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Poetically addressed by Harlan Sorrell
“And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” Isaiah 35:8
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life … .” John 14:6
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
The Way To Heaven By Harlan Sorrell
A holy religion each one may possess
That’s not bounded by sects or by creeds;
The fullness of God in your bosom to bless
And to satisfy fully your needs.
‘Twas founded by Jesus, the mighty to save
And its good tidings we now proclaim:
Salvation from sickness, from sin, and the grave
Through the power of His wonderful name.
Now, let it be known unto all from the start
That we open no church door to men,
But promote that kingdom which Christ makes them part
When by grace they have been born again.
Its government rests on the shoulder of Christ, (Isa. 9:6-7)
It’s established by the Prince of Peace; (Psa. 87:5)
Its organization no group has franchised, (1 Cor. 3:6-7)
For ‘tis God who gives all its increase. (Col. 2:19)
The names of its members are written with love
In the Lamb’s Book of Life at God’s throne;
For there’s its headquarters, in heaven above,
And no other by God’s church is known.
Christ is the Foundation and also the Head
Of the church; He’s the Chief Corner Stone.
By His Holy Spirit it’s guided and led (See the Book of Acts)
Through a perfect system all His own.
If in heaven’s book, friend, your name is enrolled,
In this church of God you have a place;
Because on the pages of God’s Word we’re told
That He adds such as he saves by grace.
Its fellowship pivots on God and His Son
And on walking in heaven’s pure light;
It embraces ev’ry regenerate one
Who has cast off the dark works of night.
It’s not a religion of some man-made form,
But the true life and power of Christ’s blood;
It breaks sinful habits, calms life’s raging storm,
And brings heartfelt communion with God.
It does what no human religion can do:
Takes man’s heart, which is vile and unclean,
And in God’s own image creates it anew
Like it was back at Eden’s first scene.
Folk are sanctified wholly and made free from sin
As the full gospel message is preached;
It lifts up the lowest and vilest of men –
In Christ heavenly station is reached!
To such as have become slaves to alcohol,
To tobacco, or even to dope –
This is the religion that offers to all
A sure, absolute freedom and hope!
It is the religion that sets mankind free,
For the Son makes men free, free indeed;
No longer a servant of sin shall he be
Who is born of the heavenly seed.
Have you been confused, have you oft’ stood in doubt
Of religion, and which way is right?
Have you often wondered what it’s all about
As the sects in carnality fight?
Behold, there’s a “highway” above all that maze,
Whereupon the unclean have not trod --
Most beautiful sight upon which man can gaze
Is Mount Zion, the true church of God! (Heb.
The church that is built upon Jesus, the Rock,
High above all confusion and sin;
The heavenly kingdom, the heaven-born flock,
Where the Shepherd Himself takes them in.
Enfolding His lambs in His bosom of love,
To the conscience of each He makes known
That they by His Spirit are born from above,
And the Father has made them His own.
Christ says, “I’m the door, if by me any man
Enter in, he’ll be saved;” thus we find
That this is the God-given church-joining plan,
And the only one, true Bible kind. (John 10:9)
He’s part of the church who abides in the Lord,
Has the Spirit of Christ in his breast;
We try ev’ry spirit by God’s holy Word –
This alone is the fellowship test.
The Spirit of Christ is the church of God brand
And the church of God fellowship bound;
In fellowship we gladly give our right hand
Unto all in whom JESUS is found.
“If any man have not the Spirit of Christ,”
As the Word says, “he is none of His;”
Hereby we discern the true body of Christ,
Who is not in the church and who is.
All children of God who abide in His love
Are the church, the divine family;
The spirit’s the same here on earth and above –
It’s a heavenly society.
If you are a branch of the heavenly Vine,
You are part of Christ’s body, you see: If
Christ’s life is yours, and if Christ’s life is mine,
We’re united spontaneously!
Now what is Christ’s body? God’s Word doth record
It’s the church; there is nothing more sure.
As sure as no vile thing is part of the Lord,
So His body, the church, is but pure.
“If the root be holy, the branches are so.”
Christ, the root, is the life-giving source.
Thus, all who are grafted into His life flow
Are made holy like He is, of course.
Forth from a pure fountain there comes a pure stream,
To no one should this truth appear odd:
Thus from that pure fount Christ opened to redeem
Comes the pure church of the living God!
Since Christ is the door through which all must be brought
And in Him we are cleansed and made whole,
And whoso abideth in Him sinneth not,
Then the church contains no defiled soul.
Now if in Christ any man cease to abide,
Of the church he’s no longer a part,
Because God disfellowships all who backslide
At the time sin re-enters the heart.
