REVIVAL PREPARATION

"REVIVAL PREPARATION"
INTRODUCTION
For about ten days my wife and I got away to rest and re-gather our thoughts. We walked the seashore at Cherry Grove, NC, for many hours and for many days and talked of the mighty power of God as we watched the waves powerfully and consistently rolled upon the shore eighteen times a minute, every minute of every hour of every day. We talk about our God’s orderliness and power and immutability, for He never changes.
We drove through the North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and the Georgia mountains for days and saw how beautifully God paints the trees in the fall.
We talked and enjoyed our time alone, but, we missed our church.
We were glad we were able to visit with two of our college students at Crown college and Temple Baptist Church, and worship with them on this past Sunday, but we missed being here with our spiritual family.
We heard of Vickie inviting Jesus Christ into her life and we rejoiced with tears of joy. Then we heard of David’s decision for Christ and rejoiced again.
We read the Scriptures and prayed and meditated, and the one main thought that kept coming to our minds was our church.
My thoughts were; we have a good church and I believe God would like to use this body of believers to be the kindling to begin a fire in our midst that would spread to other families and churches in our communities.
As I read the Bible and prayed, my mind was consistently taken to Scriptures, dealing with a refreshing and a revival. I believe that many folks would like to see God move in our midst.
In the following messages we will see how we can prepare for God’s touch on our lives and those around us. If we are willing, we can see how God might use us as a catalyst to start a fire, a revival.
REVIVAL
Many folks think that a revival is simply a week of meetings and it is customary for churches to have at least two revivals per year. I’ve had folks say to me over the years, “Preacher, we need a revival.”

You that know the Scriptures know this, nowhere in the New Testament is the word “revival” mentioned. It is an Old Testament word.
In the New Testament the last thing that Jesus said to the Church was not the “Great commission,” which says, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.” Nor did he say, “Have a revival”, but Jesus said to the Church, “repent.”
What is repentance? Is repentance a human act or an act of God? Does God get a hold a person and force him to repent or does God allow man to make that decision?
As our nation is on the verge of economic collapse and as our nation has already collapsed morally and as the atmosphere of Laodicea has fallen over most churches, the greatest need of the Church today is to repent.
But, what brings a people to the place of repentance? What brings revival? That is the main thrust of this message.
Let me ask you two questions? 1) Would you like to be part of a heavenly movement that can do in a few months, what we can not do in our flesh in a lifetime?
2) Would you like to see God do mighty things in your life and your home and your children and your nation? If your answer is yes to these questions, than listen to God’s plan for revival.
Turn to the book of Revelation:
Jesus appeared to John when he was an old man, on the isle of Patmos, and told John to write the book of Revelation. In chapter one, John sees the Lord and is completely overcome by His holiness. He falls down as a dead man.
In chapter four, John is taken to heaven, which is a picture of the Church being raptured out. In-between those two chapters Jesus tells John to write to seven churches, which pictures all churches, and He tells five of them to “repent.”
That is the most important thing every church and every Christian in America will ever do, but what will bring a person or a church to repentance?
I believe that Charity Baptist Church is like many other churches in America. We are close to a place whereby, God would like to move in our midst in a special way, known only to a few.
Would you like to part of a mighty movement of God?
Would you like to be part of a revival? Would you?
If you would, know that a reviving does not just happen in a church. It is planned for, prayed for and prepared for.
If we will not seek God for a revival, He will go elsewhere.
To see the need of Revival, turn with me to the book of Revelation, chapter two.
THE BOOK OF EPHESUS
Revelation 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

NOTICE THREE POINTS IN PREPARING FOR REVIVAL
I – THE WORDS OF REDIRECTION
The Lord begins by complimenting this church for all their work in verse two and three. Them in verse four we see words of REDIRECTION. The Lord said, you started good but now you are running in the wrong direction.
Look at Revelation 2:4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
In all their labor and service, this church had jumped the track. They had left their love for Jesus. In this verse John emphasizes three things:
1 – LOVE
Love is a principle and a passion. Let’s talk about love.
First, love is a Principle. Love is the code of Christianity. It is the standard that makes the Christian different from others. Our relationship with our God is a relationship mainly of love.
Love is patience, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, mercy, tolerance, and much more.
If our love is to be correct with my brother, my love must first be right with my God.
(Agape) Love as a principle, moves a person to serve and suffer and sacrifice, and at times, sacrifice even until death.
It is a principle in a person’s life that makes that person practice patience, when that person does not feel like being patient.
It is when you idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.
It makes us show kindness and gentleness and humbleness and selflessness, when we don’t feel like it. Love is a principle!
It was this type of love that caused many in the first few centuries to willingly sacrifice their lives unto death for Christ, rather than deny Him.
Thus, many were beheaded, thrown to lions and burned at the stake. This was the love Stephen had for the Lord. He spoke truth and would rather die by stoning, then compromise his stand.

