Welcome to the beginning of our venture into printing. The concept of SALT has been around for many years in our church at Auckland. To be able to open a forum on our belief system, I believe, is healthy and challenging. I hope that in subsequent issues we can print readers’ responses without fear or favour. My personal thoughts were to take over the Gospel Messenger which Pastor Edward Barrar has published for many years. However, this did not seem to be possible so SALT is the result of many e-mails and discussion.

The primary aim of SALT is to bring the Gospel to a dying world. Its second aim is to publish what we in Auckland believe as Seventh Day Baptists, so that others can agree or disagree. We are not trying to force our beliefs on others, only hoping to foster open discussion on doctrine. A third aim is to bring news of our mission work in Malawi.

We hope you accept this publication in the spirit it has been established and we hope to have your written responses so they can be printed.

May God bless us with unity and love in the years to come.                       Pastor Ian Ingoe

Consider for a moment our Conference theme, “O Lord, Revive Your work”. What are we implying when we apply it to our Conference? Are we suggesting that our Conference lacks vitality or is seemingly lifeless, or perhaps near to death?

I was an ambulance officer for nineteen years and during that time I am reasonably sure that I never saw a patient brought back from the dead. Now Lazarus was in the grave for four days and Christ raised him from death, but as wonderful as our medical profession may be, no rational physician would attempt a resuscitation even four hours after apparent death. My private conclusion is that anyone who is resuscitated by medical intervention was never truly dead in the first place. Yes, the signs of life may be absent, but if a potential exists for the continuation of life then that person is not yet deceased. When the spirit actually departs from the body it returns to God who gave it, (Eccl 12:7) and no amount of medical intervention can summon it back. Doctors can artificially circulate the blood, enrich it with oxygen, and correct the body’s chemical imbalances but they cannot therein guarantee a restoration of life.

Habakkuk prayed this prayer of revival at the time of Judah’s lowest spiritual ebb. His prayer was not that the nation would be brought back to life. Judah was anything but dead. It had not yet been invaded by the Babylonians. If we look closely at Habakkuk’s words we can see that his prayer is for the revival of God’s work among the people – that is, that they would submit to His rulership and be spared His wrath. Why Habakkuk felt it was necessary to have a revival of God’s work in Judah is clearly evident from the opening paragraphs of his book. Hab 1:2-4

How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And Thou wilt not hear? I cry out to Thee, “Violence!” Yet Thou dost not save. Why dost Thou make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises. Therefore, the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Do you see any better situation in society today? Have you ever watched the six o’clock news without being bombarded with a barrage of graphic reports of violence and rebellion? Take a wander down the aisles of the toy section of your favourite department store and you’ll be amazed at the array of violent figurines and lethal accessories that stare back at you with realistic expressions of anger. As we look around us we see a world in defiant rejection of that which it needs the most – the peace and rulership of our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. If ever there has been a time when God’s people needed to return to Him it is now. What we earnestly pray for is an outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit to revitalize and empower His work in the world today particularly in this case through our Australasian Conference of Seventh Day Baptists. Like Habakkuk we may wonder at times whether or not our Heavenly Father is listening, but we should never think that God has given up on us. (Heb 13:5) When the going gets tough we should ask ourselves the question that the hymnist put so eloquently:

Am I a soldier of the cross, A follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own His cause Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize And sailed thro' bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign; Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy word. AMEN.

Sure we may be a little battle-scarred here and there, but we’re alive! Our admission of a need for a revival of God’s work amongst us is an urgent plea for His help not a fear that God’s Spirit may have abandoned us. We are alive – simply because God’s Spirit quickens us. Without the Spirit we would be mere animated corpses. If God’s Spirit could leave us no amount of motivational speeches or renewal programs could ever bring us back to life. Like the doctors and nurses who do their best to stabilize their critical patient, we must acknowledge that God’s own work is ultimately in His hands. It’s His work. We should then be confident to say with the Apostle Paul, Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:. No soldier can go into battle without first training and equipping him/herself for active duty. In my next President’s Piece we will discuss how we can best prepare ourselves to be used by our Master to further His work and bring about a revival of God’s work amongst us.

David Hill

Bro. David Hill is President of the Australasian Conference of Seventh Day Baptists and is a member of the Auckland Seventh Day Baptist Church.