To illustrate this, let us now take a look
At the churches established by men:
It’s obvious your name must be on their book,
For you are not a member till then.
Now God says that “he who against me hath sinned,
Even him from my book will I blot;”
Though God’s church assemblies he may still attend,
Yet a member of it he is not.
Just stop and consider, it’s naturally so,
Any time any branch of a vine
Stops receiving sap from the vine, its life flow,
It’s no longer a part of the vine.
All unfruitful branches, we hear Jesus say,
Shall my Father remove; that’s His plan.
It’s God who adds members and takes them away
In the heaven-born church, and not man.
“By their fruits you’ll know them,” hear Christ say again,
A good tree brings not forth evil fruit:”
That the church of God is a church free from sin
Is a fact that no man can refute.
Not all who the “Church of God” title may wear
Are the church of God either, my friend;
You must discern this by the fruit that they bear,
Whether they are “of God” or “of men.”
The true Bible system bears true Bible fruit –
This is what you must always look for.
The right system always springs from the right root,
Right foundation, right head, and right door.
It’s very important that our souls be fed
Through a system that’s pure and divine,
Which emanates wholly from Christ as its Head
By His Word and His Spirit’s lifeline.
That substance which sustains Christ’s body on earth
Is His own Spirit’s life-giving flow;
It quickens His Word and gives spiritual birth
And anointing to men here below.
There are “fallen movements” who once in our land
Brought forth fruit in God’s kingdom of love,
But now in apostasy barren they stand,
And no longer bear fruit from above.
God’s calling His children from these to “come out,”
And by His Word and Spirit be led;
Don’t stay where there’s spiritual famine and drought,
But “come out” where your soul can be fed.
Friend, remember this, keep this truth in your head:
To no “movement” does God tie His hands;
He does bless a movement that is Spirit-led
In as much as by His Word it stands.
But if any movement indeed substitute
Its own system and standard for Christ’s,
God’s Spirit moves out, leaving it destitute,
And to “other spirits” sacrificed.
This is how a great many sects came about
Since Christ set up His Church long ago;
They’re “bundles of branches” His Father cast out,
Which have ceased to receive His life flow.
They ceased to extol Jesus Christ as their Head,
And conform to His Word on all lines;
Adopted their own creeds and doctrines instead,
As interpreted by their divines.
Sects each have their own central themes to promote
Which their whole systems pivot around;
Observe each one closely – those points you will note
Are their basis-of-fellowship ground.
Some pivot on “baptism,” others on “tongues,”
And still others on the “Sabbath day;”
On whatever points each gets twisted and hung
You will hear its brand harping away.
Some teach that “once saved we can’t but always be,”
And most teach we can’t be freed from sin,
While others deny the divine Trinity,
And that God dwelt incarnate with men.
Then there’s the materialists with their “no soul” creeds,
There’s the legalists, liberalists too;
And who knows how many “millennial” breeds
Of the whole diverse, vain-jangling crew?
Each sends forth its prophets and, usually,
They are well versed for all which they stand,
Professionally trained by some seminary
In the interest of that unique brand.
But though so well trained, they know nothing at all
Of a perfectly sanctified heart;
Nor dare they proclaim that sublime gospel call,
For ‘twould tear their sect structures apart!
It’s fatal to organizations of men
To give God complete charge and control;
For if He took charge, He’d expose ev’ry sin
And abolish its membership roll!
He’d set up His own “Book of Life” in its stead,
And would certainly reorganize
By His own good system, all Holy Ghost led,
A true church that is pure in His eyes.
He’d set all the members each one in their place
As it pleaseth the Father above,
Unite in one body all those saved by grace,
Having tempered them all by His love.
And as gifts were needed, and as He saw best,
He’d impart them to the sanctified –
To those He can trust to His kingdom’s interest,
Who’ve been purged from vainglory and pride.
The Spirit would guide them into all the truth,
In the Shepherd’s rich pasture they’d feast;
The aged would learn right along with the youth,
And they’d ALL KNOW HIM, greatest to least.
And thus would the church be well nourished and fed
By a system that’s only divine,
Proceeding directly from its living Head,
Jesus Christ, the pure life giving Vine.
If all so-called Christians would only launch out
On the whole will of God, without fear,
The world would soon realize beyond any doubt
That the kingdom of heaven is here!
The kingdom is here, but so few recognize
The pure government Christ has set up;
Sect organizations have blinded their eyes,
And the kingdom’s door they have shut up.
Sect hirelings can’t preach God’s Word in completeness –
To do so would endanger their trade;
Therefore, they must only those subjects address
For which they have been trained, and get paid.
They do not the pure, divine unction possess
Of God’s Spirit sent down from above,
But revel in forms of so-called godliness
That deny the real power thereof.
The most will deny that God’s Spirit today
Gives men power to live free from sin,
And also deny that Christ heals folk today,
Like He did back when His church began.
John’s prophetic vision of Revelation
Well foretold of these sad “last days” scenes –
The mystical city of sect confusion;
That is what the term “Babylon” means.
Great Babylon’s fallen, yes, fallen indeed,
In the evening of this gospel age;
In her habitation all foul spirits feed,
Yes, some kind in ev’ry sect cage.
In ev’ry case there’s exaltation of “self,”
Or extolling the great (?) works of man,
And most are ambitious of prestige and pelf,
And to get all the members they can.
Each solicits members, and each gets some too,
For to “fleshly” minds each can appeal;
One religious “form” or another will do
For all such as care not for the real.
And forms are available of ev’ry kind,
One to suit almost ev’ryone’s taste;
Just whatever seems the most right to your mind,
You can join it, but oh, what a waste!
For strait is the gate, and what? narrow the way
That leadeth the soul into life;
And how few there be that find it in this day
When confusion and error are rife!
But broad is the way of destruction, we’re told;
It’s a way that will accommodate
The lusts of the flesh, and will also enfold
Any faith human minds can create.
But the one, true way is no wider than Christ,
And the route that it leads is as straight;
Our own ways of thinking must be sacrificed,
And our sins all fall off at the gate.
For Christ is that Gate, and He’s also the Way
And the Truth and the Life and the Light;
All who follow Him will never go astray,
For the way that He’ll lead you is right.
We’re the church of God, not if that name we own,
But if “Christians” without and within;
By being in line with the Chief Corner Stone,
Jesus Christ, who’s the standard for men.
Yes, Christ is the length and the breadth and the height
And the depth of the true church of God;
He is the whole boundary of all that’s right,
And His Word is the measuring rod.
The chief mother sect was established around
The year two hundred sev’nty A.D.;
Today her headquarters and head can be found
In a city called Rome, Italy.
Her daughters have their headquarters scattered abroad
Where their governing bodies reside;
But still the headquarters of the church of God
Are in heaven, where her Head abides.
Thus, none of her resource has she ever lost,
For to man-rule she simply won’t bow;
What set her in motion back at Pentecost
Is what’s leading and guiding her now.
And thus has her purity e’er been maintained,
For God’s church and all functions thereof
Originate from her Head, and are sustained
By the Spirit of life from above.
Wherever these wonderful truths were not lost,
And men’s hearts were revived by the same,
Down through all the centuries since Pentecost
God has had a pure church, without blame.
She passed through the wilderness of Romish night
And the Protestant dark, cloudy day,
Then into the glory of the “evening light,”
And till Jesus comes that’s where she’ll stay.
Oh, glory to Jesus! All hail the good light!
Stand ye back in the darkness no more!
For now we behold the true pathway of right,
And we see how to enter its door!
Sect organizations established by men
Are o’erflowing with sinners, that’s true!
It’s because the doors through which they take them in
Hold no cleansing for those who pass through!
The Door to which we are inviting you now
Will the kingdom of heaven unlock!
So please follow closely as God’s Word shows how
Ev’ry man must approach it and knock!
“Knock, it shall be opened, seek, and ye shall find,
Ask, and unto you He’ll impart;”
You can have salvation, the real Bible kind,
If you’ll seek God with all of your heart!
Though your heart is black as the darkest midnight
And your sins red like crimson do glow;
Christ makes saints of sinners who come to the light
Where His blood washes whiter than snow.
A perfect salvation Christ offers to all
Who will open their hearts to receive,
Who’ll humble themselves and repentantly call
On the name of the Lord and believe.
In Adam mankind lost his righteous estate,
But these glad tidings fall on his ear:
In Christ we regain it, there’s no need to wait,
For the day of salvation is here!
God’s kingdom is here, not in form or vain words,
But in power of the Holy Ghost!
How many this sweet proclamation have heard:
“Jesus saves folk to the uttermost?”
“Repent ye, repent ye, the kingdom’s at hand,”
Yea, it lies now right within your reach!
If you will press into it, you’ll understand
These rich truths, which in love we now teach!
With heartfelt remorse, godly sorrow indeed,
You must confess and forsake your sin;
Ask God to forgive you, and His mercy plead;
This is your part, now, what happens then?
The great King of glory will enter your breast
By the Spirit’s soul-quickening power,
Will break sin’s dominion, and your pleasure quest
Will attain sweet fruition that hour.
In sin men seek pleasure through worldly pursuit,
In amusements and things they possess,
But still find no joy that yields real, lasting fruit,
Or brings inward peace and happiness.
But salvation will bring a joy to your heart
That will calm all its turmoil and strife;
And you will know certainly, right from the start,
You’ve indeed passed from death unto life!
Your life will take meaning, and you’ll recognize
The true purpose for which you are here;
You’ll foretaste the joy of your home in the skies,
And of death you will have no more fear.
You’ll love ev’rybody, your enemies too,
Christ will walk by your side day by day;
His presence will bring heaven down into you
As together you walk in His way.
Thus quickened with Christ you become dead to sin,
And your heart reaches out for what’s right;
His sweet Holy Spirit will witness within
That His blood makes you clean in His sight.
Friend, this is salvation, and knowing the Lord,
The beginning of favor divine;
Repenting, surrendering , you are restored
When you take up the Christ-life for thine.
Somewhere, about here, restitution comes in:
If you’ve stolen, or cheated, or lied,
These things must be made right with your fellowmen
As much as they can be rectified.
God does not require the impossible, no,
All that He does require is our best,
And when you have gone as far as you can go
You can just leave with Him all the rest.
Yes, some restitutions will be hard to make,
I know that, for I’ve been there, my friend;
But don’t be afraid, beyond any mistake
All will work for your joy in the end!
God’s grace is sufficient, you can do all things
Through the Savior who strengtheneth thee;
And what exaltation and glory it brings
When you sink down in humility!
Not an exaltation of self or the flesh,
But the spirit down deep in your breast;
Rich showers of blessing your heart will refresh,
And your soul will find sweet peace and rest.
That’s just the beginning of the Christian race;
It gets better as you go along!
Gets fuller, and richer, and deeper in grace,
And it makes your heart vibrate with song!
The joy of salvation just can’t be expressed,
Oh, if sinners but knew what they miss!
It’s joy unspeakable at language’s best,
And one songwriter told it like this:
“Salvation, oh glory! Its rapture I feel –
A current of heavenly bliss;
My soul is delighted, I cannot conceal
The deep-seated joy I possess!”
The joy in the bosom, the peace and the love
Unto half has not ever been told!
Dear friend, have you really been born from above,
Or some sect, lifeless, formal and cold?
There’s faith, goodness, gentleness, peace, joy, and love,
There’s longsuffering, meekness, and more!
All these things are ours when we’re born from above;
Say, what better things could we ask for?
A formal profession, nor good works, will do
Without true divine life in the soul;
For naught will avail but Christ’s work wrought in you,
Making you a new man, cleansed and whole.
This work of the Spirit wrought in human hearts
Is a miracle no man can do;
It applies the pow’r of Christ’s blood, and imparts
To the soul its pure living virtue.
By regeneration, this spiritual birth,
Is the conscience and soul freed from sin:
Next, baptism has its true meaning and worth
As an “answer” to what’s wrought within.
“Repent and be baptized,” repentance comes first,
And repentance takes place in the heart;
Repentance brings righteousness to all who thirst
For divine life in their inward part.
From death unto life, out of darkness to light,
Through the threshold of God’s kingdom door,
By regeneration, there looms to our sight
An attainment in Christ even more!
It’s the Holy Ghost who now administrates
The economy of all Christ’s grace –
Draws sinners, repentant ones regenerates,
Then leads on to yet deeper grace.
Yes, ev’ry true Christian God’s Spirit will lead
To a “standing grace” called “sanctified.”
He’ll impart the virtue of Christ to that need
When we consecrate till “self” has died.
This is what “entire sanctification” is:
It means giving God complete control:
Surrendering your will entirely to His,
An offering of body and soul.
When “self” empties out, God’s sweet Spirit moves in,
Shedding His love abroad in its place;
It’s easier to keep the victory then,
For He “seals” us with preserving grace.
It is a real spiritual work in the heart
That brings fullness of grace to the soul,
“Anointing” to those who set themselves apart
For God’s service, His will, and control.
When He’s given this capacity to work,
Then God’s Spirit moves in and takes charge.
If only believers from this would not shirk,
How their hearts in God’s love could enlarge!
Yes, this is what it means to be sanctified,
For this also was Jesus’ blood spilled;
Oh Christian, has your “self-life” been crucified,
And that spot by God’s Spirit been filled?
The Spirit once more does what we cannot do
By applying Christ’s blood to our need;
With His living virtue imparted thereto
We are sanctified wholly indeed!
