Flames of Freedom

By Erwin W Lutzer and John Haggai

Flames of Freedom features a highly readable mixture of anecdotes of people whose lives were changed by the revival that started in Saskatoon, Canada in 1971 and spread to many areas of the U.S., Europe, and India. Lutzer then delves further into the subject of revival in both scriptural and contemporary terms. A must-have for Christians hungry for revival in their own churches!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Release date: Jun 1, 1976
• ISBN: 9780802494597

Erwin W Lutzer

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church, where he served as the senior pastor for 36 years. He is an award-winning author and the featured speaker on three radio programs that are heard on more than 750 national and international outlets. He and his wife, Rebecca, have three grown children and eight grandchildren and live in the Chicago area.

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HAGGAI

PREFACE

IN NOVEMBER 1971 my mother called by long distance from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. After the usual pleasantries she exclaimed, We are having a revival in our church!

I had two reactions. The first was skepticism. I associated revival with a series of meetings usually conducted in a church once or twice a year. I vividly recalled that at such times scores of people responded to the invitation to dedicate themselves to the Lord. Some even wept. But usually the results did not last. A week later the church was back to normal. I suspected that this revival would be a repeat of past performances.

My second reaction was one of mild fear. Not that I was indifferent to revival—indeed, I knew that the evangelical community at large needed a surge of new life. But, for me, revival was a new phenomenon. I recalled reading about some of the rather strange events associated with revivals of the past—healings, people smitten with intolerable conviction, and others having visions or weird experiences. I wondered what would happen if such events were repeated in the twentieth century. And of course I began to wonder what God might demand of me if I were exposed to the heat of revival flame.

During the five years since then, my views of revival have been modified. For one thing, I believe that the results of a genuine revival do last; it is not a flash in the religious pan. Also, revival need not be associated with anything bizarre or extraordinary. It only seems extraordinary because we have drifted so far from what God intended for us. Revival is God purifying His church; it is the application of biblical principles by a large segment of the evangelical community. Revival is God bringing His people back to the dynamism of the book of Acts.

I am deeply grateful to God for the privilege of recording this account of revival. Even as I wrote this story, I was driven to my knees to reaffirm my own commitment to God. If those who read these pages should have the same response, I will be well rewarded for my efforts.

I want to express my appreciation to the more than twenty pastors whom I have interviewed and the many others who sent me tapes and letters giving their opinions of the revival. In addition, I have spoken with scores of laymen about the effect of the revival in their lives. Countless others completed a questionnaire which I had prepared, using it to express their personal response to what God had done. I am also grateful for the privilege of having been invited to speak in some of the key churches in Canada and the United States directly involved in revival. These experiences gave me further exposure to the effects of revival and also resulted in many lasting friendships.

Ralph and Lou Sutera deserve special thanks for their cooperation in this project. They gladly gave me access to all their files and spared no effort to give me the information I requested. Henry Teichrob, Nick Willems, Bill McLeod, and Walter Boldt also gave me their time and helpful suggestions. My brother, Harold, coordinator for the Canadian Revival Fellowship, supplied me with the revival materials available and offered his assistance.

The members of my congregation, the Edgewater Baptist Church in Chicago, graciously permitted me to have a short leave of absence to write this book. Without their thoughtful consideration, the project would have had to be postponed indefinitely.

Finally, I give appreciation to my faithful wife, Rebecca, whose encouragement made writing this book an enjoyable assignment, and special thanks to my secretary, Elaine Bjorkman, who spent countless hours typing the manuscript.

INTRODUCTION

A Glance through the Rearview Mirror

LORD, DO IT AGAIN! is an oft-quoted prayer among those who have studied the revivals of the past and long for a repeat of God’s gracious work. I find myself among those who look back at what I saw God do in the early 1970s, wishing and praying that we would see the same moving of the Holy Spirit in our day.

There is no doubt that God was at work in those days throughout Western Canada and in some churches in the United States to bring reconciliation among families, to restore worldly Christians, and above all, give a new appreciation for the power of God. Yes, both my wife and I were personally challenged when we returned to visit my family in Canada in 1971 and there we found out for ourselves that revival had in fact arrived, as the reports suggested.

