And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”
  - Hosea 1.10

So this is why it come about in Ireland that people who had no acquaintance with God, but who, up to now, always had cults or idols and abominations, are recently – by this dispensation – made a people of the Lord and are known as children of God.

  - Patrick, Confession, British, 5th century

In his Confession  - which we are currently running in installments in our Scriptorium column – Patrick had just quoted the verse in Hosea when he wrote what we have above. The “dispensation” he refers to was his ministry among the pagan Irish.

God had done a wonderful thing among heathen, wild, dangerous, ignorant, scruffy, unclean, pagan people. He had used the simple preaching of the Gospel, coupled with a life of service and sacrifice, to create a new people out of an old one – children of God out of the consorts of demons.

Pagans to saints.

Does God still do such things today?

Know any pagans, any folk who have no acquaintance with God? Any people caught up in some form of idolatry and various dubios practices? Any who deny God? Do you believe the Gospel is the power of God for their salvation?

Patrick did, and he staked everything on that promise as he left the security of home and family, even against the pleading of his parents and the advice of his church, to return to the land of his captivity and bring the Gospel to the pitiful pagans of Ireland.

I want to cry out, like Elisha: “Where is the spirit of Patrick?”

I get the impression that we don’t believe the Gospel the same way Patrick believed it, that it really is powerful, really can convert, really can transform a people and their culture, and that in a relatively short space of time.

If we did believe the Gospel in this way, would we not see more evidence of Kingdom power at work among the members of the Body of Christ?

And wouldn’t we be more fervent, consistent, and effective in sharing our faith with others?

Patrick came to his trust in the Gospel the hard way. He had to be torn away from everything familiar and comfortable and subjected to slavery for six long years before he would come to his senses and submit to the Lord.

Let us pray that God will revive us while we are yet free, before He leads us into a captivity like Israel’s from which we will only be released after many painful years of learning the power of God the hard way.

Now is day of salvation, and the Gospel is the power of God for it.

Psalm 107.1-3 (Faithfulness: “Great is Thy Faithfulness”)
Lord, You are good, we give thanks and we praise You!
Your steadfast love will forever endure.
Let the redeemed, who from trouble You rescue,
Gather and say that Your mercy is sure!
  Lord, for Your wondrous works, and for Your steadfast love
  We give You thanks, we exalt Your great Name!
  We who from east and west, north and south gather,
  Boldly redemption in Christ we proclaim!

Give me grace, Lord, to be faithful in making Your Good News known to those around me each day.

Getting our facts right about Patrick
It may surprise some of your Irish friends to know that Patrick wasn’t Irish. He didn’t drive the snakes out of Ireland, either. And he didn’t best the druids at Tara. He did many amazing and wonderful things – stuff you’d never expect from a man who didn’t even finish his day’s equivalent of high school. And he left a legacy of spiritual and cultural renewal which lasted for four centuries, and which continues to enrich us to this day. Patrick is really someone you ought to know. Send a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe this month, and we’ll send you a copy of The Legacy of Patrick, which tells the story of Patrick in his own words and outlines the revival of church and culture which followed his labors. Use the donate button here or at the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

“Where is the spirit of Patrick?”

T. M. Moore, Principal
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