God’s Call To Revival - Book Of Ezra

God’s Call to Revival

Book of Ezra

** Watch: https://youtu.be/GTBwPs7diNk

Yesterday we joined with churches around the world for “The Return” simulcast from Washington D.C. This was not only a movement for America, but it was one that went throughout the world, as the church gathered on this day to seek the Lord in prayer for God’s mercy, salvation, healing, revival, renewal, and restoration.

To follow up on this special day, I’d like to look at the Old Testament book of Ezra and God’s call to revival that is found written within. This was a time when the Jews returned from their 70 years of captivity to the Babylonians as God placed a call upon Ezra and the children of Israel to return to the Promised Land, and to once again have an encounter with Him.

You see, 70 years prior to this event, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came against Judah and Jerusalem and in the aftermath left the area practically vacant. But under the reign of Cyrus, King of Persia, who along with the Medes conquered Babylon, issued a decree that allow the Jews to return, and to rebuild the temple of God.

However, before we begin looking at what Ezra says about God’s call upon the people that brought about this great revival, I’d like to look at what the Lord told to Jeremiah prior to their initial captivity.

“If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me.” (Jeremiah 15:19a NLT)

Even before this captivity, God was calling for the people to return to Him. The Lord was still reaching out, still trying through His grace and mercy to get the people’s attention. And He is still trying today to get our attention, not in judgment, although that is never out of the question, but in grace and mercy.

But still the people refused to return to the will and way of God, and so God delivered them into the hands of the Babylonians. In other words, he delivered them into the hand of judgment. But now, 70 years have passed, and they are now returning. Therefore, I would like to share some interesting insights found in the Book of Ezra about this whole topic of God’s call to revival.

The first thing we see in God’s call to revival is

1. A Call to Leave the Familiar

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. and He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.” (Ezra 1:2)

“Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:3 NKJV)

The first step in this return was for them to leave the familiar ground of Babylon, the place where they grew up. Few who were taken in captivity 70 years prior would have been alive at this time. Babylon was essentially their home, and they had no real memory of Israel.

So they had to leave their familiar surroundings of Babylon and take a 700-mile trek to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s prophecy and calling. And remember, they had little recognition of Jerusalem, which at this time was completely torn down, its walls, homes, and the temple.

God’s call to revival tells us to do the same. We need to leave the familiar and whatever is holding us back from moving into the fullness of God and His calling upon our lives. And sometimes this means that we are moving into an area we have little or no knowledge about.

God’s call is for us to step out of the familiar and begin to stretch our faith. If we want to experience revival then we must be willing to step away from the familiar and into a deeper service and commitment to God.

We need to move out of our comfort zones and move by faith into the unknown to accomplish what the Spirit of God desires. But this can only happen when the Holy Spirit moves upon our hearts.

“Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:5 NKJV)

Notice it says God moved their spirits. Their spirits got all stirred up inside them. They received a stirring of the Holy Spirit to leave their familiar ground and begin to do what God had called them to do.

This is the same thing that we need if we’re ever going to move by faith from the familiar and into a new level of spiritual maturity and activity.