We all have heard it, "Lord send revival to our church." Lord send revival to our land,"" Lord we need a revival."
Revival is the cry of the church, or is it?
Do we truly understand what revival is?
Is our heart’s desire really for revival to fall on us?
Pastor’s across this great country have been asked, " when shall we expect revival to come to our church, were waiting?" The answer to that question is, if you are waiting on revival to come to your church, and all you do is wait, you never will get it. Revival will only come, when the church is busy doing God’s work.Spiritual leansess haunts the church of God today, waiting it seems has become the church’s pass time. Let me say this when God said to wait on Me, He didn’t mean sit down and do nothing until I come. He meant be busy about the work of the gospel, and anticipate My pouring out My Spirit upon you.He meant to continue to grow close to Him, and He would continue to grow close to us. God so much want’s to revive us, God so much wants to send a revival to America, to the Church, but we are hindering Him with our un-willingness to recieve it. Because you see revival comes when people return to God, what belongs to God. What do we have that belongs to God? Our everything, our heart, our soul, our mind, our strength. In other words when "we" return to God when "we return to His truth, revival will come. God shares with people over and over in His Word, what brings revival. When My people return to Me, When My people turn from their wicked ways, turn from their sins, and call upon My Name.Then I will hear, then I will heal, then I will set you free, then will I pour out My Spirit upon them. Revival is when the church has a renewal in obedience to God’s will.Revival is when individuals have a renewal in their relationship with Jesus Christ and they begin to share Christ with others. Revival is when people begin to be convicted of their sins and they confess and surrender their life to Jesus. In the church across America today we have two types of people, one is those who pray for and desire with all their heart for God to send revival. The other is people who don’t want revival to come to their life or to the church. There are people who don’t like revival’s. Folks when we look at the revival services of yesterday, and look at the ones we have today you can see what I’m saying is true. Revival’s use to last two weeks, three weeks, people being saved, people being sanctified, people being set free from the bondage of sin and addiction. It was a time of great things in the church. Today if you get people to come to a three day revival you’re doing good.A week long revival is almost un-heard of anymore. The Evangelist is almost like the cowboy, their a dying bred. There are alot of reasons behind not wanting revival. One I believe is because people don’t want to turn loose of or put down their idols. It’s been that way for along time nothing new.It was true even back in the days of Jacob. Jacob when he was down in shechem when the Lord told him to arise and go to Bethel. (Gen35). Jacob had to call his family together and have a meeting. He shared with them what God had said, and he shared with them what they had to do. They had to give up their false gods and idols, if they wanted to go where God was leading them.And Jacob took their house hold gods and buried them under a old oak tree, they had a funeral for those household gods. The trouble with the church today is it’s down in Shechem and it doesn’t want to leave, it wants to stay their. So many in the church today, have strange gods, and so many have a lot of differnt idols in their life.Now they don’t desert God altogether, but they don’t trust God totally and completely either. No, their not bowing down to wooden Images, or praying to rocks, but there are idols there in their life that they need to be cleansed from. Like they have known the will of God in their life for along time, and they try to forget it, and do something else because it was to hard. Or they tried to love God, but their love has not been strong enough to keep them faithful to God, and His Will in their life. These are the false gods, idols of today, wrong loylaties and un-faithful service. Can God cleasnses us from the idols? Yes He can, Amen! He promises He will cleanse us from all our idols if we will only confess and surrender. We only need to do what Jacob’s sons and daughters did that day. They put away thier stranges gods, and as they put their many idols away, then God came and visited them. And the breath of God came upon them, and they were revived.We need the breath of heaven in our life, and in our church, and the only way is to put away the things in our life that are hindering God from coming. And call out to God, God will you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in You? There is nothing we should be more concerned about right now, than that God would revive us, revive His church in America.
