Let's Pray for Revival

Revival is somewhat of a strange thing for our culture. We associate revival with tents, special speakers and evening services all week. We tend to think revival is planned by us but this is the wrong way to think of it. Revival is something God alone plans! It was Charles Finney in the 19th century who passed down the idea that revival is a science. He believed if you put all the necessary elements together in the right conditions you could have revival on demand! I believe this is the wrong way to think of revival. However, revival IS something that we can and ought to pray for and something that does have vital elements. But first what is revival? Dr. Tim Keller describes revival as when "the ordinary operations of the Holy Spirit are intensified many-fold. “Sleepy” and immature believers become electrified through joyful repentance and put Christ in the center of their lives. Nominal Christians within congregations get converted and testify to the fact, which leads to more sleepy believers waking up. In turn, non-believers are drawn in to the beautified Christian community and begin embracing Christ in numbers that defy normal explanations." Let me add that revival is not what you see on TV. Revival is not about getting he shakes or speaking in funny languages. Revival is about repentance, reformation and restoration. Keller goes on to describe some of the key elements of revival. These are not recipes for revival, but they are elements that we ought to pursue if we want to see revival.

1. Extraordinary prayer

2. Recovery of the Gospel

3. Renewed individuals (leaders especially)

4. Gospel application to individual hearts

5. The ordinary instituted "means of grace" (preaching, shepherding, worship, prayer)

What these elements do is give us a target to aim for. There are no guarantees and no creative methods that must be reproduced. What we have is a list of basic fundamentals for how we live our Christian lives. Too often we neglect the fundamentals of the faith. Prayer is neglected, commitment to the ordinary means of grace is neglected or taken for granted. Application of the gospel to our hearts is neglected. Keller describes this as "cut[ing] away both the moralism and the licentiousness that destroys real spiritual life and power." He also says this takes place one-on-one and in groups. This is key to being renewed as individuals. But so is our own private worship. What this shows me is we have all we need for revival. We just need to so something with it. Berginning in March we are goignt o begin having prayer meetings at YMS  on Fridays once a month. We are going to pray for renewal of our personal lives and for conviction leading to repentance and faith to come upon our community. I ask you to do your part. Do not neglect worship unless you must (due to illness, travel or work). If you can come and pray, please come! Consider your involvement in other ministries as contributing to your own personal renewal and also the personal renewal of your church family members. Join me in praying that we would get very, very serious about this. Our country needs to be revived! The gospel need to be preached and heard. This is more important than voting in the next election! Let's seriously ask the Lord to send us a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God! 

Martin Luther's Definition of Faith

An excerpt from Martin Luther's 

"An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans,"

Translated by Rev. Robert E. Smith      

 

“Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. “Faith is not enough,” they say, “You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.” They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, “I believe.” That is what they think true faith is. But, because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn’t come from this “faith,” either.




Instead, faith is God’s work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing.  Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever.  He stumbles around and looks for faith and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are. Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many words.




Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they’re smart enough to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.“



       ______________________________________________________________
       This text was translated for Project Wittenberg by Rev. Robert E.
       Smith and is in the public domain.

Is Civil Disobedience Biblical?

There has been alot of discussion in the media lately about civil disobedience over the Obama Administrations contraception mandate. I don't usually comment on politics mostly because of how often pulpits and pastoral positions are used as a political stump. But I felt that this was important for each of you to know what your role is as Citizens of the Kingdom of God. There are serious problems with the mandate because on many levels it forces Christians and churches to go against conscience and against the teachings of Scripture. As citizens of the Kingdom, we pledge our allegiance first to King Jesus. When any government places demands on Christians to comply with a law or mandate that is contrary to the scriptures, violates conscience, and forces us to choose Caesar over Christ, then Christians not only are free to disobey - they must! This includes matters of justice and mercy which are at the heart of the gospel. The Jewish Sanhedrin mandated that Peter and John stop preaching Christ. But Peter and John replied: “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19–20) Another fine example is when the Hebrew midwives refused to obey the mandate of Pharaoh to kill all of the newborn Hebrew males. "The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live...So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own." (Exodus 1:17–21) A modern example is the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s over the unjust treatment of Black Americans. 

But there are some rules we must follow when speaking out on issues or disobeying the government over its unjust mandates. If you read the full account in Acts 4, Peter and John graciously AND courageously interact with the Sanhedrin. Paul also says: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6) Furthermore, Peter and John kept Christ at the center of their interaction with the Sanhedrin. In their defense they preached Christ to the men there. Often Christians interact with politics in a way that is Christless. We must remember we represent Christ, not a political party! Therefore we must keep Christ at the forefront of our interaction with the world or with politics. Ultimately that is what all clashes with the civil authorities is about. 

If you would like to read more on this particular matter, some insightful articles have been written recently. Click on the links below.    - Pastor Dave

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/02/14/evangelicals-leaders-call-for-civil-disobedience-against-u-s-government/


http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/01/23/why-christians-should-be-concerned-about-the-obama-administrations-contraception-mandate/

Life is a Maze

LIFE IS FREQUENTLY called a maze, and rightly so. Its many twistings, windings, changes, and mysteries, entitle it to be classed among the most complicated of labyrinths. To find the center of true bliss is the object of every man, but few are happy enough to enter it. They journey for a little season in a way which seems to be right, and on a sudden they are brought to a dead halt, and are sorrowfully compelled to retrace their steps. Thousands waste all their lives in useless wanderings, and die disappointed men, to be for ever shut out from bliss, and shut in with misery and despair. There is a clue, a sure and simple clue, but the most of men despise it and run on, proudly relying on their own wit to lead them aright; while those who regard it, though their way is full of windings, yet obtain a sure entrance into the place of their desires. Reader, do you know the clue? God himself has spoken the great secret. It is one word, "FAITH,"—faith in Jesus for pardon, faith in the Father for providential provision, faith in the Holy Spirit for all grace. In ordinary pathways men walk by sight; but in the way of life, if we would prosper, we must walk by faith. God is unseen, but he is ever near to those who trust him. His promises are sure, and he is ever ready to fulfill them. He hears and answers the prayers of believing souls. There is reality in his presence, and true support in his comforts. In sorrow for sin, though no priest is heard and no cleansing blood is seen, yet Jesus is at the right hand of all who rest their souls upon him, and he gives complete remission and perfect peace. In times of great distress, no arm is visible to the eye of the body, but the mighty hand of God is certainly present working out deliverance for his own people. It is hard for flesh and blood to trust in an unseen God; so hard, that it is impossible, until God the Holy Spirit works true faith in us; but where the soul in simplicity believes in God, as he has revealed himself in the Word, joy, peace, safety, and eternal happiness, are the sure results. God's being unseen is no cause for doubt, for the greatest powers in nature, such as gravity and electricity, are equally unseen. Men believe in multitudes of mysteries, about which eye and ear give us no information. Faith in God is, however, most consistent with the soundest reason. In whom should we trust so readily as in the Judge of all the earth, who must do right? Where should a creature be so safe as under its Creator's care? Where so happy as resting in his love? Where so accepted as in God's own righteousness? Reader, as a little child, follow the clue of faith without leaning to thine own understanding, and thou shalt thread the maze of life, and reach the center of supreme delight.

- C.H. Spurgeon (Sword and the Trowel)