As I wrote earlier in my post “Spirit of Revival” the Lord has been stirring my heart for Awakening and revival beginning in my life and moving to the heart of our nation. Why don’t we see revival? Is it something on God’s to do list for a set time or something we press into by the leading of the Holy Spirit? I can assure you my friend that we are not waiting on God to do anything! Here are some thoughts on why we are not seeing the fires of revival heating up and some clear reasons that most are headed in the opposite direction.
1. Never Hold consistent Corporate Prayer- Acts 3:1; 4:24-31 Daily prayer with great participation and fervency must be the catalyst for what God wants to do. He never does anything without prayer going first.
2. Never Allow the move of the Holy Spirit- Acts 19:1-7 In a day where we have relegated the Holy Spirit to rare retreats and back rooms no one can seem to find, we must allow the Spirit of Jesus to be loosed from His proverbial birdcage and release Him to be in charge once again. And yes, this may actually mean people speaking in tongues and the gifts of the Spirit in operation!
3. Never preach against sin- Acts 2:38; 3:19 We have created a mentality that to be “life-giving” means to stay away from anything negative like conviction or sin. The term repentance has been lost in its true meaning and people can now check a box on a bulletin to be saved instead of weeping and wailing for their sins at the altar.
4. Don’t press in for more- Acts 13:2-3 The early apostles and elders were never satisfied with the status quo. They were constantly pressing in for more of God in every arena. We must pick up the fervency to be led into deeper waters. We must hunger and thirst for more of the presence of our heavenly Bridegroom. Song of Sol. 1:2-3
5. Keep your ministry focused on one group- Acts 11:15-17; Luke 4:18 It is a trap of the enemy to relegate our efforts to a certain group of economic status or racial profile. Every major move of God since the day of Pentecost was marked by people of all walks coming together around what God is doing. Jesus declared that He came to “preach the Gospel to the poor” and yet many have now been called to the rich???
6. Make sure everyone is comfortable- Lk. 4:28-29; Acts 8:22-23 Never saying anything that might offend or cause someone to leave is the trend of today. Yet Jesus and the apostles never shied away from confronting sin publicly and ruthlessly.
7. Focus more on administration than anointing- Acts 6:2 The anointing is preeminent over all pursuits of excellence. Excellence without the anointing is like having a bath with no soap, it is a completely worthless exercise! Get the power of the anointing back into the church and see devils cast out and sick people set free!
8. Keep worship to a minimum… and service for that matter- Acts 20:7-11; 16:25 It is ridiculous to think that by shortening the services more and more that we are going to somehow get more of God. Something in this equation has to give. We’ve gotten rid of all other weekly services and then greatly shortened the one weekly service we have. Sure doesn’t send a signal to the people of God that being in His presence is valuable. Selah
9. Never mention hell or holiness- Heb. 12:28-29 Jesus mentioned hell 4x more than heaven and yet we rarely mention either. A lifestyle of holiness birthed in the fear of God will ensure that we “see the Lord.” Oh, how I pray that the Lord would once again breathe life into men and women of God like Jonathan Edwards to preach messages like “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and start a fresh Awakening in our nation. Without preaching judgment and repentance there will be no Awakening!
10. Never preach Jesus and Him Crucified- 1 Cor. 2:1-5 Let us come back to the central theme and pillar of all the Gospel found only at the Cross of Calvary. We must honestly be able to say that this subject and revelation is the central message of our ministry. Wow! We have a ways to go!
My heart today is to stir up the hungry for more of our precious Jesus and to prick the heart of those who have become callous to His wooing call. Revival is the only thing that will save our nation from the accelerated slide of wickedness that has befallen us so rapidly. Pray with me today for revival to come and “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the minds of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just!” (Lk. 1:17)
We first saw you at The River Church of Tampa when we were on staff & at River Bible Inst! We love your family, and heritage(Saw father minister on Tampa Christian Television Network speaking to Pastors, what a man of character!)We agree!Thanks!
Pastor Joel
I believe that The Lord has placed a burden on me to see the power of His Spirit take Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. I listened to Pastor Jonathan’s last message on revival, and noted that unity is important. That is what The Lord has impressed on me. There are prayer warriors all over BR of many denominations that put a move of God above denominational separations, who would love to join Bethany or any church that is willing to cast the vision for revival. One church building revival is a fire. A multiple church / denomination revival is a …..bonfire? Count me in to join forces and I will hope to bring a few Methodists and Baptists as well!
I know I’m late on this, but just wanted to check out the blog. Me and my friends have been discussing revival and desire to see this city revived as well as our families and churches. So every one of your points hit the target. I know now how we should be praying. Revival should always begin in us first, which will then birth the compassion and passion to see others revived! Thank you! Be blessed!