Understanding Revival

Understanding Revival

There is a vast amount of verbiage been given to revival. What it is. How it happens. Why it is. What its purpose is – and so on. Probably enough books have been written for revival to be thoroughly and properly understood. Yet almost daily, we see churches and pastors where not only is revival not understood – at all – but it is assumed to be in the gift of the leadership of that church to order it, control it, and hand it out to whomsoever they will.

What an astonishing state of affairs !!

OK – so let me add my two cents worth to the pile then. What is revival? Revival is a sovereign act of God in which He reveals the majesty of His Son and what He has done for us to unbelievers. Revival is NOT for the church - it is for the unsaved sinners to snatch them from the grip of hell and to bring them within the remit of heaven.

So why is it that we see, virtually every week, an amazing announcement from this church or that stating, (not hoping but stating as a fact), that “We are having revival here this Sunday . . .” What astonishing arrogance that some people actually think they can pre-empt God and say when and where revival will take place. These are the people who make their own plans for their own church in their own sweet timing. They might as well say to God, “We want revival in this place, on our terms and on these days !!” They do not want it anywhere, any time, and at any price. No – they don’t want to pay the price for revival but they sure want to reap the rewards.

So let’s suppose, just suppose, that the Lord plays along with them and revival happens for a few days, where, and when they ask for it. Have you any idea what would happen? I’d love to be there. According to the Bible, the first ‘revival’ took place on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and “3000 were added to their number that day.” OK – it was the very first one so it was quite a novel idea at the time. Let’s just assume 50 were added on the day. Who among you could cope with 50 new Christians in ONE day. Let’s just take Wales in 1904 or Azusa Street in 1905/6 – people were running in off the streets convicted of their sin – whole streets came under the anointing and were won to the Lord – crime stopped !! Hundreds, even thousands, were added weekly to the churches. It may have started in one church but it spread like wildfire to virtually every church around and out into the surrounding country and area. In Wales, back in 1904-6, well over 100,000 souls were added to the church. That represented about 20% of the entire population. We are not ready for anything like that – are you ??? What would you do with even 20 new Christians every week? The vast majority of us could never cope.

Get the idea yet? Revival is NOT for the church although the church is the first beneficiary. Renewal is for the church and, by all means, let’s have some renewal too. But please don’t think we can even order either renewal or revival – both are sovereign gifts from God and will happen when He says so and not when you or I say so. We need to pray for revival and for renewal. After all, who is Jesus returning for when He comes? He is coming for His Bride – the Church. But before He takes His spotless Bride home, He will judge the Church first starting with the shepherds then going on to the sheep. Just think about that before you call for revival because you will be first in line before the judgement seat.

And I haven’t even begun on prayer yet 

Want a Challenge?

Want a Challenge?

Mark 16:15-18 “He said to them, "Go into all the world. Preach the good news to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who does not believe will be punished. Here are the miraculous signs that those who believe will do. In my name they will drive out demons. They will speak in languages they had not known before. They will pick up snakes with their hands. And when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all. They will place their hands on sick people. And the people will get well."

Matthew 28:19-20 “So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end."

This is the challenge that Jesus left for His disciples – “Go into ALL the world . . . . “ – “Preach the Gospel . . . . .”Make disciples of ALL men . . .”

Today’s church, more often than not, says – “That’s the evangelists job – not mine.

What about you? What do you say?

St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and where necessary, use words.” He understood what very few people understand even now, and that is that our faith, our Christianity, is a way of life as well as a faith. Very many Christians today say simply, “I believe, I have said the sinners prayer, I am therefore saved and will go to heaven.”

They have done their part and anything else is somebody else’s job – NOT MINE. Some, very sadly, even ask – “What is ‘saved’? Saved from what? For what?”

All the best messages in the Bible were simple.
• Moses was told to ‘hit the rock’ (not to beat it to death – just to hit it once) and there was water for all of the Israelites, and their flocks too.
• Naaman was told to go bathe 7 times in the Jordan. Not 3,5, or 9 times, but 7 and he was healed of leprosy.
• Joshua was told to walk round the city of Jericho 7 times and the walls fell down and gave them the victory.

