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Living Holiness
book
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
18 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Helen Roseveare
29 books60 followersDr. Helen Roseveare was born in Hailebury, Herts, England in 1925. She became a Christian as a medical student in Cambridge University in 1945. She continued to have strong links with the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union and was designated as the "CICCU missionary" during the 1950s and 1960s. She built a combination hospital/ training center in Ibambi in the early 1950s, then relocated to Nebobongo, living in an old leprosy camp, where she built another hospital. After conflict with other staff at the hospital, she returned to England in 1958.
She returned to the Congo in 1960. In 1964 she was taken prisoner of rebel forces and she remained a prisoner for five months, enduring beatings and rapings. She left the Congo and headed back to England after her release but returned to the Congo in 1966 to assist in the rebuilding of the nation. She helped establish a new medical school and hospital (the other hospitals that she built were destroyed) and served there until she left in 1973. She helped many people from different countries, and helped them when needing food, and drink.
Since her return from Africa, she has had a worldwide ministry in speaking and writing. She was a plenary speaker at the Urbana Missions Convention three times. She is now retired and lives in Northern Ireland. Her life of service was portrayed in the 1989 film Mama Luka Comes Home. Her touching story about how the prayer of Ruth, 10-year-old African girl, for a hot water bottle to save a premature newborn baby after its mother had died has been widely forwarded by email. She survived rape and trial during the Congolese civil war in 1964 because of the intervention of the villagers she had helped previously.
(Wikipedia)
She returned to the Congo in 1960. In 1964 she was taken prisoner of rebel forces and she remained a prisoner for five months, enduring beatings and rapings. She left the Congo and headed back to England after her release but returned to the Congo in 1966 to assist in the rebuilding of the nation. She helped establish a new medical school and hospital (the other hospitals that she built were destroyed) and served there until she left in 1973. She helped many people from different countries, and helped them when needing food, and drink.
Since her return from Africa, she has had a worldwide ministry in speaking and writing. She was a plenary speaker at the Urbana Missions Convention three times. She is now retired and lives in Northern Ireland. Her life of service was portrayed in the 1989 film Mama Luka Comes Home. Her touching story about how the prayer of Ruth, 10-year-old African girl, for a hot water bottle to save a premature newborn baby after its mother had died has been widely forwarded by email. She survived rape and trial during the Congolese civil war in 1964 because of the intervention of the villagers she had helped previously.
(Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 27, 2021
Dr. Roseveare is able to communicate clearly deep spiritual truths through illustrations from her life as a missionary doctor in the Congo. In the middle of the book she talks about four gracious gifts the Holy Spirit blesses us with so that we can walk in holiness. She says that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin so we can repent and realign our hearts with God. He pours into our hearts the love of God , which enables us to love both God and our fellowman. He also gives us a desire to obey God's Word and the ability to do so. And finally the Holy Spirit confirms in our hearts that we are His special ambassadors in this world where we live. He then enables us to live out that life.
Roseveare included this powerful quote, "Let your whole life be one distinctly and definitely given up to God for His use and service. Your circumstances may appear to be unfavorable. God may appear to keep the door closed against your working for Him in the way you would wish; your sense of unfitness may be painful. Still, let it be a mater settled between God and the soul, that your longing for Holiness is that you may be fitter for Him to use."" Andrew Murray
A very worthwhile read!
Roseveare included this powerful quote, "Let your whole life be one distinctly and definitely given up to God for His use and service. Your circumstances may appear to be unfavorable. God may appear to keep the door closed against your working for Him in the way you would wish; your sense of unfitness may be painful. Still, let it be a mater settled between God and the soul, that your longing for Holiness is that you may be fitter for Him to use."" Andrew Murray
A very worthwhile read!
May 8, 2024
Some interesting insights into practical holiness from a woman who has lived a radically different life to me! I particularly liked her commentary on a revival she witnessed, and how the heart of revival has to be a deep realisation of your sin before a holy God. How desperately this is needed here today.
