Apostolic Friends Forum - What are you reading currently?

Last night (Nov. 29, 2010) I read a small 25 page booklet titled “Daniel Nash: Prevailing Prince of Prayer.” It is about a minister named Daniel Nash, some times called Father Nash, who worked with Chares Finney, an evangelist, in the 1800’s. Father Nash was born November 27, 1775 and died December 20, 1831 while on his knees in prayer. He was known as a “prayer warrior” or “intercessor.” He is virtually unknown in Christian history. He was a pastor but is not known for that or for his sermons. It seems his main calling in life was to support Carles Finney by praying for him and his meetings.

Charles Finney was born in Connecticut in 1792 and his family soon moved to western New York. He studied and practiced law from 1818 to 1821. He was converted in 1820 and decided to preach. He was licensed by the Presbyterian Church in 1824 and was known as a fiery evangelist. He preached throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the New England states. His most remarkable revival was in Rochester, New York where nearly three thousand were converted. He died in 1875. He was like the D.L. Moody or Billy Graham of his time.

Daniel Nash started as a preacher in upstate New York. His record there is singularly unremarkable. At age 48 he decided to give himself totally to prayer for Finney's meetings. Nash would come quietly into towns three or four weeks in advance of a meeting, gather three or four other like minded Christians with him and in a rented room start praying and bringing heaven near. It is reported that in one town all he could find was a dank, dark cellar, but that place was soon illumined with holy light as he made it the place of intercession.

When the public meetings started Father Nash would not usually attend but kept praying in his closet for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to fall on the crowd and melt their hearts. When opposition arose Father Nash would pray all the harder.

Once a group of young men promised to break up the meetings. Nash was praying nearby and came out of the shadows to announce: "Now mark me, young men! God will break your ranks in less than one week, either by converting some of you, or by sending some of you to hell. He will do this certainly as the Lord is my God!"

Finney thought his friend had lost his sense. But by next Tuesday morning the leader of the group suddenly showed up, confessed his sinful attitude before Finney and accepted Christ. "What shall I do Mr. Finney?" he asked. Finney told him to go back to his companions and tell them how Christ had changed his life. Before that week was out nearly all of the original group had come to Christ.

In 1826 both Finney and Nash were burnt in effigy. The enemy recognized the threat of Father Nash's prayers to their ways of wickedness.

Shortly before Nash died in 1831 he wrote:

I am now convinced, it is my duty and privilege, and the duty of every other Christian, to pray for as much of the Holy Spirit as came down on the day of Pentecost, and a great deal more….My body is in pain, but I am happy in my God…..I have only just begun to understand what Jesus meant when he said, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

It is interesting to note that within four months of Father Nash's death Finney left the evangelistic field to take a Church in New York City. His prayer partner in taking the enemy by storm was gone. He whose prayers and been the strength of the campaigns was now in his eternal home and the loss of power was felt.

Father Nash's grave is in a neglected cemetery almost on the border of Canada in northern New York. The tombstone reads.

DANIEL NASH
Pastor
1816-1822

Laborer with Finney

Mighty in Prayer

Nov. 27, 1775 - Dec. 20, 1831

Daniel Nash was not written up in the papers of the day. The elite of his day took no notice of him. There was notice in Heaven of this humble man. Like Paul, the demons knew him by reputation. In his heart dwelt fully the burning Spirit of God. Great is his reward in Heaven.

The quote below is from a book by Kenneth Hagin titled, "The Interceding Christian." He talks about Charles Finney and the important part that prayer played in his evangelistic successes.

"Charles G. Finney stands out as one of the greatest exponents of evangelism since the days of the Apostle Paul. All theologians and church historians agree that Finney had the greatest success of any individual preacher since the days of Paul. Furthermore, in Finney's revivals 80 percent of all his converts stayed saved.

"In no other revival since the days of Paul has this been true. Moody was mightily used of God. Yet church historians agree that not more than 50 percent of his converts remained.

"Since the turn of the century we have seen a great revival in the Pentecostal movement. Yet Pentecostal leaders, both past and present, agree that not even 50 percent of the converts remain true to God. No one has had the success Finney had. Yet he never used any kind of gimmick. He didn't rely on sensationalism; he depended solely upon prayer.

"In his autobiography we read that when Finney would go into a town for a revival, almost the entire town would turn to God. After one such revival in which practically the entire city was converted, the only theater in town had to close down because no one attended. All the 'grog' shops, Finney's term for what we know today as beer joints, also had to close down after the revival.

"What was the secret of Finney's success? He said, 'There is no more secret, no more mystery to having a revival than there is to a farmer's reaping a crop. If the farmer tills the soil, puts the seed in the ground, and trusts God for the rain, then when the time comes there will be a harvest.'

"Finney had an elderly man working with him who was semi-retired from the ministry. People called him 'Father Nash.' Father Nash would go ahead of Finney three weeks in advance of a planned revival to try to get two or three people to enter into a covenant of prayer with him. Some one asked Finney what kind of man this Father Nash was. 'We never see him,' they said. 'He doesn't enter into any of the meetings.'

"Finney replied, 'Like anybody who does a lot of praying, Father Nash is a very quiet person.'

"Show me a person who is always talking and I'll show you a Christian who never does much praying.

"'On one occasion when I got to a town to start a revival,' Finney said, 'a lady who ran a boarding house contacted me. She said, 'Brother Finney, do you know a Father Nash? He and two other men have been at my boarding house for the last three days, but they haven't eaten a bite of food. I opened the door and peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on their faces. They have been this way for three days, lying prostrate on the floor and groaning. I thought something awful must have happened to them I was afraid to go in and I didn't know what to do. Would you please come see about them?'

"'No, it isn't necessary,' I replied. 'They just have a spirit of travail in prayer.'

"Finney prayed much himself. Rising every morning at 4 o'clock, he would go out into the country and pray until 8 o'clock."

pages 25 -27 of "The Interceding Christian" by Kenneth E. Hagin

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam (Post 995445)

This type of prayer committment is what we all need. What a mighty revival we could see, but will we sacrifice at this level? I think we all have to make that decision. I would that I had already had this kind of committment. I wonder if Father Nash was married, had family or had to work? Who knows but this my friend was a true prayer warrior.