Revival

God’s Word says, “Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouths and lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant” (Psalm 78:36, 37). Do we desire God’s presence in our bodies, homes, churches, nation, and the world?

Many claim to want revival. Why do we plead for revival? Is it to save our face, when the first thing we need to do is to lose our face. The fallow ground must be broken up. There is the cost of humiliation and even embarrassment when it comes to revival. God cannot rain showers of blessings on fallow ground. That would just mean more spreading of briars and weeds.

If we are to prepare for rain we must prepare the soil of our hearts. We must be disturbed and broken up for what we see and what we are. But, like so many of us, we do not like to be stirred and agitated in our churches. We like our smooth exteriors while keeping our roots of bitterness and sins hidden.

Revival will come when we really desire it and meet the conditions. But God has not changed the price of revival. He has not placed any of His blessings on the bargain counter at reduced rates. Stubborn wills, hardness of hearts, and pretension in repentance will never meet the criteria for revival.

Similar Posts

  • Why the Church?

    Why is church attendance important? If the Christian is the body of Christ, then why does the church need to be in a building called the “church”? Isn’t having a friend over to have lattes just as meaningful? Or a few family members meeting together just as important?

     

    The church organized is the only organization that Jesus Himself established. Church is an “of course” to the Son of Man (Revelation 1). It was an “of course” to the early apostles (Acts 2:42-47).

     

    The church at large, which is largely absented, should be a prioritized who name the name of Christ. Instead of saying, “Why should I have to go to church?”; we should be asking, “What can I do to minister to and build up Christ’s own precious body, the church, and which I am a part?”

     

    God took disciples who needed much work and together they accomplished much, for they turned the world upside down. This is what God does with and through and in people who take seriously the mandate of the church to meet, to encourage, to learn, to love, to give, to worship and to go.

     

    The Bible tells us, “The eyes of the Lord run to and for throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). God isn’t looking for a strong man or a strong woman but rather someone whom He could be strong on behalf of.

     

    Get into and stay with the organization, the church. For without organization the organism dies. We need the interaction, accountability, and outlet for our gifts and talents that only the local church can provide. I believe that when God set up the first Church, He did it right.

  • Lessons I Am Learning Amidst the Pandemic

    The last fifteen weeks have been active with uncertainty, challenge, and anxiety for all of us. “What have we learned?” I’ve taken some time to jot down some serious and challenging thoughts to my heart in the wake of this virus that seems to linger on and on and on. And within the umbrella of the virus much damage is falling upon our heads even to this day.
    The Brevity of Life: “Life is short, death is sure, sin the cause, Christ is the cure.”
    The Depravity of the Heart: Man is affected by the disease of sin in every part of his being. His mind, emotions, and will is affected by sin. Nothing is left out.
    The Beauty of Jesus: None other is as wonderful as Jesus. When your eyes head to Calvary the world has no attraction. One day all will see the beauty of the One they despised.
    The Unity of Saints: There is the presence and power of Christ when God’s people are right with Him and with each other. Healing takes place in all areas of life.
    Some of my thoughts:

    1. God is in control. “The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all” (Psalm 103:19). God has either authored this or consciously allowed it. No other explanation for this day!
    2. This is a Test! “He that is unjust, let him but unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still, and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11).
      The pandemic has revealed the hearts of man. As a tree falls that shall it lie. If this hasn’t brought us to the center of God’s will then we find how sinful we are. Unless we are changed by God’s Spirit and God’s Word we will not be altered. No amount of preaching will change a man’s heart if it is not hearing God.
    3. People are fearful. The reason for much of the fear is because life on earth means more than life in heaven. Nothing belongs to us and there is nothing that will keep us. God owns everything. We came
      into this world with nothing and we shall leave this world with nothing. All we are will be who we are when we leave this world.
    4. Media and Political rants on TV, Facebook, Twitter, and other avenues are expressions which reveal the shallowness of faith in Christ. Hatred is real, sin is real, Satan is alive, and this world system is not a
      friend of God. We can give our opinions, but it is all for naught if prayer is next to nil.
    5. The Bible is being fulfilled right before our eyes. Many are saying this, but many are not living this.
      Noah was moved with fear to build the ark to the saving of his family. Russia is raising up like a bear on his side out of sleep and China is manipulative and revengeful. The Bible reveals this and the Islamic
      nations are enraged.
    6. The reason many are not attached to the church body is because the Holy Spirit does not dwell within them. “If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9). We live today with
      professions of faith with little possession of Christ. “Nice people now are becoming wicked people” as physical supplies are limited, and material gain is not available.
    7. Many homes are broken (not all) because many Christians are not broken over their personal sinfulness. Weapons of Mass Distractions have overtaken the believer. He has removed himself from right
      living and that “he cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 2:9).
    8. Many souls are restless. They are not resting in Christ. They are looking for anything to fill the void in their life. Like Satan, they are going to and fro throughout the earth looking for satisfaction, a way out of the boredom of life.
    9. A braggart nation is a nation that boasts of her prosperity. People vote their pocketbooks and wallets.
      God knows how to stop it. Many people do not know how to save money but spend it as soon as they have it, and therefore dependency upon government is their God. Fiscal responsibility has been thrown out of the window by our politicians, so why not the people of the land?
    10. Our educational system is greatly struggling (public and home-school) because we are not preparing our children to be arrows in the hand of God. Instead of shooting them out into the world to reach sinners we
      are teaching them to isolate themselves from the world and to succeed in this life.
    11. Homes are not praying. Husbands and wives are not in joint prayer. Many homes are in trouble and others are separated from each other in their own house. It is causing much demise to the work of God.
      The remedy is awaiting the broken soul in humiliation and humility.
    12. The youth of today have not an anchor to hold them up. The only Anchor to ground them against the gravity of sin and death is Jesus who is hidden behind the veil of heaven. Anarchy and apostasy and
      apathy are now an integral part of the nations of the world. Our youth do not know their left hands from their right.
    13. Mob rule has now replaced the law of the land. Many laws are now disregarded and unenforced. It’s hard to know the truth when the news is so hyped. Church now can be silenced, shackled, and shut down by local, statewide, and national government. Satanic anger will be the future for churches who preach the gospel.
    14. We live in a twisted world where good is evil and evil is good. History is torn down and now anything that speaks of our Lord (church buildings, images of Christians, pictures of Jesus) is now fair game for
      destruction. The devil has now used both sides of the political process to get his gain.
    15. In a crisis, the cream will rise to the top and the debris will sink to the bottom. Prayer will remain the leader’s cry and the Bible will be His weapon.
    16. Our only hope is Jesus Christ! The problem is the heart of man and only a Savior can change the heart which changes lives which changes the world around him. This world is going down like the Titanic.
      Implosion of past history is promised but the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is just ahead. The birth pangs of this world are giving place to the King and His rule, and those who follow after Him will
      have a position in His Kingdom.
      There is something sadder and more tragic than catastrophes, difficulty, dire straits, and quandary situations: It is to go through these things and learn nothing. Remember this: We are all heading Somewhere and that Somewhere is to Someone and His name is Jesus! All will stand before Him and may you and I be a part of the Master’s Minority who are faithful.
      It’s not over yet! The Lord is coming again!
      Pastor Don
  • A Great Warning