June 19, 2022
Rounded up from 4.5 stars.
Dr. Helen Roseveare explores holiness as a combined result of love, obedience, and service.
I love this four part series because of its spiritual depth and insight. Roseveare's experiences as a doctor serving in the Belgian Congo (later Zaire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) illustrate the spiritual truths she is communicating with force and clarity.
This book took me the longest to read and is perhaps a little drier or more repetitive than the others. It still challenged me to live a life pleasing to God by allowing Christ to live through me, producing personal holiness.
Dr. Helen Roseveare explores holiness as a combined result of love, obedience, and service.
I love this four part series because of its spiritual depth and insight. Roseveare's experiences as a doctor serving in the Belgian Congo (later Zaire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) illustrate the spiritual truths she is communicating with force and clarity.
This book took me the longest to read and is perhaps a little drier or more repetitive than the others. It still challenged me to live a life pleasing to God by allowing Christ to live through me, producing personal holiness.
June 11, 2023
This book really did have some good things to say, but the dry and didactic nature made it a little hard to connect. She emphasizes the absolute importance of the holiness of God and our proper response of hatred for sin, love for God, and the subsequent outpouring of service.
And yes, maybe my toes were a little stepped on.
And yes, maybe my toes were a little stepped on.
April 4, 2024
My final read of Dr Roseveare's series of four meaty books: Living Sacrifice, Living Faith, Living Fellowship are the other three.
One to read in sections as there's so much in it. Divided into four main chapters: Repentance, Love, Obedience, Service and illustrated throughout with stories form her time as a medical missionary in Zaire (modern day DRC). Helen shares her weaknesses and mess ups, as well as times of breakthrough and triumph, with vulnerability and searing honesty. She asks difficult questions, always driving towards a mature and authentic faith. I personally value these things highly, which is probably why I love her books so much.
Be prepared to be challenged and made uncomfortable but never condemned. Well worth reading
One to read in sections as there's so much in it. Divided into four main chapters: Repentance, Love, Obedience, Service and illustrated throughout with stories form her time as a medical missionary in Zaire (modern day DRC). Helen shares her weaknesses and mess ups, as well as times of breakthrough and triumph, with vulnerability and searing honesty. She asks difficult questions, always driving towards a mature and authentic faith. I personally value these things highly, which is probably why I love her books so much.
Be prepared to be challenged and made uncomfortable but never condemned. Well worth reading
March 16, 2018
Repent. Love. Obey. Serve. “Perhaps those ‘steps’ are rather like the hoofs of the galloping horse, where all four are essential, repeatedly essential, until the race is finished, and it is often practically impossible to see the order in which they move!” This gem by Dr. Helen Roseveare transformed my paradigm of the impetus for international work. A must-read!
July 20, 2018
An immense read on what it means to be holy. Using stories from her own life as a missionary in the Congo, Roseveare looks at 4 main aspects that lead to holiness: repentance, love, obedience & service.
November 26, 2023
One story in particular really spoke to me and moved me in this book.
December 21, 2023
She called me out multiple times (by name 😭), but hit with powerful reminders of what it looks like to live holy before God.
March 19, 2014
I needed this book. And I am so thankful for this book.
Helen writes about her experiences with learning how to live in holiness before God, to trust in Him and to obey Him. Implicitly, she agrees with Christian Hedonists the world over, if we seek to obey our LORD and to follow Him we will find our peace and our joy. She does not seem to connect the two experiences explicitly, but she does reveal the connection implicitly.
This is what I really treasured about this book: her focus on holiness, on being obedient, on taking up our cross daily, on abiding in the LORD, abiding in His commands, because here we can find our peace, our joy, and we will bring delight to our Father in heaven, and His delight will overflow into us. Abiding in the LORD...
