Category Archives: Revival

Thoughts on Revival

“Let our younger men, therefore, make quite sure that they have grasped the genuine mantle of our Elijah’s, and have caught the true vision which inspired us at the beginning—The Vision of the supernatural in Christian experience; the Vision of a Church returning to the New Testament pattern in all things; and, above all, the Vision of Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever.” Donald Gee

Revival is a renewed conviction of sin and repentance, followed by an intense desire to live in obedience to God. It is giving up one’s will to God in deep humility. (Charles Finney)

We cannot organize revival, but we can set our sails to catch the wind from Heaven when God chooses to blow upon His people once again. (G. Campbell Morgan)

Revival is when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented that He shows Himself. (Leonard Ravenhill)

 

 

Technorati Tags:

You Need a Good Scrubbing

There are times when kids go out to play and you call them in for supper. You look quickly at them as say, “Go wash up.” Mainly, we mean, “Wash your hands.” (Which also means we will check them again when they get to the table and make them REALLY wash their hands.)

Then there are times when the kids are out playing and somehow found the mud pit in the middle of the desert. Your area could be in a drought and somehow those kids came back caked in mud. “Washing up” isn’t the phrase you use at that point.

Reading through the Old Testament prophets is like that second scenario. When I get through these tough words, I realize what I need in the presence of God is not some dainty little “touch up.” I need a good scrubbing. I thought I was doing okay and along comes some wild eyed guy from the Old Testament to wreck my perception!

Malachi is that way. Israel thought they might have a few “quirks” or “issues.” Malachi was there to say, “No… it’s called sin, and you are full of it!”

The way out wasn’t some nice little prayer. The way out was a good scrubbing.

Look, I am sending my messenger who will clear the path before me;
suddenly the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple.
The messenger of the covenant in whom you take delight is coming,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
2 Who can endure the day of his coming?
Who can withstand his appearance?
He is like the refiner’s fire or the cleaner’s soap.
3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver.
He will purify the Levites
and refine them like gold and silver.
They will belong to the Lord,
presenting a righteous offering. (Mal. 3:1-3, CEB)

We need to realize there is a thing that is still called sin. God dealing with us is sometimes going to go beyond “brushing ourselves off” like we picked up a little dust from the windy day. We need the get scrubbed down. We need a fire lit to draw out the gross junk that has accumulated.

We too often think we’re doing “okay” when “okay” isn’t God’s best for us. He delivers the extraordinary to our lives… and we just settle in like we’re going for another walk in the park. We still insist on doing things our way, offending God, and then wonder why we just can’t seem to get going in our spiritual lives.

Maybe we don’t need to just “wash up.” Maybe we need a good scrubbing!

Happy Birthday, A.W. Tozer

Today apparently is the birthday of A.W. Tozer.

Some great Tozer quotes:

“One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team.”

“I want the presence of God Himself, or I don’t want anything at all to do with religion… I want all that God has or I don’t want any.”

“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.”

Shredding the Word of God

20 After leaving the scroll in the room of Elishama the scribe, they went to the king’s court and told him everything. 21 The king sent Jehudi to take the scroll, and he retrieved it from the room of Elishama the scribe. Then Jehudi read it to the king and all his royal officials who were standing next to the king. 22 Now it was the ninth month, and the king was staying in the winterized part of the palace with the firepot burning near him. 23 And whenever Jehudi read three or four columns of the scroll, the king would cut them off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the firepot until the whole scroll was burned up. 24 Neither the king nor any of his attendants who heard all these words were alarmed or tore their clothes. 25 Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, but he wouldn’t listen to them. (Jer. 36:20-24, CEB)

There are reactions to the word of the Lord… and there are REACTIONS to the word of the Lord. There are those times when the word of the Lord is given and we simply ignore it. This guy had such disdain for what Jeremiah was saying he shredded the document.

We all have tendencies to ignore the word of the Lord given to us. Then, there are times we act in some way that is, in essence, shredding the word given to us. We may not “like” the word given to us. We may think we’re in good shape (when we’re not) so the word given “offends” us. And we take some action that essentially lights a match to the word that was just given and we walk away.

We’ll look for a more “pleasant” word from some other source. We may just quit listening all together.

It’s not that there aren’t good words from the Lord. But when we’re in a place of correction we need the tough words. We’re just not willing to hear them.

