C. H. Mason

Charles H. Mason was born outside Memphis near the end of the Civil War to Jerry and Eliza Mason, freed slaves. Eliza prayed earnestly that her son would be dedicated to God. The child soaked up those prayers and was soon joining his mother at the throne of grace, asking for faith like that of the old slaves and of his parents.

When Charles was 12, yellow fever broke out in the area. The Masons packed their scant belongings and quickly moved to Plumersville, Arkansas, where they became tenant farmers on a swampy plantation. The plague followed them, took Jerry’s life, and, wrapping its deadly tentacles around young Charles, laid him low with chills and fever. His death seemed certain. But early one Sunday morning “the glory of God appeared to Charles as never before,” as his wife later put it. “Being instantly healed by the divine presence, (he) got out of bed and walked outside all by himself. There under the morning skies, he prayed and praised God for his healing. During these moments, (he) renewed his commitment to God.” Meanwhile his mother, who had risen to check on him, was astonished to find his bed empty. She discovered him outdoors, trotting and skipping and shouting, “Glory to God! Hallelujah! Praise his holy name!”

Not surprisingly, C. H. Mason grew up to become a preacher, but his holiness message rankled fellow Baptists. One day while walking down a street in Little Rock pondering 1 Thessalonians 2:14, a name came to mind: The Church of God in Christ. Mason and the Baptists parted company, and he began organizing his like-minded brethren into a new group. Between 1897 and 1906, the fledgling organization grew in fits and starts. Then in 1907, at the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, Mason received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He returned home with dramatic zeal, and the young denomination was reorganized and enflamed.

The Church of God in Christ was the first major denomination to emerge from the ardor of Azusa Street, and by Mason’s death on November 17, 1961, it was among America’s largest Pentecostal denominations.

We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn’t something made up by humans. You accepted it as God’s message, and now he is working in you. My friends, you did just like God’s churches in Judea and like the other followers of Christ Jesus there. 1 Thessalonians 2:13,14a

The Synod of Dort

One of the things Christians disagree about is the importance of their disagreements, observed C. S. Lewis. Today many “Calvinists” and “Arminians” work hand in hand, but for hundreds of years they battled one another as bitterest foes.

The Arminians derive their name from Jacobus Arminius, who was born in the Dutch village of Oudewater in 1559 or 1560. He received a good education, but his studies at the University of Marburg were interrupted by tragedy. Spanish troops attacked his hometown of Oudewater, and Jacob, hearing the news, immediately returned home to find his family massacred.

He spent the next several years wandering through Europe, going from university to university, soaking up knowledge like a sponge. In 1587 he finally settled in Amsterdam, having been appointed a pastor there by city fathers. Arminius, who understood suffering better than most, made a good pastor. He visited the sick even during outbreaks of the plague, admonished the wayward, and counseled tolerance in theological matters. His sermons were powerful and popular.

After several years Jacob moved to Leiden to teach at the university, and there his six remaining years became embroiled in conflict with the prevailing interpretation given to Calvinism by Theodore Beza, Calvin’s successor at Geneva. Beza hardened Calvin’s belief that God decrees to save and damn certain individuals by his own sovereign pleasure. Arminius, worrying that Beza’s position made God the author of sin, insisted that election to salvation is conditioned by faith. The controversy became so acute that the Dutch national assembly asked both sides to submit their positions in writing.

Arminius died before responding, but the controversy was just beginning. A war of pamphlets, books, and sermons so divided Holland that the national assembly convened the Synod of Dort, which began November 13, 1618. From the beginning the synod regarded the followers of Arminius as heretics, and on January 14, 1619 the Arminians were condemned. All two hundred Arminian pastors in Holland were thrown from office, and any who would not be silent were banished from the country. But the issue wasn’t settled. Christians have been arguing these doctrines—and about their importance—ever since.

Peter said, “Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children. It is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live.” Acts 2:38,39

Morgan, Robert J.: On This Day : 265 Amazing and Inspiring Stories About Saints, Martyrs & Heroes. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, c1997, S. November 13

I find it interesting that after all these years we are still arguing over these things.

Certain denominations claim that God predetines who will be saved.  Some even set a number of how many there will be.  Some claim thay once you are saved then it doesn't matter what you do because you are saved and nothing can change that.  Some claim we are saved by faith alone while others say that there are certain things that must be done by us.

You know the Bible lays it out clearly for us.

To be saved we must repent, accept Jesus Christ as lord and strive to be as much like him as possible in life.  He makes this offer to all.

Yet wars are faught and innocents killed over the details.

No matter what anyone tells you read your Bible.  If what they say is not there then its' not true.

Its' as simple as that.

Walk with Christ and be blessed in this life and the next;

Pastor Tom