With sanctification the Lord waits to bless
Ev’ry Christian who perceives the need
Of being perfected in true holiness,
That he may in all graces succeed.
The Spirit will cleanse like a “refiner’s fire,”
“Throughly purging” away carnal dross,
Bring under control ev’ry human desire
To the glory of Christ and His cross.
This is our “inheritance” experience,
It’s a second work of divine grace.
God’s house of old time shows its typical sense
By the “holy” and “most holy” place.
All “brethren” in Christ may now enter on in
Through His blood to the “holiest place.”
If you have been purged from all committed sin,
You’re entitled to this “deeper grace.”
For this is that “rest” which we’re told “there remains
For the people of God.” Thus we see
That it is the Christian who enters and gains
It by being sanctified wholly.
Let us labor, therefore, to enter that rest,
Lest we come short of faith, and then fall
When we face great trials and bitter, hard tests
Which in life will encounter us all.
There’s healing for body as well as for soul
Intertwined within salvation’s plan:
“By His stripes we’re healed,” by His blood we’re made whole:
This encompasses the entire man.
Whatever you need, Jesus Christ has it all,
And His Spirit’s on hand to dispense;
He says, if in faith on His name you will call,
He will hear, and your need recompense.
Love from God, the Father, grace from Christ, the Son,
And communion of the Holy Ghost:
This is the inheritance of ev’ry one
Of God’s ransomed and sanctified host.
Communion with God as was one time enjoyed
In the Garden of Eden so fair
Is the kind of pure fellowship that’s now enjoyed
When saints worship God in song and prayer.
Is it any wonder, at camp meeting time,
That saints gather in from far and wide?
Such sweet love and fellowship, pure and sublime,
Flows in each heart a heavenly tide!
To promote God’s kingdom and all its interest
Is the ambition they all pursue.
Friend, if you felt what we do in your own breast,
You could hardly wait to get there too!
It seems as though heaven has come down to earth,
And it has come down in as much as
What our hearts receive in this happy new birth
Ev’ry heavenly element has!
Our souls taste the rapture of angels as soon
As sweet Zion’s songs begin to ring –
When saints from their hearts with God’s Spirit in tune
All together in harmony sing!
They need no piano to help them along,
Such would only disrupt the sweet sound!
Saint’s hearts are a wellspring of music and song,
And from thence sweetest anthems abound.
Beside, since the dawning of this gospel day,
Human skills have not impressed God’s ear;
He cares not to hear hand-tuned instruments play,
But “heart melodies” he loves to hear.
True worship is all in the spirit, you see,
Jesus told us that it must be so;
The entire New Testament economy
Is a “spiritual” communion flow.
That’s why we find, when into history we search,
As the ancient historians record,
Instruments weren’t used by the first century church
In their worship of Jesus, their Lord.
Since instruments into God’s Spirit won’t tune,
In true worship they have no real place;
For nothing can worship which cannot commune
With the Lord through the Spirit of grace!
Moreover, Paul states the New Testament fact
That God “is not worshiped with men’s hands;”
It’s within the realm of a “spiritual act”
That the true blessing God now commands.
Yes, God did once dwell in a house made with hands,
And was worshiped thus back in that day;
But Christ brought that people, and those of all lands,
A far better and new, living way.
Paul says, we’re the Jews, or the circumcision,
(Keep this truth in your mind ever fresh!)
Who worship God in the Spirit’s provision,
And put no confidence in the flesh.
Old Testament shadows and types, as a whole,
Are fulfilled in a “spiritual” way;
God’s Sabbath is now a true rest for the soul,
And no longer a literal day.
We cease from our own works as God did from His,
We stop struggling with “self” and with “sin” –
That’s what the New Testament Sabbath day is;
By the Holy Ghost we enter in!
“Mount Zion,” “Jerusalem,” and “Canaan land,”
Also have their true meanings fulfilled,
And find their real substance in salvation’s plan,
Which to us through the Spirit is willed.
The spiritual worship supersedes by far
The ceremonial worship so dim;
God’s dwelling place now is what His people are,
And true worship takes place within them!
“The kingdom of God is within you,” says Christ,
It is “righteousness, peace, and it’s joy
In the Holy Ghost” – this pure treasure, blood-priced,
Is ALL spiritual worship employs!
We pray with the spirit and sing thus also,
And by the Spirit’s unction we preach;
God’s Spirit united with ours here below
Puts our souls right within heaven’s reach!
Thus, saints receive personal answers to prayer,
For the Spirit for them intercedes;
Whenever we need God, behold, He’s right there
Standing ready with grace for our needs!