Preserve The Ancient Landmarks

By Pastor Stuart Reblin

I gave my life to Jesus on October 12, 1974 – at the beginning of my senior year at Pueblo High School. As a convert in the early days of our congregational history, I was asked to share some thoughts on the beginnings of revival here in Tucson.

Rather than focus on actual events, (most of which have fallen off the brain’s radar screen), I’d like to highlight the mental and spiritual foundations that facilitated our history. Any legitimate move of God and the corresponding manifestation of true discipleship, as revealed in Scripture, are only truly duplicated within certain environmental conditions.

As one preacher said, you don’t find pine trees in the Sahara Desert. The same is true in the Kingdom of God! If we contend for the environmental principles conducive to revival, then spiritual growth, maturity, discipleship, and fruitfulness will naturally occur. If these conditions are missing or neglected, then New Testament discipleship will likely be replaced with mere outward formalities but little inward reality.

While I thank God for all that He has done, a glorious past does not guarantee a successful future. Our 2021 theme from Jude 1:3, “Contending for the faith once delivered to the saints,” is a worthy admonition for every year and every generation. Proverbs 22:28 gives this sober warning: “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set,” and Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

These are the environmental conditions that permeated those early days and contributed to revival’s momentum. I would admonish this generation to embrace these landmark truths.

A Passion for God’s Glory

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us – 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

To say that the early days were unpolished and unrefined would be an understatement. Pastor Warner and others faithfully preached about revival, discipleship, and winning the world for Jesus – and we were absolutely sincere in our passion to see it all happen. But we were far from an understanding of what that might look like or how to actually accomplish it.

Based on our concept of revival in those early days of the mid-’70s, I doubt that any of us could have imagined the scope of what we have come to experience today. I know I couldn’t.

One thing that remains very clear in my mind is that we were committed to protecting and contending for the glory of God. Often Sister Mona and the other sisters in our first music group sang the Andrae Crouch song, To God Be the Glory. The focal point of everything we did was the determination to bring glory to His name.

John the Baptist’s words in John 3:30, “He must increase but I must decrease,” embodied our constant approach to everything associated with our spiritual walk, church life, and our expressions of ministry. We were careful not to place confidence in any natural abilities or to express a sense of self-reliance. The idea of showmanship, theatrics, gimmicks, sensationalism, or anything that garnered attention to self or threatened to usurp glory from God was abhorred, rejected and summarily rebuked!

Any and all applause was meant for Him. It was difficult, at times, to actually embrace a compliment for a job well done. This may have been an extreme reaction, but we were cautious – perhaps to a fault – not to bring attention to ourselves.

We contended for revival with passion and dedication, knowing that fruitfulness is not self-generated, but the result of God’s grace at work in and through us; that any success in ministry is not the byproduct of charisma or natural talent, and thus warrants no applause.

Revival comes as the result of anointing and God-designed gifting, and the glory for any fruit belongs to God alone. Jesus said, “For without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The Apostle Paul emphasizes this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:10: “But by the grace of God I am what I am; and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

“Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts,” was God’s word to Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4:6 as His people rebuilt God’s house to reestablish God’s presence in Jerusalem.

We have witnessed a miraculous demonstration and fulfillment of what was once only a vision back in those days. We have become more polished and refined. We have even become YouTube-worthy. Such developments are not intrinsically bad, but God help us to never forget that the glory of the Gospel is Jesus, and that we have this treasure in earthen vessels. God help us if we ever forget how inadequate we are without Him, and how desperate we are for His power! “And seekest great things for thyself? Seek them not” (Jeremiah 45:5).

Our individual gifting and acumen in expressing God’s anointing must never compete for attention or usurp the glory that belongs to God and God alone. The passion we had to exalt and bring glory to His Name was an essential ingredient in that environment of revival. Any spiritual movement that flirts with self-importance, looks for carnal applause, or forgets its utter dependence upon His power is destined to wither away in an arid land of self-importance.

A Commitment to Kingdom Purpose!

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. – Ephesians 2:10a

Our theme for 2022 certainly captures this truth: Sought. Saved. Sent. Salvation is not an end in itself. We have been saved in order to cooperate with God in His redemptive purposes, as the Apostle Paul said: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12).

Paul’s desire was to grab hold of the purpose for which God had grabbed him: the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. That purpose – building His church, caring for the flock, and cooperating with the Holy Spirit to accomplish the Great Commission – was not only the glue that held us together in those early days, it was also the fuel that energized us. That we were vessels the Holy Spirit would use to accomplish God’s purpose in the earth amazed us, and we were addicted to it.

