Reviving A People For The Lord

As we enter late winter and early spring, many assemblies are preparing for their ‘Gospel Meeting’; as some may say, ‘Revival’. Advertisements for their dates, time and place are sent out.

From past knowledge, how successful were these meetings? Some people come away saying their meeting did not seem too successful this year. Others question why bother holding meetings except for tradition. It seems no one, except the expected few, attends. Very few visitors attend except members of sister congregations. Why is this the apparent case?

Judah had done evil in the sight of God. Her king had caused the people to turn from worshipping their God. Attendance in assemblies perhaps had fallen off so bad the doors of the temple had been shut. The temple had come under disrepair.

Could we make an analogy of this in comparing assemblies today? Even though people still appear around a building each week, is the “building” in disrepair? I am using this term in the sense of the members being the “building” of the Lord. Is the Church of our Lord in disrepair?

Revivals or Gospel Meetings are to restore the “building” to the glory of God. It is to revive the zeal of the Church–its members–to do the work assigned to them in the Kingdom of God. The Church is to be the shining light unto the dark world. Society is becoming darker with sin because its leaders are shielding the Gospel from it; it is shutting the doors of the temple and bringing it into disrepair. This is what Ahaz, king of Judah had caused. Judah, the children of God had turned from God and had followed their king to do evil before God.

2 Chronicles 28:1-4. 28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father: 2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. 3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

Why was the leadership weak? Why did they turn from righteousness? They wanted to do as others they saw about them doing. They were caught up in the feeling of acceptance and belonging with their neighbors. Ahaz felt he needed protection from the nations around him he could appease. He forgot God. His leadership caused Judah to sin.

Why are revivals not reviving the Church? All too often its leadership is in fellowship with the world; but they attend assembly each week, therefore, they, in their own eyes, are not unrighteous and disobedient. Perhaps their doors are closed and their “building” is in disrepair.

What should a Gospel Meeting or Revival begin with? What should it teach?

2 Chronicles 29:1-8. 29 Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. 4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 6 For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. 7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. 8 Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

Hezekiah began with cleansing the House of God. He commanded the Levites to first sanctify themselves to carry out the work which needed to be done–carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

Before a Gospel Meeting can become a success the congregation must sanctify itself and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. The members are the holy place. How do we begin to accomplish this? How can we reignite the lamps of God’s church for a dark world, along with former obedient believers to see?