Love is a Passion. Love is more than a principle. It is a passion. Some folks have a passion for sports or hobbies. Just mentioned their hobby and an emotion and excitement will fill their voice.
Love for Jesus Christ is a passion as well. It is the excitement of being in His presence. It is the anticipation and delight of spending time with Him at church with God’s family.

I love my wife. My love for her is both principled and passionate. We are best friends. We spend more time together with each other than any other people on the earth. We love our kids. We love our grand kids. We enjoy being with them. But, we love just being in each other’s presence. Why? We have a lot in common. We love the Lord and talk about the Lord. We love each other. We love our church. We have a lot in common.
If we did not enjoy each other’s presence or if we never took time for each other, our love for each other would wither and our love for other things would grow.

The Church of Ephesus at one time was known for their great love for the Lord Jesus Christ but now, less than forty years after their inception, their love for God was spent.
These folks still went to church and they still served and they still sacrificed, but the real love, the passion, the excitement was gone.
One’s love for the Lord Jesus Christ begins the day of salvation. But, that love grows through the enjoyment of spending time with Him.
I could give you ten rules on how to love Jesus, but I will give you but one great truth. Spend time with Him!
2 – LAW - Ps 119:22
John talked about love, now he talks about the law. Those at Ephesus knew the doctrines of God’s Law. Look at verse two:
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
They knew the doctrines of God’s Word, but they had lost the enthusiasm and exhilaration of being in the presence of Jesus Christ.
The songs that use to bring a lump in the throats of the believers at Ephesus no longer excited them. The songs that once brought tears of joy in their eye were now sung without interest.
The stories of Christ which once made them sit on the edge of their seats, moved them no more, as they yawned under their breath and day dreamed of other events.
I was in a great Church this past Sunday and the people around me did not know I was observing them. One man sat just in front of me and to my left. During a thirty minute song service I glanced his way four or five times. He had his phone by his knee sending text messages. The three young men in front of me, immature teenagers were writing notes and laughing during the message. I thought, if they love the Lord, the message and songs would not be so boring to them.

The Church of Ephesus was like many churches today. People filled the pew, but most had little or no love for God. They knew doctrine but their hearts lack the love and passion that once brought joy and excitement.
3 – LOST
Finally, John talks about lost. What had happened to this Church? Jesus said in Revelation 2:4, Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
They did not lose their love for the Lord, they left it. If you lose something that you considered of great value, you would stop everything you are doing and search for it.
These folks knew where God was, but they put other things before Him. They put God on the shelf. They put Him in the closet. He was no longer the love of their lives. He was only an attraction.
They got busy in the rat race of this world. They got busy doing what we might call good deeds.
But, any deed no matter how noble is sinful, if it takes us away from our time with our Lord, if it diminishes our love with the Lord Jesus Christ.

I – THE LORD REDIRECTS THEIR THOUGHTS (2,4)
II – THE WORDS OF RESTRAINT (5):
To this church, Jesus said in Revelation 2:5, Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
“Restraint” means to control or discipline your life. The Lord’s directions were to REMEMBER, REPENT, AND REBUILD.
Jesus first says, “REMEMBER”
What are we to remember? 1) Remember Calvary! Do you remember the cracking of the whip upon the back of Jesus? Do you remember the sound of the hammer about 8:30 on Wednesday morning around 33 AD? Can you still hear the thud of the tree, Jesus was nailed to, when it was dropped into that hole on Golgotha, and every joint was moved out of place?
Do you remember the words of Christ, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Do you remember what Jesus did for you on Calvary? Remember His sacrifice. Remember His suffering. Remember His pain. Remember His passion. Remember Calvary.
2) Remember Grace. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch, like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found. I was blind but now I see. Never forget the day God poured His grace in your soul! Never forget the day that heaven came down and rolled that old burden of sin away and glory filled your soul.
Now, folks, let me be honest. A lot of folks can’t go back to that special day when they fell in love with Jesus Christ, because that day never happened. They can’t remember that day when Jesus touched them and made them whole. They have nothing to go back to. They have yet to surrender to Christ and receive Him as Savior.
Let me give you this example. I, like many men, entertained many women in my mind for a mate, a marriage partner. I’m sure my wife entertained different men for mates as well.
But, then the day came when we got to know each other and fell in love. We then committed ourselves to each other for life. We are more in love today than ever. I remember the day I choose her above all other women. And I remember the day she choose me above all other men. And I am honored that she would love me. Selah!
3) Remember forgiveness. I did not deserve Calvary. I did not deserve God’s grace. I did not deserve to be forgiven for my sins. I deserve hell. Jesus paid so much. He gave so much and my part was to simply humble my heart and surrender my pride and cry out from a repentant heart for mercy, and He forgave me.