    “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matthew 16:21).

    Peter confessed “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16), and yet the next words of Christ were not the sounds the disciples desired to hear. Leading up to and after the announcement of the identity of Jesus, God’s program was seen and foretold.

    There are many misunderstandings today in our church culture. We have misunderstood the times we are in. We believe the weather report but not the Word of God. Many fail to see what God is doing in their midst.

    False doctrine is rampant today as well. The yeast of false preachers have overtaken many churches and the only remedy is to remove it by the second coming of Christ. We belong to the holy nation, the kingdom of God and not the Babylon of this temporal world.

    The crowd also is confused about Jesus. Do not follow the crowd, instead, let the Father reveal His Son to you and in you and confess Him to others for He is the Son of God. God is on the lookout for man who is not confused about His Son.

    Another misunderstanding is that His people are to pick up their cross and follow Him. God expects us to be honest enough to live it. It does mean suffering, pain, and denying self. The only way to live is to deny self and follow Christ by faith. We should have no room for trivial pursuit, but to do business with God.

    Do we really desire the power of God? Without sweat and tears there is no power. Will we be quiet enough to hear Him, brave enough to proclaim Him, and honest enough to obey Him?

  • Is the coming of Jesus for His church soon?

    People of God,

    If we are His friends then He desires for us to know some future events that affect us and will effectively work in us.

    We will be studying the 24th chapter of Matthew for our series of the “Hope-Filled Olivet Discourse”. We will learn the future for the nation of Israel and for the church.

    Is the coming of Jesus for His church soon? We will look and study God’s Word and prepare for Him. What about four of His disciples who asked Him for future events? Who were they? Why is it called the Olivet Discourse?

    Would you care to know that what is taking place with so many who are not studying the Word of God nor desire to do so? What does the Word of God say about those who are not Christian at all?

    Who are the Nationals taken away at the catching away of the church? Can we know when He is coming? Can we know when the second coming of Christ will take place? We have abundant truths in God’s Word. Are there signs of His coming?

    What does the rebirth of Israel say to us? All of what we will be looking at will be eye-opening.

    Join us and sober up! He is coming soon!

    Pastor Don

  • Four Important Truths

    There are four important truths to learn:

    1. Take God seriously

    He is the Sovereign God of the universe. He is not the man upstairs or the good guy next door. From the day of our conception to the day of our death we are to hold Him in awe.

    1. Believe His Word

    We have the mind and heart of God in print. Many paid a great price to hand it off to each of us. He is honored as we read and heed His message from His own lips that are breathed out in print in our own language. The Word changes us to His truth.

    1. Confess Sin Quickly

    Get your minds off of the evening news or any news that would preoccupy you. It’s a fog that can disillusion you from the real world. Yes, be in the know, but do not allow your life to be accumulating sin. Confess and walk with God under a full sun.

    1. Refuse All Hypocrisy

    Be who you are and not who others will you to be. Find your identity in the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep yourself off of the pedestals of this world or even your own world. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. We are accountable to Him.

  • Allow this Month of December to be a Month of Giving

    Gospel of John imageTake the resource we have provided from the Pocket Testament League, The Gospel of John, and give it out to family, friends, and others through any means you can.

     

    The Lottie Moon Christmas is a great way to give so that our foreign missionaries can share the Good News of Christ overseas. Consider a sacrificial gift to enhance and enable. The costs to keep a family overseas, on average, are about $141.00 a day.

     

    What a great way to invest the month of December! The Christ of Christmas is coming again!