29/08/2014
Friday August 29
WHEN REVIVAL COMES I
Memorise:
Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
Psalm 85:6
Read: Psalm 85:4-7
4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
Message
In spiritual parlance, revival presupposes that backsliding has hitherto taken place. In other words, it is when people abandon their spiritual fervency that the need for revival becomes inevitable. In Christianity, revival is a term that generally refers to an increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a congregation or church, either regionally or globally. This should not be misconstrued with evangelistic meetings that churches conduct to bring about salvation of lost souls. May the Lord revive His church in Jesus’ Name. What happens when revival comes? According to our Bible reading today, people turn away from their wickedness when revival comes. Salvation becomes a household commodity among the backslidden and the anger of God ceases to burn against His people. A typical example of revival is recorded in Jonah 3:4-10 concerning the people of Nineveh. One pleasant thing about God concerning sinners and backsliders is that He will always warn them so that they may repent and escape His fiery judgment. The Bible says:
“But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?”
Ezekiel 18:21-23
Another thing that happens when revival comes is that God answers the prayer of sinners contrary to the general opinion that He does not. However, it is the prayer of repentance that God honours before any other, as seen in the case of Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33:12-13. Revival brings about total restoration of both spiritual and physical wellbeing. The true sign of revival is when people turn completely from their past wicked ways and turn a new leaf of godliness (2 Chronicles 33:15-17). This is contrary to what we experience in the church today where people claim to be born-again and yet still maintain the status quo of their past sinful lives and habits. Manasseh died a repentant sinner and had peace, even at death according to 2 Chronicles 33:18-20. Your beginning may not matter, but how you end is what matters the most.