I believe it is the only hope for the church and for our great nation. Because I don’t believe democracy can last without righteousness. Every person who loves their country ougth to be praying and seeking God to revive His Church again and to bless our nation. That there be a great awakening take place here in America, a great Revival. The greatest need here in America today is an old fashion, God sent revival. Just look at the News Paper, and see the courts of this land making a decisions on whether or not our children can say the Pledge of Allegiance because it as " One Nation Under God in it. The Ten Commandments being taking out of public places because we don’t want people to be offended by God’s Word.And folks there are so many other things happening in our country today people trying to take God out of everything. We need a revival in this great land before it’s to late and God takes His hand off our great nation. you only have to look at history to see the consequence of that happening. Just look at the Israelites, and their heart ache and captivity. When God said, okay you want your way, then suffer the consequences of having it your way.And the rain came, and the wind blew, and the house fell, and the fall was great. Chruch we need a great revival, a great awakening to shake the church today. Folks do you know what the sad part of all this is? The morjority of the church can not tell you what revival is. My prayer is after today, you will be able to share with anyone who ask you what revival is. You will be able to share with them the truth of real revival. Let me share with why I say that. Geroge Barna surveyed churches across America, and only 14% of the church goers surveyed could accurately describe the term revival.Only 66 percent of pastors surveyed by Gosapel ligth/ regal books believed that revival is the single most important thing facing the church today. 35 percent of churches surveyed were totally indifferent about spiritual revival. (Geroge Barna) The church is alomost split on the issue of spiritual revival, and that is sad. that should break our heart, what’s happening to the church today? Are we turning into only a spiritual social club? Since 1997 there has been no chance in America participation in church srvice, bible reading, Sunday School and church volunteerism. Also Geroge Barna Survey shows that there has not been any change in size of the born again population in this country. People are not coming to God their going to their false gods, their turning to idols, Alcohol, money, sex, drugs, work, self gratification. There looking for peace and joy, and life fulfillment in all the wrong places. And the church is just standing there, saying we need more programs, we need more social out reach activities.No! We need a revival in this country that would will shake us and wake us up to God’s truth, "that’s what we need church!" We are the one who God choose to take the truth to the lost world. We are the one God choose to share the truths and promise of our Lord Jesus Christ. The truth that say’s to all who does not follow God and live the life of rigtheousness is headed for "hell fire". headed to a place were the fire is not quenched. ( Mark 9:44) We need to tell the story that if you leave this world without Jesus Christ in your heart you’re going swimming. But it want be in a lake of cool refreshing water, it want be in a river, it will be in a lake of fire. That is the reason the church today needs revived, we need a great revival in our heart and in our country. The church today as stopped telling the story, it’s stopped telling the truth about the cosqeunces of not having Jesus in our heart. The church today in some cases has completely turn it’s back on God! We see that when we see churches ordain homosexuals, and when we see the church embrace gambling as away to raise money, when churches accepts abortion as a womans right to choose.
What is happening to God’s church today? We truly need a revival. So how is revival achieved?.... that we can rejoice in our God! Revival has a fotmula... Write it down. First revival comes through Christians praying, when Christians pray, God comes. Second revival comes through Christ ministry, when we minister, God equips. God gives us what we need to help others come to the truth of who God is, and that God is real and alive. The truth that God cares and loves us just the way we are. Like the Word of God says, God demostrated His love toward us in while we were still sinners, Christ died doe us.
( Romans 5:8). That’s how much God loves you!The last part of the formula is Christians share, you share exactly what’s been shared with you. So many in the church seems to have the mentality, that I found Jesus now you fine Him, and good luck! When the truth is God has called all believers to go and share and tell exactly what Jesus has done for you. And share the truth that Jesus will do the same for anyone who will confess and believe and live the life of righteousness.And when you do God empowers you to continue, God helps you. God gives you that holy boldness to stand and say, " I’m not ashame of the gospel of Jesus Christ.So when the church prays, ministers and shares, God comes, eqips and empowers. Folks I do want to close with these words. I believe our day is getting dark, and darker than it’s ever been. But I don’t want you to think for one minute I am a pessimist.Because I don’t have a doubt, one doubt that Jesus is not going to wave His hand across our great country and across the world from one end to the other. And that the day is coming when God Will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I believe there is a a time coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I’m not a pessimist, If I seem to be looking at the dark side of things it is only to rally you, to stir you up, and to get you to fighting, praying, and sharing the truth of Jesus Christ.Giving, sharing, praying, proclaim it from the roof tops, Jesus is the hope of the world, Jesus is the only one who can revive us. Let your heart cry be, Jesus send a great revival to our land, to our church, to our lives. let your prayers be revive us restore us, make us brand new, and we pray this in Jesus Name! Church do you want a revival, or do you want to stay in Shechem, with all the your false gods and idols? God is callinmg us to a new land, it’s called the land of Holiness, and righteiousness. it is called the land of obedience, it’s called the land of the Holy One, were there is only one true God. Are you willing to make the trip? Are you willing yo put forth the effort? It maybe hard at times, are you willing to perserver, to go the distance, to finish the race? This morning if you truly want revival to come, I want you to ask God to send it to His Chruch, to our country. Asked God to breath upon us His breath of newness, His gift of revival. Let our heart’s cry be revive again O God revive us again. Let the church of God arise and be what God intended it to be, God’s spoke person, God’s heart, God’s assurance to all His promise. The Church of God is to be a living example of who God is.
Are WE ?
