HOLINESS IS A NECESSARY biblical requirement in order for us to please God; for us to see Him and for us to live with God in this life and the one after.
So preached Lieutenant Colonel Devon Haughton as he delivered a thought-provoking message on the opening night of the Salvation Army Barbados and St Lucia Division Holiness Convention at the Army’s Bridgetown Central Hall, Reed Street, last Thursday.
During a night filled with prayers, praise and worship, Jamaican-born Haughton, the Salvation Army’s territorial programme secretary, told his listeners that just as it was necessary for a sinner to be saved in order to enter Heaven, “it is necessary for the believer to be holy if he or she is to please God”.
He said holiness was “to be made whole, total, completely satisfied and not complaining and to be set aside to be used by God”.
Taking his main text from 1 Peter 1:15, Haughton also noted that “holiness is what God demands for His children”.
He explained that holiness was “not something out there that cannot be attained. Christians who live holy lives will please God in everything they do – even in their conversations with others”.
He said: “Holiness is a lifestyle. It covers how you speak to people and about people. It is also about relationship. You can know if someone has been sanctified and set apart by their relationship with others and how they treat others. In addition, when God sanctifies the heart, your interest is no longer in yourself alone. It will be extended to your brother and sister.”
He noted this could only be achieved through the enabling of the Holy Spirit; not by pretence or self-effort.
“This holiness also shows itself in our service. We must serve God out of love and not with a complaining spirit. As Christians we must reach the place where we die to self and God is glorified. A life lived in holiness will bring us into the presence of God, for without holiness, no man can see God,” Haughton added.
He said walking in holiness should not be limited to being in the “house of God” but rather, believers should walk holy in their workplaces, in their homes, and even when they are walking down the streets.
“Holiness is about denying ourselves; it is not concerned about having our own way, walking in our own wisdom or in our own knowledge. It must be about God and God alone.”
The preacher stressed that God required more than a portion of our lives – we must surrender everything to Him and be willing to live under His influence and control.
He encouraged the congregation during the service which was presided over by Divisional Commander Major Rosemarie Brown, to hunger and thirst for more of God, until they “come to a place of overflowing”.
Special ministry was provided by the Salvation Army Band and Captain Kathyann Humphrey, who ministered in song.
The Annual Holiness Convention concluded yesterday following a special service at Solidarity House.
