Tuesday, March 29, 2011

How God Used a Little Book Called 'Power for Living' to Save Me 28 Years Ago

Most of you have probably never heard of a little book called Power for Living.  It was first published in 1983 -- the year President Ronald Reagan declared as "the Year of the Bible" -- and ran through several editions through 1998.

The first edition came out in October of 1983.  That's the edition I read, and that was when I read it.  The book had been commissioned by the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation, to celebrate the Year of the Bible, and was published by American Vision.

It was advertised on TV and in magazine ads at the time, so my mom ordered a free copy.  It arrived and sat around the house for a few days.  Maybe a few weeks.  But eventually I picked it up.  And I read it.

And I'll tell you right now, it was the evangelistic tool that God used to finally open up my heart and give me the saving faith I needed to take the all-important step of acknowledging my sins, realizing that I was completely incapable of providing for myself what I really needed to get out of the spiritual malaise I was in -- and the eternal misery I was headed for -- and admitting my need for a personal and readily available Savior (whom I already knew was JESUS CHRIST the Lord)!

First Step in a Lifetime Journey

That first step involved doing what every repentant sinner needs to do: ask God for immediate forgiveness of all sins, past, present (and future), and to beg Him for one more chance, an opportunity to "start over fresh" with a new life, which would commence just as soon as I would ask His Son Jesus to be my all-sufficient Redeemer and Lord of my life, and renounce the tyranny of Satan and his "reign of error" that I had, until that moment, voluntarily placed myself under.

It's not an understatement to say that reading that book and doing what it said totally changed my life.  Forever.

Deja Worldview

Why do I mention Power for Living now, almost 28 years later?

Well, because it's a good example of how God seemingly uses an isolated event in your life to bring you to saving faith and knowledge of Him, and then, months or perhaps years later, He brings you to a place where you come "full circle" with that event, and reconnects you with it somehow. 

Let me explain.  But, first, a little background.

Power for Living, Extreme Makeover

The first edition of Power for Living was written by a team of authors that, I later learned, were Calvinistic in their theology.  Which means the book reflected a "Reformed" view of salvation, discipleship and Christian living, one that was God-centered, comprehensive and systematic in its approach to helping the new believer cultivate and nurture a "biblical-worldview" as part of this life of walking with Christ.

Well, for whatever reason, the tone and content of the book didn't sit well with some of the folks who were underwriting the Power for Living project, so that first edition was scrapped.  The book was then completely (and quickly) rewritten by a different author -- with a more Arminian, evangelistic tone and focus -- and a second edition was issued (one month after the first one) in November 1983.  And to my knowledge this "revised version" became the basis for all subsequent edtions of the book.)

Full Circle to a Full-Orbed Faith

The prevailing perspective in evangelical Christianity back then was (and still mostly is) Arminian.  So, consequently, that was the first "school of Christ" I encountered and embraced as a new believer.

But, after my walk with God had passed through its first six or seven years, I lost my taste for man-centered, Arminian theology and was drawn to the more satisfying, biblically consistent doctrines of Reformed theology, mainly because of its unsentimental yet deeply devotional quality and its Christ-centered, sovereign-God-honoring, practical approach to Christianity.

After a few years of being a Reformed Christian, I came to discover that THREE out of the FIVE authors who originally wrote that first edition of Power for Living -- David Chilton, Gary DeMar and Ray Sutton -- were Calvinist writers that I had become familiar with and highly respected -- YEARS after I had unwittingly read their book!

Lesson Learned

Sometimes, God uses a moment like that in our lives to "lock us in" to our faith, and then He brings us back to it later on, somehow, to use as a spiritual reference point to gauge "how we're doing" and whether or not we've grown in grace and in our knowledge of Him.

And revisiting the roots of my "salvation experience" along with the origins of the book God used to bring that about, causes me to appreciate even more, his sovereign working in my life, and maybe explains why I sort of "came home" to the Reformed faith after spending a few years trying to find a theological safe haven for myself.  But, enough about me. It's all about HIM!

For More Information...

If you're interested in learning more about this obscure little book I've been talking about, here's a helpful article on the nearly three-decades-long history of Power for Living.

Update: it looks like the book is no longer available from the Arthur DeMoss Foundation, but you can find it used at Amazon.com and through other online resellers.

My prayer is that God will continue to use this little book however He sees fit, to bring other sons and daughters to glory in Christ in the same mysterious way He did me, and enable those of us, unworthy sinners whom He has called and chosen to be redeemed by His grace, to glorify and enjoy Him forever!

No comments: