Introduction: As we begin a new year I urge you to join me and other believers across the nation for praying and fasting for the body of Christ in the USA and around the world.
Never in my 18 years of ministry and 29 years of knowing Christ personally have I known a time of such intense spiritual turbulence. God is shaking everything that can be shaken, including our Christian colleges, our mega-churches and our most prominent ministries.
At a time when a U.S. senator is investigating the financial practices of six well-known preachers, I sense that God has taken out His holy plumb line to conduct His own detailed inspection of every church and ministry in this country. He wants to unleash a nationwide revival, but He must bring His correction first. ‘For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?’ [1 Peter 4: 17]
These are desperate times that require desperate measures. That is why I will be getting back to praying and fasting this coming year and I will encourage you to do the same. Here’s a list of the things we will be praying for during this year:
1. The fear of God:
Holiness was so tangible among early Christians that false prophets were blinded and greedy liars fell over dead. As a result of God’s judgment on Ananias and Sapphira, “great fear came over the whole church” (Acts 5:11, NASB).
The Word of God says that, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) And Psalm 14: 1 says, The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
How to ‘Fear God?’
(a) Hate evil ~ Proverbs 18: 13 declares, ‘The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.’ Ref: Galatians 5: 19 – 21.
(b) Have little ~ Proverbs 15: 16 declares, ‘Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure with trouble.’
(c) Instruction of wisdom ~ Proverbs 15: 33 declares, ‘The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.’
(d) Non-envious of sinners ~ Proverbs 23: 17 declares, ‘Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous (passionate) for the fear of the LORD all the day;’
Where is this sense of “shock and awe” today? How can Christians be so cavalier about divorce or so flippant about adultery? How can television preachers sleep at night after robbing God’s people with manipulative fund raising appeals?
We celebrate His mercy but ignore His severity. We need a thunderclap from heaven and a display of Elijah’s fire to remind a wayward church that God will not be mocked.
2. Integrity and purity in the body of Christ [church]:
(i) Leviticus 20: 26 ‘And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.’
(ii) 1 Peter 1: 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
(iii) 1 Corinthians 3: 16 & 17 ‘Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.’
Our movement hit rock-bottom last year when charismatic pastor Donnie Earl Paulk of Atlanta announced to his stunned congregation that a DNA test had proved he is not the nephew of Bishop Earl Paulk but is in fact his son. That such unspeakable depravity was permitted to thrive for decades at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is an indictment against the elder Paulk and all leaders who refused to challenge his behavior when they first learned about it years ago.
This and other recent religious scandals have so tarnished our credibility that we have become a curious freak show. Many unbelievers now associate ministers with wife-swapping, wife-beating, no-fault divorce, gay affairs and $10,000-a-night hotel rooms. We need a Holy Ghost housecleaning.
3. A return to evangelism:
Matthew 28: 19 & 20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
In the 1970s we were less sophisticated but so much more zealous for Jesus. Putting our best to fulfill the last commission. We handed out tracts and witnessed to everyone. Sharing our faith was the priority. Yet most people in churches today have never led anyone to Christ.
We are no longer contagious. Spirit-filled believers spend more time chasing “financial breakthroughs” than lost souls. We have rejected sacrifice and compassion and embraced a counterfeit gospel that produces bored, selfish spectators.
Where are our missionaries? Today the third world countries lead in every sphere of life. Even the top three countries which have the maximum global missionaries are from Asia.
4. Godly leadership: Where are our ~
• Moses
• Joshua
• Samuel
• Elijah
• Elisha
We had a memorable and historical election season. It’s obvious that our nation is facing a leadership crisis. But this leadership vacuum is not just in the political arena. Many of our spiritual fathers have disappointed us, either by their own moral failures or by their refusal to confront sin.
I pray that God does not give us the leadership we deserve in 2009. If we cry out for mercy, perhaps He will change the hearts of those in political leadership who can model Christian integrity. May He also give us spiritual shepherds who care more for the flock than for the crowd’s applause & praise?
5. A national spiritual awakening:
Acts 2: 1 – 6 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
There were seasons in America’s past when sinners became so convicted of their sins that they collapsed under the weight of their guilt. During the days of revivalists George Whitefield and Charles Finney, huge waves of conversions led to a widespread transformation of society. Drunks became sober, prison inmates sang hymns, stingy business owners stopped oppressing their workers, atheists surrendered their unbelief and rebellious children returned to faith. People were sensitive to sin, its consequences and the power of the Holy Spirit. Where is it today?
Can such a movement happen again? It must or our country will descend into its darkest hour. I urge you to join me in this solemn fast. Pray with desperation for the five topics outlined here. We can’t settle for anything less than a heavenly visitation.
Conclusion:
• The fear of God
• Integrity and purity in the body of Christ [church]
• A return to evangelism
• Godly leadership
• A national spiritual awakening