Jesus secondly says, “REPENT!”
Before Jesus died on Calvary, He said in Luke 13:3, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
After Christ had died and had ascended into Heaven, Peter preached “Repent and be converted” in Acts 3:19.
When Paul stood before Agrippa in Acts 26:20, he told Agrippa that God had called him to preach “repentance” to the Gentiles.
And to five of the seven churches of Revelation, Jesus said, “Repent.”

Repentance is a pre-requisite to Salvation. It is not an aftermath. Repentance is the agonizing regret a person senses under the conviction of God’s spirit. It is a terribly guilty feeling. At the time of God’s spirit moving in a person’s heart, that person must willingly and humbly choose to turn from his wickedness, and turns to Jesus Christ seeking the forgiveness of sins and fellowship with God.
I have quoted the Bible on repentance. Now I recall the late great Dr. R.G. Lee preaching at Highland Park Baptist Church, when I was a young man. Dr. Lee said 35 years ago, “There will come a day when the churches across America will preach a salvation without the conviction of the Holy Spirit” and folks we are there.
When you came to Christ, did you make a mental decision or a heart decision? Did God get a hold of your heart, whereby you turned from sin and fell in love with Him?
Thirdly, Jesus said, “REBUILD!”
Rebuild! The church was told to do the first works. What were the first works of the Church? The first works of the church was what brings revival, a rejoicing, a refreshing. The first and most important work of the Church was prayer. (Acts 1-2)

Our forefathers came to this country seeking God. Death and privation visited all the villages in America, but people kept coming to America to seek a place to worship the Lord. Worship and the Church was the center of every settlement and every colony. After we won the Revolutionary War, we began to do well and prosper.
Shortly thereafter, in the 1790’s many of the pastors saw a spiritual falling away in America. They began prayer meetings on Tuesday night. These “PRAYER MEETINGS” broke out across the Colonies of America and “The Great Awakening” took place where upon hundreds of thousands were saved.
“The Great Awakening” was the fruit of mid-week prayer meetings that began in the 1790’s.
Some fifty years later, by the middle of the 1850’s America had hit another spiritual low.
The economy of America had grown at an unparalleled rate. With new methods of transportation (locomotive) and commercialization along with farming as the largest industry, America was booming in the 1840’s and 1850’s. History tells us the treasury was filled. Humanly speaking, everything was good.
Spiritually speaking, the godly pastors of those days wrote that many in America had turned to materialism and there was a coldness and a falling away of religion by all faiths.
Families got away from God and our institutions began to slowly accept philosophies and liberalism.
The Bible was slowly put aside, so families could work for more material wealth.
Then, Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species began to challenge the minds of many. It was truly dangerous times in the 1850’s.

III – THE WORDS OF REGULATION
If the Lord said, remember, repent and rebuild, then how? Dr. Phil Orr, in his about book “The Great Awakening” said, “It was very dark in those days and it seemed to be growing darker.”
He said, “There never was a time, since the settlement of the country, when the churches have been in such danger from worldly prosperity.” The year was 1856.
In 1857, a few Christians began to set aside their worldly activities and pray. It was called the “Fulton Street Prayer Meeting.” Listen to the description of the times: “Drunkenness was rampant, and the nation was divided by slavery,” just like today our nation is divided by politics. “In 1857 there were 30,000 men idle on the streets of New York.” Today there are millions who will not work.
God raised up a praying businessman, Jeremiah Lanphier. On September 23, 1857 he began a noontime prayer meeting on Fulton Street in the Financial District of Manhattan. Out of a city of 1 million people, six people showed up a half hour late.
The group decided to meet the next week and there were 14. The next week there were 23. The following week there were 40. Within weeks there were thousands of business leaders meeting daily. God moved so powerfully that the prayer meeting spread across the nation. It is estimated that nearly 1 million people were converted out of a national population of 35 million.
How many of you will for the next month, at lease, take your lunch break and before you eat, go aside and give yourself to prayer. Pray for five, ten or fifteen minutes or an hour, but pray for revival.
Rather than looking forward to going out to eat at this restaurant or that one, why not change your life. When a friend ask, “Why aren’t you going out with us anymore? Tell them “The Lord laid on my heart to pray for Revival.” Only God knows what will happen.

