Introducing the Bill of Rights

  The Bill of Rights reflects the Christian heritage of our nation. The idea of human dignity, that we are created in the image of God, forms the basis for human equality and our core value of liberty (Genesis 1:27 and Mark 12:31). The fundamental basis of religious freedom in human nature secures our rights and limits government. There is a higher authority than civil authority, the laws of God (Acts 5:29). The Declaration of Independence recognizes God, the Creator, that there is a Supreme Judge. His Divine Providence is from where we receive certain inalienable rights, that of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The moral teachings of the Bible is the guide for the common standards of right and wrong required in ourselves and in government to guide private and public life. The rights and responsibilities of citizenship are learned in the primary institutions of civil society which were the family, church, and the community. This was true when God and His teachings were the center of huge population of Bible believing citizens.
     Our founding fathers were also influenced by the philosophers John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu. John Locke, from England, wrote in his "Two Treatises on Government" of 1690: "God, as King David says (Psalm 115:16), has given the earth to the children of men, given it to mankind in common". Locke knew that people were born with certain natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Also, that governments are formed to protect the rights of the people. When governments fail to protect these rights, tyranny results, and the people have the right to rebel. The political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, also of France, in his book "The Spirit of the Laws" in 1748 wrote of the best form of government would incorporate a separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches and would be based on the natural law. Both of their ideas were evident in all three of our Freedom Documents - the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. 
  The Bill of Rights was ratified as part of a gentleman's agreement among our Founding Fathers. There was resistance to the approval of the United States Constitution by Thomas Jefferson because too much power was given to the Federal Government, and American citizens were unprotected. To protect the rights of individual citizens, George Mason had composed the Declaration of Rights, which was passed by the Virginia assembly on June 12, 1776. James Madison of Virginia submitted amendments to the Constitution on June 8, 1789. The Federalists kept their word and on September 25, 1789, the First Federal Congress of the United States approved twelve amendments to the Constitution to be submitted to the states for ratification. The Preamble of the Bill clearly states the Bill of Rights is to prevent abuse of the powers of the Government. By December 15, 1791, all the states ratified ten amendments which became known as the U. S. Bill of Rights to protect the individual rights of American citizens.
  Read the Preamble for yourself. You don't see this part of the Bill of Rights in most teachings anymore but is very important to read and understand what our rights and freedoms are.
                                                         PREAMBLE 
 The Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution. 


 

  We the people hold the power to take back our freedoms that are being taken away one law at a time. The key to doing this is our coming to terms with what our Founding Fathers were thinking. In coming to the point of setting up the greatest government in the history of the world, they relied on prayer to the one true God as evidenced in many historical documents. I made reference to Ben Franklin in an earlier post of how the prayed. Any rational human being can see we are far from where we began and very far from when we became great.

    
        And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

  This is where we belong, we must get back to allowing the Spirit of the Lord to guide us. Our society is so full of hate and judgment and a very few live a Godly life. Everyone is screaming to make their godless ideas policy that they are eroding the freedoms of another. Nobody wants God in their life, many "Christians" included that every person's freedoms will be taken from them. EVERY PERSON'S! As you give more power to federal government, your power over your own life is being taken. God was the center of society at our beginning, lets put Him back in His proper place and I promise you that our enemies will flee instead of advancing. Our anger will turn to peace. Our confused children will find straight paths to follow. Our broken marriages will become a pillar of strength. Our addictions will turn to healthy living. All our faults will turn to blessings! Don't we all truly want this??

  To gain this all back there are steps. The very first step is to get right with God! We must look into what He told in His Word, the Bible. Turn from our wicked ways instead of trying to rationalize them. Accept His free gift of eternal salvation found only is Jesus Christ, God's only Son. Then follow Him! Can you pour gasoline on a rose bush and put dirt into the gas tank of your car and hope all will be well? NO! The rose bush will die and the car won't even start. It Is the same for people. We were created with certain needs to have us healthy both physically as well as spiritually. Those needs are only met by our Creator.

                           WON'T YOU OPEN YOUR EYES AND COME?

OUR FUTURE CHILDREN'S FATE IS IN THE DECISIONS OF TODAY.

 

Getting into the Constitution


  I have spent much of this week reading and contemplating the Constitution of the United States. I need to spend more time reading and studying to find all there is to know.
  The things that jumped out to me was how Senators and Representatives are chosen and their roles in government. The role of the President is an interesting read as well in Article two. Since we hear so much talk of His Executive Orders, I looked for that right. Not there!! Congress has the sole right to make and pass laws. President can veto a bill, but it goes back to Congress to get things right or vote to over ride his veto. I have found that EO's have been used since the beginning, but not to the degree we see today. It was to be used, basically, to help Congress get through an impasse. It was NEVER to used for the President to get whatever he wants! That is a dictator!
  I do want to point out the oath that our President must promise to carry out while in office;


"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."


If the President is to faithfully and to the best of his ability preserve, protect, and defend our Constitution, he would know the very first article covers how laws are made! I know past Presidents have taken advantage of the privilege of EO's but none as bad as the one we have now. To boldly proclaim the he has a phone and a pen and he will do whatever he wants should be grounds for impeachment! But, I am not smart enough on such things. I am also aware that I may have some facts wrong but I will study to get it right.
  What I do know is what scripture tells me to do to those who are in roles of leadership;
  Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:7)
  Also, we should pray;
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior......................(1 Timothy 2:1-3)


  We must pray for our leaders to be honest people. If they will not be honest, then we must stand and force them out. We the people have that power. We must stand and be heard and demand that out Constitution be honored! We must do this in an God honoring way. If we scream and cuss and call names, then we are no different then those who are in power now and deserve what we get from the same.
  We must come back to God and the Christ who lead great men to found our great land. We must start on our knees!


 

FREEDOM!!!

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."


   As I read the opening paragraph of our Constitution, I am reminded of a scripture I shared the other day. Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision,... the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he." At the very beginning of our must treasured document, the vision was cast and it was in the hands of "we the people". That is being taken away all the time. Every time the Congress meets, the Supreme Court convenes, the President speaks, our freedoms are being jumbled up and we the people are losing our freedoms.

    We the people are in charge! Not the Federal Government! We are the ones who are the commanders of our perfect union, not federal judges. "Establish justice and insure domestic tranquility" is ours to command as well. We let the power hungry in Washington control this and, just open your eyes and look around, justice is not based on right and wrong and we have NO tranquility. 

   We are in control of our defense. I am not smart enough to know how taxes pay for our military, but I think I am smart enough to say that if I feel threatened by an enemy like ISIS, then my government should be shutting them down! Not allowing them to grow and get stronger!

