read avidly
but with little sense, at that time, of its true value. In
truth, at first, I was mentally challenged by the author's
systematic analysis of various homiletical styles and
structures. His treatment of the place and use of sermon
illustrations spoke to me but even at that the author's
scholarly approach seemed over-cerebral to my embryonic
preacher's heart.
But, as a newly commissioned corps officer facing the steep
mountain climb of sermon preparation, relying on little more
than my field training outlines from College, I readily
purchased my copy of Sangster's book which I still cherish. I
discovered that the THQ Education Department provided a
correspondence course, with the book as its recommended text,
so that was my next step towards a better understanding of
sermon making and preaching.
A quarter of a century later General Frederick Coutts' No
Continuing City revealed that he assessed his first sermons as
of the skim milk variety having noted that 'the richer the
thought the greater the need for orderly expression'. By that
stage of my officership journey I had fully embraced
Sangster's endorsement of Bernard Manning's sense of preaching
as 'a manifestation of the Incarnate Word, from the Written
Word, by the spoken word'.
THE CALL TO HOLINESS
FREDERICK L. COUTTS
Early in 1959 my wife and I entered the Melbourne training
college and at our divisional farewell meeting we were
presented with this precious, life changing book. My copy
still has taped to the front fly-leaf the typed presentation
card which expresses a prayer for God's blessing on my life's
work – the book largely contributed to the achievement of that
very prayer.
In those formative years of my spirituality I experienced a
healthy hunger and thirst for righteousness which readily
responded to Coutts' treatment of Doctrine Ten. His lucid
exposition of selected New Testament references illuminated
the holiness experience for me in a compelling way. In quoting
Brengle – 'There is no such thing as holiness apart from
"Christ in you"' Coutts provided a bridge between my Brengle
books and my then growing experience.
Early in the 1960s when Coutts was leader of the Australia
Eastern territory he led a series of congress gatherings in
Melbourne in one of which he took I Tim. 6:17 (AV) as his text
– (He) giveth us richly all things to enjoy – to which he
added the suffix, even holiness.
Later I gratefully sat under his teaching at the ICO rejoicing
to own an ever deepening sense of the work and ministry of the
Holy Spirit in my heart and life.
THE LIFE AND TEACHING OF JESUS CHRIST
J.S. STEWART
This book was the required text for my first year of
regulation post commissioning correspondence studies. I
treasure it to this day and have frequently returned to it for
snippets to add luster to my teaching and preaching ministry.
My well loved copy is thumb marked, substantially notated –
first with fountain pen, latterly with ball point pen – and
supported by my own topical index to aid the location of those
many valued insights I was able to glean from its pages.
Stewart entitles his chapter 16 The Gathering Storm and shows
us a Jesus who steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
fully aware of the redeeming work he was to accomplish at
Calvary. That chapter refers to a Holman Hunt painting, The
Shadow of Death. It depicts Jesus, the young carpenter,
standing in the Nazareth workshop as the setting sun captures
his form and projects the shadow of a cross on a nearby wall.
My heart leaps to associate that image with this personal
confession of faith:
All the way to Calvary He went for me, And now He sets me
free.
Recently, using the internet, I downloaded the Holman Hunt
painting and married it to a recording of Dean Goffin's brass
band selection The Shadow of the Cross – a companion piece to
his The Light of the World. It blesses, humbles and inspires
me as the image and the music wash over my soul.
Thank you, J.S. Stewart, Holman Hunt and Dean Goffin.
WHAT SHALL THIS MAN DO?
WATCHMAN NEE
A gift from the training principal when I farewelled from
college staff, this book is treasured because of the giver,
the late Commissioner Geoffrey Dalziel, and also because it
influenced me to learn to appreciate the rich variety of
personalities amongst we Christians who form the Body of
Christ in his earthly Kingdom.
Nee To-Sheng, known to his world wide readership as Watchman
Nee, came from South China and following conversion in 1920
emerged as a strong evangelical leader in his homeland. The
military and political turmoil that afflicted 20th century
China caught up Nee in its wake and submerged him in adversity
for the sake of the gospel. His personal story enhances his
writing.
The author compares and contrasts Peter the fisherman, Paul
the tentmaker and John the mender of nets to show how their
inherent, redeemed talents were taken hold of by the Holy
Spirit to build the New Testament Church. Nee suggests that
the secular occupations of the three named apostles point to
ministries required in the Church of today – the ingathering
of souls, wise building according to the heavenly vision and,
if setbacks demand, a work of mending and renewing.
It helped me to identify my gifts and strengths and to
appreciate those of my comrade Salvationists who could, by
God's good grace, supply what I lack. Further, I was assured
that God did not expect me to be omni-competent but that, as
members of his family, my sisters and brothers in the faith
could contribute what I lack and for the good of all. I found,
and still find that to be a liberating truth.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS GIFTS
J. OSWALD SANDERS
During 1987 I transferred to New Zealand to serve as the
training principal. I took this book with me after carefully
choosing which items of my personal library to leave in store
in Australia in order to meet the limit placed upon movement
of our personal effects. Sanders, a New Zealander, was for a
time the leader of the NZ Bible Institute before moving to the
South Pacific region of China Inland Mission and later to the
Overseas Missionary Fellowship. His passionate evangelical
heart and mind is clearly reflected in his writings,
especially in this book.
Having had advance notification of the transfer to NZ I sought
to prepare myself as best I could for the move. What I did not
discover until I arrived, however, was that the Salvation Army
in the 'land of the long white cloud' was caught up in a
ferment of charismatic renewal. Strong renewal tides were
creating cross currents that clashed with an equally strong
reaction in favour of maintaining traditional Salvationist
theology and practice. The then territorial commander,
Commissioner Wesley Harris, appointed me to chair a working
party to present recommendations to reconcile the various
factions and to wed the hopes and dreams of both camps as may
have been pleasing to God. Those appointed to serve on the
working party represented all aspects of the issue and were,
in reality, a microcosm of the territory itself. At the end of
many hours and months of heart searching, prayerful
deliberation a consensus emerged that gave rise to our final
report that was presented, on a memorable Saturday morning, to
a gathering of THQ heads of department. The debate that ensued
was more unforgettable than memorable! Our wise, courageous
territorial commander, using the report as chart and compass,
steered the territory to a safe haven where the waves were
eventually less threatening.
My debt to Sanders' book during that time was considerable.
God caused me to bring my own life under his kind but
searching eye as I chaired the working party; for me it was
far from an academic exercise. Sanders' teaching on the gifts,
the fruit and the infilling of the Holy Spirit enlightened my
mind and stirred my heart. That I could offer our New Zealand
working party such sound teaching from so revered an
evangelical countryman was an asset not to be under-valued. Of
course the added benefit was the enrichment of my ministry to
the cadets.
God knew what awaited me when he led me to carry the book
across the ocean in preparation for another life changing
challenge.
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