“The church used to be a lifeboat for the perishing, but now it’s a cruise ship recruiting the promising.”
-Leonard Ravenhill
“You could not list to Leonard Ravenhill’s passion for holiness or the grandeur of God without being greatly influenced. You could not observe the way he lived and the intensity of his own heart without being impacted by the man. I have great love and admiration for Leonard.
Ravenhill had a great love for the church and a desire for the church to truly be what it should be. His was the paradox of a prophetic ministry. What you preach and long for, even though you do not see it with your eyes, does not diminish the fact of what you know is divine. Though Leonard did not live to see a widespread revival, he was not so much in love with revival as he was with the Redeemer. Passionate men, though they may be disappointed with the expression of the church, still have their hope in the Lord. Though he did not see everything take place that was in his heart, his goal was always God himself.
Leonard was an intimidating person because of the way he spoke. He was very eloquent, with a tremendous command of the English language. He was a wordsmith for sure, but it was not just the way he used words that gave him influence with men. It was the way he viewed things in light of the holiness of God. He was a man who obviously had touched God and had a glimpse of the wonder of the throne. He was never flippant or casual in his conversation. No matter what people though about Ravenhill, they certainly knew where he stood. Â ….Many hated what he said, but they could not raise a finger of accusation against the way he lived. He was either loved or hated, but you could not be neutral toward him. Because of the authority with which he spoke, no one could negate what he was saying because he spoke the truth. He spoke it because he believed it and he spoke it because he lived it. When you heard Leonard preach, you had to make up your mind if you wanted more of the Lord and live more of a life empowered by the Holy Spirit or if you wanted to be indifferent and say, “I am satisfied to live a casual life.” Leonard would not allow those around him to have the luxury of living a casual life. You had to make a choice. I think Leonard’s message was uncomfortable for most people because he was living and preaching during a transition where the professing church was much more concerned about being comfortable.”
-In Light of Eternity, The Life of Leonard Ravenhill
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfseYy_HmVE&w=853&h=480]