Let me tell you what will happen for it is always the same.
1- When a few people get their hearts thoroughly right with the Lord and begin to pray, that is the start of God’s moving.
2- The Christians within the churches first begin to get things right with the Lord and each other. That brings God’s presence and His spirit and His smile.
3- After the Christians were revived and sins were confessed and indifferences made right, then the lost began to come to Christ in groves.
LISTEN: If you are praying for a lost love one, don’t expect God to answer your prayer until your heart is revived and made right with God. Your heart must be thoroughly right with the Lord, before God will send revival.

Charles Finney wrote this about revival during those days, “Few sermons had to be preached, seekers came easily to the altar. Converts were filled with humble boldness. Christ was the day-time social topic. Family altars were strengthened and testimonies were given nightly.
In Charles Finney’s memoirs he wrote, “Life was not so much in the pulpit, as it was in the pew.”
***Again and again, history and the Bible reveals that prayer was the key to the Church repenting first and sinners repenting second.
To all of you who engage in public, social and private prayer – please keep praying till heaven comes down and glory fills your soul. To you, who are not interested, please fall in love with Christ again.

Solomon was once on fire for God. God was everything to Him. He lived for God. He delighted in God. He sacrificed greatly to God. He worshipped God. He was unashamed of God.
God gave Solomon this promise in Second Chronicles 7:13-15.
13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
God was saying, if hard times come and if the economy of your country collapses and if evil rulers take control, and if diseases began to kill many and you begin to lose your freedom…
If the Christian people, will come before me humbly and worship me in prayer, seeking to see my face, seeking to know my heart… they will turn from their wicked ways… and when they do I will hear their prayers and I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land.
“Now try me; try me! My eyes are open and my ears are attentive. I am looking for a people to come to me and I will do great things for them.”

We have been blessed here, at Charity, by God. His Word is preached and believed. We have many people engaging in prayer meetings. Every Wednesday night, we have fifty to seventy adults praying.
The key to our prayers truly being heard and revival coming is this:
1) We must have all our sins confessed. We must be thoroughly right with God, seeking Him daily.
2) We must be right with our mate, children and others. If we are too proud to ask forgiveness to make things right with others, our pride will hinder the work of God’s Spirit in our lives and in our church.
3) We must give ourselves to prayer. Pray with all your heart. Charles Finney said, “Make your public prayers short but your private prayers long.” Pray faithfully and consistently and in time God will send His power.
4) Live in the Scriptures and live for God.
I read about revivals taking place in the Bahamas, Jamaica, Ireland, Scotland, Nova Scotia, Canada and America these past weeks, and every revival from the book of Acts till this day is the outcome of prayer meetings, often beginning with one church or one man.
It does not matter who gets the credit for beginning revival, God just wants His people to touch heaven. God desires to show Him self strong to a lost world, but will only do so through those saints whose hearts are right and whose prayers are heard.
There are restraints and conditions to be met. Then God will turn Christians back to Him, first and He will save the souls of others second.
Most of the churches that experienced revival in the 1850’s were the Methodist and Presbyterian churches.
God does not care where your church membership lies; He cares where your heart lies.

Christians, will you come and pray for revival this morning and every morning and every service till God visits us?
But first, Christians, will you look in your heart and make sure things are right with God? Will you make sure your sins are confessed?
If you have not been spending time with God, will you not commit to spending more time with Him?
Christians, if God’s Holy Spirit pricks your heart about holding a grudge, or a sin you are harboring in your heart, will you not make that thing right this very day? Only your sinful pride prevents you from telling God you are sorry and telling others.
Please don’t think for a moment that your sins don’t affect others. Achan’s sin cost the lives of 36 men. It then cost him and his family their lives. Un-confessed sins can cost the lives of souls being saved.
My challenge to you is this:
1) Will you give yourself to seeking God till he pours out His power? If you will and if you are right with the Lord, I want you to come to the altar.
2) If you want to see God move in our midst and you have sin in your life, I want you to come to the altar and make things right with God and others today and then begin to pray for God to move in our midst.
Invitation: Sweet hour of prayer.

A pastor tells of visiting a church in California and finding a stirring red and orange banner on the wall. “Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!” Under the words was a picture of a fire burning. Directly under the picture was a fire extinguisher.
Question: Will you be a prayer warrior and ask God for revival or will you be the fire extinguisher with sin in your heart and life.