Columbanus (10)

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4.12

Columbanus (d. 615) founded four monasteries, each of which became both a deeply spiritual community and a highly effective missionary training agency. Two of his monasteries were in Gaul, one in Switzerland, and one in northern Italy. In each he was careful to train new members in the essentials of Christian life and life in community with other believers.

His primary concern was that the monks who learned and served and were sent out by his monasteries to evangelize throughout Europe would be examples of godliness. He wrote in Sermon I: “Therefore seek the supreme wisdom, not by verbal debate, but by the perfection of a good life, not with the tongue but with the faith which issues from singleness of heart, not with that which is gathered from the guess of a learned irreligion. If then you seek the unutterable by discussion, He will fly further from you than He was; if you seek by faith, wisdom shall stand in her accustomed station at the gate, and where she dwells she shall at least in part be seen.”

God’s servants must work hard at knowing Him, not merely through the study of His Word, but by the example of lives devoted to holiness. This is a work of faith and requires us to seek the Lord Who is the Wisdom of God, and Who reveals Himself in His Word and through the creation. Columbanus insisted that those who came to him for training and ministry must be men from whom the example of Christ shone brightly. 

We are accustomed, increasingly, to seeing pastors fall to one or another temptation of the flesh. They hurt more than their own ministries when they do. When pastors exemplify the wisdom of Christ through lives of holiness, love, and service, the words they preach will carry much more weight, and the lives they lead will show the true way of wisdom to the saints.

Columbanus understood this, and so must we.

Resources for revival
We have prepared a copy of Columbanus’ Sermon I in PDF form, and I’d be happy to send you one if you’ll write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You’ll be amazed at how much this great saint was able to pack into 10 minutes. His sermons are a great resource for meditation or discussion with leaders or staff.

Men, we welcome you to join us via Zoom as we gather each Tuesday morning at 10:00 Eastern for 30 minutes of prayer, seeking the Lord for revival. This is one of the most exciting, most challenging, and most visionary times of my week, as men from all over the country unite their voices in seeking the Lord, using a psalm to guide our prayers. Come and pray with us. If you’d like to be added to the invitation list, just send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We’re offering three resources to help in making revival, renewal, and awakening happen in our day. These books – Restore Us!, Preparing Your Church for Revival, and Revived! – explain what revival is, why it matters, and what our role is in preparing for it. Click here to order your free copies of these books. 

From the Celtic Revival
Here’s an excerpt from a recent issue of Crosfigell, our twice-weekly teaching letter featuring insights from the writers of the Celtic Revival:

I entreat Thee by all those that had intelligence in the law of nature...
I entreat Thee by all those that had intelligence in the written law...
in the prophetic law...
in the law of the New Testament...

  - Anonymous, Litany of Jesus I, Irish, 15th century, from an earlier ms.[1]

Celtic Christians understood that God revealed Himself to us both in Scripture (the “written law”, the “prophetic law”, and “the law of the New Testament”) as well as in creation (“the law of nature”). Wise shepherds devoted themselves to increasing “intelligence” (understanding) of each of these sources. They looked both to God’s Word and His world to grow in knowledge and wisdom.

Is creation really a source of revelation? It is, indeed, as I argue in my book, Consider the Lilies: A Plea for Creational Theology. To order a free copy of this book, click here.

T. M. Moore.

Please pray
Pray that God will bring to our Fellowship men who are committed to realizing more of the presence, promise, and power of His Kingdom. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Brother in The Fellowship of Ailbe, click here to watch a brief video. If you’d like to talk about Membership, write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll send you some additional information.

Please pray that God will move many of those we serve through this ministry to share with us financially in its support. If the Lord moves you to give, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] Plummer, Litanies, p. 33.