Have you so lost your love of Jesus, your first love when you were first saved, that you won’t even mention His Name for fear of upsetting someone? There is a simple massage for you to give to people. It’s so simple that many will look completely mystified when you pass it on to them. Others will be so grateful it will bring tears to their eyes and to your eyes too.

“I have a message for you. Jesus loves you!” Say it with me - “I have a message for you. Jesus loves you!” Easy wasn’t it?

So here is a staggeringly simple challenge for ALL of us today. If every member of every church brought along just ONE person each year – then every church would at least have the opportunity to DOUBLE its membership every year. So then – here is your personal challenge “If every member of THIS church brings along just ONE new person each year, then your church might just double in size.”

Think about it. Pray about it – ask the Lord to show you who to ask. Then, like the Nike advert says - just DO IT !!

There’s a song about this – a very simple yet powerful song :-


Jesus Jesus Jesus, there's just
something about that name.
Master, Saviour, Jesus, like the
fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all heaven and
earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms all will pass away
But there's something about that Name!

I Then Shall Live

I am a fan of Southern Gospel. In particular, I am a fan of the Gaither Vocal Band. Love him or not, Bill Gaither is a Christian marketing genius. He ‘knows’ what it is that makes a ‘hit’ song. He knows which tune or words are anointed and which aren’t. The Holy Spirit is so very obviously present in his life and the lives of all around him. Ever watched one of his singers, Guy Penrod, singing?? The man is ‘gone’ – he’s away with the Lord, he is singing for his Saviour alone. His faith shines out of him in a way I can only aspire to. Yet it’s not just the singers who make up the Gaither Vocal Band – its everyone involved with his genre. And yet again, there is one who stands head and shoulders above the rest – maybe above Bill Gaither himself – and that is his wife Gloria who has penned the words to so many of their songs these past 40+ years. It was Gloria who penned these wonderful words, set to the music of Sibelius’ Finlandia Suite. Now who’d have thought to put those two together? Surely, only God would have spotted that partnership. Look at these wonderful words – the anointing on them and the truth in every last syllable.

I Then Shall Live
Lyrics
Words by Gloria Gaither
Music by Jean Sibelius
FINLANDIA

I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven;
I’ll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I’ll forgive my brother,
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion;
I’ve been so loved that I’ll risk loving too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I’ll dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationship demand commitment,
Then I’ll be there to care and follow through.

Your kingdom come around and through and in me;
Your power and glory, let them shine through me;
Your Hallowed name, O may I bear with honor,
And may You living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Text © 1981 Gaither Music Company. Music © Breitkopf & Hartel (Outside U.S.
only). All rights reserved.

Performance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_p3lDJJRWc

These words were written by one who knows her Saviour intimately. One who knows and stands on His promises alone. Put them together with the music (on YouTube) and you have the genius of the Gaithers displayed ONLY for the Glory of God.

Wandering around, Wasting time

Wandering around, Wasting time

We all have them don’t we? We all have those times of wandering aimlessly around. We even call them by different names – wilderness – lost my way – trying to find God’s will for my life. But they all usually amount to the same thing – we have heard from the Lord but we don’t like what we hear so we have gone off in our own direction.

Is that you right now? I know I’ve had many such moments but I have always found two things to be true. Our wonderful God is far more ready to forgive than we are to admit we have been wrong, AND His word always has a directional word for us. Just take Deuteronomy 2:3 (NIV) “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. “ My own paraphrase would be, “You have wandered around for long enough, now turn back to My path for you.”

Historically, the Israelites had been wandering around aimlessly for years because they had been disobedient to God, but now God wanted to set them back on His path for them so He spoke to them through Moses. He summed it all up very succinctly then told them which way to go. One simple statement – you have been wandering around for long enough – followed by a very clear direction. And so it was that they obeyed Him again and eventually found themselves overlooking the promised land.

