Revival

A great priority of the Church before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Opinions vary concerning this subject, with much confusion about it in the Church. Men of God cried for revival throughout the ages-Is. 64:1.

When dealing with the subject of Revival two questions arise, 
1.What is it?, 
2. How does it come?

Revival-to wake up and live. In the O.T  it comes from a root word which means-live.

It is the reviving of christian life, not of the unbeliever. There is revival where there is life to be revived. It is the breathing of God's life in a body ready to die. The famous one eyed Welsh preacher 

Christmas Evans put it like this- 'Revival is when God blows upon the dying embers of a fire until it becomes alive' .

How does it come?-A famous preacher said: give me a group of people who will devote themselves to prayer and I will tell you when revival will come. However, God's formula is even better - 
2 Chron.7:11-15. Four conditions must be met before revival comes, 'If my people.....'

1. Humble themselves. A voluntary action from within. We can be humiliated from without, but not humbled, James 4:6.

2. Pray. Any prayer not coming from a humble heart will not be answered. Pray without ceasing, do not give up, persist. Do not let Satan rob you of your prayer time. Pray with a burden in your heart, James 5:16-18.

3. Seek my face. Pray until you meet God. It is not the length of praying that matters but what we put in it.

4. Turn from wicked ways. There is much wickedness in the Church, mainly in the form of unbelief.

When we meet God's conditions, He promises to do His part.

.

Spiritual Immaturity

What is it?

The inability to grow in the Faith. but to remain a spiritual baby, feeding on milk-Heb 6:1-3, 5:12-14.

There are certain signs to show how to identify believers who live immature lives in the Faith.

1. Preoccupation with first Principles and not moving on to deeper  things. They are first (Principles):-

Repentance-Faith toward God-Baptism-Laying on of hands-Resurrection from the dead-Judgements to come.

These can be divided into 3 parts:-

A. Truths concerning conversion.

B.Truths concerning Church ordinances.

C.Truths concerning Future Judgements.

These basic truths should be grasped within a few years of conversion (maybe 5),then move on to deeper things, 'let us move on to perfection'.

More signs of Spiritual Immaturity:-

An inability to discern between right and wrong (spiritual blindness). Many believers want to grow in the Faith, but their minds are not renewed, hence no change. The basic cause of immaturity 1 Cor3:1-3.

Does it matter if we remain so? God's will is for us to grow in Christ Eph.4 11-15. It is normal for a baby to grow,

If I do not grow in the Faith,what do I do?

Repent, turn to God, Feed on His Word, be filled with the H.S., find a Church that rightly divides the Word, find like minded spiritual company.

Song of Songs 4:16.

What makes the difference between a fragrant live Christian life and a dull one?

I believe the ministry and influence of the Holy Spirit in that life.

In that verse above, the maiden invites her beloved to her garden (heart).

Jesus does not like to dwell in barren, unfruitful lives. At creation, God put man in a pleasant garden

to fellowship with.

The maiden wants the spices from her garden to flow out-the aroma. The life of Christ is pleasant. It must be transmitted from our heart.

The Spices, ingredients of the Holy  Anointing Oil- Ex.30:22-25. Note the plants in her garden, 4:12.

For the fragrance to flow out wind is necessary-the activity of the Holy Spirit. The maiden invites the wind to blow upon her heart-a call. On the day of Pentecost the H.S. came as a mighty, rushing wind.

Why North and South wind?

In Pro.25:23 we read that rain will dampen the fragrance. The H.S. comes from the sides of the North, God's dwelling place. The south wind stills the place, Job 37:17.

Let my beloved come.....' If our heart is a pleasant place Christ will come to rest in it. He rested in a garden before and after the Cross.

Pleasant fruits-Gal.5:22-23, produced naturally by the Holy Spirit. They are His fruit and His garden.

Song of Songs 2:8-15.

A mysterious book that preachers avoid due to its content. It mainly consists of a dialogue between

a girl and her Beloved, with an occasional interjection by some bystanders. Not an erotic poem as some believe but the relationship between Christ (Beloved) and the loved one (Church).

Message: In the verses above we see that after initial love the maiden (Church) cools off. She needs to come out of that state. This relationship can only exist in the bond of love. In this book, Love appears in Four stages: Initial love, Fluctuating love, Growing love, and Mature love.

In verse 15 the Beloved tries to draw the maiden out of that cold state. However, before moving on, small obstacles have to be dealt with and removed. The heart is likened to a vine- symbol of spiritual life. Christ spoke of Himself as the True Vine.

Little foxes speak of small things in the life of the believer, not necessary sins, but faults we carry in our lives. These must be dealt with else spiritual progress can be hindered and the fruit of the vine damaged. Heb.12:1 tells us of weights that can make us spiritually heavy.The Apostle Paul in 1 Cor.5:6-8 warns about the 'Old leaven' that can inflate us and cause delay in our spiritual walk.

Take us. We have a command here. If we want to move on spiritually we have to deal with this problem. We are not alone in this walk (us) The Comforter abides with us to help us in our infirmities and strengthen us so that we can deal with the little foxes that cause damage to the fruit of the vine. Do not leave the foxes to ruin the life!