Hindrances To Real Revival

Hindrances to Real Revival

Acts 16:16-24

Introduction

The Encarta Dictionary defines hindrance as somebody or something that prevents or makes it difficult for somebody to do something; and act of obstructing progress.

We need to understand tonight, that satan doesn’t want us to have or experience real revival. There are some folks in the church and in the community that would rather if we would not have real revival, because it just might cramp there style, they might loose a little influence. Satan won’t freely give up territory that he has been holding for years without a fight.

It won’t be the lost that will hinder this revival, it will be the people of God that will hinder revival from coming to the church.

In order for us to have a successful revival effort we need understand that there are hindrances to real revival. Tonight from this passage of scripture I want us to learn what three of those hindrances are.

Read Scriptures: Acts 16:16-24

I. Wild fire is a hindrance to real revival

Vs. 17 “This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”

Wild fire is anything that distracts us and keeps us from the real fire, which is true revival. Satan is in the “wild fire”.

Wild fire not real fire tells you, “you are alright just like you are”. Wild fire not real fire says it is okay to rationalize your sin, because nobodies perfect. Wild fire not real fire elevates experience over the truth of the word of God. We can’t have revival apart from the Word of God, and if satan can use “wild fire” to distract us from hearing the word of God he will.

It’s the barking like dogs and roaring like lions that I talked about Sunday morning, wild fire distracts us from being obedient to God. Satan is in the wild fire, Jesus is in the real fire.

This girl was a distraction for Paul and Silas, and they recognized the “wild fire” from the real fire and they didn’t let it deter them. This girl was excited, she was loud, she looked and sounded spiritual, the problem was it wasn’t real, and her life didn’t back up what she was saying. Her enthusiasm wasn’t motivated by the Holy Spirit, it was motivated by satan in order to distract Paul and Silas.

We need “real fire” in the church, not this “wild fire” stuff that just distracts us from what we need to be doing.

II. False Professions is a hindrance to real revival

Vs. 17 “This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”

If we listen to the words of this girl, “These men are servants of the Most High God”, that is true, “Who are telling you the way to be saved”, that is also true.

She is saying all the right things, she is making a good profession, the problem is she is not saved. We in the church make a big mistake when we believe that everyone who walks this isle and makes a profession of faith is saved, that simply not true.

I heard a story about a young preacher who went to his first church to pastor, and after getting on the field he noticed some rather unbiblical things that some of the church members were engaged in, so as he noticed those things he would preach about them during his sermons, and one particular lady while in her Sunday School class made a comment that since this new preacher and gotten on the field she has to go home and take two valume because of the stress of this preacher, preaching so hard, and one of her class members said, “well if you would just get saved, then you could enjoy church like the rest of us”.

There we many through the years, who have walked this isle and made professions of faith but they were never regenerated, they were never born again, because when you are saved, truly born again, your profession is going to be followed by change and obedience.

People will say I come from a long line of Baptist, I grandmother was the head of the WMU, my grandfather invented the brotherhood fish fry in the state of La. I was Baptist born, and Baptist bread, and when I died I’ll be Baptist dead, in fact I already have my plot reserved in the cemetery. But in there life, they have never served God, never done anything in the church.

There are some in this church who will not get anything out of our revival services, because what they need is not revival they need to be saved.