So, what will you do? There is someone in your life waiting with a word for you? Will you continue to disobey God? Will you continue to wander around aimlessly – chasing those things that are of you rather than those things that are of God? Have you even admitted yet that you lack direction. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all of you – but if you are reading this for the second or third time, then I think we’ve got a pretty good guide don’t you?

Don’t worry, God never allows you to be tempted beyond your ability to resist - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. “ As the Word says, He will always show you a way out – your own instruction to ‘turn North’.

So – is it time for you to take that first step back from the wilderness? I pray to God it is that time and that, by His Spirit, He will guide you through it. There is always a light at the end of any tunnel and yours is fast approaching. Also, never forget that there are those who regard it as a privilege to pray with you and for you.

War and Peace

Here’s a prayer that you may have read before – but it is so worth another read. It reminds us where we should stand.

“We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, let us go against her for battle” (Obadiah 1:1)

It’s easy to forget this part of following You, Jesus.

You call me to peace. But You also call me to take up Your sword.

You teach me to turn the other cheek. But You also command me to stand up for what’s right.

Whenever possible, You challenge me to find common ground with those who oppose me. But You also order me to draw a line in the dirt beyond which I will not, cannot, even dare not, go.

You call me to forgive, to overlook an offense, to lovingly cover over a multitude of sins. But You also call me to wage war against evil.

Yes Lord, I’m one of Your lambs.
But I’m also a soldier.
And You’re my Commanding Officer.
So. Who, what, when, and where Do You want me – in Your strength – to fight?

Amen?

When the Lord calls us to battle or wage war in prayer, always remember that the battle is the Lord’s. It is already won – although prayer may still be necessary in order to bring the victory in. It’s one of those promises again. You know don’t you? “IF My people will .... THEN I will .... “

All we need to do is ask Him which battles we are to fight. Each fight, each battle, is different and requires differing kinds of prayers so we are definitely not all called to all battles. Ask, knock, seek – God will tell you which He wants you to join – and those He does NOT want you to join. Why? There is always a reason so just do it the way He asks you.

Walking by Faith not by Sight

Walking by Faith not by Sight

I heard a great and encouraging scripture on New Year’s Eve. It was so encouraging, I felt led to share it a little in an attempt to encourage you for this coming year.

What is ‘faith’? Well the Word of God puts it this way - “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Faith is confidence in what we hope for – even though we cannot hear it, see it, or feel it. This means we do not look at the world nor listen to all the messages the world is trying to give us. If our trust is in the world only then we are surely lost and without hope. But by faith we therefore put our trust and our hope in God through Jesus Christ – despite all that the world says, thinks, or feels.

The Word of God then says some other helpful things to encourage us further along this line. “Nothing in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 What an amazing promise this is for us – we can never be separated from God – never, not occasionally, not rarely, but never, never, never !!! Why? Because God is the God of ALL creation and as He made it, He is omnipresent, and He is omniscient. It is therefore impossible for us or anyone else to be out of or away from His presence. So it doesn’t matter what is our problem, God is already there waiting for us to show our faith and honour His promise in Numbers 23:19 that “God is not a man, that he should lie, not a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil? “ (NIV)

So, whatever we are doing for His kingdom is done in His presence. As an example, let me put it this way - we plant seeds when we raise His Name before unsaved people. We may not see those seeds grow and ripen, but someone will harvest them eventually. That is why God will honour your sowing and planting. Just as with every promise of God there is a condition – "IF my people will ... THEN I will heal their land” – so there is a reward for us to store in heaven.

The Word also has something to say about this too. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” Hey now, that’s another wonderful promise for you to hang on to. Here’s another one from Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” Yes – that’s “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” and I can ask and imagine BIG !! Yet there is something else there too – it’s this “according to his power that is at work within us,” So then, God in His wonderful and great mercy & wisdom has put within us a power, the Holy Spirit, who, according to our measure of faith, is able to do more than all we can ask or imagine.

This is staggering !! Is your faith building? Are you encouraged? It doesn’t matter what is happening to us, God is still with us. More than this, within His will and plan for our life, He is able to do everything for us that we can ask or imagine. This is why we are encouraged that “We walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7