Revival, God’s People Must Turn From Their Wicked Ways

Revival:

God’s People Must Turn from Their Wicked Ways:

Hello, Thank you for taking time to listen to insights from God’s precious Word: Today I will be speaking to you again on the very important subject of revivial! The title of my message is entitled, “Turning from our Wicked Ways”

Revival will not just drop from the sky! In a sense there is a price that we must pay in order for God to send Revivial. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read of what is God’s formula for revival and I quote:

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” End of quote.

In the above verse we see that if God’s people would do four things God would do three things!

Two conditions that the above verse mentions are, “If my people will humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways!

Johnathan Goforth missionary to China and who was greatly used in revival said and I quote,

“We cannot emphasize too strongly our conviction that all hindrances to revival in the Church are due to sin! The appalling fact is that every sin found without the Church is found also within the Church although perhaps to a lesser degree.

It is sin in individual Church members, whether at home or on the foreign field, which grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit! I imagine that we would lose much of our self-righteousness if we were to find that pride, jealousy, envy, greed, bad temper, backbiting, gossip, talebearing, and all their kindred are just as heinous in God’s sight as the so-called grosser sins.” End of quote

David Smithers writing about the revival in China shared these important words, and I quote,

“It was when the Christians came clean, confessed and forsook their secret sin, that the Holy Spirit rushed in like a mighty wind. Truly it was this open and honest confession of sin that was the most striking feature of the revival. Everywhere Mr. Goforth went revival would spread, and almost always in the same way. First prayer was encouraged among the Christians, which then spontaneously led to heart- breaking confessions of sin. And then like a flood, the lost were brought into the kingdom by the thousands. “Men were searched as with fire.” One after another broken-hearted believers emptied themselves through the uncovering of all secret sin.” End of quote-David Smithers

In 1949, the The Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides experienced the beginning of a remarkable revival which spread throughout the entire island. Before the revival sin abounded and darkness prevailed. Young people were not interested in going to church but during the revival the church was filled with the youth! The revival extended through even the most resistant communities and brought thousands of lost souls to Christ. It is interesting to observe that it was preceded by great repentance and intercession. In one of the services as the preacher delivered his message, tremendous conviction of sin swept down upon the people! ITD Creative writing about this said and I quote “Tears rolled down the faces of the people, and from every part of the building came cries of men and women crying for mercy. So deep was the distress of some that their voices could be heard outside in the road.”-end of quote

Evan Roberts, one of the main instruments used in the Welsh revival that took place in Wales in 1904-1905 based his principles of revival on four points; 1) Confess all known sin; 2) Search out all secret and doubtful things; 3) Confess the Lord Jesus openly; 4) Pledge that you will fully obey the Spirit.

Tom Shanklin in His article “Bend the church and save the World”, mentions among other things that Evan Roberts motto during the revival was His motto was, “bend the church and save the world.” The emphasis was on the great need for the Church to bow and yield to the Holy Spirit that He might do His mighty work of renewal and transformation.

Therefore repentance was a central theme in the revival!

The revival which began with meetings among the young people were characterized by a conviction of sin, public confessions of Jesus Christ, powerful conversions, joy and laughter, spontaneous singing and prayer, and a strong awareness of the presence of God. As a result people of all ages began to attend and the revival spread throughout Wales!

. Confessions of awful sins were heard on every side. Old debts were paid. Infidels were converted, drunkards, thieves, and gamblers saved;”

This is revival when people are willing to humble themselves and openly confess their sins

Dear friend do you want to experience it in your own life, in your church, in your community and in your nation and are you willing to pay the price in order to have it?

Remember the price is found in 2Chron. 7:14: “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Today we are emphasizing the great need of turning from our wicked ways! Revival is not for the sinners but for the church, but when the church meets the conditions and when it gets right with God sinners will be saved by the thousands

Shall we pray: Dear Heavenly Father we praise you and worship you! We thank you that you are the God of revival ! Therefore we humble ourselves before you and we ask you to search our hearts and cleanse us from every sin, from pride, Jealousy, envy, criticism, gossip, resentment, lying, cheating, impurity, from a divisive spirit and any other sin or idol that you might show us!

We are asking you to send a mighty revival first in our individual lives, into our homes, into our churches, into our district and into our nation not for our sakes, but for your own name’s sake and for your own honor and glory! We ask all this in Jesus Name, the Name of your Son whom you love and whom you always hear! Amen and Amen!”

