“…The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter then honey, than honey from the comb”
how do we respond? ’Right on!’ or ‘Really?’ or ‘Pretty big statement, isn’t it?’
The author of Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything, Adrian Warnock, emphasises the power of the Spirit-empowered Word of God to bring revival (individually; corporately). This is the third part, of a three chapter section, dealing with revival.
In developing this critically important topic (how God’s words come to life and connect us to Christ’s resurrection power), he quotes often from the magnificent Ps 119. Here are some helpful statements that caught my attention:
In revival times, people cannot hear enough of Holy Scripture.
Through the Scriptures, we are meant to hear Jesus’ voice (eg. John 5:39; 10:27).
God is a resurrecting God, hence we can expect revival (recharge) often as we read His Word.
God’s servants learn to feast on His Word; they understand the enormity of its power.
The resurrection gives us hope; God’s reviving Word gives us hope, and we benefit from being surrounded by people whose hope is rooted in Scripture.
“Christian meditation is about filling our minds, not emptying them…[it is] allowing the words of Scripture to sift through your mind and be thoroughly examined in the same way that you think about an issue that is worrying you.”
Struggling with negative thoughts? Replace them with Scripture!
If your answer to the question at the beginning of this post is ‘Right on!’ then you’ll be encouraged as you read chapter fourteen.
If your answer was not so affirming, then I highly recommend that you prayerfully read this chapter, go to the various Scripture passages and ask the Lord Jesus, through the Spirit, to bring the Scriptures alive in your life. They are precious; they are sweet, and the Spirit uses them to bring LIFE.
this chapter on prayer is “potentially the most important chapter in this whole book”
‘reviving prayer’ will lead to the most dramatic and immediate changes in the average Christian’s experience, but
we need to overcome our prayerlessness.
Got your interest? Well, here are the highlights of the chapter – but they’re no substitute for getting into the book yourself. What has the resurrection of Jesus got to do with reviving prayer? It motivates us to pray with boldness because we know God is alive and more than able to answer prayer, given that He is able to raise the dead!
Revivals in history started with prayer meetings. Is there a particular type of prayer that is one of the catalysts for a sovereign Lord to bring revival? Adrian uses the prayers of Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19 to reveal the nature of reviving prayer. In sum, it looks like this:
plainly recognises the situation requiring God’s intervention (“don’t deny it or put a brave face on it”)
passionate intercession before God, consistent with His biblical revelation
calling on God to act today as He has in history. viz. “Do it again, Lord!” (see Hab 3:2)
a heart centred on God’s glory and not our own
asking God to bring repentance – He does it, not us
asking God, in a bold manner, to act – and when He does don’t be floored (contra. Acts 12:15)
be persistent in waiting on God, and discerning as to when the answers from God are beginning to flow.
My own life is not characterised by consistent reviving prayer. It needs to be. What about you? Your church?
The churches in Melbourne need revival. This wonderful city needs revival. What about where you live?
The challenge presented by Adrian is right on – ask the One, who is in the business of bringing life where there is death, to send the fire of revival.
The great news of course is that “God is an expert in revival.” What happens when someone turns to Jesus in faith? A spiritually dead person is united with a life-giving Person.
And with this introduction, Adrian focuses on revivals – when the church en masse experiences more fully the change made possible by the resurrection. Aussie Stuart Piggin is quoted on the nature of revival:
“It is a powerful intensification by Jesus of the Holy Spirit’s normal activity.”
This is a terrific chapter by Adrian. He comments:
‘revival’ is available to all Christians individually – it is quantitatively, but not qualitatively different, to our normal experience
both through the Acts of the Apostles and church history, the Church has grown in fits and starts
since Acts is Scripture, “it must have a role in forming our doctrine and practice” – right on!
Acts is a “model account of how church mission should ideally proceed”
the pattern of revival in Acts is also seen in church history:
period of intense emphasis on prayer in the church
dramatic work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers
inevitable impact on those outside
whenever a group of people experience a revival, prayer and the Word of God are emphasised.
And these are the subjects of the next two chapters in Raised with Christ.
You don ‘t plan for great movements of God, but you must prepare for them. That’s the bottom line of a talk by Perry Noble of New Spring Church.
At Deep Creek we’ve just enjoyed a Celebration Dinner, looking back at the great things God has done in and through us in the last 12 months. And then we looked forward to the next year.
So with plans and strategies on my mind, I found Perry’s talk refreshing and a good corrective to keep plans and strategies in their appropriate place under God. Here’s what caught my attention in the talk:
Church leaders trying to plan a movement of God are mistaken! Planning and strategy are fine. But we can’t dictate to the Holy Spirit. And we can’t duplicate what He’s doing in another church.
But we must prepare. Eg. In Acts 2 we see a massive work of God. But the foundation of Acts 2 is Acts 1.
We must listen to the voice of Jesus. Acts 1:8 paraphrase of Jesus’ words: ‘I’m not here to do what you want Me to do. You are here to obey Me.’
As leaders, we must keep this in mind. This is not our church. It is Jesus’ church. And He loves it way more than we do. And He knows more than us. And He’s more powerful!
So as leaders, don’t spend our time telling Jesus what He has permission to do. But instead be on ‘our face’ before a holy and awesome God, and say, ‘God, this is Your church; these are Your people. What is it that You want to do here?’
“Leadership is as easy as listening to God.”
After listening to Jesus in Acts 1, the disciples deal with the leadership challenge (of Judas).
So as leaders, ‘Are we dealing with the leadership challenge in our church? Do we have the right people, in the right places, doing the right things? Or do we have a benevolence ministry?’
How silly to schedule revivals! Rather come before God, listen to Him and prepare the right foundations for a great movement of God – in His time and according to His purposes.
