Chapter 7
(effective 5-24-2010)
The Tempest in the Day of the Whirlwind.
Revival is in the Heart of Christ.
Are You Sanctified, Separated, and Serving?
Gift of knowledge, Life of the holy, Fire of zeal.
Churches go out on visitation, they have Sunday school programs with Bible lessons, they send out buses and bring ghetto kids and others in on Sunday morning, they give well-sounding sermons, they treat you nicely and are friendly, they speak out against the sins of the day. All those things are about attracting the church’s target group, not about revival.
Revival sends its proponents to their knees, weeping and pleading.
“A revival is a conviction of sin in the church. Backsliders are aroused, sinners are brought to Christ, and one’s faith is strengthened. The average man or woman today is blind to these conditions.” (Billy Sunday)
When the preaching is faithful, the prayers earnest, the lives pure, a revival will follow as naturally as the sun will shine.
“Nothing in Scripture indicates that the church should lure people by presenting Christianity as an attractive option.” (John Mac Arthur)
“And the Lord of hosts shall do this.” (Isaiah 37:32)
A servant is one who voluntarily chooses what God chooses. (author unknown)
“The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your conviction.” (William Scolovino)
The War Rages !!
A. We are at war with the powers of darkness for the souls of men. We are embroiled in a life and death struggle for the future of our nation, our churches, our homes and families, and our very way of life. We are in hand-to-hand combat to the finish with those who hate God, who despise His Word, and who have set up the idols of self and pleasure all over this once great land.
B. The people of God must have a call to arms: Revival a Must !!
C. I do not know that there is a Geneva Convention in the Bible and I do not have time to stop and measure all my words, straighten my tie, shine my boots, and sanitize my rebukes before I drive the sword of the Lord into the hearts of the devouring lions. Drastic times call for drastic actions, and I refuse to be encumbered by those who think there should be some genteel spirit when you’re driving an Army deep into the heart of Hitler’s Germany and you’re desperately closing on the Nazi death camps to liberate the captives while every second counts.
D. Do not expect me to mince words or cultivate worldly sentiments. There’s no time for foolishness, this is a fight of faith for faith and God leads it -- I‘m not about to be found guilty at the BEMA seat of being less determined to defeat the epic evil of our day than God is.
Don’t let me live to be useless. (John Wesley)
A revival is a normal condition. (This thin in the churches today) is abnormal.
My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God;
‘Tis His to lead me there, not mine, but His --
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.
(Oswald Chambers)
“There is nothing better than old-fashioned revivals where half-asleep Christians wake up; where those who have lost their burden for souls get back; where those who have quit tithing start again; where those who fail to attend church on Sunday night become faithful.” (from Sermons on Great Preaching on Revival)
Turn your eyes to the lost -- they are all around you. Apathy can destroy the church or your testimony. (author unknown)
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rain righteousness upon you.” (Hosea 10:12)
He Paid the Price in Full.
And Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, the true God and eternal life, the bright and morning star, Master, Lord, Friend, Savior, Prophet, Priest, King, the Prince of Peace, the Ancient of days, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, who bought us -- His church -- in His own blood.
We need a panic in religion.
We should be so obsessed by the blood of Christ that our every thought ought to be related to it in some way. Jesus, full of grace and truth. Sometimes I lose my grace and get full of truth. Jack Hyles in reference to him getting his dander up when he’s disgusted.
Passion for Intercession.
There not only must be a personal passion for Christ and a purposeful compassion for the souls of men, but there must be a persistent intercession [the groaning of an aching heart] for a visitation of God’s Holy Spirit, for an outpouring of God’s mighty power… …weeping their way from sin to salvation.
“Lord, would it be asking too much to give us an old-fashioned, old-time Holy Ghost revival here -- that would sweep over our city like a fire. We know you have many revivals and you’ll pass them out if we pay the price. It doesn’t come cheap, but if we pay the price, you’ll strike dividends, and answer by fire.” (B R Lakin)
“I have nothing to seek but the glory of God; nothing to fear but His displeasure.” (Francis Asbury)
“They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.” (Hosea 14:7)
Christ, the Cedar of Lebanon.
How far can the discerning Christian go in assessing the depth of what’s under the power of sin, what brings misery to mankind -- knowing His mercy, but vitally concerned of His judgments? Oh, the sinful condition and awful danger. The flavorlessness of milquetoast against the horrific stench of wrath against sin -- yet the sweet fragrances, the sweet smelling savor, the Rose of Sharon, the myrrh and the frankincense.
Yet, the hardened heart, the stiff neck, and the double-minded man can be expected to impede revival -- if you let them !!!
Whoever works for the devil will get his pay from the devil.
When the devil fools and fouls people up and gets them to buy into things that relate to the flesh instead of looking for the power and anointing of God, he has sold them a package of goods. God’s people must not buy into those phony phenomenon. (Dr. Shelton Smith)
The discerning Christian sizes up the deception, applies the corresponding truth, and is endued with overcoming power.
Revival Means that We Abide In Christ.
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)
Jesus, Full of Grace and Truth.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8)
Yet the Lord says, "Whatsoever things are true." Right at the top if we are going to think of things that are true, we must start with Jesus. He says, "I am truth." You could not arrive at any more truth than that of Jesus. If we examine truth in ourselves we will be found utterly lacking in comparison to Jesus, but be sure He will provide enough truth for us if only we will go to Him for it. We could not get pure truth from anywhere else. What a joy to know His pure truth will be imparted to us if we but ask. (The Flaming Torch)
The revival train is moving full steam ahead.
The Abomination of Positivism.
We wisely warn people of the false teaching that there can be some other way to heaven other than by Christ. And we can name those falsehoods. But the one most ruinous of all that we never mention and should is this modern religion of “Christianity.” The number one heresy in professing Christianity today is that we can have all the benefits of being a Christian yet never having to accept any of the responsibilities. I get to Heaven because I’m my own Savior, I get to determine the rules to get to Heaven. After all, it’s my soul isn’t it? So stay out of my business.
This is the wretched gospel of “I deserve salvation” and “I’m not guilty of anything.” I can snuggle up to God but I don’t need to bear His cross. I can say I’m a Christian but have no particular interest in mentioning Jesus’ name in public. I can be sweet as apple butter but why should I warn anyone of the wrath of God, if it comes it comes (I‘m safe). I can go with tens of millions of people to see a Hollywood movie about a man dying on a cross in spectacular fashion but can’t seem to find my Bible when it comes time to take it with me to the restaurant. I can push my political agenda as much as I please but you can’t pry three words about Jesus Christ out of my mouth in two hours of conversation. Since God is out to satisfy my needs, there is no real need for me to satisfy His desires for me, after all He’s God and has everything all already. I just need to be me.
The Bible calls this kind of attitude Pharisaic (self-righteous), Jesus called it hypocrisy (wanting to live by appearances), I call it sick, shoddy, and selfish (wicked and perverted).
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Slippery Slope.
It got slipperier.
A. You all blame the fundamentalist Christian for all the world’s problem because we are troublemakers, messengers of hate, purveyors of negativity. How you arrive at that is a quandary, and how that can be established in the light of our contributions throughout history, and our impact on man’s personal responsibility to do what’s right, I have no idea. I doubt that you liberals do either.
B. But there can be no debate at all that the adoption of kindness as an encompassing religious work has multiplied exponentially in our time (often in the form of positivism and enlightenment) while planet earth and the United States of America are on a downward spiral that seems unstoppable aside from the intervention of the hand of Almighty God.
C. You cannot explain (or escape) the escalating deceit and dishonesty, the wholesale advance of destructive behaviors, the savagery, the slander and aspersion, the self-righteousness, the haughtiness, the sexual abnormalities, the rape of our children, bad government, and on and on.
D. You’re the positive ones, you’ve virtually shut us out. So go ahead, start explaining to us who aren’t kind how your kindness has made the world better. We’re listening….. (didn’t I hear about a course in that somewhere?). Let’s hear how you’ve done gloriously what we are unable to do because of our black hearts and contentious theology.
E. We’re all ears.
In revival, as in all things, God always has the last Word.
That Others May Fear.
Paul exhorted Timothy, “Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Tim 4:2) On what basis would one reprove or rebuke without having judged conduct or doctrine to be wrong? Such correction is a major theme throughout Scripture. Public teaching of false doctrine and sanctioning publicly known sin must both be rebuked publicly. Paul reminded Timothy, “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” (1 Timothy 5:20)
No Revival Without Preachers who Disturb the Peace.
A. John the Baptist, like Elijah, was a troubler of Israel and a disturber of the peace. We need a healthy upheaval in our churches. When a highway is put through town, some residents have to move, some are irritated, and some complain. The same things happen in revival, but you cannot put a highway for God through a community without a commotion.
B. I have heard many discourses on “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Most of them have three points” salt purifies, salt seasons, and salt preserves. But salt also irritates !!
C. If we expect to meet the demonstration of the powers of darkness with a demonstration of divine power, we must expect disturbance.
D. The highway department does not hesitate to disturb the neighborhood. Any preacher who calls on a church to tear down the high places and build up the low places and straighten out the crooked places will be resented by all resters “at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1) -- yet that was the message of John the Baptist.
(Vance Havner)
Either Win Them To Christ or Shame Them To Death.
If you believe that there is no one above gross immorality, you haven’t been reading the newspaper, nor your Bible. Sinners need to come clean, saints need to rise above the world. In revival, you’ve got to get them to climb the mountain. (Latter sentence, Dr. Shelton Smith)
The Need for Real Preachers.
We need to raise up (reestablish) preachers who will have a genuine concern for revival, Christians who will divest themselves of the devil’s crowd and it’s wicked allure, families who will light revival fires on the altars in their homes, and national leaders that will accept the mandate of our founding fathers -- to secure the blessings of liberty … with firm reliance on the protection of divine providence …
(Acts Chapter 7) Stephen was a very young man, had the face of an angel, told people about perishing in Hell without Christ, pleaded with them to get saved. We need to raise up more Stephens, and rid our pulpits of these brash young hypocrites that think they know it all and can hurl vitriol every time he’s brought under Holy Spirit conviction through the infallible Word of God. (adapted Carl McIntire)
All Decked Out
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:10-12)
Christianity is not an option -- it is the essentiality of all existence. (editor)
“Christianity can be condensed into four words. Admit, submit, commit, transmit.” (Samuel Wilberforce)
The Holiness of God Calls for Holiness.
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15)
A. God’s command is “Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
B. In the New Testament the followers of Christ are called “saints,” -- the holy ones. Christians are admonished to become imitators of God, for they are His children.
C. The moral perfection of God imposes upon Christians the obligation to strive to reflect in their own character the qualities of holiness. (Points of Emphasis)
It seems sad that so many professing Christians don’t take a stand on the great issues and are not principled themselves, neither do they suffer for the cause of Christ. (author unknown)
We do a great disservice to God when we love men more than God, worshipping the creature above the Creator, and worshipping the works of our own hands as a priority over the winning of souls and the honoring of Jesus Christ in all that we do. (editor)
My friends, without a general religious awakening in this country, it means the dissolution of the home, the church, the state. I am no pessimist about that, either. You have to judge by past history, and America is up against it good and strong.
Guard your heart !!
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, No turning back.
The world behind me, the cross before me,
No turning back, no turning back.
Though no one joins me, still I will follow,
No turning back, No turning back.
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, No turning back.
Preaching Must Be Sane and Sound.
“The writer asked ‘Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?” If God did it again, what would we have? A revival is needed when there is a worldly spirit, the church has joined the world, she does not stand distinctive from it as she did for so long. When revival comes, our holy God, the great God of creation, will be at work in our midst. What do you reckon that would mean? In a lot of cases, it would mean purging. People would come to the altar, fall on their faces and tell God they had things in their lives that needed to be cleaned up and thrown out.” (Shelton Smith)
Christian Freedom.
A. Many people are reasonably familiar with the verse at John 8:32. “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
B. But most do not know the verse that precedes it: “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed.”
C. The Word of God Sets Us Free -- from doing the will of sin and to doing the will of Christ. Being free because of Christ should be compelling reason to do all that He gives us to do, including leading holy lives.
D. “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31,32.
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[]Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. (See 1 Peter 5:2-3.)
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[]"I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the Truth; Your Word is Truth." (the words of Jesus at John 17:14)
Preachers -- Aim at Conversion.
The young preacher preached service after service, and there were none getting saved. It went on like that for quite some time. Finally, he asked the older preacher what the problem was. He answered,
“You don’t expect to win someone for Christ every time, do you?”
“Well, of course not.”
“Then there’s your problem.”
Sound, Sane, and Scriptural.
“The preacher’s message should be like an arrow shot from a bow right to the hearts of men. Away with the theological jargon, away with the denominational verbiage, away with the ministerial doubletalk - let’s tall it like it is. Make the way of salvation so plain that even a wayfaring man though he be a fool can understand it. I should be designed to bring conviction. I’m persuaded that sane sound Scriptural preaching still convicts men of sin.” (Ray Barber)
Every Christian is commissioned by Jesus Himself as a soul winner. But few Christians really believe that and are content to let the church do the evangelizing while they sit home all day. This is where we begin revival by bringing our own selves in true humility before God. (Author unknown)
Throw out the lifeline !
Throw out the lifeline !
Someone is drifting away;
Throw out the lifeline !
Throw out the lifeline !
Someone is sinking today.
And the Truth Shall Set Ye Free.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God.” (Revelation 19:10-13)
Revival is About The Holy Spirit Bringing Conviction.
Not long ago, because of faithful preaching from the pulpit, and because of the separated church’s reputation for rigid distinctiveness in its character, people came under Holy Spirit conviction for their sins, and recognized the need to change. Today, not only do they reject the convicting Holy Spirit, but they turn over Heaven and Hell to prove to you that it is perfectly alright for them to behave in a questionable manner and no one has any right to judge, regardless of who else is being hurt or the consequences. And you who stand in their way will have Hell to pay. That’s just the way the world is today.
A Passion For the Lost is Rooted in Knowledge
… knowing your quarry:
Sinners are lost. (Luke 19:10; 16:23; 2 Corinthians 4:3)
Sinners are enemies of God. (Romans 5:10)
Sinners have the wrath of God abiding in them. (John 3:36)
Sinners are under a divine curse. (Galatians 3:10,13)
Sinners are already condemned. (John 3:18)
Sinners are blind. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Sinners without God have no hope in this world. (Ephesians 2:12)
Sinners are dead to God. (Ephesians 2:1)
Our Time, God’s Time.
The eighteenth century English minister, Matthew Henry, wrote, "Cast not away your confidence because God defers His performances. That which does not come in your time, will be hastened in His time, which is always the more convenient season. He is not bound to keep our time, but He will perform His word, honor our faith, and reward them that diligently seek Him."
The Promises of God are in the Present Tense,
The Command to Be Distinctive.
A. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers… Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate… and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6:14, 17)
B. Separation of light from darkness is a command of God from the very beginning of Scripture. "God divided the light from darkness."
C. The very word "separate" in 2 Corinthians 6:17 is the Greek word aphorize, from which we get our word "horizon." That's where darkness and light are divided. It means literally to be marked off by boundaries.
D. Don’t commit to any person or group who includes unbelievers in its membership no matter how sound their statement of beliefs may seem to you. Don’t commit to any co-ministry that does not uphold standards of holy living, gives less than high priority to winning souls, and diminishes key Biblical doctrines.
E. If you are now bound to such persons or groups, you must disavow them.
(1) You are distinctively a Christian and cannot be identified by any other persona.
(2) You don’t want to so much as allow your flesh (or your mind) to be even grazed by anything that is anathema to God.
(3) While it is a shame to your Christian conduct and testimony, more importantly, it stands greatly in the way of your prayers to, fellowship with, and obedience toward Almighty God.
F. When we do not comply with these commands of God, we can do little else but send mixed signals about the way of our salvation, the sufferings of Christ, and the will of God for our lives.
G. Note that when someone comes to you bearing a false doctrine or a false religion or an otherwise false demeanor, you are commanded not to bid him Godspeed.
(1) Three times in the Gospel of John, Scripture says that there was a division because of Jesus. What? The One known as the Prince of Peace caused division?
(2) Yes, Jesus objected the improprieties of the “religious” people of His day, and called them hypocrites. If He were one of them, He would not have been recorded as having said “Woe unto you…” at least 31 times.
(3) Likely ninety-nine percent of the religious world of that day called Jesus a trouble-maker, a divisive spirit, and a contentious man, a blasphemer; many of them were well-coached by the Pharisees and their best buds.
H. "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)
(editor)
Watchmen and Shepherds Who Debauch Themselves.
A. “Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.” (Isaiah 56:10--12)
B. The watchman and the shepherds in Israel had given away to selfishness and debauchery. They had abandoned their responsibilities towards God’s people and, instead of giving warning, they were blind to the impending danger. They were “dumb dogs,” unable to bark.
C. Instead of watching they were dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. [L-A-Z-Y]
D. Accordingly the Lord gives an invitation to the beasts of the field and the forest, metaphorically representing Gentile powers, to come and devour. (See verses Isaiah 56:9-12.)
E. All whom the Lord makes responsible to act as shepherds over His flock need to guard themselves against gradual decline from their duty and against either lording it over their charge allotted to them, or becoming possessed of sordid aims to acquire filthy lucre.
(W. E. Vine, Isaiah, Prophecies, Promises, Warnings.)
We need men with broken hearts for their cities, their nation !!
The Men We Need
The great want of this age is men,
Men who are not for sale;
Men who will condemn wrong in friend or foe -- in themselves as well as others;
Men whose consciences are as steady as the needle to the pole;
Men who will stand for the right though the heavens totter and the earth reels;
Men who can tell the truth and look the world right in the eye;
Men who neither brag nor run;
Men who neither flag nor flinch;
Men who have courage without shouting it;
Men in whom the hope of everlasting life still runs deep and strong;
Men who know their message and tell it;
Men who know their business and attend to it;
Men who are not too lazy to work nor to proud to be poor;
Men who are willing to eat what they’ve earned and wear what they’ve paid for;
Men who are not ashamed to say no with emphasis.
(Raymond P. Murray)
Passion for Souls.
“No, you need a passion for souls that makes you willing to mark their way to the cross with your heart’s blood, a compassion for souls that puts you in such torture, in such agony , in such anguish for those who are on the road to Hell that you say to God, anything, any cost, any amount, any prayers, any sacrifice, anything, Lord, only give me those souls.” [author unknown]
Revival Needs Overcomers.
No man layeth it to heart. Jeremiah 12:11
A. The “norm” and the “in vogue” are not the movers and shakers of Revival. Those who rejoice, seek his face, and believe God is going to do a very special thing -- busting at the seams to get it moving -- these are those who will light the fuse. We’re converted, born again, redeemed, justified, sanctified, washed in the blood of the Lamb -- ready to upset the applecart. Excited, focused -- He did something special in me by His grace and He will do something in this city, in this nation, on this planet. (Based on a piece by Dr. Shelton Smith)
B. The Promotion of Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego.
(Daniel 3:24-30)
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
Revival is Serious Business !!
In The Last Days, Love Will Wax Cold.
A. In the last days, the Bible says “love will wax cold.” (See Matthew 24:12.)
B. The verse alludes to the lack of brotherly (neighborly) love, or everyday regard for our fellow man.
C. So what will men love in the end times?
(1) Their own selves (2 Timothy 3:2);
(2) And pleasure more than God (2 Timothy 3:4).
(3) And, as in all generations, sin will abound more and more.
D. No generation in America history ever fit this end times projection better than the one alive on the earth this moment.
(1) And I see no distinction in these verses between believer and unbeliever.
(2) It appears to me in our day that the "believer" and the "unbeliever" can scarcely be told apart.
E. By the way, love never rejects constructive criticism and judgment, and the most loving Person who has ever stepped foot onto this planet said, “Woe unto you…” openly and succinctly 27 times as recorded in the New Testament. More often than not, those words were issued to the religious establishment.
“Being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted Christ.” (Ephesians 11:11-12) Now that the foolishness is past, and Revival is at hand, just get on board you slackers ..
A Time to Take Stock.
“Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.” (1 Samuel 11:14-15)
A. The significance of this ancient gathering.
(1) It was time to take stock.
(2) It was a time to measure standards.
(3) It was a time to confirm convictions.
(4) It was a time of strengthening unity (in light of common standards and convictions) .
B. The importance of the day.
(1) The need is clear, God calls for faith in His people.
(2) The people of God have been scattered, battered, and tattered.
(3) Now God says He needs His people to be gathered and refreshed.
(4) The church needs to be revitalized and it must resume God’s holy work of the Gospel.
C. The day is at hand where God will revive us …
(1) And to restate the claims of Christ;
(2) And for renewing our covenant with Him;
(3) And to hoist the blood stained banner to its glorious place in the hearts of the people and the nation.
(based on an idea in “Christian Clippings,” author unidentified.)
Bear It, Don’t Wear It.
A. “During a recent Life Development forum we offered a session on Christian practices. In one of four weeks we introduced the act of making the sign of the cross on ourselves. This gesture has become a very powerful experience for me. It is rich with meaning and history and is such a simple way to proclaim and pray my faith with my body.” (Doug Pagitt)
B. The making of the cross with your hand does not begin to compare with carrying it on your shoulder as Christ commanded. If you think you are glorifying God by drawing a symbolic cross on your body, you’ve entirely missed the point of allowing a crucified Savior to live in your heart, and to follow Him bearing the cross YOU should have died on. And there’s power in the blood of that cross!!!!!
(adapted, author unknown)
“But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33)
Assurance ….. Grace ….. Fruit. In John chapters 13 and 14, Jesus assured His disciples that the grace of God is sufficient - not only to redeem us from the eternal penalty of sin, but also to provide every need from the moment we are born again until we are safe with Jesus in Paradise. Then in chapter 15, He sets forth the responsibility of the individual believer - the responsibility to bear fruit, much fruit, more fruit, thereby glorifying the Father. (Oliver P. Greene)
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret
"I knew that if only I could abide in Christ all would be well, but I could not. I would begin the day with prayer, determined not to take my eye off Him for a moment, but pressure of duties sometimes very trying, and constant interruptions apt to be so wearing, caused me to forget Him...Each day brought its register of sin and failure, of lack of power.
Then came the questions, is there no rescue...I hated myself; I hated my sin, yet gained no strength against it. I felt I was a child of God. His Spirit in my heart would cry, in spite off all, 'Abba, Father.' But to rise to my privileges as a child, I was utterly powerless.
All the time I felt assured that there was in Christ all I needed, but the practical question was -- how to get it out. I knew full well that there was in the root, the stem, abundant fatness, but how to get it into my puny little branch was the question. As gradually light dawned, I saw that faith twas the only requisite -- as the hand to lay hold on His fullness and make it mine. But I had not this faith.
I strove for faith, but it would not come; I tried to exercise it, but in vain. Seeing more and more the wondrous supply of grace laid up in Jesus, the fullness of our precious Saviour, my guilt and helplessness seemed to increase...I prayed for faith, but it came not. What was I to do?
But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the faithful One. If we believe not, he abideth faithful. I looked to Jesus and saw that He had said, "I will never leave thee." To let my loving Saviour work in me His will.
Ah, there is rest!' I thought, 'I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I'll strive no more. For has not He promised to abide with me-never to leave me, never to fail me?'
How great seemed my mistake in wishing to get the sap, the fullness out of Him! I saw not only that Jesus will never leave me, but that I am a member of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. The vine is not the root merely, but all-root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit. And Jesus is not that alone--He is soil and sunshine, air and showers, and ten
thousand times more than we have ever dreamed, wished for or needed.
The sweetest part, if one may speak of one part being sweeter than another is the rest which full identification with Christ brings, I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine.
There was not thought of imitation now! It was in blessed reality "Christ liveth in me." And how great the difference! Instead of bondage, liberty; instead of failure, quiet victories within; instead of fear and weakness, a restful sense of sufficiency in Another."
Taken from portions of book, "Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret"