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This Week I'm Doing Missionary
Work In Iraq: I'm Praying
That's the message
on our Church sign all this week. We will not sit idly by and
do nothing while the Middle East is on fire; we will pray. We
will not wring our hands or march in the streets or hyperventilate
over the news; we will pray. Prayer is not the least or the last
thing we can do, but the first, the best, and the most.
Last week in this
article, we noted that we have a president that does not live
by the polls. We wrote, "Only a lost man turns to the people
he is leading and asks directions." And one of you wrote
back.
You were frustrated
that Mr. Bush seems not to listen to the million antiwar marchers.
You wanted him to change his ways because of the protesters carrying
signs in the streets. I suggested that perhaps he was listening
to the 268 million who were not marching, that conceivably he
knows more than we do about the Iraqi situation, and I would far
rather him listen to God than to me. Personally, I would distrust
a president who checked each morning to see what his critics were
saying before planning his actions that day. I pray for this man
Bush that God would show him the way and he will have the courage
to walk in it. I am amused to see how that frightens some people.
A Lot of People
In Our Church Are Praying For Revival
We hunger for a movement
of God's Spirit in our land, but believe it starts in individual
lives and Churches. Therefore, the heart of our prayer goes like
this:
"Lord, we are
asking you to take ownership of this Church and everything we
do here. We are primed and ready for you to ...
Revamp the order
of worship at any moment you please
Anoint the preaching and worship taking place in this place
Fill us individually and this place collectively with the Holy
Spirit
Do great things among us for Thy glory.
We are ready for
you to energize our loving, our praying, our praise, our Bible
reading, our giving, our serving, our ministries, our witnessing,
and our relationships. We want all the glory to be yours and none
for ourselves. "
As I Understand
Revival, There Is A Price To Be Paid
God will not go where
He is unwelcome, will not send His presence where no one hungers
for Him, and will not trust His blessings where He is not loved
and honored and obeyed. If there is a "formula" for
revival ... and we need to be careful here, for a Sovereign God
follows no man's plan .... it must be to:
Humble selves in
repentance ... from sin, self righteousness, and hard hearts.
Hunger for Him ... not for His gifts or works, but Him personally.
Wait before Him ... persevering in prayer and faith and labors.
Obey Him ... doing what we know today to be His will.
I told our congregation
last Sunday that I need to "warn" you about the dangers
of revival. So, consider this a consumer warning on the subject.
1. For those who
like everything the way it has always been, a heaven-sent revival
is the last thing you want. When the Holy Spirit moves in and
takes over, He leaves nothing untouched. Everything is made new.
(Revelation 21:5)
2. For those who
want the Church program predictable, and their lives left alone,
a revival would upset that. The Holy Spirit has a mind of His
own. (John 3:8)
3. For those who
like a worship service to last one hour ... or less ... and not
a minute more, you do not want to be praying for revival. God
will not honor your idolatry of the time piece. (Isaiah 55:8)
4. For those who
feel threatened by new people filling the Church, by enthusiasm
in worship, or exuberant witnessing, or generous giving, or outlandish
acts of service in the community, a heaven-sent revival would
cause all those things and more. (Acts 2:41-47)
5. Jesus taught us
to pray: "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven."
That is a perfect description of a revival.
When I was a college
senior, God "moved" in our community. Every afternoon,
scores of high school students descended on the Church to pray
and have the Pastor introduce their friends to Christ. Many nights
forty or more people were saved in services. A spirit of love
and humility filled the place and the people. In the midst of
all of that, God called me into the ministry. I hunger for another
heaven-sent movement of God. I've seen what man can do; I long
to see again what God is able to do.
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