What must we do to receive revival?

What must we do to receive revival?
by Pas.Francis B

Published on Sunday April 21 2013

Many of us reading and watching News everyday and we find some interesting stories about the people who would like to become public figure and gain fame.  Some do adventures and some do purposeful mistakes and try to be on News.  On the other end some try to bring change in the world through charitable deeds and other means of help. How much we as God’s people you and I have to do? We have to do much more than that and we need to pray for revival to take place in our churches, cities, town and Nation.

How can we God’s children bring revival in our Nation?

God reminds us to look into the Scriptures from II Chronicles 7:11-14

“ 11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night and said:
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

In these words God is speaking to His children, and He is speaking today with you also. Let’s see what He would like to talk with us through His Scripture.  God is asking each of you to focus in the verse 14 where God is reminding us about relationship.
This world is built upon relationship; it began with God and spread in each of our families, communities and countries.
God speaking to His children and said “if my people”. What privilege these people has to be called as God’s people. Yes it is true even with you and me, as He created us in His Image and redeemed us from the sin and sickness to give us eternal life and riches.
One of the things you might be surprise to see that God redeemed us to Himself, “I, the Lord… I have rescued you. I have called you by name;    now you belong to me.” Isaiah 43:1
This is because He pleasures in it and finds the joy. In these last days our Nations need revival that people might be delivering from their darkness to light, poverty to prosperity. In order to receive revival in our Nations what must we can do?

I-                   There must be Brokenness in our Prayer:  will humble themselves

II-                There must be Selflessness in our Prayer:  if my people pray

III-              There must be Earnestness in our Prayer:

IV-             There must be Holiness in our Prayer

There must be Brokenness in our Prayer:

In James 4:6 “But the kindness God shows is greater. As the Scripture says, “God is against the proud, but he is kind to the humble.” 
 It is a terrible thing to face punishment from the living God. Heb 10:31
Both the statements are terrifying as well as a satisfying statements. For God resist a man, a church, a nation, is a terrible thing, on the other end if we observe “to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God is to be exalted in due season.  The humbleness we can learn only from Jesus, He is the supreme example and shown through His practical way of living thereby in Matt 11:29 says
 ^“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

When God’s children are humble, they will never boasts of themselves, nor they argues with others, they always content with what they have, but the person who don’t has humbleness boast himself and boast about his accomplishments. The greatness and help of God they don’t recognize.  These people are like Pharisees as it is revealed in the God’s word.

In Luke 18:9-14, in this parable a Pharisee and publican prayer we can see.  Over five times the Pharisee uses the personal pronoun “I”.

1.     I thank thee

2.     I am not as other men

3.     I fast twice in the week

4.     I give tithes

5.     I possess

He was proud and haughty, as a consequence his prayer never reached to God and God didn’t answer his prayer. Let’s look at the Publican prayer; here we see the brokenness in his heart.  He humbled himself and exalted God in His prayer.  This exactly God is looking in our today’s prayer that acknowledging God as our source and helper in everything.  The Pharisee might be thinking that he is scholar and pleased God with his prayer, but in the sight of God he is a fool, and he didn’t know that he is deceived by Satan. 

C.H Spurgeon has written in Lectures to my students -“the devil is greater scholar than you and nimbler disputant”
PRINCIPLE 1:  Our brokenness prayer causes God to change the person and people to draw closer to Him.


There must be Selflessness in our Prayer:

Here twelve Hebrew words employed to express this single English verb to pray.  This one is used to state the purpose of mean “to judge self habitually” our major problem in prayer is self desire and design.
God reminds you from James 4:3 and even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

We need to ask God in what He pleases and gives praise to Him. Our primary prayer focus needs to glorify God through our works and worship. When God encountered with Jacob, as the morning is near Jacob  in His prayer asked God the wise thing that is He asked for Blessing, and Solomon asked for God’s wisdom, Jesus in His prayer asked to fulfill His Father’s will.
PRINCIPLE 2:  Practicing the selflessness in our prayers helps us to please God for eternal blessings.


We will be continuing …. In rest of the 2 things from this sermon what God is going to speak…

Published on Sunday June 2 2013

We are back in His time to listen what God is going to speak with us through the rest of the points.