In this book Flames of Freedom, you will come face-to-face with changed lives; you will read true stories about children who sought out their parents to ask forgiveness and respected Christians returning to stores to make restitution of stolen items. You will read about churches that canceled their regular services to join with others who were sharing their transforming experiences of deliverance from sin and the joy of being fully right with God.

Best of all, your faith in God’s ability to do it again will be restored. This revival proved that the flame of revival is best spread by the fame of revival. Couples who had met with God in the prayer room traveled to other churches to share their experiences and often—though not always—that church experienced their own mini-revival. You will read about meetings that lasted all night as people spent time in the prayer room and later shared with a small group what God had done in their hearts.

Can we still see the fruit of this revival now that several decades have passed? The answer is yes, but not because the churches involved are experiencing the same kind of carpet time in their prayer rooms or the numerous testimonies of reconciliation and restoration. That kind of response has long since passed. However, the proof that this was a work of God is still seen in the lives of many today who point to those days as the time when their marriages were restored, or the time when they began to trust God for greater things, or the time when they were called into ministry.

There is a lesson here for us: The history of revival shows that active revivals usually do not last indefinitely. As I point out in this book, God’s usual method of watering the earth is to send intermittent rain. But sometimes He sends a downpour to remind His people that He can do greater things than we expect. Both the steady rain and the floods are all from His hand.

How has the Canadian revival affected my ministry at the Moody Church throughout these thirty-six years? It has given me an appreciation for dealing directly and immediately with sin, and to help people understand that we must trust God to help us die to self. At the same time we must realize that there is no one experience that will make us victorious from here on out. There were many people in Canada who thought that a trip to the prayer room would change their spiritual temperature for the rest of their lives, and they were disappointed. There is no one event that changes us—unless it results in a day-by-day walk with God.

We must also realize that even confession and yieldedness do not revive a Christian unless it is accompanied by a continual faith in Christ’s finished work. We must look beyond ourselves to Christ, whose righteousness gives us the confidence to walk with Him amid our own struggles and failings. Everything we are asked to do is based on what Christ has already done.

The Canadian revival has forced me to ask this question: What if God wanted to do something at Moody Church that was not listed in our bulletin? Would we give Him the freedom to do whatever He wished and not be confined to our prescribed program?

After you have read this book, tell your friends about it. You and the other readers will find your faith strengthened, and almost certainly you will be convicted of your sin and live a more honest life before God and others. You will also start believing that yes, God can do it again.

All for the King,

ERWIN W. LUTZER

The Moody Church, Chicago

November 2015

1

THE CHURCH THAT REVIVAL BUILT

ON MAY 26, 1971, seventeen-year-old Jeannie Allen walked quietly to the microphone in a small Baptist church in Rives Junction, Michigan. For the past ten days the church had experienced an unusual spiritual awakening under the ministry of the Italian twins, Ralph and Lou Sutera. When Jeannie stood up to speak, the exhilaration that swept the audience could almost be felt. And with good reason: Jeannie was regarded as a leader among the young people of the church. Yet, she was bitter, selfish, and rebellious. She had come to the meetings determined to hold out and blatantly let it be known that she saw no valid reason why she should surrender her life to Christ. Her avowed goal in life was to be popular, and she didn’t intend to have anything mar the plans she had for herself.

But one night she had gone to a share-in following the evening service. Some of the people present shared what God had done in their lives; others asked for special prayer so that they too might be restored to fellowship with God. Jeannie had determined to sit through it all unmoved. But finally, at 2:00 A.M., she could no longer resist the conviction of the Holy Spirit. She yielded her life totally to God.

Now she stood before a packed church. I could hardly wait to come to church tonight, she began. The reason I’m here is because of what has happened to the adults of this church. Before this week, I saw nothing in their lives worth having. But when they met God, I wanted what they had.

Jeannie then spoke of the struggle of the past few days: I thought I had to give up too much. I had only one life, so I really wanted to live. But, before I met God, I didn’t know what living was!

Her testimony reflected the experience of many in the Rives Baptist Church. Believers who thought they were alive spiritually had just made a startling discovery: they did not know what living was! But they learned. And how!

Rives Junction is a small town of approximately 250 people in the state of Michigan. (It might not be on your map, but it is located ten miles north of Jackson.) When my wife and I drove through it, we met only two cars. In fact, it doesn’t even have a stoplight. The town has been appropriately called an interlude between two cornfields. Yet, the events that unfolded there in the spring of 1971 are a remarkable chapter in the history of the phenomenon that is often called revival.

A CANCELLATION BECOMES GOD’S APPOINTMENT 

Here is the story. A few months before the Suteras came, the church had experienced a bitter split. One hundred people left to form a new congregation. The Reverend Robert A. Mains, a missionary who had returned to the United States from the West Indies, was asked to be the interim pastor of the congregation that remained. His goal was to take what there was left and hold it together. His job was not easy.

The 170 remaining members were discouraged and pessimistic. Some predicted the church would close its doors in six months. Even the most optimistic visualized years of struggle ahead.

Mains had met the twins, Ralph and Lou Sutera, when he was a missionary in the West Indies. The Suteras had been invited there for evangelistic meetings, and Mains was impressed with their ministry. But Mains had not kept in contact with the twins, and when he returned to the United States, he had no clue to their whereabouts. Much to his surprise, he met them unexpectedly at Three Rivers, Michigan, on January 10, 1971. That evening, the Suteras invited him to a coffee fellowship following the evening service. When Mains observed the atmosphere of openness among the people, he commented, Rives Junction needs this. After the meeting he invited the Suteras to come to his church.

Much to his disappointment they declined. Their schedule was already crammed for the next two years. Mains replied, I’m going to pray for a cancellation and will call you later this week.

Three days later, Mains phoned the Suteras. They told him that a series of meetings had just been cancelled—they would come to Rives Junction for two weeks! Mains was delighted with the news, but his congregation did not share his enthusiasm. They didn’t even know who the Suteras were.

When the meetings began on May 16, 1971, most of the church members were apathetic. The farmers were busy planting their corn and townspeople complained about the burden of more meetings. After the first service on Sunday, many criticized the length of the sermon. (The Suteras have never been known to preach brief messages.) Some people vowed they would not return.

THE IMPACT OF CHANGED LIVES 

Approximately seventy attended on Monday evening, and perhaps a few more on Tuesday. Obviously, the people were not in the mood for a revival. But Tuesday’s meeting was different from any the people had ever experienced. Several couples had come from the town of Monroe, Michigan, to share what God had done in their lives during a crusade one year before. One couple told how God had rescued their marriage from divorce; another shared how God had freed them from bitterness and how they were now able to witness to others.

That evening a sharing session was held in a home following the evening service. The couples from Monroe explained more fully how God had met the deepest needs of their hearts. The people at Rives Junction were impressed but were still unprepared to commit themselves fully to God

On Thursday evening, the Suteras played a tape of additional testimonies of revived believers from Monroe. When Ralph asked what the people thought of these testimonies, one woman responded, I don’t know about all of you, but I don’t have that kind of joy. Maybe it doesn’t happen to Baptists!

The woman’s response began the revival. Almost immediately others began to share their spiritual needs. The format of the meeting was flexible. Those who had something to share about what God had done in their lives were free to do so. Others who had needs would request special prayer. One couple admitted, We’ve been married for five years; we quarrel almost every day. They knelt as others prayed for them; they repented of their selfishness, anger, and pride. The change in their lives was immediate. Later they gave each other new wedding bands as a reminder of the new marriage God had given them.

Like dominoes, one person after another confessed his or her need. As the share-ins continued night after night, even the most devout could no longer fake the commitment to God they had pretended to possess. Reality and honesty won the day.

Chairs were placed in a circle with one chair in the middle. The individual who shared a need knelt in the center while others prayed. Some on the outer circle soon discovered that they could not pray for others; they had to confess their own sins to God first, or, in some instances, had to go to others to ask forgiveness.

A woman who had been too shy to use the telephone now prayed freely with others. An alcoholic whose wife did not return home at the usual time on Sunday (the morning service lasted till 3:00 P.M.) drove to the church to find out what had happened to his wife. They met each other on the road. She was afraid he might be angry with her. Instead, he was delighted to see her; he thought the rapture might have come! Later he was converted.

Another man, bitter over the church split, began to attend only because of the drastic change he had seen in the life of his son and daughter-in-law. God took him apart piece by piece. When he realized how many people he had wronged, he knew he would have to ask their forgiveness. I have a lot of people to see, he told the pastor. It will take about two weeks before I will be fully right with God. He was wrong. It