   "Promote the general welfare" tells me that we should care for the general welfare for our citizens, not every illegal that walks across our borders. It does not mean that we feed the lazy! We should help those who are in hard times, provide some education, provide a job, and help them get to a place where they can help themselves. It means if someone is disabled that we care for them till they are better or if they never get better, care for them. We should not make it easy to have your bills paid and your belly full while you drink and do drugs or smoke cigarettes!

   We the people are in charge of securing the blessings of freedom!! We need to take it back from the liars! Take it back from the power hungry! Take it back from the foul mouthed! Take it back from the perverted, prostitute chasing, idiots that our elected put in place! 

   I am not wanting to sound angry and sorry if I do. I am trying to get educated on what was put in place and what brought our great land to the point of greatness. I truly feel that before we can move forward, we need to look back. Look back and see where we started, where we were going, and where we should be. Almighty God was the guide that that brought us, sustained us, lead men to establish us, and blessed us. We must get on our knees so we can stand.

FREEDOM!!!
Here is an interesting little tidbit. The Supreme Court ruled in 1892 that The United States IS a Christian nation. Direct quote;
"subject, is granted and secured; but to revile, with malicious and blasphemous contempt, the religion professed by almost the whole community is an abuse of that right. Nor are we bound by any expressions in the Constitution, as some have strangely supposed, either not to punish at all, or to punish indiscriminately the like attacks upon the reli...gion of Mahomet or of the Grand Lama, and for this plain reason, that the case assumes that we are a Christian people, and the morality of the country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity, and not upon the doctrines or worship of those impostors."
First amendment protects your freedom to be and practice your Christian faith. The Supreme Court ruled that we are a Christian nation. We shouldn't have any Religious Freedom Restoration Act! It is already covered!! This is the reason I love this country! Up until the past few decades has everything gotten so chaotic. We must get back to when we were great! Back when we were UNITED!! Those who are in power at this time are only wanting to gain power over all of us and strip us of our freedoms. Let's get our heads out of our butts, get truly educated with who we truly are. When you try and force us Christians to be quite, you are pushing your best friend away.
Christian, quit beating a select few in the head with your Bible, Love just like Christ loves you. Quit being a hypocrite and maybe, just maybe, revival could come to our land and all could be made right.

  As I sit and watch and listen to every sort of argument concerning our rights as Americans and see our society get more and more chaotic, I am forced to state the obvious. This is an attempt to impart some common sense in this senseless world.
  I want to go back to a beginning. Our country came about by many events from Christopher Columbus making the discovery of this land in 1492 or all the way back to 1215 to the Magna Carta.  I will stay with the familiar and begin with The Declaration of Independence signed on July 4th 1776. In this beginning document signed by 57 noble men declaring our country independent from Britain and it must be noted that they all were praying men. Ben Franklin was a part of the whole process and he wrote in a letter; "The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other -- our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of ...the imperfection of the Human Understanding......... In this situation of this Assembly groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine Protection. -- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered."
  The term "Father of lights" is a term from scripture, exactly found in James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
  There are many who say that we were not a country built on Christian principles, but here is but one of many examples of proof that our country was, indeed, built upon Christian principles. This is my desire, to point those who will read or hear my thoughts to come to realize that we are way off the mark in our society.
  So, back to the Declaration of Independence. In the opening paragraphs, we see God as the key authority in making a declaration of a free country;


  In Congress, July 4, 1776
  The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
  When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.


  Nature's God is spoken of in the very first paragraph! A free country is a product of our Creator! Scripture makes reference again to the source of this statement; "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead..." (Romans 1:20) If they were praying men. Praying to the Father of Lights. Doesn't it make sense that we were built upon Christian principles?
  Let's read on;


  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men...."


  "They are endowed by their Creator". What are the "unalienable rights"? "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" Again Creator God is mentioned and His gifts to men are laid out. When we take God out of the equation, life becomes meaningless. Abortion on demand, joy killings, high murder rates, or lack of respect to our fellow countrymen become lacking. Screaming equal rights but squashing the rights of someone with another view has become commonplace. Hatred towards another robs the freedom of conscious for the hater as well as the hated. This is not liberty. There is no true happiness in our day. we all are pursuing more of what we already have enough of. We all are in debt from our personal finances to the federal government. Debt robs us of life, because we can't live it. It robs us of liberty because we become slaves to the one we owe. Put those together and we have no happiness.
  Take a moment and think about what was promised in scripture concerning life. Jesus said in John 10:10,  "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Life more abundant. Don't we want that? The framers of our republic wanted it, prayed for it, and God gave it because they prayed in the name of Jesus who is the giver of life.
  What about liberty? 1 Corinthians 3:17,
"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
We have taken our liberty to focus only on our personal wants that we are killing the liberty of another which causes your liberty to be taken in the long run. Listen to the writer of Galatians 5:13,

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Where the Spirit of the Lord is we have liberty. When we become so consumed by our own wants and forget the wants of another, liberty is taken from us all.

  There is no true happiness when we push the God out that the founding Fathers clung so tightly to. Wake up America.

  The Declaration goes on to list the grievances toward Britain and reasons why we are to be Independent. The last paragraph is as follows;

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. —And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

  They made reference to God as the "Supreme Judge of the world". I have already noted the Christian principles that guided our Fathers. The God of the Jew and the Christian is who is the Supreme Judge spoken of here. He provided every protection and provided every need to make us grow to the greatest country to ever exist outside of Israel.

  I beg all who read, let's get this country back to the Christ who made it possible to be a country. There is a moral guide that needs to be followed. Morality is not inside of us, it is outside and must be followed. Take a good look around. Everyone is angry. Let's come together under one banner. Be united. Let's be united under the living banner of Christ just as our country did in the very beginning.

  

Psalm 33:12
 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Do you not see? Do you not understand? I was there when the Ten Commandments were stripped from the walls of schools and court houses. Times were good. the people felt safe. the kids were happy. Families were close and strong. Years have passed and the knowledge of sin is no more, since the Commandments of the Lord are now forgotten. Now, Jesus is no longer allowed in the schools and court houses and a lot of churches. Now times aren't good at all. I don't feel safe, the nation is wide open and we have evil running the country. The kids are self centered and angry, killing, and spreading sexual diseases. Marriage is very weak, few know what it even means anymore. Family is so weak and in a lot of cases, nonexistent. What is needed? I hope you ask. We must get back to our roots. Back to the One who blessed us in the beginning. We must come to acknowledge our sin before our Creator and fully embrace our only hope, Jesus.

OUR PURPOSE AS THE CHURCH,

THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

Why does the church exist? What is our primary purpose?
Sing hymns and preach sermons?
Present the Gospel to the lost?
To bring hope to the hurting?
Provide a place for worship and instruction?
Equip the Saints for the work of the ministry?
To prepare children for life?
To provide for the needy?
To stimulate action on social issues?
Teach the scriptures?
Be a model of righteousness? All of these are vital and necessary, but none are the central reason for the Church's existence.
The primary Purpose;
1 Corinthians 10:31 gives the answer; "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD."
   That's it!! Our sole purpose is to glorify the Lord our God. Whatever we could do from our list above, we do it for His Glory! The Corinthian Church wasn't the only one assigned to radiate God's glory. If we would wander over to Romans, Paul instructs them as well in 15:5&6, "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
   It doesn't matter if you been an active member in Church since you were a kid or you are brand new in the congregationn, we are all to glorify God in one accord! What did Jesus say about the farmer who hired help in the morning, at noon and again at evening time? When it was time to pay, they all got the same wage!!
Look in Ephesians 1:10-12, "In him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the PRAISE OF HIS GLORY!"
Church, glorify God!! This truth rings through scripture like wedding bells. We could have dynamic preaching or awesome music. We could have the latest in technology in presenting power points, but if God's glory is not the primary focus, all is empty. His glory must be the underlying motive for all we do.
Do you teach? Do it for His glory!
Do you preach? Do it for His glory!
Take care of the treasury? His glory!
Lead in worship? His glory!
Play a musical instrument? His glory!
Operate audio and visual systems? His glory!
Take up the offering? His glory!
Marquee ministry? His glory!!    Can you imagine fueling every action, every word, every Church program with the glory of God?? What would happen? 2 Thessalonians 1:11&12 says, "To this end also we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power; in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
   Amazing fact!!! As we glorify God, we are glorified in Him! Glory leads to more glory! This is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven." Not just doing a good deed. It's in how you walk above all the ill issues of life and can still have a smile on your face and clean language coming from your lips! Truth draws people!!   All it takes is one person with a burning desire to glorify God! Then that flame can touch off brush fires of glory that can blaze across any spiritual landscape. I come from Kansas and in the spring they burn off the prairies and fields for new growth. At night time, watching a line of fire dance across a field is a most amazing sight! I can see the blaze of God's glory burning across any city if His people could catch this!
What is this glory?
  First, Exodus 40:34 ~ "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."
This isn't a 25 watt light bulb inside the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. This was like an expolding nova! To enter in inappropriately meant sudden death.
   Second, 1 Corinthians 15:39-41 ~ "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars;for star differs from star in glory."
Glory pulsates from the planets just as it pulsates from earthbound creatures.
God's holy brilliance in the ancient tabernacle nor the glory found in creation is the glory best describes the glory the church is to radiate.

John the Baptist lived the third kind of glory. The kind of glory the churh should demonstrate. John 1:23-27 ~ "He said, "I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said." Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, and said to him, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them saying, "I baptize fnin water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. "It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."
   Remember what he said to his disciples who asked him as to why Jesus' ministry was growing and John's was falling apart. "He must increase, but I must decrease." ( John3:30)
   Glory, then, as it relates to us, the Church, means to magnify and elevate the Lord God as we diminish and deny ourselves. It means being occupied with and commited to His ways rather than preoccupied with and determined to go my own way.

   What did Isaiah say? "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8&9)
   We cannot seek personal glory and God's glory at the same time!
   When life gets hard, seek His glory in patiently waiting for His guidance. When it seems as if the stress will over power you, think on Him and His promises! One day, it will be like waking from a bad dream when you enter into His rest!!
   We can't dwell on the questions of will our Chruch will grow or die, just concentrate on His glory! All this is said to remind you, me ,us, that as we focus totally on Him, His glory, His praise, and His Word, His glory will surround us and we will begin to radiate Him! Those who don't know Him will see Him in us, personally and corporately and be drawn in.
   Know what a lunar eclipse is? The moon passes behind the earth directly away from the sun. The moon eases into the earth's shadow. For a short time, the moon is deprived of the sun's light. So, the earth gets in the way of the sun, the moon don't reflect the sun light and it even cools-until it is brought back into the sun's light again. We, as Christians, are just like that moon! Sometimes we bask in the light of our Lord Jesus and sometimes, the earth just gets in the way. We start cooling for Him, live according to the worlds standards and seek our own glory. We dim out and cool down from living for Him. Is it time to get the earth out of the way? Personally as well as corporately? I think yes, it is past time.

　

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
I spent much of my day thinking of this verse. I am stuck on the word "abide". Here are some synonyms for abide: comply with · obey · observe · follow · keep to · hold to · conform to · adhere to · stick to · stand by · act in accordance with · uphold · heed · accept · go along with · acknowledge · respect · defer to. So, what Jesus is expecting from His disciples (if you claim to be a Christian, you should be a disciple) is to have a lifestyle where He is exclusively followed. It seems to have  changed from our abiding with Him to Him abiding with us! Abiding with Him is to be following Him, going where He goes. Now, He is supposed to abide with us! We can now take Him to the casino and bingo halls. We can take Him into any sexual experience we chose, whether with anybody or alone with your computer. We can use His name to cheat our fellow man. We can take Him on our drinking parties. And on the list goes. Where ever you want Him to abide, He will go. Why? Because, without Him, we can't do anything.
Wrong! He is the Vine, we are the branches.............
Because this is the new norm and He never changes, heed the warning of His next words......... “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:6) That sounds like hell!
We need a revival! Will you let it begin in you?

Revelation 21:6-8
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second deat...h.”
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Could someone explain this passage to me? I am interpreting this that Jesus is saying that if I overcome sin in my life, I will inherit all things in Heaven. Then He seems to go and share a list of those who will go to hell. I must be misinterpreting this! Because I see so many living those on the hell list claiming to be headed to Heaven.

Gospel Presentation

Enemies of Revival

“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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.

  This is a well known passage that is often times used to talk about the matter of revival. It is THE revival verse! This is God's promise that those who will turn from their sins, call out to Him, and walk in His ways will experience a revival of the presence and blessings of the Lord. It was directed to Israel, but it speaks to every person on Earth now.

  We need a revival! We love our church services, but we need more than a service, we need revival. We need something that we cannot produce by our own efforts. We could have a church service this week, but we couldn't have a revival unless the Lord gives it. 

  There are four enemies spoken of in the above verse. Yes, I said enemies! You may be thinking that it says to do these things and He will hear. Yes it does, but stick with me for a few minutes and I will show you that there is four enemies mentioned..

  Before I get into it I want to be clear on one issue. The above verse is directed towards God's people. It says, "If My people which are called by My name....." This is not directed to lost people. Lost people do not need revival, they need to be saved! If you are not saved, you need to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, confess your sins, and call on Him for you souls salvation. If you are saved, then God has something to say to you from this verse. He will help if we allow Him to help us.

  Number one enemy.....pride!

  The verse says, "will humble themselves....". Pride speaks of people thinking more of themselves and their abilities than they do of God. Pride says, "I do not need God! I can do make my own way. I know best! I call the shots in my life!". You may or may not even know that this evil is present in your life. I beg you to look and see if there is some seed of this evil in your life that would be hindering the will of God in your life and Church.