The continuous call to give up our desires, both wrong desires and inordinate desires or desires that are not necessarily bad, but that God desires to take us a different way. In all our ways we must follow Him wherever He would take us. We must be open to being "jars of clay," being moulded by the Potter into useful vessels, "effectual" vessels, vessels of honor and glory and beauty. We have this power in jars of clay. What an amazingly beautiful picture of what it means to be a child of God. God in us, God working through His little ones, being shaped by His hands, His loving and caring hands.
There was one slight issue, and that is that Helen seemed to be promoting the idea that we can achieve a sort of perfect holiness on this earth, completely blameless. However, I think this is misguided and wrong. I think that even in our most holy acts we still have a heart that resides in us with desires contrary to our main desire to be holy as He is holy. But that is the old man, the old heart in us. So we are already blameless, because we have been made new creations, but we are also not completely blameless, because the old heart is still with us. It's the already-not-yet idea and she seemed to want to say that the not-yet could be fulfilled during our lifetimes on earth rather than when we die and go to heaven (or when Jesus returns).
Anyway, I am so thankful for this book. She makes Christianity come alive, because she has lived it.
Helen writes about her experiences with learning how to live in holiness before God, to trust in Him and to obey Him. Implicitly, she agrees with Christian Hedonists the world over, if we seek to obey our LORD and to follow Him we will find our peace and our joy. She does not seem to connect the two experiences explicitly, but she does reveal the connection implicitly.
This is what I really treasured about this book: her focus on holiness, on being obedient, on taking up our cross daily, on abiding in the LORD, abiding in His commands, because here we can find our peace, our joy, and we will bring delight to our Father in heaven, and His delight will overflow into us. Abiding in the LORD...
The continuous call to give up our desires, both wrong desires and inordinate desires or desires that are not necessarily bad, but that God desires to take us a different way. In all our ways we must follow Him wherever He would take us. We must be open to being "jars of clay," being moulded by the Potter into useful vessels, "effectual" vessels, vessels of honor and glory and beauty. We have this power in jars of clay. What an amazingly beautiful picture of what it means to be a child of God. God in us, God working through His little ones, being shaped by His hands, His loving and caring hands.
There was one slight issue, and that is that Helen seemed to be promoting the idea that we can achieve a sort of perfect holiness on this earth, completely blameless. However, I think this is misguided and wrong. I think that even in our most holy acts we still have a heart that resides in us with desires contrary to our main desire to be holy as He is holy. But that is the old man, the old heart in us. So we are already blameless, because we have been made new creations, but we are also not completely blameless, because the old heart is still with us. It's the already-not-yet idea and she seemed to want to say that the not-yet could be fulfilled during our lifetimes on earth rather than when we die and go to heaven (or when Jesus returns).
Anyway, I am so thankful for this book. She makes Christianity come alive, because she has lived it.
February 10, 2019
A very 'meaty' and soul searching read. This is the second time I've the book and I'm once again reminded of the importance of personal holiness. 'Without holiness no one can see God.'
Throughout the book Helen punctuates her 4 steps of holiness (Repentance, Love, Obedience, Service) with personal accounts of her time in Zaire. Each story touches me, challenges me, and inspires me in my own faith. A particularly engaging book for those interested in missions, I do recommend it.
Throughout the book Helen punctuates her 4 steps of holiness (Repentance, Love, Obedience, Service) with personal accounts of her time in Zaire. Each story touches me, challenges me, and inspires me in my own faith. A particularly engaging book for those interested in missions, I do recommend it.
November 19, 2016
"If God asks me to suffer something for a period of time, could I say with conviction,'We know that in all thing God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose'- or would I grumble and wonder who God let it happen to me? Could I thank God for trusting me with the experience, even of loss or severe hardship or illness or anything, and seek His grace to learn more of Him through it, so that I in turn could help and encourage another- or would I demand release or healing or escape, thinking of such as my 'right' because I am a christian? This attitude of heart and mind, that can joyfully trust God in all circumstances, can only take possession of me as I allow the Holy Spirit to fill me with love for my Lord. "
September 29, 2014
Another exceptional entry in the series on the life and ministry of Helen Roseveare.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews