THE REVIVAL WE NEED

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.” - Psalm 138:7

Things are a mess here in America. Politically, there is turmoil and corruption in our land. Socially, we are a selfish nation, filled with self-seeking, self-serving citizens. Morally, our nation has embraced and promoted sinful lifestyles and practices. Financially, our country has serious debts that will never be repaid in my lifetime. Worst of all, we are spiritually bankrupt with no shortage of religion, but severely lacking in righteousness.

The American church is not much better. Rather than impacting our society with the truth, the Church is being impacted by sinful society. The American church is apathetic toward sin, lacking in holiness, and anemic in its evangelistic zeal. These days, churches seek to be “cool” and “relevant” --- which are really goals that lead to compromise. Many pastors refuse to preach the whole counsel of God, seeking instead to bring messages that impress and please a crowd. Instead of pleasing God, most churches are working hard to please the world. In many cases, church attendance is dwindling and the influence of the Church is either dying or dead.

To their credit, there are churches, denominations and pastors that realize that everything is out of alignment. Many are trying to bring fresh life into their churches with new programs. While new programs may be good, they are not the main answer to the problem.

We need a turnaround. We need a spiritual breakthrough. We need a mighty move of God. We need revival in our churches. We need the kind of revival that honors God, changes lives and impacts the culture.

I am not an expert, but I feel that there are some basic things we need to do.

1. RETURN TO THE BIBLE

First of all, let's return to the Bible. I am not putting down all Christian books, but the Book we need most is God's Word. Our problem isn't a lack of information, but a lack of application. God has given us all we need to life and godliness --- and it is found in the pages of God's Word. We need to get back to reading the Word, believing the Word and obeying the Word.

2. RETURN TO PRAYER

The American Church needs to emphasize prayer meetings again. As individual Christians, we need to get back in the prayer closet. For some foolish reason, we think American will be improved at the voting booth. No!!! America can be changed when God's people return to the prayer closet and get serious about the Lord and His will.

3. RETURN TO SPIRIT-FILLED LIVING

Rather than living by the flesh, we need to live and walk in the Spirit. We need to be Spirit-filled, Spirit-led believers. It is hard to minister to others out of the overflow of your life if the well is empty. We need to obey the Bible's command to be filled with the Spirit. The Christians in the book of Acts didn't wait on the political climate to improve before they obeyed the Lord. They were filled with the Spirit and were used of God to impact the world.

4. RETURN TO EVANGELISM

The devil and the world has deceived believers into believing that evangelism is wrong and evil. We should share the Gospel because God COMMANDS it, not because it is popular. Jesus has never been popular with the world. The world has always resisted and hated the evangelistic effort of believers. Yet souls are dying without Christ daily. In the book of Ezekiel, God compared his servants to watchmen of a city. A watchman was responsible to stand guard and watch for an approaching enemy. If the watchman refused to warn the residents of impending danger, their blood was on his hands. I can't help but think that the American church has blood on its hands. We've been playing church while souls are perishing. God have mercy on us.

Jesus is coming soon. When He returns, will He find us faithfully doing His will or foolishly living out our own goals and dreams?

SUPERFICIAL SAINTS

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.” - Hebrews 5:11

We are living in a superficial age. The mental, emotional and spiritual depth of most Christians is very alarming. We are busy being busy, but few are actually maturing in the faith. Even at church, members can be kept active without experiencing much growth.

When the epistle to the Hebrews was written, the writer had a great concern about the lack of spiritual depth among his readers. As I see American Christianity today, I feel a similar concern.

These days, people want a light and fluffy message at church. Rather than being edified, they prefer to be entertained. Instead of being fed from the Word, they'd rather be given a quick motivational speech. Even worse, they'd rather be given small doses of Scripture rather than digging deep into the Word. Jesus is no longer the heart-felt desire of the church-goer. Instead, they want someone to pat them on the head and tell them that everything is going to be alright. That is superficial spirituality. Many churches have a large percentage of their congregation who fall into that category. They are superficial saints.

God is not satisfied with such immaturity and we shouldn't be either. I find that many pastors are eager to engage people on such a low level with the intent of keeping them in attendance and contributing to the budget. Those in leadership can be very superficial when they spend their time studying the numerical data of their church and neglecting the actual spiritual growth of the people.

How can we tell if we are becoming spiritual mature … or remaining spiritually superficial? I think here are a few signs:

1. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE DESIRE GOD

The superficial tend to be very self-centered. Spiritually mature people seek the face of God. Are you more impressed by the technology and programs of your church more than you are overwhelmed by the greatness and glory of God? If so, you need to grown up … now.

