SETTING THE STAGE FOR REVIVAL

Thursday Revival Message                                                                                 “03-10-2019”

SETTING THE STAGE FOR REVIVAL

Isaiah 57:14-19; Psalms 138:6-8; Romans 14:9

Revival is an experience of divine visitation to an individual that lifts him from a state of spiritual apathy, coldness or near lifelessness to a renewed attention to God and godliness. It revitalizes his spiritual life to seek and to do the whole will of God always.

When a spark of fire is covered by ashes, it needs to be fanned and stirred so as to drop off the ashes and cause the spark of fire to revive again. This is similar to what revival does in a person whose life has been covered by mere religion, materialism and money seeking, pursuit and passion for the trends of a wicked world, position and praise seeking, etc. For such persons, the desire for holiness and heaven slowly gets subdued by the cares of this life (Luke 22:34). Prayer and soul winning soon becomes burdens rather than delights.

Revival becomes imperative as we begin to notice a sad decline in the vitality of our personal devotion and godliness. When downright earnestness, intensity and fervency in spiritual devotion is overtaken by coldness, listlessness, heartlessness and slothfulness, we must cry for revival.

When crave for earthly things begins to compete with our passion for God, for heaven and for souls, then we must seek for revival in all humility and contrition.

1.   PASSION AND PRAYER FOR REVIVAL

Job 29:1-25

“oh that I were as in months past… as in the days of my youth, when the secrets of God was upon my tabernacle; when the Almighty was yet with me….” (Job 29:2-5)

“Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee”

(Psalms 85:6).

For anyone to have revival, the following steps must be taken:

Ø  Perception of One’s Wretchedness (Psalms. 74:9,11 Judges 6:11-13)

We must accept our spiritual wretchedness (Romans7:24;Revelation3:17-18).

When we “see not our signs” of true spirituality, then we are wretched. When God appears to have cast us off, or withdrawn his hand from us, then we are wretched.

Ø  Passion for Revival (Job 29:2-5; Psalms 85:6; Matthew 5:6)

Our hearts must thirst, hunger and pant for God and for revival (Psalms 42:1-3). The desire must drive us back to God continually to see His power and glory in our lives again (Psalms 63:1-3)

Ø  Prayer for Revival (Habakkuk 3:1-4, Psalms 85:4-7)

Prayer for spiritual revival must be:

Sincere and soul-searching

Hot and be from a humble heart

Bible-based and believing.

2.  PREPARING AND PERSEVERING FOR REVIVAL

Hosea 10:12; Psalms 138:6-8

“sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord till He come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hosea 10:12)

In preparation for God’s visitation, we must return fully to righteousness in every area of our lives. We must show mercy and forgiveness to all others. “blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Pride and self- defence must be replaced by humility and contrition. Let’s take note of these:

v  God’s Promise for Revival (Isaiah 57:15, Hosea 14:7, Acts 3:19-20)

God has promised to revive our spirits and hearts. The New Testament affirms that times of refreshing and renewal shall come from the presence of the Lord. “Faithful is He that calleth you who will also do it”

(1 Thessalonians 5:24).

v  Godly Preparation for Renewal (Isaiah 57:14, Ezra 7:10)

The kind of preparation God recommends for revival is more of heart preparation than ceremonial preparation. Look at your heart critically:

    Is it free from haughtiness and pride and full of humility and  

    lowliness?

    Does it tremble in contrition at the word of God?

    Do you accept your faults and make amends or

    Do you explain it away?

    Are you determined in heart to do and to teach the whole will of God?

v  Gracious Perseverance for Revival (Hosea 6:1-3; Luke 18:1, 24:49)

Seeking revival must be done with perseverance. We must:

    Tarry until it comes (Luke 24:49)

    Follow on to know the Lord and He shall come as the rain. The former

    and latter rain

    Ask, seek and knock, believingly until we receive (Matthew 7:7-11)

3.   POSSESSING AND PROMOTING REVIVAL

     Habakkuk 3:1-3; Jeremiah 17:7,8

To possess and promote revival we need the:

ü  Presence of Spiritual Revival  (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

The presence of true spiritual revival and renewal in a person is characterized by the:

    Freshness of spiritual experiences

    Continuity in walk with God

    Efficiency and effectiveness in performance.

ü  Promotion of Spiritual Renewal (Psalms 1:1-3; Isaiah 40:28-31).

         Spiritual revival and renewal is promoted by:

    Daily devotional study of God’s word (Joshua 1:8)

    Regular waiting upon God in prayer – Acts 6:4; Isaiah 40:29-31

    Continued fellowship with people of like precious faith

   (Hebrews 10:25, Prov. 27:17)

ü  Preservation of  Spiritual Revival (John 15:4-7)

To remain in this state we must continue to abide in Christ – the Vine. We must look constantly to him for all strength and grace to keep the revival fire burning.