Give me seven minutes of your time: Revival: The great necessity of seeking God for revival:

Give me seven minutes of your Time:

Revival:

The Great Necessity of Asking for Revival

Hello, Thank you for taking time to listen to insights from God’s precious Word: Today I will be speaking to you again on the very important subject of revivial!

The Bible indicates that in the last days there is coming a great Revivial, a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit! In Acts 2:17 we read that God says, “‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;…

and in James 5:7-8 we read,

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

And in Hosea 6:3 we read:

“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”

In Israel there are two seasons of the year in which the rain falls abundantly. In the latter part of October and early November come the former rains.

The second downpour comes in the spring in the latter part of March and the first part of April. The October-November rains are called the former rain, and the March-April rains are called the latter rain. The former rain falls after the sowing time in order to germinate the seed. The latter rain falls toward the end of the season in order to help ripen the grain and prepare it for harvesting.

We could use the analogy of the former and latter rain in connection with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The initial outpouring on the day of Pentecost was the former rain which is found in Joel 2:28-29!

This scripture was quoted by the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:16-17, when he explained to the people what he and the other disciples had experienced when God had poured out His Spirit upon them! He said to them, “..this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

What the disciples experienced was the former rain, an initial outpouring but all that was written in this portion of scripture was not experienced by the disciples and there is coming in the last days even a greater outpouring that would affect all mankind, this we could call the latter rain. This would imply that in the last days great multitudes will be saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit!

In Zech 10:1 we read that in the time of the latter rain we are to ask for rain and I quote, “¶ Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain, so the Lord shall make lightnings and shall give you abundant rain and grass in the field to each one.” End of quote

We have seen recent incidents of God pouring out His Spirit in different parts of the world! For example in January of 1994 in Toronto, Canada in a little church of 360 members, called at that time the Toronto airport vineyard God poured out His Spirit in unprecedented ways!

As a result of this within the first two years alone almost one million guests had come through the doors of the church from virtually every country and denomination. Tens of thousands of people made a first-time commitment to Christ and church membership had increased steadily and rapidly.

The Brownsville Revival at Brownsville Assembly of God church (also known as the Pensacola Outpouring) was another great move of God that began in June, 1995 and became widely known! It was characterized by many thousands repenting of their sins as a call to holy living was preached! The power and presence of the Holy Spirit caused many to redidicate their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ! More than four million people are reported to have attended the revival meetings from its beginnings in 1995 to around the year 2000.

Just a few weeks ago, God poured out His Spirit on the Asbury Christian university and seminary in Wilmure, Kentucky! It started on Feb 8th. as some students stayed behind to pray after a chapel service! That chapel service lasted for two weeks, all day and all night with participants praying, worshipping, testifying, confessing their sins and getting right with God! One person who attended the revival described it in the following way, and I quote, “Attending the revival at Asbury was an unforgettable experience. We could literally feel the ‘weighty’ presence of God as soon as we walked into the building.

There was passionate, authentic worship, brokenness, people praying at the altar, people praying at their seats, and people praying with each other in groups around the room.” End of quote!Those attending the revival were mainly young people! Before it ended, the revival had brought thousands of people from different parts of the United States as well as from other countries of the world as participants! Students from many other universities and colleges, throughout the nation motivated by social media livestreams and posts attended the revival! Similar services have begun to pop up at other schools and other places! There are those who feel that this can be the beginning of a much greater revival that will spread throughout the world!

We read in Zech. 10:1 that in the time of the latter rain we are to ask for rain. We have seen God pouring out His Spirit in certain areas of the world in marvelous and unusual ways! Dear friend this is the time of the latter rain let us be willing to pay the price for revival, get right with God and ask for a mighty outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives, in our homes, in our churches, in our schools, in our town, in our district and in our nation! God is no respecter of churches or persons! If we meet the conditions He will not pass us by!

Shall we pray:

Our precious Heavenly Father we come to you in and through the wonderful Name of Jesus,

We thank you and praise for what you have done and what you are doing in different places in the world! You are no respecter of persons or places! We pray earnestly that you will not pass us by but send a mighty outpouring of your Holy Spirit amongst us!

Bless all those who are listening to this message, bless their homes, their families, their churches, their communities and their nations! May they sense your wonderful presence flooding their homes and their lives right now! Heal those who are sick and meet every need!

We pray and ask all this in Jesus Name, Amen!