“Revivals are not churches filled with people, but people filled with God.”
Revivals are a sovereign move of God initiated by the Holy Spirit working through consecrated men and women.
In the book of Acts, it was said that these Christians, “who have upset the world (inhabited earth) have come here also …”. (Acts 17:6). In fact, Revivals turn things right side up.
Who, where are these Royal Elite. Those who serve The King of Kings.
The selfish becoming sacrificial:
Conversions. Miracles. Healing’s. Revived churches. Revitalised prayer meetings. Dynamic worship. Decisive action. Rugged boldness. Raw voltage of the Holy Spirit.
In this coming revival Miracles, Healing’s, Signs and Wonders will be the birth-mark of it.
Revivals in the Bible:
In the Bible we read that King Asa expelled all perverts from the land and got rid of all the idols (1 Ki 15:12).
King Jehu demolished the idols, and tore down the temple of Baal, turning it into a rubbish dump (2 Ki 10:27).
Under King Jehoiada, all the people of the land tore down the temple of Baal, smashed its altars (upon which babies were sacrificed) and destroyed idols (2 Ki 11:18). Under King Hezekiah, the Israelites smashed the idols of Baal and Asherah, destroyed the high places and the altars used for child sacrifice (2 Chron 31:1).
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 (2Ki)
King Jehoshaphat rid the land of pornographic Asherah poles and set his heart on seeking God (2 Chron 19:3).
King Manasseh removed idols and images from the Temple of the Lord (2 Chron 33:15).
Under the prophet Ezra, the people of God were challenged to reform their marriages and reject inter-marriage with the nations around them (Ezra 10:3).
Nehemiah restored the honoring of the Sabbath Day to Jerusalem by ordering the gates to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. He stationed his men at the gates to ensure that the Sabbath was not desecrated (Neh 13:19).
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 (Mt 21:12; Jn 2:15).
The Lord’s uncovered passion cracked the air with truth because:
- He wanted those who traveled with Him not to be spiritual pygmies but to crave for the companionship of giants, who uncompromisingly stood for truth and demonstrated it.
- They were not to be satisfied to wear the faded garments of hand-me-down theology.
What Hinders Revival?
When one reads of the bold Christianity of the Book of Acts and of Revival in the times of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield and Andrew Murray, the question arises: What is hindering Revival in our time?
Prayerlessness. Neglect of the Word of God. Worldliness. Selfishness. Pride. Gossip. Slander. Lust. Passivity. Neutrality. Inactivity. Sitting on the fence. Lukewarmness. Half-heartedness. Indecisiveness. Cowardice. Compromise. All the negatives we know about and fail to address. 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 will release the WILDNESS of COMPASSION again?
1. Full Surrender
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. What you submit to has the power over you. The Centurion knew that. We must determine not to settle for less than God’s best. Good can be the enemy of the best. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” Mt 5:6
“Restore us, O God of Hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” Ps 80:7
2. Destroy Idols
Anything that occupies your thoughts – “in your down time” that is not Holy or Godly is enemy. 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. Is there any captured media, 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 websites that you need to block?
- Are there relationships that you need to end?
- Are there people that you need to make right with? Take decisive action to revitalize your devotional life.
- Reform your family.
- Restore the prayer meeting. (@ home – family ‘altar’).
- Recommit to your local church. Do not ‘mistake’ the pond of ‘church’ programs for the vast ocean of undiscovered blessing with its hidden gold.
3. Fear God
Extreme Humility is required when we realize we need to think of others more than we think of ourselves. Congregations need to hear and feel that the shepherds genuinely love the people, so they leave the service knowing God love’s them. Compassion to be ignited afresh. Compassion and extreme humility are twins. Both are riverbeds of the supernatural.
4. The Word of God
Like Josiah, we need to take a careful look at the Word/Law of God. The Ten Commandments reflect the unchanging character of God. It shows us our responsibilities to God, to our parents and to our neighbors. “… The Law was our tutor, to bring us to Christ, that we may be justified by Faith.” Gal 3:24. The Royal Commandment is to be carried in hearts :
Lk 10:27 You shall love—“love the Eternal One your God with everything you have: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind”—and “love your neighbor as yourself.”
5. Repentance
Conviction of sin is the first step towards Biblical Reformation. Consecration. This includes mourning over our sin, confessing that sin and undertaking whatever steps of restitution or obedience is necessary.
Mt 4:17 From that time on, preaching was part of Jesus’ work. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Or among you. By the demonstration of His power in healing signs and wonders causes people to rethink life. Revival is tangible present, convicting. Sin is unbelief in the word of God. A Garden of Eden phenomena. God never lost control of the earth – man did by unbelief in Gods word.
6. Decisive Action:
This repentance was then followed by vigorous action to remove, or destroy, anything contrary to the Word of God. Wholehearted repentance and thorough restitution is foundational in preparing for Spiritual Revival. Boldness to decide, to destroy, to deal with sin and to discover truth again.
- 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.
- Rediscover – 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.
7. Awakening is happening now:
Life at the well in Jn 4 showed a split opportunity. Disciples went shopping; Jesus engaged a revival. A whole city came out, “to see a man who told me all the things I have done”. She left her waterpot, her vessel, it meant nothing because her real thirst had been satisfied. The believers today will uncap revelation in the market place and miracles will happen under the untrained, uneducated people but have boldness because they have taken time out to be with Royalty – The King. This revival will be everywhere, with ordinary people being with an extraordinary God.
8. 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. It is 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 pure heart 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…” Ps 51:10-13
Conclusion: As Leonard Ravenhill, put it: “there are just 3 kinds of people:
- Those who are afraid.
- Those who don’t know enough to be afraid.
- Those who know the Bible”.
Lets be No. 3