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Let us now consider
four of the other major hindrances to revival.
Much of the Church is sorely in
need of revival today, and sins that are preventing revival should be
exposed.
We may all feel that we are
getting tired of hearing
about sin. But my reader,
we should be getting to utterly
deplore
the presence of sin – not
only in the world, but in the church, and in our own lives.
We need to have every sin in our
lives exposed by the Light of the Word of God, so that we may flee with
our sin-sick souls to the Saviour, for His deliverance and
renewal.
We sing rather glibly, “Search me,
O God, and know my thoughts I pray,” but immediately put up the wall of
self-defence and self-righteousness. We need to declare war on
sin - firstly in our own lives.
Today we see a sin-sick Church,
and a sin-sodden world. Why? Because of a long history of sin-tolerance.
And one of the great sins we tolerate is called
Enmity!
1. Right With God But Wrong with Man?
We talk about our standing and our
relationship with the Master – we’re justified, sanctified, temples of
the Holy Spirit, and seated with the Messiah in Heavenly Places, but at
the same time we tolerate enmity in our hearts against our brother or
sister. We’re “right with God” but wrong with man! Is that possible? We
fool ourselves! What type of Christianity is this? When we hold a
controversy against another person, God holds a controversy against us!
Again we sing, rather weakly, “I
surrender all - all to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give.” But
the Holy One replies, “I will not receive an offering at your hand -
your hands are full of blood - full of hatred, bitterness, wrath, anger,
unforgiveness, evil-speaking, murmuring, gossip, slander, malice, envy,
and faction!”
The Psalmist asks:
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? He who has clean hands and
a pure heart.” (Psalm 24:4)
For this reason, we are commanded:
“Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you
double-minded.”
(James 4:8)
We say murder is terrible. Y’shua
says:
“But I say to you that whoever nurses any anger against his brother will
be subject to judgment.” (Matthew 5:22)
One reason for the Church’s
powerlessness and emptiness today, is the enmity that exists amongst the
believers. Today hatred is not only in the world, but in the interaction
of “believers.”
Again, our Master has definite
teaching on this:
“If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that
your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front
of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and
offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
This will mean humility - dropping
of the pride - especially if you think there is more fault on the other
side. But our relationships must be put right - relationships in the
family, in the Church, in our work, in the town, or wherever they are
not right. What a disgrace - how unbiblical it is when Christians hold
grudges against each other.
How about looking around the
meeting next Sunday morning and seeing if there is ill-feeling when you
view each saint! And the believers to whom you are never very friendly,
why not go out of your way to show concern – Christian love? And don’t
forget the strangers!
The great revivalist, JONATHAN
EDWARDS, wrote!
“Abundance has been lately done at
making up differences, confessing faults one to another, and to making
restitution; probably more within these two years, than was done in 30
years before.”
As the prophet Hosea said, it is
time to break up our fallow ground - our stony hearts - and to seek YHWH
until He comes to rain righteousness on us. (Hosea 10:12). It is time
our hatred turned to love; our bitterness changed to joy; our wrath to
blessing; and our evil speaking to prayer.
“Let the peace of the Messiah rule in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:15)
2. The Self-Life
Yes, we need to make war on sin.
It is time we sleepy Christians woke up and saw what sin is doing!
We should take stock of what is happening around us - the utter ruin
that sin is causing.
We should also see what sin does
in our own lives – it robs us of spiritual strength; robs the Father of
His glory; robs the Son of His fruit, and robs the Holy Spirit of
vessels He could use.
We know for sure that Satan is not
half-hearted in his war on the saints (1 Peter 5:8-9). Just take a look
into the church, or perhaps even into your own life, and see what havoc
the evil one has done. But look at the church again, and see how
half-hearted it is in the war against sin, the flesh and the devil.
It seems that many of us
Christians adopt a policy of peaceful co-existence with sin and the
devil. Let us not be deceived; peaceful co-existence in the devil’s
vocabulary means surrender of righteousness and holiness. We must
never compromise and seek to “come to terms” with sin!
Our war against sin may mean that
we ourselves will get hurt. It will definitely mean that our flesh – our
self-life – will receive strong blows. But should we not welcome that?
Our self-life needs to be “put to death” – that is, rendered inoperative
by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Self is one of our great enemies –
probably the worst – and pandering to it is a great hindrance to
revival. We may make excuses for it, but our selfishness, our
self-centredness, and our self-gratification is grieving God. We may not
regard ourselves as selfish, but self is evident in many ways.
Self-preservation.
How we protect ourselves! We often forget that we are to die daily. We
are not called to preserve our carnal life but to render it inoperative.
It is to be, “not I, but Christ who lives in me.”
Self-centredness.
Have you noticed that often
the world seems to revolve around “me?”
I seem to be the one who matters most. We say, “Oh that’s only natural.”
But the Master needs to be the centre of our lives. Every moment needs
to revolve around Him.
Self-defence.
“It is God that justifies. Who is he who condemns?” The self-life would
vindicate and justify itself, but the spiritual man, even though he may
be accounted as a sheep for the slaughter, rests on the Word of God. “It
is God that justifies.”
Self-will.
Oh that stubborn will that
we have! How reluctant it is to yield everything to God. It may yield in
many things - maybe 95% of things, but it will resist in some areas. It
will obey on certain conditions – on the provision that it can have some
say in the matter.
Many Christians are not willing
for God’s greater blessing (and they may never have it!) Many want
revival to come in the Church, but they are not willing to be revived in
their own personal lives.
The Sovereign Yahweh says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall
eat the best of the land.” (Isaiah
1:19)
We need to surrender our wills to
God – to be willing to obey Him at any cost; willing to see Him work in
any way He chooses; willing to suffer shame and loss; willing to take
that humble place as a bond-servant of Christ.
‘‘Do you not know that … you are not your own? For you have been bought
with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6 19-20)
Self-comfort.
“Woe to those who are at
ease in Zion,” cries the prophet Amos (6:1). Today we are an ease-loving
generation. It’s not only in the world; we Christians are often allured
by the lust for comfort. There is nothing wrong with being comfortable,
except that we are supposed to be on a battlefield.
There is nothing wrong with
comforts, except that we spend too much of our Master’s resources in
getting them for ourselves, and use too much of His time in enjoying the
comforts. We hate being discomforted!
It is a great pity that we are not
as concerned with taking up the armour of God as we are of taking to the
arm-chair for “the old man.”
Self-pity.
When things go wrong we are
inclined to pity ourselves. In all circumstances, however, we have the
assurance of the Heavenly Father, “I have loved you,” and, “All things
work together for good,” etc. What excuse then is there for self-pity?
Yes, we have self-pity over our
small, or big, troubles, but consider others around us who are sliding
into Hell daily. Are we such Jonahs that we have such pity for our “own
little bush,” but we have little pity for those perishing all around us?
Touchiness.
An exhibition of the self-life is our touchiness. Praise the LORD if you
are free from this sin. It is a sin that plagues many, and that grieves
the Holy Spirit. We often justify touchiness with, “that’s just a part
of my temperament.” But from this sin springs many others - bitterness,
hatred, strife, division, gossip, and evil thoughts. We need to humble
ourselves before the Holy One or our pride will yet ruin us.
The Word of God says that in the
last days, men will be lovers of themselves. (2 Timothy 2:3). That is
not surprising seeing the natural man is naturally egotistical. But
what a disgrace, how unscriptural it is, when followers of Y’shua the
Messiah, who loved not His own life, can be called “lovers of
themselves.”
“He who claims that he lives and remains in Him (the Messiah),
should himself walk in the same manner as He walked.”
(1 John 2:6)
3. Wrong Motives
Revival is the great need in the
21st century lukewarm “Laodicean church.” Praise the LORD, many
believers are feeling the burden and are praying earnestly for the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in this our day.
But let us consider the motive for
our praying for and desiring revival. James tells us that sometimes we
do not receive the answer to our pleas because we “ask amiss.” (James
4:3). If our motive is wrong, we need not expect anything of the Lord.
Our motive is something that we
should think about, and ask, “Is it pure or impure?” for we are exhorted
in Hebrews 10:22 to, “Draw near with a true heart.”
A wrong motive is often the reason
why God holds back His blessing. Let us stop and ask, “Why do I want
revival?” Is it so that we may consume the blessing on our own
pleasures? Or for such reasons as ...
Personal gain.
Is our prayer for revival
motivated by selfishness? Is there any thought of personal gain or
advancement? Is there a hope that revival will fulfil my personal
schemes?
Publicity and fame.
This is a trap especially
for Christian leaders. We may seem to be praying and working for revival
for the Lord’s glory but underneath there may be a subtle desire for our
own approval or spiritual reputation. We may test ourselves by asking,
“Would I be happy to remain in the background and unseen in a time of
revival?”
Church reputation.
Some would seek revival for the sake of church reputation. The assembly
may be known as spiritual, and there is a concern that it should not
lose its reputation.
Membership.
To seek revival simply to build up our church roll and attendance
is also an impure motive, as is also seeking revival for the sake of
filling the church treasury or building fund.
Denominationalism.
Some are so concerned for
the advance of their own denomination that this becomes the motive in
praying for revival. Any group seeking revival only in its own
denomination needs to check its motives. The Church, the Body of Christ,
is not a denomination, but it comprises all true born again believers,
irrespective of “label.” And it is not God’s will to
revive just one section of the Church. And be sure, it would be hard to
find one assembly where revival is not needed!
Revival can not be “owned” by one
group, just as rain will not fall only on one field. Woe to that group
who would seek to control and own the fire of God. So each one needs to
test his motive; if revival began in another group, a different
denomination, which is “not as Biblical and spiritual as mine,” would I
be as thankful as if revival started with my group?
Alas, many would be offended and
would oppose or doubt a work of God in another group. But if our motives
are pure, we will yearn to see genuine revival everywhere, and we’ll
genuinely praise the LORD wherever we see the work of His mighty Arm.
These wrong motives, and all
others, need to be guarded against lest we “pray amiss.” It is so easy
to pray for a right thing with a wrong motive. The only true motive for
seeking revival is that Yahweh-Y’shua may be glorified, His Name
honoured, and His purpose fulfilled.
To desire one’s spiritual growth,
the increase in the church, the evangelization of the town or the world,
and the salvation of sinners, is right and good. We should long for
these, but these desires, in themselves, are not the highest and pure
motive for revival. These are secondary motives.
We usually think of the desperate
need of unsaved souls. But most important is
the Name
of Yahweh and of His Anointed One.
It is the LORD’s Glory that is at stake. Any prayer that does not have
as its prime motive, the Glory
of God, is a prayer
that ‘‘asks” amiss.
Remember, man was made for God’s
Glory
(Isa. 43:7, 21, 25 Eph. 1:12);
God promised Israel blessing “for My holy Name’s sake”
(Ezek.
36:21-22. Isa. 48:9); “that
I may be glorified.” (Isa. 60:21). So we need to see beyond our
spiritual needs and the salvation of souls, and see the Glory of God.
Oh, just look around and see how
the Name of Christ is blasphemed; how His gracious mercy is mocked and
rejected; how His Word is torn asunder – and not just by the world, but
also by some calling themselves “Christians” (modernists). See how His
Spirit is grieved; His love is despised; and His truth is turned into a
lie. Oh how God’s Glory is spurned!
This is the thing that should set
us praying for revival. We should be concerned for the LORD’s Name and
His Glory, and our prayers should take on more of the plea; “Father,
remember Your Name and Your Glory. Hallowed be Your Name. For Your Holy
Name’s sake revive us. Let not Your people profane Your Name, and let
Your Name be great among the heathen. Oh Yahweh have pity upon Your Holy
Name, and let Your Glory be revealed.”
Of course Yahweh glorifies Himself
in the salvation of souls, and in the revival of believers, but let us
always have a passion for His Glory.
“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; for how can My Name
be profaned? And My Glory I will not give to another.”
(Isaiah 48:11)
4. Unbelief
Another reason why revival is
hindered is plain unbelief. It may be covered by various excuses or
arguments, but underneath there is this God-dishonouring, soul-damning
sin.
In the world, unbelief is the
greatest sin, for amongst those who have heard the Gospel, this is the
primary sin that consigns them to Hell.
In the Church also, unbelief is
one of the greatest sins because it destroys or hinders the spiritual
life and vitality of the Body of Christ.
The Word of God is very definite
about the necessity of belief - faith. We enter the Way through faith,
and we walk in the Way by faith. So the Christian life has no place for
unbelief!
Some Christians do not believe
revival is possible - and for them, except for the grace of God, it will
be impossible.
The Scripture says: “Let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the
one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
For that man should not presume that he will receive anything from the
Master, being a double-minded man, and unstable in all his
ways.” (James 1:6-8)
Unbelieving believers! They will
tell the world to believe, but they themselves cannot believe. Faith is
not just for the beginning of the Christian life, but for the whole of
the life. By faith we sit, by faith we walk, stand, and conquer; by
faith we see the windows of Heaven opened.
The Heavens may seem as iron, the
difficulties around us may be very great, the mountains unassailable,
the rivers uncrossable, but what have these things to do with the
Christian? They are things that exist for faith to conquer.
“With God all things are possible.”
(Mark 10:27)
D. L. MOODY faced an impossible
task. One Monday night during his great London Campaign, Moody preached
to 5,000 men who professed to be atheists, sceptics, and free-thinkers.
But of that meeting, and of the rest of that week, we read:
“In an instant the Holy Spirit
seemed to have broken loose upon that great crowd of enemies of Jesus
Christ, and 500 men sprang to their feet, tears running down their
faces, shouting, “I will, I will
(come to Christ).”
“Quickly the meeting was closed in
order that personal work might begin. From that night until the end of
the week nearly 2,000 men were won from the ranks of Satan into the army
of the Lord. The permanency of that work of God was well attested. Those
evil clubs never recovered their footing. God swept them away in His
mercy, by His Gospel.”
Unbelief is an Insult to God!
How the Head of the Body must be
grieved at our modern, materialistic, unbelieving Church. Look at the
average prayer meeting and the few who gather, and then dare to suggest
the Church is believing.
Unbelief says, “What is the use of
prayer meetings - they are wearisome? What is the use of praying -
nothing will happen?” The inward attitude may be such, although the
stated excuse may be, “I get home too late - I have so much to do,” and
a hundred and one other excuses. If we really believed, on the other
hand, prayer would take a high priority.
But even the few of us who do
gather for prayer - do we pray in faith? Do we really believe we are
bringing petitions to the King? Do we expect anything to happen? Prayer
is so often formal, and a kind of superstitious observance. We feel we
should pray (and so we should) but if our prayers are not in faith, our
words are as useless, for ...
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who
comes to God (YHWH the eternally-existing One) must believe that
He exists, and that He is a Rewarder of those who earnestly seek
Him out.” (Hebrews 11:6)
God responds to, and rewards,
believing prayer. In May, 1860, a special day of prayer was called for
the second Sunday in July by the Presbyterian Church. In Edinburgh,
Glasgow, and as far afield as Aberdeen, intercessions took place seeking
an abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Interest in revival was
quickened, and there was a marked increase in corporate prayer.
Approximately 20,000 gathered on
Glasgow Green at the commencement of the movement, whilst in September a
report indicated that similar size crowds were gathering there. An
adjoining theatre was opened where enquirers were dealt with. Richard
Weaver was one of the speakers on those occasions, and so heavy was the
work that he, with the other two speakers, collapsed with fatigue.
Unbelief is a heart condition.
It is a sign that the heart is not right with God, a sign of heart
departure from God. This, of course, is a natural tendency and as we
detect it, we must turn our eyes to our Master, Y’shua, where they
should always be. If we look around us, unbelief will creep in as it did
with Peter, when he started walking on the sea.
But some will argue that we can’t
expect revival now, as these are the last days. Foolish philosophy! The
disciples believed they were in the last days, but that only urged them
on more. What if Whitfield and Wesley sat down and said, “It is too
late; we are in the last days?” But often this is just an excuse to
cover complacency and carnality.
Do you mean to say that we can’t
expect greater blessing than we are having today? Do you mean that God
is content for His people to live below the New Testament standard?
Unbelief be removed! As long as the Holy Spirit lives and works on the
earth, revival is a very real possibility.
Some believers catch a vision of
what the Almighty can do, but then they give it up. The answer may be
delayed, and so they lose faith, and again are filled with unbelief.
In Hebrews 10:35 we read:
“Do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward; for you
have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you
may receive the promise.”
Faith is persistent. Unbelief is a
highway robber that robs us of God’s blessing.
Failure to Enter
We read that the Israelites could
not enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief. (Heb. 3:16). And
the church, likewise, fails to enter into the richest blessing of God
today because of the same sin.
During the Messiah’s life on
earth, He could not - did not - do many mighty works in certain places
because of the people’s unbelief. (Matt. 13:58. Mk. 6:5). The Master
marveled at their unbelief! How much more He must marvel at the unbelief
of His own blood-bought body -people who have been given His many
promises, all of which are ‘yea and amen.’ Do His tremendous promises
mean so little to us?
“Whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them,
and you will have them.” (Mark
11:24 also Matthew 17:20).
If “whatever” does not include
revival, then what does the word mean? But the promise must be
appropriated by faith. Faith is daring.
Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees
And looks to God alone;
Laughs at impossibilities,
And cries, ‘It shall be
done’!”
DUNCAN CAMPBELL tells of praying
with a group of believers in the Hebrides Islands in 1949:
“I found myself battling and
getting nowhere as the hours passed. After midnight, between 12 and 1
a.m., I turned to a young man in the meeting and said, ‘I feel led of
God to ask you to pray.’ And that dear man rose to his feet and prayed,
and in his prayer he uttered words such as I had never heard in a prayer
before. He said:
‘Lord, You made a promise; are You
going to fulfil it? God, will You be true to Your covenant? You have
said that You would pour water on the thirsty and floods upon the dry
ground. I do not know how others stand in Your presence, but if I know
my own heart, I know where I stand, and I tell You now that I am
thirsty. Oh, I am thirsty for a manifestation of the man of Your right
hand.’
“And then he said this: ‘Lord,
before I sit down, I want to tell You that Your honour is at stake’.”
Have you ever prayed like that?
Here is a man praying the prayer of faith. I love to believe that angels
and archangels were looking over the battlements of Glory and saying to
one another: “This is a man who believes God. There is a man who dares
to stand solid on the promise of God and take from the throne what the
throne has promised.”
Believe it, or disbelieve it - and
you can verify this if you like - the house shook like a leaf.
The dishes rattled on the sideboard, and an elder standing beside me
said, “Mr. Campbell, an earth tremor.” I said, “Yes!” Then I pronounced
the benediction immediately and walked out to find the community alive
with an awareness of God.
“Come, let us return to
YHWH.
He has torn us to
pieces, but He will heal us;
He has injured us, but
He will bind up our wounds.
He will revive us after
two days;
He will raise us up on
the third day
that we may live before
Him.
“So let us know, let us
press on to know YHWH.
His going forth is as
certain as the dawn;
and He will come to us
like the heavy rain,
like the late rain,
watering the earth.”
(Hosea 6:1-3)
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