How to keep the fire of revival in our hearts burning for the Lord?
Revive in 2005 part 5
Thesis: Today we are seeking to learn how to keep the fire of revival burning in our hearts. In other words, how do I stay revived in 2005? We do it by prayer, persistence in the faith and staying in His Word.
Opening Illustration: Is taken from Backstage Volume 2 the clip on the Bonus section about Fusion.
Clip discusses the importance of fusing with God for greater power and impact in our times.
Today I am going to tag team with Pastor Marion and we will discuss, how to keep the fire of revival burning in our hearts. We will be pulling thoughts from the following texts of Scripture.
Scripture texts for today:
Pastor Mike’s Texts:
Note this Key revival verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14: The promise from the Lord about His presence dwelling among us 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Galatians 1:8, 9: 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
2 Corinthians 11:13-15: 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Acts 3:19: 19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…
Pastor Marion’s Texts:
Psalm 139: 23, 24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Colossians 3
The Holy Bible, New International Version
Colossians 3:1 (NIV)
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:2 (NIV)
2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:3 (NIV)
3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:4 (NIV)
4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:5 (NIV)
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:6 (NIV)
6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
Colossians 3:7 (NIV)
7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
Colossians 3:8 (NIV)
8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
Colossians 3:9 (NIV)
9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
Colossians 3:10 (NIV)
10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Colossians 3:11 (NIV)
11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Colossians 3:12 (NIV)
12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:14 (NIV)
14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:18 (NIV)
18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Colossians 3:19 (NIV)
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Colossians 3:20 (NIV)
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Colossians 3:21 (NIV)
21Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
Colossians 3:22 (NIV)
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
Colossians 3:24 (NIV)
24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:25 (NIV)
25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
Psalm 142:7
7Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will
gather about me because of your goodness to me.
Introduction:
Today we have brought the two pastor radio show off of WPCA to New Life Community Church. We have the two M&M Pastors – Pastor Mike (myself) and Pastor Marion. I am 45 years old and have been in the ministry for 20 years. Pastor Marion has been in the ministry for 38 years. He will not tell me how old he is! Pastor Marion is a veteran pastor who is currently retired and still ministering. We often joke that we have not decided who the plain M&M is and who is the nut. So you can decide that for yourselves today.
Today I have invited Pastor Marion to help us learn how to sustain revival in our hearts toward the Lord. So we will both share some personal insights and we will seek to answer some common questions related to our topic.
Interview with Pastor Marion:
#1. Pastor Marion how do you define Revival?
His response
I -- Pastor Mike -- define revival as the process of being revived by a sudden rush of God’s spirit into my heart and life. It’s always a time of refreshment and excitement. I think of what doctors do to revive a person who has had a heart attack. When the heart stops on a patient they break out the shock machine and they immediately shock them to get their heart beating again. I think God does this to us spiritually at different times. When our hearts have stopped beating for Him and we have died spiritually in our lives he sends a Holy Spirit shock wave to revive us.
#2. Pastor Marion how have you been able to maintain a heart of revival for so many years?
His response
I have discovered that the key to maintaining my fervor for the Lord is intrinsically linked to two disciplines in my life
1. Spending time in God’s Word daily.
2. Praying to the Lord on a daily basis.
I believe you must have both to sustain a heart of revival. If you have one with out the other you can fall into problems and end up out of balance.
a. Listen to what Jim Cymbala says about this:
1). “Lack of prayer translates into lack of peace no matter how knowledgeable we are about the Bible” (Breakthrough Prayer, page 153).
2). He notes that many read all about it but they don’t experience the One it’s about and the only way to experience and to hear from the One is through times of prayer.
b. I also believe the opposite is true that some Christians pray but they do not attain Bible knowledge and therefore they end up deceived by the enemy because they do not know the master’s voice. Their prayer time is consumed with thoughts from the enemy and they are led astray because they do not know about God and His way. Listen to these warnings from Scripture:
1). 2 Corinthians 11:13-15: 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
2). Galatians 1:8, 9: 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
a). We are warned in Scripture time and time again that if even an angel appears to us and says what is contrary to the Word do not believe it or follow them because God’s messengers always align with His Word.
b). These warnings from God’s Word reveal to me the importance of knowing God’s Word for myself so that I am not deceived by others.
