The Vice Chair of the Lausanne Movement Board of Directors Dr. Femi Adeleye has called on Christians worldwide to continue depending on the Holy Spirit for effective evangelism. Speaking to over 5,000 delegates gathered at the fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Incheon, Korea, Adeleye’s morning devotion on 23 September reminded believers that no mission can be accomplished without the power of the Holy Spirit.
Referencing the book of Acts of Apostle chapter 2, Adeleye said that the same power that enabled the disciples and apostles to boldly proclaim God’s saving grace is still at work today.
“According to one of the pioneers of our movement, Renee Padilla, every generation of Christians in every place receives the power of the Holy Spirit that makes it possible to witness to the gospel in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth,” said Adeleye, who also serves as the Africa director of Langham Preaching.
Adeleye also said that the theme of the Congress, which is 'Let the Church Declare and Display Christ Together', “can only be fulfilled as we recommit and resubmit ourselves to the enabling presence and power of the Holy Spirit.” Adeleye drew the attention of the thousands of in-person and online delegates to biblical and contemporary examples where believers experienced revival as they yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer.
“We are told they (disciples) all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus with his brothers. Prayer is non-negotiable for mission…significant missionary impact is always preceded by prayer,” noted Adeleye.
Adeleye reminded the delegates of the great Welsh revival of 1904 - 1905 that was spearheaded by Evan Roberts who traveled across Wales praying and preaching leading to the salvation and transformation of an estimated 100,000.
“When William Seymour, an African-American preacher led a prayer meeting on April 9th, 1906 in a modest home in Los Angeles that ignited the Azusa Street Revival, little did he know that the presence of the Holy Spirit will not only be experienced by them, but impact many lives, churches and formed the beginning of the Pentecostal movement across diverse borders of God's world,” said Adeleye.
Similarly, added Adeleye, prayer sessions led to the East African revival in the late 1920’s and 1930’s that swept through present-day Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya.
These diverse experiences, noted Adeleye, had common attributes to the pentecost where the Holy Spirit appeared to the diverse gathering in the upper room with signs and wonders of tongues of fires and language as a confirmation of the gift that they had been eagerly waiting for. As a result of the miracles, and the proclamation of God’s saving grace, 3,000 people from different backgrounds and cultures were convicted and surrendered their lives
“All these deserve implications for us today at Lausanne Movement and as we continue with the mission of proclaiming and displaying Christ to the world, it is important to bear in mind friends that even today, signs and wonders are essential for mission and that continues to be the case in diverse context of our world,” said Adeleye, who previously worked with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Student (IFES) for over three decades.
Reflecting on other contemporary examples of servants of God and churches that submitted to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Adeleye argued that it is the same Spirit of God that was at work in the early church which is at work today. He reiterated that effective evangelism, whether local or global, is not possible without the conviction and experience of the presence and person of the Holy Spirit. Citing 18th and 19th century preachers such as David Brainerd, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, Charles Finney, Jeremiah Lanphier, and Dwight Moody, Adeleye linked the transformation power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals, congregations, communities and countries.
“Friends, the Holy Spirit transcends cultural dictates regardless of what part of the world it comes from,” affirmed Adeleye.
He further cautioned believers to guard against the “belief in the work of the Holy Spirit” but a mindset that sidelines the move of the Holy Spirit by depending on “modern management techniques, abundant financial resources, logistics, or even sufficient human resources or statistics as measure of growth and impact.”
“We need a repentant return to full affirmation, wholehearted commitment, and a renewal to the person and the power of the Holy Spirit as indispensable to lifestyle, as well as to local and global witness as a movement and as the people of God called to proclaim and to display the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord of the universe,” Adeleye concluded.
