Mac begins by expressing gratitude for God's provision and the overflowing blessings that come from His anointing. He emphasizes the importance of understanding church history, particularly the letter to the church in Sardis from Revelation 3, which symbolizes the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent developments in church history. He highlights the need for spiritual awakening and the dangers of dead orthodoxy that emerged in the 17th century, where many churches became ritualistic and lost their spiritual vitality.
Mac discusses the Puritan and Pietist movements, noting their roles in reviving genuine faith and personal relationship with God. He contrasts the Puritans' focus on objective truth with the Pietists' emphasis on subjective experience. He shares stories of key figures like George Fox and John Bunyan, who sought to return to a more authentic Christian experience. Mac warns against the divisions that arose from differing beliefs and practices, urging believers to focus on the unity found in Christ. He concludes with a call to pursue a deeper, personal relationship with God, emphasizing the importance of godliness and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,