Don’t shred the word of the Lord given to you. Don’t skip the tough passages in the Bible that “offend” you. Move through those words and have a heart that is open to actually hearing the word of the Lord.

 

The Resolutions — #5

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

This is from Jonathan Edwards’ list of resolutions. Do not lose one moment of time. I don’t think Edwards did. He was constantly in study, writing, prayer and ministry. He learned how to discipline his time and make sure he used the days effectively. He died prematurely and is still considered America’s finest theologian (and this before America was the United States).

May my life be found squeezing life from every day. May I be found learning more about the Kingdom of God and walking in that power. May I be found loving my family. May I be found moving from one degree of glory to another. Greater glory. May the Spirit lead me on.

Don’t Stop Knocking


Dr. George Wood delivered a great message last week at General Council in Orlando, FL. I watched the video online and was so thankful for his message. He told the story of his parents being a small Indiana town. They had successfully planted churches in other towns, and would go on to plant churches in China. But in that small Indiana town they worked 2.5 years, his dad’s health gave out, and they left. The A/G later sold that building to a woman evangelist.

It turns out the woman evangelist saw the church explode in growth. She still pastors the church at the age of 91!

Dr. Wood has preached in that church several times and he asked the Lord why his parents hadn’t made it there. Why did the woman evangelist succeed and his parents fail?

He heard the Lord speak to his heart that his parents had knocked on a hard wall continuously for 2.5 years. When this woman came to town she knocked once and the wall fell. Why? Because his parents had kept knocking and they had weakened the wall.

Our call isn’t about worrying over the certain gauges of success. Our call is to be faithful. My call is to keep my eyes on Jesus. What will matter 100 years from now? It’s the legacy of faith. Will I pass on a legacy of faith to the next generation?

I need to keep knocking. I need to keep pressing on that wall. There is breakthrough. Darkness WILL give way to light in my community. Don’t stop knocking!

Breakthrough


We have a need for miracles. It seems we ALWAYS have a need for miracles! Personally, the miracles I need are so often the kind where I got myself in a mess and now I can’t get out. I’m in good company. Israel did it all the time.

These past few weeks have been amazing. God has challenged me in prayer. I have waited on him and there have been some major breakthroughs. I am now praying for our church and sensing God ready to pour out his Spirit in power. Our service last Sunday was drenched with the presence of Jesus. What I took away was a realization that God showed up, even if some people may not have been touched. (I honestly think people were touched. If no one else had been, I think God did that just for me.)

But there is so much more. There is breakthrough.

So, what happens? MORE frustration! My schedule gets busy, new things break down, other financial miracles are needed. It’s not just me. Others are seeing the same things happen.

It simply should not surprise. These are the key strategies of the enemy in our culture.

1. Busyness.

Swamp us with schedules and obligations. Get us away from the prayer room! Get us away from corporate worship. Get us away from the Word. And hurry! So, he dumps new obligations that strip away about time right into our laps. Good things. But, still things that will distract.

This is warfare. Carving out time for the Word and prayer is outright warfare. It’s a battle and if we do not step up, we will lose.

2. Finances.

The Kingdom of God needs to advance, and financial freedom is so key. But we are bogged down by tremendous debt, huge repair bills, and more. The hurricane keeps sweeping into our lives, keeping us from the unrelenting joy of GIVING. The Kingdom of God is about joyous giving. The kingdom of darkness is about robbing, stealing and destroying.

What to do?

1. My time must be carved out. I simply WILL find that time needed to pray and study. My sleep may be a little less, but I MUST give him my burdens! I MUST strive to know him more. I must also work harder to call people to prayer as a body. I need to offer opportunities for corporate prayer. Maybe no one shows up. No excuse. Pray I must! Call others to prayer I must!

2. I must keep entering into the joy of giving. It is foolishness to give away money I don’t have. It’s my attitude. I must return to a spirit of generosity. I need to look to GIVE first, not take. Too often my mentality has been having a hand out for something from someone else. I need to enter conversations with an attitude that simply says, “What can I do for you?”

I must also keep tithing and keep giving to missions. The Kingdom of God is part financial and when I give the Lord does indeed provide. He IS good to me in this way.

It’s not rocket science. It’s obedience. The call is great. We need to hear that call. We need to OBEY that call. NOW.

This is an opportunity from that Spirit that is powerful. I have a hunger in my heart for this breakthrough. While my flesh may be tired right now, my spirit senses a deep calling to deep. Do NOT give up. Press in. Press through!