7 Seven Major Emphases

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Seven Major Emphases

Operation Mobilisation is a Christian Fellowship of learners moving out to the frontiers of world evangelization. The movement is both international and interdenominational. It is a fellowship specializing in evangelistic and discipleship training for young people. This training is carried out through working together in teams on the field or in our various headquarters. Our young people are involved in many methods of evangelism, with special emphasis on the use of literature as a tool for both teaching believers and reaching the masses with the gospel. We desire to be disciples of Christ, learning and teaching what is on the heart of God as we find it in his Word, the Bible.

Here are seven of our deepest and strongest convictions. We desire, above all else, to put these into practice in our own lives, while at the same time sharing them with others as God gives the opportunity.

1. Worship and Prayer

Our worship is more important than our work and any act of sacrifice. Worship is adoring and praising God for who he is. Worship and evangelism should be the spontaneous outflow of a life in communion with God. Worship is the foundation for the many other aspects of prayer, which is so basic to spiritual life and to accomplishing God’s purposes.

A.W. Tozer said that worship was “the missing jewel of the evangelical church” and we now long to see that jewel put back into its rightful place. It is one thing to talk about worship and to acknowledge its importance. It is quite another to know the reality of worship in our day-by-day living and team efforts. This means that we must be disciplined in giving time to worship, praise, and to all forms of prayer, especially intercession.

2. Love and Forgiveness

The importance of love and forgiveness is the easiest message to pay lip service to in the church today. I believe that it is impossible to overemphasize love, especially when the message is based on truth. Love and truth together produce the kind of spiritual balance we desperately need. This is one of the reasons why we published the book, The Revolution of Love, which is available in many languages and has brought an amazing response. As we move forward in the spiritual warfare, our motivation is not based on legalistic regulations or attempting to prove ourselves. It is based on the love of God and the forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ.

Grace is a key word and a basic principle in everything that we do. This must be a major emphasis in every aspect of our work. All of us should memorize I Corinthians 13 and always remember that love is flexible, adaptable, and must be central. God’s Word tells us in 1 John that if we cannot love those whom we have seen, we cannot love him, our great God, whom we have not seen. Jesus adds to this teaching by saying that if we love him, we will keep his commandments.

3. Victorious Living and the Holy Spirit’s Fullness

We believe that there is a victorious lifestyle, a lifestyle of Spirit-filled and Spirit-controlled living, this includes what to do when we sin (1 John 2:1). This is not super-spirituality; it is total reality.

Various parts of the New Testament emphasize the victorious life in different ways. As Jesus taught in all the Gospels, it means denying self, taking up the cross, and following him. As outlined in Hebrews 4, it involves a “rest of faith” in which the Holy Spirit is working in and through us. While we believe strongly in distributing outstanding literature and messages on CD, video and film, presenting the way of victory and spiritual power, we want to make every effort to avoid extremism, and show the various aspects of spiritual balance. We are aware that what A.W. Tozer said is often true, “The more keen Christian is more easily led astray.”

We don’t want to argue over the different expressions and vocabulary in regard to this great life in Christ, for we understand that God works in different ways in different people. We realize that this reality comes sometimes by crisis, but the crisis must be followed by a process. The Spirit-filled life is not the end, but the beginning. It means that we constantly walk with Jesus with a learning spirit; always growing and always pressing on to higher avenues and higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit.

4. Christ’s Lordship and All-Sufficiency

This is one of the most liberating and powerful aspects of the message that God has put on our hearts. We have seen thousands of people changed when they have really come to appropriate what belongs to them in Jesus Christ; and then, on a day-by-day basis make him Lord of their lives. Jesus Christ must be King, and this means self must be put out of power. We must understand that many of God’s people are discouraged and defeated. What we need is not another series of legalisms, “do this or do that,” but we need the revolutionary life of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need Jesus himself, not just policies or even principles. It is fine to be able to testify about what Jesus did in our lives ten years ago, but what has happened since then? What is Jesus doing this week or today? We must communicate to others by our lives the transforming power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we believe this will encourage others to come into this way of life, which of course, begins at conversion.

5. Honesty and True Openness

Honesty and openness are desperately needed among God’s people today. We must take off our masks and face reality about ourselves. Billy Graham said that the greatest obstacle to our sanctification is our unwillingness to see ourselves as we really are. At the same time, we do not dwell either on ourselves or our past sins—the ones for which we have repented and brought under the forgiving power in the blood of Jesus, but we press forward with our eyes on the Savior, not ourselves. We must avoid, like the plague, any form of double living. We must allow the Spirit of God to deal with the sins of our disposition as well as our attitudes. For indeed, walking in the light of God’s truth means all-out warfare against sin, Satan, and self. As sin is acknowledged and confessed, and relationships are restored, homes and churches will be revived and healed.

6. Discipline and Brokenness

Andrew Murray said that brokenness was humility’s response to the touch of God. We must always be willing to take correction, from the Lord and also from others. Then be willing to follow through learning the reality of self-discipline in every area of our lives. We are aware that this is a long, hard road. If Paul had to say, “I buffet my body and bring it into subjection lest after preaching to others I become a reprobate,” how much more do we need to know this kind of discipline!

Today churches and Christian organizations are desperate for disciplined people who can also assume important God-given responsibilities of leadership. The Holy Spirit will work in different ways in different lives not only bringing this discipline to pass, but in its outworking on a daily basis.

Truly effective discipline is always linked with a realization of God’s sovereignty. We are weak, make mistakes, and fall into sin, but God has ultimate control over every situation. We must always keep this in mind as we press forward in the spiritual warfare, holding high the shield of faith.

7. World Evangelization

We believe emphatically, uncompromisingly, and without apology in world evangelization; in obedience to the clear teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Gospels and also in Acts 1:8, just before he ascended into heaven. World evangelization must be an international operation of all believers—especially moving forward to reach the unevangelized areas. We must not be side-tracked by controversy, but rather press forward, united together on basic biblical doctrines and the fundamental principles of the New Testament.

In some areas of the world we will work in depth, remaining there for many decades. In other areas we will have a catalyst ministry. We believe this will light fires which will burn in the hearts of individuals and then churches to accomplish the great task of world evangelization. Let us never forget that great promise in Galatians: Let us not be weary in well doing: . . .we shall reap, if we faint not (6:9).

If these are the basic principles with which you agree, and want to make it the basic goals in your life, then we want to unite together with you in prayer and in practical work as much as possible to accomplish this task together.

Note: I wrote this article almost 40 years ago and I am happy to say that these 7 Emphases are still a vital part of OM though not always expressed in the same way. The main thing I would add today would be our emphasis on the whole person and the marriage between social concern and action with all other forms of evangelism.