Why Revival Tarries?
Power from on high is the supreme need of today. Charles G. Finney!
If Christ waited to be anointed before He went to
preach, no young man ought to preach until he, too, has
been anointed by the Holy Ghost. -F. B. Meyer!
MEN of prayer must be men of steel, for they
will be assaulted by Satan even before they
attempt to assault his kingdom.
Praying which is merely putting in a request sheet
to the Ruler of the Universe is but the smallest side of
this many-faced truth, Like everything else in the
Christian's life, prayer can become lopsided. Prayer is
no substitute for work; equally true is it that work is
no substitute for prayer. In his masterly but little known work, The Weapon of Prayer, E. M. Bounds
says, "It is better, to let the work go by default than
to let the praying go by neglect." Again he says, "The
most efficient agents In disseminating the knowledge
of God, in prosecuting His work upon the earth, and
in standing as a breakwater against the billows of evil,
have been praying church leaders. God depends upon
them, employs them, and blesses them."
Surely revival delays because prayer decays. Nothing do Satan or hell fear more than praying men.
But to live well you don't have to live long.
REVIVAL in The BIBLE and in HISTORY
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7
Revivals are not churches filled with people, but people filled with God.
What is Revival?
Revivals are a sovereign move of God initiated by the Holy Spirit working through consecrated men and women. A study of the Revivals in the Bible, and in history, reveal that all Revivals begin with a deeper appreciation for the Holiness of God and a realization of how offensive our sins must be in the sight of our Holy God. It has been well said, that “Revivals are not churches filled with people, but people filled with God.” Revivals involve a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Holiness of God, of the wrath of God against sin, and of the utter depravity of man.
Transformation
In the book of Acts, it was said that these Christians who have turned the world upside down have come here also. In fact, Revivals turn things right side up: Restored relationships. Transformed communities. Drunkards made sober. Thieves returning stolen goods. Blasphemers sanctified. Marriages healed. Estranged children and parents reconciled. The selfish becoming sacrificial. Conversions. Miracles. Healings. Revived churches. Revitalized prayer meetings. Dynamic worship. Decisive action to seek first the Kingdom of God.
Spiritual Awakenings in the Bible
In the Bible we read that King Asa expelled all the perverts from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made (1 Kings 15:12).
Revival in the Bible and in History King Jehu demolished the idols, and tore down the temple of Baal, turning it into a rubbish dump (2 Kings 10:27).
Under King Jehoiada, all the people of the land tore down the temple of Baal, smashed its altars and idols (2 Kings 11:18).
King Josiah ordered all the idols and superstitious trappings of Baal and Asherah to be removed from the Temple of the Lord. He burned these idols in the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:4).
King Jehoshaphat rid the land of Asherah poles and set his heart on seeking God (2 Chronicles 19:3).
Under King Hezekiah, the Israelites smashed the idols of Baal and Asherah and destroyed the high places and altars used for child sacrifice throughout Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh (2 Chronicles 31:1).
King Manasseh removed idols and images from the Temple of the Lord (2 Chronicles 33:15).
What is hindering Revival in our time?
Under the prophet Ezra, the people of God were challenged to reform their marriages and reject intermarriage with the nations around them (Ezra 10:3).
When the Lord Jesus entered the Temple area, He made a whip and drove out all the corrupt moneylenders who were turning the House of God into a den of thieves (Matthew 21:12; John 2:15).
What Hinders Revival?
When one reads of the bold Christianity of the Book of Acts, of the Great Evangelical Awakening under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, and of the Revivals of the 19 century, the question arises: What is hindering Revival in our time?
Prayerlessness. Neglect of the Word of God. Worldliness. Selfishness. Self centeredness. Judgmentalism. Pride. Gossip. Slander. Gluttony. Lust. Passivity. Neutrality. Inactivity. Cowardice. Backstabbing. Sitting on the fence. Luke-warmness. Half-heartedness. Indecisiveness. Apathy and laziness.
Practical Discipleship
Cowardice. Compromise. These and so many other evidences of the lack of the fear of God quench the Holy Spirit, grieve the Holy Spirit and resist the Holy Spirit. There are so many distractions, deviations and delusions which are ensnaring and enslaving the people of God.
God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble.What Can We Do to Work for Revival? ( Acts 16:30b) the jailer asked the apostles; "Sirs, what must I do to be saved"? they said; Believed in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
We must determine not to settle for less than God's best. Good can be the enemy of the best. We have to relinquish those second-rate things that fill our heads, hands and hearts, so that we can receive God's best. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble.
You cannot expect maximum blessing from minimum commitment. Wholehearted surrender to God is essential. What you surrender to God He accepts, what He accepts He cleanses, what He cleanses He fills, and what He fills, He uses. In one sense we cannot actually work for Revival. Revivals are a sovereign move of Almighty God. We cannot schedule Revivals, we cannot preach them up or pray them down. There is no way we can manipulate Almighty God to fit in with our plans.
The Holiness of God
However, a study of Revivals in the Bible, and in history, reveals that all Revivals begin with a deeper appreciation for the Holiness of God and a realization of how offensive our sin must be in the sight of our Holy God.
The Wrath of God
When the Books of the Law were read to King Josiah of Judah, he tore his robes in anguish, and exclaimed: “Great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us …” 2 Kings 22:13. He called all the elders together to hear the Law of God and to repent together for the wickedness that they had allowed to flourish in the land.
The Law of God
“The King stood by a pillar and made a Covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul … All the people took a stand for the Covenant.” 2 Kings 23:3
This repentance was then followed by vigorous action to remove or Revival in the Bible and in History destroy anything contrary to the Law of God - including the pornographic Asherah poles, the Baal altars where babies were sacrificed and the prostitutes and false prophets who had corrupted the people (2 Kings 23:4-10). The Bible records that Josiah: “ … turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses.” 2 Kings 23:25 God sent a prophet to declare to Josiah: “Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke … I also have heard you, says the Lord.” 2 Kings 22:19
Repentance and Restitution
Conviction of sin is the first step towards Biblical Reformation. This includes focusing on the Law of God, mourning over our sin, confessing that sin and undertaking whatever steps of restitution or obedience are necessary.
Those who claim to want Revival, but are unwilling to repent thoroughly and make full restitution, cannot be serious.
The Ten Commandments
Like Josiah, we need to take a careful look at the Law of God. The Ten Commandments reflect the unchanging character of God. They show us our responsibilities to God, to our parents and to other people. “… The Law was our tutor, to bring us to Christ, that we may be justified by Faith.” Galatians 3:24 “The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul...” Psalm 19:7
Back to the Bible for Reformation and Revival
Revival is the work of God, but Reformation is our responsibility. Frequently in the Bible we see that God responds to consecrated and dedicated believers' sincere attempts to work for Biblical Reformation by sending a Spiritual Revival. Our duty is to go back to the Bible for Biblical Reformation and Revival.
Praying the Psalms
To revive our devotional lives we should start in the Psalms. The Psalms are the biggest Book of the Bible, the middle Book of the Bible, the prayer Book and hymnbook of the Bible. The Psalms are the most quoted part of the Bible. In the Gospels our Lord Jesus Christ quoted more from the Psalms than from any other section of the Old Testament. If you want to revive your devotional life begin praying through the Psalms. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your Salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.” Psalm 51:10-13
Do not settle for less than God’s very best.
Hunger for Reality
Study the Book of Acts to see God's pattern for the Church. It was when Reformers, such as Professor John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, Martin Luther and John Calvin, began to study the Bible that God mightily used them to bring about the Great Reformation. We need to hunger for reality, rejecting the cheap grace and easy believeism of modern evanjellyfish. If we want to work for Biblical Reformation and pray for Spiritual Revival then we need to reject the sensational, superficial emotionalism of all too many modern mega-churches as fake. Do not settle for anything less than God's very best. “Restore us, O God of Hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” Psalm 80:7
Decisive Action to Seek First God's Kingdom
Wholehearted repentance and thorough restitution is foundational in working for Reformation and preparing for Spiritual Revival. Return any stolen items. Pay back what you owe. Restore broken relationships. Repair what you have damaged. Have the courage to confront sin and thoroughly deal with it. Carefully study the Word of God and seek the Lord earnestly in prayer for guidance as to the decisive action that you need to take to seek first God's Kingdom.
Destroy Idols
Are there any CDs or DVDs that you need to break or throw away? Are there publications that you need to tear up and burn? Are there subscriptions and channels that you need to cancel? Are there web sites that you need to block? Are there relationships that you need to end? Are there people that you need to make right with that are at odds with you? Take decisive action to revitalise your devotional life. Reform your family. Restore the prayer meeting. Reform your local church. “If My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Can you not do something more for God?
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7
Revival History!
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