Speaking for myself (but I think also in general), we had very little confidence in our ability to be world-changers for Jesus back then. Nevertheless, Pastor Warner never preached down to us, or down to our experience level. He preached us up to envision and believe in God’s ability to make us instruments of revival as we gave ourselves in obedience to His will.

The idea that our lives held supernatural potential in God’s hands inspired us to lay aside our personal insecurities and self-imposed limitations and realize our weaknesses did not disqualify us from fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God! The abbreviated truth of Jesus’ call in Matthew 4:19 is Follow Me, and I will make you! We were aware of our weaknesses, but we were also aware of His grace.

These truths inspired us: “Out of weakness [they] were made strong” (Hebrews 11:34); “And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

One of my favorite verses, which has carried me over the 47 years of my salvation, is Philippians 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.” God is not finished with any of us. His commitment to work His good will in us will continue up to the day of His return. The consistent theme of those early days was Forward!

Matthew 16:18 says: “...I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Challenges were not uncommon, but they were overshadowed by our vision and by our confidence in God’s faithfulness, grace, strength, and power to bring His purposes to pass through our lives.

Pastor Warner pressed things forward even in the face of his own personal challenges. His determination to be all that God wanted him to be was an inspiration to all of us in those early days; and remains as such in the present.

An Understanding of Privilege!

For he has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. – Luke 1:48a

If anyone had reason to boast about being used of God, I would have to say that Mary occupied a place at the front of the line! She was God’s chosen vessel to give birth to the Savior of the world! That would be pretty hard to beat on the scale of accomplishments. Yet, Mary’s words embody a quality that is imperative to revival: humility.

In those early days, an overwhelming sense of privilege surrounded any and every opportunity we had to do something for the Kingdom. It was an honor to clean the church parking lot, to take out the trash, to set up chairs, to sweep the church sidewalk. Nothing was beneath us. Serving – in literally any capacity – was the highlight of our week. We had an unmistakable sense of privilege and honor that God would even use us.

God help us if we ever embrace the mindset that propagates the idea of entitlement, or diminishes the sanctity of His calling. While we understand God honors and rewards faithfulness, we also understand that ultimately, ministry is not something we earn – it is a gift, a grace given by God, for which we will all one day give an account. The following verses embody this sentiment and truth. Luke 17:10 says, “So likewise ye, when you shall have done all those things which were commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 says, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also has made us able ministers of the New Testament.”

In Romans 12:3, Paul says, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” He applies this truth to our individual callings to make the point that we don’t determine our own place in the body. We were divinely called and equipped to fulfill God’s designated purpose, “So that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24).

In 1 Corinthians 4:6-7 he also says, “that you might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who makes you to differ from another? And what have you that you did not receive [that you earned]? Now if you did receive it, why do you glory, as if you hadn’t received it?”

Paul reminds us that none of us earned our place in ministry; it is all an undeserved gift from God, so it is nothing to brag about. It is a privilege to serve in our place, be it notable or obscure, and we will receive a heavenly reward for fulfilling His assignment.

Over the course of almost 5 decades, my wife and I been privileged to serve God in this church in numerous ways: Landscaping the original building on Veterans Blvd and the building at 2950 E. Irvington, music groups, drama groups, song service and altar call ministry; church cleaning Choir director for over 20 years, House to House Ministry Bible study leaders and new convert class instructors. Council member, Door Director, Gospel Pioneer publication coordinator, Visitation/Follow-Up Director and Administrator for 18 years, Oversight of House to House Ministries, Involvement in overseas invasion teams, Sunday School teacher, Pioneer Pastor in Vallejo, California for 18 years, Corporate Vice President and member of the Corporate Board of Directors. What a privilege it has been to have had a role in helping build God’s church in this city. What a privilege to have served under and alongside my pastor and his wife. What a privilege to be used of God.

I know I would not be the person I am today were it not for the investments, prayers and support of many individuals. Apart from the obvious influence of my Pastor, Harold Warner, I would like to recognize the following individuals who had significant impact upon my life, especially in those early years: Paul Drake, Richard Kirkpatrick, and Brad Breckenridge; along with these pastors: Larry Beauregard, Paul Stephens, Paul Campo, Mike Webb, Eric Strutz, Ray Rubi, Fred Rubi, Richard Rubi, Herb Rubi, and James Wilkins.