As an earlier we have seen that Revival comes through

There must be Brokenness in our Prayer: 

There must be Selflessness in our Prayer: 

Now we are back in His time to listen what God is going to speak with us through the rest of the points.

There must be Earnestness in our Prayer

Many of the times our prayers are selfish and we most often we tend to pray for our

dear ones and  feel that if everything I have let me pray for others.

We desire that God do wonders and change the world in a span of time, He can do it

but where is our part.  EM bounds a great man of God said like this “Prayers must be red

hot. It is the fervent prayer that is effectual and that prevaileth.

Coldness of spirit hinders praying; prayer cannot live in a wintry atmosphere. Chilly

Surroundings freeze out petitioning; and dry up the springs of supplication. It takes fire

To make prayers go. Warmth of soul creates an atmosphere favorable to prayer,

Because it is favorable to fervency. By flame prayer ascends to heaven. Yet fire is not

Fuss, nor heat, noise. Heat is intensity-something that glows and burns.”

God is looking for a people who really pray earnestly for revival.  Have you ever

considered the 10/40 window there are many nations are unreached. How about those

people who have never heard Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Are we praying for such those

perishing souls in our prayers.  

Below source from Global Mapping

 

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Map

If Jesus didn’t prayed for you and me on the cross of Calvary we would have not received eternal blessing.

When we seek God’s face we will find the earnest in Him and we will be praying earnestly and God will listen.  This is what God expects from the lives of the people that they may seek His face.

PRINCIPLE 3:  Praying earnestly to God will touch the hearts of the people and changes their lives.

 There must be Holiness in our Prayer

Finally Holiness is important in our prayers to receive the revival.  Holiness is also known as purity.

If you look into the Bible Holy people are fit for holy duties— and them alone. With a sinful (selfish) attitude if we pray God is not going to listen to our prayers. You need to remember that sin separates us from God.

Psalmist says about the purity of a prayer "If I regard iniquity in my heart—the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18). We are commanded to pray, "Lifting up holy hands" (1 Timothy 2:8). When it says lifting up our holy hands means it is clean in every aspect of our lives.

When people of God want to pray God gives them some instructions and guidance to them.

"When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood!" (Isaiah 1:15). God speaks in the fullness of His grace ("Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet"—Isaiah 1:18, etc.), by this we understand that the necessity of gracious purity in man: "Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!" (Isaiah 1:16-7).

Holiness comes in our lives when we turn away from our wickedness and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  God demands in our lives holiness, in the Old Testament many of the times God said I am the Lord your God Holy and you be holy.

Yes my dear friends as we are washed by the blood of the Lamb and made holy and even apostle Paul also says in Romans that we need to sacrifice our bodies as a living sacrifice.

So let’s make a practice that we need to be holy and God will certainly listen to our prayers and bring revival in our community and country.

PRINCIPLE 4:  Coming to Jesus Christ is receiving the holiness and makes a way for the eternal destiny to live with God forever.

THE WILL OF GOD CONCERNING YOU

“THE WILL OF GOD CONCERNING YOU”

By Pastor Mark Taylor

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).

People who love God appreciate all He has done for them and seek to please Him in some type of way. Sometimes we call this “finding God’s will” or using our “gifts and abilities” for the Kingdom of God.

I have been serving the Lord Jesus for over fifty years now in several different ways.  I have worked in the Church as a Sunday School Teacher, a youth director, missionary, an assistant pastor, an associate pastor, and a Pastor.  But, I have also served Him in secular jobs.  I was a school teacher and school administrator for over 32 years, a coach for children’s sports, worked in a grocery store and restaurant, construction, drove a bus, and many other things.

One thing I have learned is that you can serve the Lord without having a title in the church.  You can be a minister without being ordained.  You can be a teacher without having a class.  You can be a missionary without leaving your community.  You can please God with your gifts and abilities regardless of your age, income, or education.

If you will start your day with a prayer asking the Lord “What are we going to do today?”, and you follow Him all day long, you will have done the will of God.  If you repeat that tomorrow, the next day, the next month, the next year, and the rest of your life, at the end of your life you will have done “God’s Will”.

Let me tell you what I did this week so that you can do some of these things this coming week. Please do not think I am boasting about these things.  There is nothing here that I did without God’s help and leading.  There is nothing here you cannot do.   I took time to play with a small child; I listened to a teenager’s questions about life; I took time to be a friend to several lonely adults;  I had prayer with a total stranger who had just received bad news about a loved one’s health; My wife and I sent money to an orphanage in Africa for food, and to a Pastor in India for medicine for his wife; I attended a funeral of someone I did not know and carried their family some food and words of comfort;  I visited a nursing home patient and had prayer with them;  I used my ability to make something of value and gave it freely;  I shared the Good News and love of our Lord Jesus with others by giving them CD’s and written messages of hope and love; I sent the Gospel throughout the world to over 107 countries using the internet which cost me nothing; and I shared messages of hope and love on websites, youtube, and face book.   I hope you can see that you have unlimited ways to serve the Lord and do “God’s Will”. 

Something I have learned is not to wait until everything is right in your life to start doing “God’s Will”  We cannot wait until others start treating us the way we want them to before we start doing the things God has put in our hearts and given us the ability to do.  We cannot wait until we have someone else’s permission or commission to do His will.

We can count on God to be with us, to find “His Will”,  and to lead us and make a way for us to become victorious even in difficult times.  Even if you are suffering from bad relationships, poor financial decisions, or health problems remember His words of encouragement to us: “No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Go to God in prayer.  Ask Him to give you the faith to endure your hardship until He makes the way.  The “Will of God” for you in hard times is this: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  (I Thessalonians 5:18).

“He gives power to the weary; and to him with no vigor; He increases strength. Even the young shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31).

“God’s Will” for you is not difficult to find. “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek and you will find; knock and it shall be open unto you. For everyone who asks, receives; and everyone who seeks, finds; and everyone that knocks, it shall be opened.

There are great rewards waiting for us if we “do God’s Will”.  We will have resources from Heaven to help us and bless us each day we walk with Him.  “Blessed is the person who walks not with the ungodly...they shall be like a tree planet by the rivers of water, that produces good fruit in its season, its leaf also shall not die; and whatever they do shall prosper.”  (Psalm 1: 1-3).  We will have eternal life with the Lord Jesus if we do “God’s Will”.  “And this world will pass away and all the sin in it: but those that do the will of God will live forever.”  (I John 2:17).

There are people that need you today.  It may be something as simple as a kind word or an act of kindness. It may be something that requires your time, money, and talents.  If God lays something on your heart, He is expecting you to do it.  And in many cases, if you don’t do it, it want get done.  “Give, and it shall be given to you...” (Luke 6:38).

Here is a conversation and a prayer I had with the Lord in April 2011.  It continues to be my prayer today.
Today, I woke up and asked my Lord Jesus: “What will we do today?”
He said: “The first thing we will do is take some time to pray.”
“But,” I said, “there are so many things to do, and Lord we can only do so much.”
My Lord replied: “With a little help from you, there are many people I can touch.”

"YOU HAVE DONE IT TO ME"

“YOU HAVE DONE IT TO ME”

By Pastor Mark Taylor

“For I was hungry, and you gave me food: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave you something to drink?  When did we see you as a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you?   Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and came unto you?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brothers or sisters, you have done it unto Me..” (Matthew 25:31-40).

Sometimes I have to remind myself of what the Christian life is all about.  I have to remind myself it is not simply living up to a higher moral standard than the world, even though that is important.  It is not simply omitting doing bad things, even though that is important. 

Our Lord said He did not come to condemn the world, but to save it.  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18)

Our Lord has told us what is important to Him. It is simply showing compassion on others.   We usually think compassion is just feeling sorry for someone; however, God has shown us with concrete examples from His Word - the Bible, of what compassion is. Compassion should go one step farther than just feelings; it should do something instead of just desiring to do something. That is what compassion does: something. The “least of them” is not necessarily a “believer” but could be someone who doesn’t even know the Lord yet. It’s like “who is my neighbor?” in the story of the Good Samaritan. 

Our Lord Jesus gave us His Mission statement of why He was sent to Earth.
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,  Because He has anointed Me. To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,To proclaim liberty to the captives. And recovery of sight to the blind,To set at liberty those who are oppressed."
Later He tells His disciples:  Matthew 20 :26-28  "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

When the disciples asked our Lord about the last days he told them many things.  He spoke about judgement for the saved and the lost.  Since He has died on the cross for our sins and we have been forgiven, judgement for us will be centered around what we have done for others, rather than our sins.  Yes, there are consequences for our sins and the Lord has reminded us that all people will “reap what they sow”, and that there is an accountability for our words and actions.  When and how all this will take place for the Christian, I am not sure.  What I am sure of is our Lord’s Words in Matthew 25 about what will please Him when we stand before Him.

The surprise of the righteous at this statement makes it impossible to think that works of righteousness wins salvation. How they treated the “least of these” was not for the purpose of being accepted or rejected by the king. They did not show love to gain heaven by their works, but because they had the love of God within them and compassion on others.

God blesses us in order that we may be a blessing to others. All of us have been given something that we can share with others. If we don’t take the opportunities we have to be a blessing and squander or hoard these for ourselves, they will eventually be taken from us.  Sometimes we think if we do something for somebody else we will run short ourselves. But God tells us it is exactly opposite of that.  Proverbs 28:27 says, “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing.” 

The quickest way to get out of debt is to start giving to God.  The quickest way of getting ahead in your finances is to give to those in need.  I know that does not sound logical.  Listen to what our Lord said about giving:  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38).

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory... Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:31-32).

The life of a Christian from God’s perspective is to be a life of service, worship, and praise.  We are called to serve.  We will be judged by our willingness to help those less fortunate than we are, those who have been cast down, or have been orphaned by society.  We will be rewarded by willingness to help those who are spiritually, physically and economically handicapped.  God has not called us to focus on ourselves, but has called us to “do unto others, as we would have others do unto us”.  

"If only we had known that helping others was helping Jesus. If only we had known that serving others was serving Christ. How differently we would have lived our lives!"   Well, now you know.

Everything you do for others, you are doing for God.  Every act of kindness, every act of charity, every act service is something you will be rewarded for by your Heavenly Father.  Everything you do on Earth for others is something God considers that you are doing for Him.  You are the hands and feet of our Lord and Savior.  Let Him use you today.

COMING TO JESUS EARLY

VIDEO LINKS TO THIS SERMON

COMING TO JESUS EARLY - PT 1

COMING TO JESUS EARLY - PT 2

Coming To Jesus Early
by Pastor Mark Taylor

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb” (John 20:1).

The crucifixion had brought earth’s darkest day.  Even the light of the sun had been hidden from view for three hours during the middle of the day.  There was also a dark despair that swept in on the followers of Christ who had either forgotten or doubted His promise to rise from the dead.  Even Mary and other women came to His grave to bring spices and ointments to put on His dead body.  They came to do the work of an undertaker.  Instead this is what happen: “But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? "He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, "saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'" And they remembered His words” 

(Luke 24:2-8).

We ought to come to Jesus early “while it is still dark”.  We should come to Jesus early to give Him our burdens.  “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).  David prayed this prayer in his wilderness experience: “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water” (Psalms 63:1).  The earlier we seek Him, the sooner we will find Him.

God will meet us in dark times and bring us light. “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12).

God has called you out of the darkness of your burdens.  “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).  You cannot wait until the sun starts shining to come to Jesus.  You have to begin your journey while it is still dark.

We ought to come to Jesus in spite of the obstacles that confront us.  The women who came to Jesus early envisioned having to overcome powerful obstacles to get to Jesus.  “And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away--for it was very large” 

(Mark 16:3-4).  The tomb was sealed and guarded by representatives of the Roman Empire.  The tomb had been closed by a large stone.  There are always obstacles in getting to Jesus.  These include pride, fear, selfishness, and sin.  Those who come to Jesus will find the stones in their lives will roll away.

The longer we wait, the less likely we are to come to Him. “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13).

If you are waiting for an intellectual experience where you understand everything, you will never come to Christ.  Or if you are waiting until you become “good enough”, that day will never come.   Jesus said: "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." (Mark 10:15).

If you are waiting for the right time to come to the Lord, it is today.

For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).  Jesus also says this to you and me:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).