2. SPIRITUALITY MATURE PEOPLE VALUE DOCTRINE

Superficial saints will actually brag about a church that “doesn't preach much doctrine.” A spiritually mature person desires sound doctrine, because it teaches him more about his Lord. A spiritually mature person seeks truth, not just a humorous motivational talk.

3. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE DESIRE INNER CHANGE

The superficial seek success, worldly achievement and the obtainment of personal desires & goals. Spiritually mature people seek to be more like Jesus. A spiritually mature person is serious about personal repentance, spiritual obedience and daily gratitude. The superficial seek outward improvements while the spiritually mature seek inner growth.

4. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE FIND THEIR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

Superficial saints have a need to be recognized and praised. Their identity is often wrapped up in their job title, position or acceptance among peers. Spiritually mature people find their identity in Christ. They feel no need to impress others. Their desire is to please the Lord.

5. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE SEEK CONTINUAL GROWTH

Superficial saints seek to fulfill their own goals. Spiritually mature people seek continual growth. Spiritually mature people will never reach perfection in this life, but they seek to be holy. They seek to know more about God, which keeps them in the Bible.

6. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE PRAY MATURE PRAYERS

Superficial people pray superficial prayers. Their prayers are typically self-centered prayers. Spiritually mature saints do pray about themselves, but with a different goal --- the goal of pleasing God. Furthermore, spiritually mature saints tend to pray for others. Their prayer for others goes beyond the typical, “bless them, Lord,” prayers and focuses on specific needs and spiritual issues.

7. SPIRITUALLY MATURE PEOPLE HAVE AN ETERNAL FOCUS

Superficial saints are focused on the here-and-now. They tend to only focus on their daily lives. Spiritually mature people see today's events with an eternal focus. Spiritually mature people live with eternity in mind, investing in eternal matters.

Are you a superficial saint? If so, today is a great day to seek spiritual maturity. Maturity involves some growing pains. Maturity doesn't come easy. Just as a parent desires to see the maturity of his children, our heavenly Father wants to see spiritual maturity in the lives of His children.

It is time for Christians and churches to quit wading around in the shallow waters and launch out into the deep. While the basics of Christianity should always be remembered, let us seek a deep, satisfying walk with God.

PRAYER REQUESTS

“Brethren, pray for us.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:25

It is not uncommon to see people make prayer requests on social media. Our church, like many others, make prayer requests public to the congregation at each service. Prayer requests are often fueled by desperate need. We should treat them seriously.

When I was a young Christian, I rarely asked for prayer. As I have grown older, I am not ashamed to ask other Christians to pray for me. I think there are several reasons for this. First, I value prayer more than I did when I was younger. Secondly, I see my need for prayer in a great dimension than I did in my younger years. Finally, I appreciate the prayers of my brothers and sisters more than ever. James D. Vaughan, a pioneer in Southern Gospel Music, put it best in a song title: “I Need The Prayers Of Those I Love.”

Prayer requests can be abused. For instance, some may ask for prayer requests simply to get attention. Others may ask for prayer requests so others will perceive them as being “spiritual.” I once heard of a woman who asked for prayer for a soap opera character that was nearing death.

I believe that most prayer requests come from those with great concern about a genuine need. Sometimes the need is dire.

We cannot always know the degree of problems behind a prayer request. We must simply take the request to God who knows the need better than anyone. We do not pray in order to inform God. Instead, we pray to invite God to intervene in the situation, whether we understand it or not.

Speaking of prayer requests, have you ever offered to pray for someone … then forgot about it? I must shamefully confess that I have been guilty. I have found that the best solution to this problem is to pray immediately for the request. If possible, offer a brief prayer verbally before departing from the person.

These days, so many people claim to be Christians but never go to church. It is amazing how many people use lame excuses for their absence from church. While there is much that could be said about this, I wish to simply point out that when you need people to pray for you or a family member, you'll want a church family who will gather and pray in unity for the need.

I find it refreshing that Paul asked for prayer. He wrote, “Brethren, pray for us.” Paul was unashamed to ask for prayer --- and we shouldn't be either.

It really does help to have prayer warriors mentioning your name to the Father in prayer. Think about all the people who've prayed for you in the past. Now it is your turn to pray for others.

Let me close with a simple appeal. If you can't think of anyone to pray for, please pray for me.