“Oh God of burning, cleansing flame, Send the fire. Your blood bought gift today we claim, Send the fire. To burn up every trace of sin, to bring the light and glory in, the revolution now begins, Send the Fire today.”
– General William Booth
The above lyrics came from a man who looked at the horrible, spiritual and moral decay of his time and said; “something must be done”! A man who looked to the Heavens and asked the God of All; “to send the fire”!
These lyrics came from a man who had NO idea that he would be the fire that he prayed about. That man was William Booth.
William Booth
Born on April 10th, 1829, William was a man who believed in fervent prayer! The days of William’s time mirrored the very same times that we are living in today! BUT, there was a difference with William; he knew that he had to do something about it!
William knew that someone had to step up and say; “Lord, I will do it!”. Through fervent prayer, William would receive his instructions. William was instructed to wage war on the powers of darkness that ruled the day!
How would he do it?
William would comprise an army!
This army consisted of ex-thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, drunkards and any of those whom the churches deemed unworthy. William would lead his army into the streets, preaching, marching and singing.
There was one more thing that William and his army was doing.
The Salvation Army was providing living proof of the POWER of REDEMPTION!!
The Salvation Army
As the Salvation Army gained traction; William would have to fight! He would have to fight the powers of darkness that runs rampant in this world.
Almost every night, William arrived home bloody; and the next day he would go out and get beat all over again!
Regardless, William’s belief never wavered. He would go on to fight for the lost, feed the hungry, stand up to the powers of darkness and fight the injustices of his time.
And, through the Power of Christ, it was not long before the Salvation Army had evangelists, thousands of volunteers and a mission that was beginning to spread all over the world.
Of whom this world was not worthy
It was on August 20th, 1912, that William’s journey through this life had come to an end. William would leave this life known to the world as “A prophet of the poor” and the man who founded the Salvation Army. However, William was much more than that!
William was a man who stepped up and said: “In this crucial hour in human history, let me fill up the sufferings of Christ”!!
Booth was a man who noticed the spiritual and utter decay around him and said: “I am going to do something about this”!!
William Booth, was a man who went to battle with the powers of darkness because JESUS CHRIST is LORD!!!!
At the Judgment Seat of Christ
If you are a believer you will get a chance to relive William Booth’s life; at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
As William stands before our Lord, we will get to witness the life of a man who said, “I will lay it all on the line for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
They called him, “A prophet of the poor”, “founder of the Salvation Army” but who was William Booth?
He was a man of whom this world was not worthy!!
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Download my FREE eighteen day devotional title At the Voice of the Son of God. At the Voice of the Son of God is an eighteen day devotional written to remind a generation that we must all stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ!!
Here is the link: FREE 18 Day Devotional: At The Voice of the Son of God
Read more about the world’s greatest saints by clicking on any of the blogs under the “of whom the world was not worthy” tab; on atabran.
Here are a few quick links:
John Wesley: One of the World’s Greatest Saints
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