#3. Pastor Marion how important is repentance in maintaining a heart of revival?
His response
Repentance in my view is another key ingredient to reviving my dead heart. For me to be refreshed by God I must admit my sinful condition and ask to be forgiven for my sin. It’s about taking ownership for my sin and not making excuses for my sin. When I am honest with myself and with God he forgives and sends times of refreshment into my life. I think of Acts 3:19: 19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” I have experienced these wonderful times of forgiveness and they are exhilarating!
#4. Pastor Marion how important is forgiveness to others in maintaining a heart of revival?
His response
Forgiveness now there is a major concept that many overlook in the church today. I believe many people do not have a revived heart for the Lord because of this sin. Un-forgiveness is a plague on the church of Jesus Christ.
(1) Jesus said in Mark 11: 24-25: 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
(a) Jesus reveals that un-forgiveness can be a hindrance to prayer and it can even hinder our own forgiveness from God.
(i) So it is imperative that we forgive others so that are prayers are not hindered and so that we can be refreshed and revived by the Lord.
I was praying the other day and I looked at my little finger. Most everyone here knows that this summer I broke it and I have had to have surgery on it to try to fix it to make it work. This week I received bad news that my finger is not improving and they may have to do surgery again to remove the scar tissue in my finger. I learned that scar tissue has built up in my finger to the point that I can not bend my finger because it is hindering its motion and flexibility. I looked at my finger in my time of prayer and I believe the Lord spoke to me and said, “Your finger is like many in the church today Mike!” I responded “What do you mean?” I believe the Lord said, “Your finger is unable to bend, flex or do what it is suppose to do because of the scar tissue that has built up in it. You see your scar tissue has disabled your finger from performing it’s intended design. It cannot grip things or control things like it is suppose too. This is the problem with many in the church today their scar tissue in their lives have disabled them for the kingdom of God. They are unable to serve others because their scars from past injuries and hurts are hindering their function. Instead of forgiving they have allowed the scar tissue to develop and build up and it now hinders their personal functions in the Body of Christ. They don’t bend or grip things like they should. They continually drop the balls I place in their hands because they allow the scar tissue to block their proper functions. They choose to be disabled instead of healed and therefore they lose the ability to be revived by me.” I thought about what just raced through my mind and spirit and I was amazed at this truth. So many in the church are hindered and disabled because they have allowed their scar tissue to block and disable their proper functions in the Body of Christ. I was told by my Occupational Therapist that I must move my finger, I must stretch it out daily so as to break up the scar tissue in my finger. I do it but it hurts terribly-but I still do it. Why? Because I want my finger to work properly-to heal properly and that means I have to break up the scar tissue through making it work. The motto “No pain No gain applies to what I am going through right now with my finger!” She has warned me that it is possible that I may have to have surgery again to remove the scar tissue. As I learned more about the condition of my finger this thought from the Lord also passed through my mind and my spirit. “Mike New Life has individuals who need to break up their scar tissue by forgiving others. It will be hard for them at first but they must do it or they will be disabled for the Kingdom of God. They must move their hearts through the scars of life and experience a break through! It may be hurtful in the beginning but the end result will bring revival to their hearts.”
#5. Pastor Marion how important is prayer in maintaining a heart of revival?
His response
I believe that we must pray! I do not believe this is optional but mandatory to maintain and keep a hurt filled with revival for the Lord and His work.
Note this Key revival verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14: The promise from the Lord about His presence dwelling among us 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
We must humble ourselves and pray as directed in this text. Why so we can be revived and healed! So that God can use our lives to impact others lives. Why, so that we can have peace in the midst of the storms of life. Why, so that we can really live now – today the way he intended us too!
Jim Cymbala stated, “God yearns to intervene in our ‘impossible’ dilemmas, problems that are like child’s play for him” (Breakthrough Prayer, page 99).
Jim Cymbala states, “The world has yet to see a Christlike, victorious, fruitful believer who was not a person of considerable prayer” (61).
So we need to pray- to be revived and to stay revived and to do the work of the Kingdom for the Lord!
So let us all come back tonight to pray for revival in our own personal lives, the church, for this city and for the county tonight!
