Free to Live in Holiness

By Jerry Coleman

“Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

Many people — including myself — have struggled to know how to live out God’s very clear command to “be holy, as God is holy.” The writer of Hebrews tells us that if we don’t have holiness, we won’t see the Lord! So we’ve searched the Scriptures and looked for the instructions about how to be holy. For so many of us, rules, behavior, dress codes, and “do’s and don’ts” have been the path of pursuing holiness. That’s hard work!

We often hear statements like, “I need to clean up my life before God approves of me and uses me,” or “I need to try harder to produce more spiritual fruit.”

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“He has given us victory that overcomes the world — to live in freedom, love, and joy.”

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But God has made a way for His people to “be holy.” He has given us what we need for life and godliness. He has given us victory that overcomes the world — to live in freedom, love, and joy. The Father sources us with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit — who produces rich spiritual fruit in our lives.

There are so many freeing truths about a life made holy through the work of our Triune God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit act in harmony to bring us to whole-hearted surrender to His transforming, life-giving holy love. As God made even the dirt under the feet of Moses holy; as Jesus has become our righteousness, holiness, and redemption; as we become temples of the Holy Spirit, God has done and is doing the work to make us holy.

At age 30, while in seminary, my eyes were opened to the idea that holiness is God’s work in us. I devoured the Bible for confirmation that this wasn’t just wishful thinking. I had new eyes to see a familiar passage where, in fact, the word holy is first used.

Exodus 3:5 says, “‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’”

When I read that, I laughed. God called the dirt holy.

Who made the dirt holy? It sure wasn’t Moses.

How did God make this dirt holy? I have no idea.

I do know that the earth contains all the biological, electrical, and physical elements needed to form a body. What it doesn’t have is breath and spirit. God breathed His breath, His Spirit, into Adam. In the Hebrew language, the word for “breath” is the same as the word for “spirit” and for “life.”

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“Could it be that God still purposes and longs to breathe His holy life into each one of us?”

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Our Creator made Adam out of the dirt of the earth, blew the breath of God into him, and Adam became alive. Adam was formed out of the simple dirt of the earth.

Could it be that God still purposes and longs to breathe His holy life into each one of us?

Could it be that God Himself is the source of not only His holiness but the source of my holiness?

Something that was very common and familiar to Moses — the dirt in the desert — became sacred, holy. The presence of the Holy came even to the ground, the dirt. Holiness is where God is.

The true direction and movement of a holy heart is God moving toward us, more than us moving toward Him. He initiates and welcomes us into His loving presence. In sending His one and only Son (John 3:16), God chose to dwell among us (John 1:14) — to get dirty (Exodus 3:4–5) — to become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). And in sending the Holy Spirit to do the sanctifying work (1 Peter 1:2) and lead us in all truth (John 16:13). This is good, life-giving news!

If God can make dirt holy, there’s great hope for us!

I will start each daily session of the Life-Giving Holiness focus group with short messages about holiness, drawing from my experience in preaching and teaching on the subject in over 70 countries worldwide.

Each session will include a main presentation and a follow-up presentation relating to the theme of the day given by noted practitioners, followed by a time for small group discussions. Each session will also include a short, pre-recorded video testimony on the topic of holiness. The sessions will conclude with a season of prayer.

Each of the four main presenters were asked to present a paper addressing their assigned topic in advance of General Conference 2023. These papers were then given to the four responders, who were asked to present response papers. The Life-Giving Holiness focus group, in partnership with Light + Life Communications, is publishing a book containing these papers, along with an annotated version of B.T. Roberts’ original two-part article “New School Methodism,” and a series of litanies prepared by the Free Methodist Liturgical Network. The book will be widely available during General Conference and will be available to order from the Light + Life Bookstore afterward.

Tuesday, July 25: Life-Giving Holiness and God-Given Revelation with Dr. John N. Oswalt and Erin Owens

Dr. John N. Oswalt is a distinguished professor of Old Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, with extensive experience as both a preacher and a teacher. He has held faculty positions at several seminaries, including Barrington College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Wesley Biblical Seminary, as well as a term as president of Asbury College (now University).

Erin Owens currently resides in Westland, Michigan, and spends most of her time raising two wonderful kids. Her life’s mission is to live into, and help others encounter, wholeness and holiness. She has fulfilled this work as a co-pastor at Hub City Fellowship, the director of discipleship at the Texas Tech Wesley Foundation, and co-director of the Christian Futures Program at the Francis Asbury Society.

Wednesday, July 26: Life-Giving Holiness and Cross-Cultural Collaboration with Dr. Stella Bokare and Rev. Derrick Shields

Dr. Stella Bokare is the global program director of ICCM. She works closely with the Globally Integrated Function Team (GIFT), an acronym coined to address the team of regional coordinators. With an ardent affection for children, she loves to be identified as a child advocate.

Derrick Shields serves as the lead pastor of Christ Community Church in Columbus, Georgia, where he has been instrumental in leading the church in becoming a multiethnic congregation. He currently serves as a delegate in the Southeast Region Conference of the Free Methodist Church USA.

Thursday, July 27: Life-Giving Holiness and Love-Driven Justice with Rev. Mark Van Valin and Rev. Kenny Martin

Mark Van Valin is the director of the Detroit Initiative for Mission Igniter, through the Southern Michigan Conference of the FMCUSA. He has served as a Free Methodist pastor since 1983, serving in urban St. Louis (1983–89), Indianapolis (1989–2003), and Spring Arbor, Michigan (2003–2018). He is the co-founder of Forge Motown, a discipleship cohort that helps people live as missionaries in the common everyday spaces where they live.

Pastor E. Kenneth “Kenny” Martin has been serving in ministry with the Free Methodist Church USA since 1991. In October of 2022, he and his wife, Estelle, founded Kingdom Cathedral in San Bernardino, California, with a mission to provide guidance and discipleship to those experiencing homelessness. Alongside their church ministry, the Martins also operate their home as the Kingdom Ranch, offering a space for pastors, leaders, and small groups to rejuvenate and recharge.

Friday, July 28: Life-Giving Holiness and Christ-Compelled Multiplication with Rev. Derik Heumann and Rev. Nelson Concha 

Derik Heumann currently serves as the lead pastor and church planter of Evergreen Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Evergreen is a network of missional communities and discipleship bands that has been active for five years and is one of the newest societies within the Southern Michigan Conference.

Rev. Nelson Concha has led the Free Methodist Church in Lota, Chile, since 2003 and has been an ordained elder since 2011. He also served as a church planter during three years in the capital city of Santiago. Concha has been fascinated with the topics of leadership and teamwork for more than 14 years.

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