  We are so eaten up with pride in our modern Churches! We have adopted the Laodicean mentality,

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—" (Revelation 3:17) We have learned to function without the help of the Lord and it has destroyed the power of the Church!

  God calls His people to humble themselves. The word humble means to place yourself under another's authority. Pride will not let a prideful person to come under the authority of anyone, even the Lord. God desires His people to take whatever steps that are necessary to bring themselves under His authority. He wants us to know that we cannot do it alone. He wants us to know that we are dependent upon Him for everything we have. He wants us to bend our knee to Him and His authority in our lives. We need to remember that we were nothing when He found us and we are nothing without His presence in our lives. Remember what Jesus said? "I am the vine, you are the branches: he that that abides in Me and I abide in him shall bring forth much fruit, for without Me, you could do nothing." (John 15:5) If we are to have revival, then pride, the enemy of revival, must be dealt with!

  Enemy number two......prayerlessness.

  The people are challenged to pray. Prayerlessness is the first cousin to pride. It says, "I do not need to call on the Lord, I can make it just fine without His help." Prayerlessness does not say, "He is all I need!" It says, "I am all I need!" Prayerlessness relies on self and the resources that self can produce and refuses to lean on Jesus alone. It is a fact that we can pray and not have revival, but we will never have revival without prayer! Prayer is the ultimate statement of inability. Prayer looks to God and says, "I can't, but You can," We have lost the art of waiting before the Lord in prayer. Too much of our praying is anemic, antiseptic, formal, repetitious, and long winded. We pray around issues but never get down to trusting God by faith. Our prayers leave our mouths, but, all to often, do not reach our Father in Heaven!

  Enemy number three.......Priorities.

  God's people are told to "seek His face...." This little phrase is a call for God's people to stop looking for help and purpose in every other thing in life. They are called upon to make God their primary focus and their first priority. Revival does not come to those who are seeking revival! Revival comes to those who are seeking God!! Falling in love with Jesus all over again!!

  Be honest. What is the number one priority in your life? Is it your job? Your bank account or retirement? Is it you family? Your spouse? Is it your hobby? Or, is it the Lord? When anything but God is the number one priority in your life, you are out of balance and you are not a candidate for revival. When God is our first priority, the things He cares about will be the things that we will care about. When we are seeking His face, we will be able to see what has His attention, and, what has His attention will have our attention. He wants us to love what He loves and hate what He hates and do what He does. (John 5:19 & 20).

  Look at where you go, what you do, and where you spend your money. Do that and you will have a good idea where your priorities are. Where does God fit in the equation of your life? Is He first place? If He isn't, then you are not a candidate for revival.

  Enemy number four........presumption.

  Finally, God's people are told to "turn from their wicked ways." That is, they are to turn from their sins and embrace holiness. We say, "I am saved and what I do doesn't matter." YES THEY DO!!! Sin keeps out of the presence of the Lord. Sin closes the Lord's ears to our prayers. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." (Psalm 66:18).

  We do not have revival because we are just as guilty in sin as the world around us. Church people sin! They drink in excess, they steal, they lie, they cheat, they commit adultery, they engage in sexual activity outside of marriage, they hate, they are prideful, they walk in hypocrisy, they drag the precious name of Jesus through the mud. He cannot and will not bless a mess like this!! We are saved by grace, but grace is never a license to sin!!

  We need a season of repentance. We are good with our excuses and very quick to rationalize our behavior, but we are slow to fall before the Lord and confess our sins and receive His forgiveness. We must come clean about our sins so He can bless us! We need revival,  but revival won't come to a presumptuous people. It will only come to those who get honest about their sin. Those who confess them and turn from them. Only to those who turn to God with all of their hearts! (Jeremiah 29:13)

  So, these are the enemies of revival. They must be defeated. When they are defeated, what does the passage say? "I will hear from Heaven, I will forgive their sin, and heal their land." Doesn't that sound awesome? God hearing. God cleansing. Then god working!

  Are the enemies of revival; pride, prayerlessness, misplaced priorities, and presumption active in your life? You need to get real with God now and I promise, He will revive you. And if a whole congregation would catch this......WOW! What a party!!

 

Quick Gospel from beginning to end...........
In the begining God created the heavens and the Earth. I speak of the only True and Living God who is the creator of all things. In the creation process He made man and woman, Adam and Eve. This is fact and not faith as defined as a system of religious belief but faith as defined as confidence or trust in a person or thing. God put these people in a garden as a married couple and told them they could eat of any tree in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because if they did they would die. Not in a physical sense but a spiritual sense. Their innocence would be taken away. Notice, He made Adam and Eve and told them to multiply and fill the Earth. They should come together and become one. None other created thing was this told to.

God wanted to enjoy His creation and would come down from Heaven regularly to visit with Adam and Eve. They enjoyed God as well. They knew He was the maker and that only in Him was the answer to all their questions.

In the course of time, the deciever came along and began talking with Eve. He said to her, " Didn't God say that you could eat of any tree in the garden?" She said,"Yes, of every tree but not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We can't eat it or even touch it." This begins the sepration from God. God did not say that they couldn't touch the fruit, all He said was not to eat it. This is also the time when religion came into being. Adding to a simple truth is religion, a system of belief not founded on anything God said. Anyway, she listened to the deciever and did eat and also gave to her husband and he ate as well. As soon as they did, they lost their perfect relationship with the Creator.

When it was time for God to come visit, the two heard Him coming and hid themselves. They quickly sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves because for the first time, they saw themselves as naked. He called out to them, "Adam, where are you?" He didn't say 'Adam!!, Get your stupid, sinfull butt out here!!'. He knew what had happened and already felt the loss that the deciever caused. When the story was told, we see the first glimpse of salvation. Mans attempt to cover his sin (fig leaves) wasn't good enough. Those leaves would quickly dry and blow away. Our religious system to reach God wasn't good enough. We are not big enough to reach Him. But He is big enough to reach us, even when He don't have to. Something innocent had to die so the skins could make coverings for them. We are His creation, He set all things in order. Since this is true, His laws are to be adhered to. Again, this isn't "religious faith", but, absolute truth. All through the Bible, people sin, fall into slavery, God brings them back. When the people got to sinful, God would get rid of them, sometimes in very hororific ways. We could try to judge God and say that He is wrong, but that would be to no avail. He is God.

Long story short, since we are so sinful, God sent the ultimate and last sacrifice to get back to that perfect relationship He so wanted. That sacrifice was His only Son, Jesus. This is NOT based on my believing in it. I do not base my values on what I feel. We now live in a time where we want things to be at peace. Some think that if we just give in and allow whatever we will aquire that peace. It will not bring peace but more problems. What I've said here is not true because I believe in it, I believe in it because it is true. There is only one true God. He is not the same God that the world religions say. He is the true, living God. Creator. God of the Jews and of Christians. I would be a fool to try to wash down what I know is Gods Word. I will love as Jesus would have me to love, but I wouldn't be loving if I didn't tell the truth. Some will say that I'm ignorant, He says,"Well done!" He will come back one day to set things back to where they belong...I urge you ( whoever you may be ) believe in Jesus for salvation and you will see truth as you have never seen before.

HOW TO PROMOTE A REVIVAL

Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:12

   Fallow ground is ground that has been left unworked so that the nutrients the soil needs can be replenished and support another harvest. During this unworked time, the ground will become hard and seem like nothing good could ever grow. Our hearts can become hard to the things of God. When we have left it unworked, weeds grow and there may be no order.
   To break up the fallow ground of our heart, we must not depend upon our feelings. You may not feel repentant about a particular sin but it does not mean it isn't sin. The world around us has infected us with the attitude that if it feels right, then it's right. You must be able to look square into His Word and say that sin is sin. Confession is agreement with God concerning that which He lables sin. When you confess and set your mind against it, your feelings will follow. When we break up our fallow ground, we are turning every row of our heart field. When it turned and confession is made, God's righteousness will be planted. Then a harvest will come with blessings and those around us may see Jesus and a sinner can be saved.
   I ask you to get in a quite place and begin to turn the soil of your heart and see if there be any sin that need be confessed. Don't just confess without being ready to deal with it and get it out of your life. The following lists can help in revealing and dealing with sin;

1. Sins of omission;
Ingratitude - Is there some blessings from the Father evenwhile you were in sin, that you never exercised gratitude.


Lack of love towards God - Think how you would feel if you discovered that those you love with all your heart, only love you in a part time way? Only when you are needed?


Neglect of the Bible - You may read daily but can't remember what you read 10 minutes after you have read it. Do you love what you read?
Unbelief - You may know of some promise that God has promised but still chose to do things your way.


Neglect of prayer - Are you seeking God, praising God, asking God with your whole heart? Are your prayers just the same old words spoken in the same old tone? Are you just checking a box before you go to bed or eat a meal?


Neglect of the means of grace - Do you put up silly excuses to take away from your time in Church, prayer, Bible study?
Lack of love for the souls of your fellow-men - Have you had the compassion of Jesus felt for those around you. Or are you standing by and watching them go to hell?

Neglect of family duties - Think about how you live before them. Are you an example for them for righteousness? What direct efforts do make for thier spiritual good?

Neglect of watchfulness over your own life - You hurry past the spiritual needs so you can do that which may cause you to fall?

Neglect to watch over your brethren - You see neglect of spiritual duties in your Brothers and Sisters but not work to help them?

Neglect of self-denial - You will do anything for God or family or friends as long as it is comfortable for you.
2. Sin of commission;
Worldly mindedness - Are your possessions really yours? Is your ambitions directed at how much more you could get for your own sake?
Pride - Think about the times you have decorated yourself either outwardly or inwardly. Taking away from someone else or God just to make yourself appear better?

Envy - Been envious of others whom you thought were above you in respect? Envied those whose talents seemed better than yours? Envious of others stuff?

Faultfinding - Had a bitter spirit and spoken ill of Christians. Are you always seeking the best for your brothers and Sisters?

Slander - The times you have spoken behind people's back of the faults, real or supposed, to others, without good reason.

Lying.

Cheating.

Hypocrisy - Saying one thing and then do the opposite? Pray to confess sin but not really meaning to lay it aside and follow Christ.

Bad temper.

Whatever else Holy Spirit may bring to mind.
  Whenever you find anything wrong, resolve at once, in the strength of God, to sin no more in that way. It will be useless to examine yourself, unless you determine to rid yourself of anything that would hinder God from moving within you.
  Direct quote from Charles Finney, "Professors of religion should never satisfy themselves, or expect a revival, just by starting out of their slumbers, and blustering about, and talking to sinners. They must get their fallow grounds broken up. It is utterly unphilosophical to think of getting engaged in religion in this way. If your fallow ground is broken up, then the way to get more feeling is to go out and see sinners on the road to hell, and talk to them. and guide inquiring souls, and you will get more feeling. You may get into an excitement without this breaking up; you may show a kind of zeal, but it will not last long, and it will not take hold of sinners, unless your hearts are broken up. The reason is, that you go about is mechanically, and have not broken up your fallow ground."

God Is Always There


Psalm 139: 7 & 8

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

David was a man after Gods own heart. Why? He spent many hours, and days, and months, and years in a close relationship with Him. He spent many nights looking up into a starry host praying, worshipping, and seeking to know his Holy Father in Heaven..

Davids innocence before sin and life would rob him.

He had all this without any revelation of Jesus and no indwelling of the Holy Spirit!

God is everywhere! --from Heaven to hell....
Wherever we are, whatever our situation, God is there.....in our saved state or our unsaved state!
When we’re rejoicing in His presence, he is there.
When we’re in the hospital or at home, he is there.
When the sun is shining or when it’s raining, God is there.
God never changes. In Malachi 3:6 He said, "I am God and I change not."

Jesus is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8
He never takes his eyes off of us. He never leaves us alone. He never forsakes us. He constantly takes care of us.
For He said in Joshua 1:5, "I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you but I’ll be with you always even unto the end of the world."

God is literally everywhere. He fills all space and time. He is eternal! Want to know what eterinty looks like? Go out on a clear, starry summer night and look up!

Even though God is omnipresent, he is every where; he has chosen to manifest himself in a personal way to us in the person of Jesus Christ and in the person of the Holy Ghost. He dwells in our hearts, and not just in our hearts but in the hearts of every believer everywhere.

You know what we try to do? Place God in certain limited locations. We try to restrict His movements......

But the Lord God knows no boundaries. Nothing can stop him from moving.......David knew this!! What freedom there is in letting this sink in!!!


He is Lord whether or not you believe!
He is unlimited by space and time.
Solomon wisely questioned in 1 Kings 8:27, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?"


Some may ask, "Where does God dwell and where does He meet with His people?"

Anywhere He wants!


Adam and Eve "heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8)

The Lord spoke to Abram in his home country.

He spoke to Jacob at Bethel.

He spoke to Joseph in dreams.

He spoke to Moses through a burning bush.


He spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus, and He spoke to John on the Isle of Patmos.


The Lord spoke to Elijah in a still small voice and He spoke to Isaiah in a magnificent vision.
And the Bible tells us in Hebrews 1:2 that in these last days that God hath spoken unto us by his Son.


But the greatest revelation of the presence of God to mankind is yet to come in eternity.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says, "For now we see through a glass darkly.".....we know it's there but just out of sight. See little glimpses.....
For now we can gain God’s attention by having a contrite (repentant or turning from sin) spirit, and by obeying His Word. (Isaiah 66:2) David knew this.

This is revival talk! This is the path to begin again! Even though He is so close, your walls of seperation must be toppled! And when they are down, HE IS THERE!!!


So for now, we see dimly what our eyes want to see. But the day will come when we shall see our Savior face to face!

It is so awesome to know that God came to this world as a man!
John 1:14, "The Word was made flesh and blood."
The King of Glory became as one of us and walked among us as a man. (Hebrews 2:14-17)

Hebrews 4:15 says He was tempted just like us, in all points. When He was playing and accidently broke something, He never lied. Seeing the pretty girl at school, feeling the butterfly's, never lusted. And in high school....not wanting to drink or have sex with that pretty girl.

Jesus Christ was God’s temple while He was on this earth.
The Jews heard the Jesus correctly when He said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (John 2:19)
But they did not understand His message. He was not referring to a destruction of their temple.
He was talking about the death and resurrection of his own body; the place where God dwelt in radiant fullness.
We as believers have that same Spirit in the same radiant fullness, inside us. That’s the promise that we have today. That no matter what we go through. No matter what difficult things we experience in our lives.

God is there. Jesus Christ is there!
Nobody....... can satisfy the longing of our hearts but Jesus.
Nobody....... can heal the hurt in our hearts but Jesus.
Nobody....... can deliver us but Jesus.
Nobody....... can bring us out of whatever is holding us but Jesus.


You may not be able to help yourself, but The Lord is there.
He’ll pick you up. He’ll encourage you. He’ll bring you out.
The presence of God is the most valuable commodity that we have today.

Why? Because in his presence there is fullness of joy.
God doesn’t just want us to experience joy, but He wants us to know joy and to know it in its fullness.
Jesus came to bring us joy in its fullness.
He is said in John 15:11 "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

Many times the church is misunderstood.
The question has been asked, "Why do folks get so excited about worshiping God?"
Why do people sing hymns of worship with a smile on their face?
Why do people shout and dance in praise unto God?
Why is the atmosphere charged with the very presence of the Almighty?


Because the church is made up of ordinary people who have an unusual ( it's a usual thing in a lost world.) appreciation for God and His mercy.
The church is made up of ordinary people who have had their fair share of problems and struggles.
We're not perfect, we make mistakes, but we can still lift up our hands and raise our voices and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Why? Because we’re thankful for everything that God has brought us out of and everything that God is doing and everything that God is going to do in our lives.


One that I am so excited about is found in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

That’s why we praise Him. That’s why we get excited and worship God.
It’s because of where He’s brought us from and where He’s taking us.

In God’s presence there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11, Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.


David realized something about God and that is that in the right hand of God was a place of honor and dignity, of power and authority.
The trials that he faced may have weighed heavily upon his life and his spirit, but he had a magnificent expectation for the future.

If you was to live for 100 years on this Earth with all the problems we face, WHAT does that compare to ETERNITY in Heaven?!

God does not take us around all our afflictions so that we can avoid discomfort but He did tell us that he would go with us.

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

If you are passing through the waters, God is with you!

If you are walking through the fire, God is there!
No matter where you go or what you go through God always goes with you.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "Be strong and of a good courage … for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee."
God has given us a promise and that promise is worth more than anything that this world has to offer.

Jesus promised that he will fill us with his spirit and dwell with us.
It doesn’t matter if it’s with a small group or a large group.
Jesus is just as much at home with few as He is with many.

He seems not to be influenced by numbers.
He said in Matthew 18:20, for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
It is so good to know that God moves on the thousands, sweeping over them in waves of blessings, but it is equally thrilling to know that He also meets us as individuals.

God is a personal God!
Whatever you need. You may not even know what you need, but He knows!

Whatever you face. Whatever is on your mind. God is there!


You can’t get in a bind that God can not get you out of.


You can’t get in a mess that God can not deliver you from.


I don’t care where you are. I don’t care what you’re going through. You can hold your head up, and know that God is there.
He’s going to help you. He’s going to strengthen you. He’s going to encourage you.

You wouldn't have read that if you wasn't here now.

One common trait of everybody who has ever received anything from God is that they wanted it. They were thirsty for it.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after the righteousness of God, for they shall be filled."
Everybody who wanted the blessing; who hungered for it; who thirsted after it; got it!
They long for God’s presence.....do you?
They yearn for the living waters......do you?

David, again, said in 42:1, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God."

If you’re seeking for it; if you’re hungry for it; if you’re thirsty for it; you’re going to get it.

Right now may be the first time you ever thought of it, but you want it.
God is going satisfy your hunger. God is going to satisfy your thirst. Only God can!

I thank God for salvation!
Salvation is more than just a formality or a ritual......some say to take this class, or say these words and you'll be ok.....WRONG!!!
If we have repented and been buried in Jesus name in water baptism, we can expect to receive the Holy Ghost.
Which Colossians 1:27 says, "is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

It’s more than somebody feeling that their sins are forgiven.
Miracles are not the evidence that folks have been saved.
An abundance of joy is not the evidence that folks have been saved.

Jesus said in John 7:38 & 39, " He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
We must believe according to the Scriptures!
Do you believe this? God is still pouring out His Spirit? Thats how I know God is always there, His Spirit tells me so!!

The promise that Jesus gave, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" was not just for those of the first century.
God wants to fill us with joy. His Holy Ghost is joy unspeakable and full of glory.


Conclusion:

The angel at the garden tomb declared of Jesus Christ, "He is not here: for he is risen". (Matthew 28:6)
He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Mark 12:27
That’s why we must praise Him, because He inhabits or dwells in the praises of His people.
He lives in the midst of believers whose hearts are vibrant with praise and thanksgiving.
We will discover that as we seek God with all of our hearts, that no matter what we go through, He is there.


He is "Jehova-shammah", the Lord is there.
And as I close, if you need Him, He is there.

If you need forgivness, God is there. Jesus died for your sins. He gave His life so you can have forgiveness! He rose again on the third day conquering sin and death so that we can all that I have spoke of this morning. Will you recieve Jesus today?

If you need deliverance from sin or any form of evil in your life, God is there.

If you need strength to overcome, God is there.

If you need encouragement, God is there.


Whatever you need God is there.




　

　




　

   When a Revival can be expected

    

　

                      Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Psalm 85:6 KJV

　
The Psalm writer, while thinking about the goodness of the Lord in bringing them, the Jews, back from captivity and looking forward to good things before them. He breaks into a prayer for a revival, "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?". Since God had re-established the ordinances of His house among them, he prays that there will be a revival to crown the work.
In my previous look into revival, I attempted to show what a revival is, what it is not, and that it is Word of God, planted in the right way, that will bring about a revival. I will now cover; 1. When a revival is needed. 2. The importance of a revival when it is needed. 3. When a revival can be expected.


1. WHEN A REVIVAL IS NEEDED


When there is a WANT of Christian love and unshakable confidence in our great faith, a revival is needed. When the Church is so splintered that pride and a lack of confidence among new believers of the Christian faith is so weak, A revival is needed. When Christians have sunk down into a low and backslidden state, they neither have, nor can have, the same love and confidence toward each other as when they are alive, and active, and living holy lives, a revival is needed.
God loves all people with deep love and desire to do good to others. He can not feel the feeling of quite pleasure and security toward any but those those who live a holy life because He is holy. We Christians can only love each other with the same love in proportion to their holiness before God. If Christian love is to be exactly in the image of Christ among His people, then it can only be exercised only where that image really exists! Understand what James was telling us in1:21-24, "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."
It is an empty call on Christians to love one another with the holy love that God shows us when they are sunk down in the muck of sin. They see nothing in each other to produce this love! When there is such a spirit within the Church, then there is a great need for revival. Our religion cannot prosper and nothing but a revival can put to death this evil spirit.
When there is a worldly spirit in the Church, it is time for revival. When Christians conform to the world in dress, in amusements, in music, in what you watch on television or the movies you would see, it shows how far they are from God. There is a need for revival.
When the Church finds its members falling into gross and scandalous sins, or are in the wake of such sins, then it is time to awaken and cry to God for a revival! When such a dark cloud hangs over a Church, it is time to ask God, "What will become of thy great Name?"
When there is a spirit of controversy in the church, a revival is needed. There can be no prosperity in the Church when there is the evil spirit of controversy is present.
When the lost become careless and stupid and extremely violent, it is time that Christians to seek God for revival. It is as much thier duty to awaken themselves as it is for a fireman to awaken when a fire breaks out in the night! Should a fireman sleep away while the city burns down? NO! As the fireman is to awaken, so is the Church! We need to be awake to battle the flames of hell that are coming on the lost people around us.


2. THE IMPORTANCE OF REVIVAL


A revival is the only possible thing that can wipe away the stains of sin upon the Church and restore it's right standing before our Father and the public around it. There must be a waking up on the part of Christians, and an outpouring of God's spirit, or the world will continue to laugh at and overlook the Church.
Nothing else will restore Christian love and confidence in our faith among Church members. Nothing else but a revival can restore it! Nothing else should be thought to bring this about. Not a fellowship meal or a "Get well" card.
Nothing but a revival could lift the spirit that so holds a Church down. It may not be God's judgment that causes a Church to not grow. But it may the stains of sin and fear of failure that will hold a Church from being what God would have that Church to be. Without a revival, prayers may only reach the ceiling and converts may never be found.
There is no other way in which a Church can be santified, grow in grace, and be fitted for Heaven. What is "growing in grace"? Is it hearing some teaching and getting some new notions about religion? No; no such thing! The Christian who does this and nothing more, is getting worse and worse, more and more hardened, and every week it is more difficult to rouse them up. Growing in grace is Godly love and confidence that is in the image of Christ spilling out into the world around us.


WHEN REVIVAL CAN BE EXPECTED


When the Spirit of God indicates that a revival is near. Pastors sermons of confessing sin one evening. The Pastor calling us to cast into the deep. Your desire for the Pastor to teach on end time events. Me being lead to teach on revival. Turn the radio on and there are preachers talking about the need to get back to the Bible in our message and conduct.
When the evil doings of the wicked grieves, humbles, and distresses Christians. Sometimes Christians don't seem to really mind anything about the wickedness around them. If they do speak of the wickedness it is a cold and unfeeling way, forgetting that they were once lost outside the faith. They are more ready to scold sinners instead of acting out of the compassion that the Son of God had for them. Only revival can take away the hardness of believers so that they will earnestly pray for sinners.
A revival may be expected when Christians have a spirit of prayer for a revival. Are you praying for revival? Are you willing to have a revival as long as it don't bother the everyday business of life and Church? Or, are you ready for God to use whatever means He brings in to usher in revival? Sometimes Christians want a revival but only if they can manage the details. Revival will come when God's children will just allow Him to move. Not second guess Him.

STUDIES OF REVIVAL

STUDY ONE

Introduction;
O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2) KJV

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2) NIV
Religion is the work of man. It is something for man to do. It is all about obeying God. It is our service to Him. It is true that God influences us by His Holy Spirit to convict us of our great wickedness and unwillingness to obey. If it were not necessary for God to influence men, if we were so ready to obey God on our own, there would never be a need to cry out to Him, "O Lord, revive us!" The reason we would cry out to Him in this way is because we not 100% ready , at all times, to obey. If God didn't give us His Holy Spirit to guide and stir us up, not one person would ever obey the commands of God.


The reason for this study is it is necessary for God to use our tendacy to get excited. We can be so sluggish, there are so many outside influences that lead our minds away from obeying. So many evil influences that cause us to hide the Gospel and not share. We can get so wrapped up in our way of doing Church that we become cold. It becomes necessary for God to use an excitement among us so that a tide rises so high as to sweep away any obstacles. We must be so overcome with the excitement of His presence, that those things which cause us to be lazy will be replaced with a revived will to obey and share.
1. A REVIVAL IS NOT A MIRACLE;


A miracle has been generally defined to be a divine interference. A setting aside, or suspending, the laws of nature. A revival is not a miracle in this sense. All the laws of matter and mind remain in force. They are neither suspended nor set aside in revival.


We seek for God to move among us, but, it is no "miracle" - in the sense of something above the powers of nature. It is in our nature, as believers, to have super natural drawings. Holy Spirit dwells within us. He draws and enpowers us to obey. If we didn't have His Spirit dwelling within us, we wouldn't be drawn at all.


The revivals we see in the opening chapters of the book of Acts were not miracles. Revival followed miracles, but were not miracles themselves. The right means of these revivals were due to the right use of Gods word. In Acts 2 when the miracle of the giving of Holy Spirit was quite a different thing from Peter standing and giving his sermon where about 3000 souls were saved. Also, in Acts 3 is the story of Peter and John going to the temple and a lame man being healed. When the people saw the lame man walking and praising God, they wondered what this was. Again, the lame man being healed was the miracle, Peter standing and preaching the truth was another. About 5000 people was saved from this encounter.


It is not a miracle for a gardener to enjoy a nice harvest after planting seed. It is only right that, with Gods blessing, that the seed will grow and bring about the desired result. The same result is expected by planting the seed of Gods word into the souls of people, with Gods blessing, a harvest will follow. Jesus spoke in Luke, chapter 8, of seed being planted. That seed is the word of God. when planted in good soil, a good result will follow. So, a revival is not a miracle, only the result of the right means being applied in the right way.


2. WHAT A REVIVAL IS;


A revival is always needed when the Church is sunk down in a back-slidden state and/or society around the Church is so depraved and lost.


A revival always includes conviction of sin on the part of the Church. Back-slidden Christians cannot wake up and begin immediately in service of God without deep cleansings of heart. We cannot keep saying that we are only human and that we are prone to sin. There is some truth there, as we are still in this flesh. But Peter again stands and speaks to us today, "Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:2-4 NIV)


Back-slidden Christians will be brought to repentance. A revival is nothing more than a new beginning of obedience to God. Just like the case of a saved sinner, the first step is deep repentance, a humbling of ourselves, a getting down in the dust before our Creator, with the goal of forsaking sin that is present within ourselves.


Christians will have their faith renewed. While in a back-slidden state, Christians can become blind to the state of the lost. Their heart can become as hard as marble. They can believe the truths of the Bible, admit they are all true, and even their daily walk is based on the truths found there. But, their faith does not see all the burning realities of eternity. They will look upon the lost with a cold, judging eye. When they enter into revival, they will as Jesus sees. They will see with that strong light which will renew the love of God in their hearts. They will feel grieved that others do not love God when they love Him so much. They will be filled with a tender and burning love for souls. Their prayer life will be renewed for the cause of salvation on the souls of the lost.


A revival breaks the power of the world and of sin over Christains. They will have a renewed desire towards Heaven and being close to our Father. It is then that the charm of the world and the power of sin is broken.


When the Church is so broken down and then revived, the lost will begin to truly see Jesus in Christians. Salvation will be found by those around them. The worst human beings are softened and reclaimed for Christ. They will be made to appear as lovely specimens of the beauty of holiness.
　
　

A softer side.......


I was thinking today that my first blogs came off as harsh and one sided. That is the farthest from my intentions. True, I see a GREAT need for revival in our land. True that there is only one way to achieve that and it is fully looking into God's perfect word and aligning ourselves to it instead of the way we do church now.
I was reading at lunch today and was directed to the first Psalm. Here is what I read;




Psalm 1:1-3


Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;


But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.


He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.




When you walk in this life by the way of our Great Lord, There really are great blessings! When I have come to the place of looking no further than the counsel of the Lord Jesus and His word, I am not walking in ungodly confusion. I am not standing in the same place  as lost people do. I am not sitting in a place of hurt or anger, depression or anxiety. When Jesus said He would set a man free, he would be totally free (John 8:36)!! What does that mean? I am free NOT to sin. When I quit trying to align myself to other religious people and measure myself to His word, I am FREE!! I am free to be happy. I am free to have joy. I am free from stress. I am free from guilt. I am free from anger. I am free to love my fellow man. I am free to care for them.



Think about the tree planted by the rivers of water for a second. It's roots NEVER are without life giving water! It is always fresh. It always brings forth shade and fruit when it is supposed to. The animals around it can have shade and shelter when needed because it is strong. That is the substance of a life devoted to Jesus Christ. The prosperity spoken of here is not concerning money. We always want to equate prosperity with money. But, what He wants for us is to prosper in His peace. His love. His joy. Isn't that better to have than worldly riches? You have to fight to hold on to those things.


Listen to what Jesus said, "  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) The fruit of having Him dwell inside you is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22&23) This is what I have found when I got down on my face before God and applied His word to my life. This a great way to live in this world. The rewards after will be even more amazing.


I have decided to share my walk to this revival that is still taking place in my heart with anyone who would read. I will share all my thoughts just as I did when I presented it to my church this past summer. I hope seeking more of God in your life will have the same rewards it has given me. God bless everyone!!!

 A need for revival in our lives and Churches!


Ezra 9:5-10

At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments.................


I was teaching Ezra last week in Sunday School and these passages jumped out at me. We in America have let the Christian Way become a whole world away from what is written in Scripture. I have friends in Pakistan. One in particular is in charge of security not just for his particular church, but for a couple others in his city. He is a marked man! At any moment he could die for his simple faith in Jesus Christ. All he does is warn those who are in worship of approaching danger. I asked him once if he had any fear for his life. He told me that he is NOT afraid of any of the Taliban because they couldn't do anything to him till Jesus was done with him.
I see so many Christians in other countries with a faith that should shame us in America. They put their lives on the line for owning a Bible. They meet in secret to learn as much as they can of what it means to be a Christian, fully pleasing to God. They put their lives on the line to walk to fully understand what is involved to be a born again Christian. They have to hide to study so they know what is displeasing to God and then go and live that life and reach those around them with the truth.
In the above portion of Ezra, Ezra just found out the leaders and priests were fully involved in sin. They were in the process of rebuilding the Temple that was destroyed. When Ezra found out what the people were doing, he hit his knees and prayed for revival in and among the people. He was so ashamed for the sin and truly cried out to God for Grace and Mercy. What happened next was amazing!


Ezra 10:1 ~ Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly.


The people realized their sin and they came to confess and to start anew to walk the walk that scripture guided them to.
We need revival in America. We need to hit our knees and confess our sin. Unlike my friend in Pakistan, we have freedom to have our Bibles. We are free to fully follow Jesus. Yet we don't. We have taken the gospel and decreased it to saying a prayer and getting dunked in water without ever changing our lives to please Him. We say we are Christian and yet cheat our fellow man and call it business. We have filthy mouths. We say we love God and then love and marry anyone we want, either same or opposite gender. We fill up the bingo halls and casinos. We don't come together for worship, we feel that what we did as a child is good enough. Our "Christian" men are addicted to porn. We love alcohol to make our days better and overcome stress. We jump from one sexual encounter to another. We have twisted Gods word to fit our chosen life style instead of moving our hearts to love Him and follow the freedom from sin that He has so graciously given us through Jesus Christ.
We who confess to being Christian,  need to ask ourselves, 'Am I a part of the solution or a part of the problem?' Jesus is coming soon and I want to be a part of His solution. We need to reevaluate what we have done to His great name, hit our knees in confession, and start living His way. His way will win in the end anyway.

Matthew 22:8-14
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Here is the wedding banquet;

Revelation 19:6-9
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

What happens to those who are not at the banquet?

 Revelation 20:15
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Who are those who are thrown into the lake of fire that are not at the banquet?

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”


  What makes this so horrible is the fact that many of these who will be cast away will be the same ones who, in this life, confessed to being "Christian". Remember, Jesus told us what it means to be saved from the coming judgment, John 15:6-10 ~ “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Be sure what you confess lines up with the very words that could condemn you!!


Matthew 24:45-51
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


What will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth? Those poor fools who heard all this truth but chose to ignore it! They will be so full of rage because they didn't listen when they had the chance. This rage and torment will be unending...........


What is in store for those of us who truly believe and live totally for Him?


Revelation 21:1-4


Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."


Please don't be the fool and turn your back on Him. If you claim to be a Christian, be sure you are a Christian. The rewards are out of this world!!