Quote from Forum Archives on November 17, 2006, 11:36 am

Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>

NOTE: If you have heard the new audio of the young people crying
out in desperation and tears and travail for revival that is on our
website (-Top right at- www.revivalschool.com ) - then you
know something of the kind of "desperation" that is needed to
see God's fire fall. It has always been this way. Below is an
excellent article on this:

REVIVAL at ANY COST!
-by Greg Gordon.

Holy DESPERATION

The prophet Isaiah declared the woeful state of Israel over three thousand
years ago: ”Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we
should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.” How
much different are we? Churches are failing, leaders are fumbling, and truth is
fallen in the streets. The prophet Isaiah continues with this divine reprimand:
“they declare their sin as Sodom, they hid it not.” And what shall the end of a
people be that “hid not their sins”? I have seen a strange thing under the sun:
professors preaching “continue in sin” from the pulpit. The Apostle Paul in
contrast preached “God forbid” which is one of the strongest emphatic
statements in Scripture used to convey the ceasing of sin in the life of the
believer. John Wesley said: “What one generation tolerates, the next generation
will embrace.” Sadly we have tolerated a hell-less, eternity-less, sin-less
gospel and this next generation is aimed at accepting this as the genuine
apostolic original. The true Christian witness seems to be almost overshadowed
by false doctrines, false cults, and false prophets. It is time for a holy
desperation for revival to arise in God’s people! Mary Warburton Booth said
this when the Salvation Army movement was waning: ”How we have prayed for a
Revival - we did not care whether it was old-fashioned or not - what we asked
for was that it should be such that would cleanse and revive His children and
set them on fire to win others.” We need a fury of passionate pleading,
desperate crying, fervent praying for a heaven-sent revival in our day. Chuck
Smith gave this searing statement to a church that does not realize its hour:
“Today, we are living in desperate times. Yet, the Church is not desperate
before God in prayer.”

Leonard Ravenhill said that “Revival only comes by birth.” With birth comes:
laborious gestation, travailing birth-pains, and conceptional agony, shall the
birthing of of revival be any different? Revival prayer is born out of a holy
and healthy desperation for the presence and power of Christ in His church. We
need not shrink back from emotions and displays of desperation for revival...

REVIVAL or DEATH

“For decades sincere believers have asked, "Why don't we have revival?" And for
decades the answer has always been the same: We don't have revival because
we're willing to live without it! It really is that simple. Do we really want
to hear the truth? God responds to hunger and thirst. He fills those who
recognize their need, who are empty and broken, who are at the point of
desperation, who are panting for Him the way a deer pants for water in the
desert. He answers dependent prayers. Sure, we want revival. But we don't need
revival. That's the difference. God will meet us at our point of need, not our
point of preference. Revival is God's radical measure to get the church in a
given area or at a given time back to normal before it falls into spiritual
oblivion and cultural irrelevance. Revival comes when we realize that it's
either revival or death, revival or continued backsliding, revival or the world
around us goes to hell.” In this above quote from Michael Brown, he really
speaks to the high requirement for revival namely in one word: Everything! Oh
Brethren we must realize that this has always been so, there are no shortcuts
with God, we will never see a revival until this is realized and acted upon. In
light of eternity let us have tears for our lack of desire and desperation for
God. John Knox was a Great Man of God and this was his prayer, " God give me
Scotland or I die!" Again, John Hyde who was a missionary, prayed, " God give
me souls or I die" Again, Whitefield prayed, " God give me souls or take my
soul!" May we take it further dear reader, can you pray: “Give me revival or I
die?”

Where are those that have a burdened heart like Evan Roberts, he prayed for
revival night and day for twelve years. At the end of these twelve years he
prayed with such intensity, agony and urgency that his landlord asked him to
vacate his living quarters. Is there a burning in your soul? a building desire
in your heart? Let us not fool ourselves the prayer meeting is “dead” and so
are multitudes in their trespasses and sins. We need a holy desperation to fill
our prayer meetings, a holy zeal that will not relent until revival comes. The
“Lord comes suddenly” to his temple, let us not be found sleeping or great will
be our shame. Mario Murillo in his article: ‘Vital insights into God’s
preparations for revival’ states: “now is the time to pull out all the stops.
No program is sacred, no worthy project is worth enough. None of the ointment
can be spared. It is revival or death!” William Seymour the father of the
modern day pentecostal movement prayed for five to seven hours a day for over a
year for revival. And what resulted? a glorious powerful sweeping pentecost
swept the world. Winkie Pratney told why there was no revival in the church
over twenty years ago: “We do not have men and women who are prepared to pay
the same price to preach the same message and have the same power as those
revivalists of the past. Without these firm believers, the community can never
be changed. Our concern is conciliatory, our obedience optional, our lack
theologically and culturally justified. Quite simply, it costs too much!” S.B.
Shaw who wrote on the welsh revival shares the results of a true heaven-sent
revival: “A revival that like a tornado will sweep away all the old dried-up
sermons, and all the cold formal prayers, and all the lifeless singing, and
like a whirlwind will carry everyone that comes in its path heavenward. A
revival that will fill the hearts of saints with holy love, and so burden the
hearts of God's ministers that the word of God will be like fire shut up in
their bones. For such a revival our heart cries out to God! For such a revival
we are ready to watch and toil and pray.” May we take it further dear reader,
for such a revival are you willing to die?

If NO REVIVAL

In the writings of Isaiah we see three clear consequences for the result of the
nation of Israel not having repentance towards God. May I say that these three
consequences will also be ours if we do not have a renewed repentance in the
Church and a revolutionary revival from Heaven. If no revival then we will see
these three judgments come on the earth and surely anyone that has been
awakened to the hour will realize these monstrous consequences are already have
fallen upon us.

If no revival then, hell will be enlarged. “Therefore hell hath enlarged
herself, and opened her mouth without measure.” Oh the horror of it, hell
yawning and swallowing multiplied millions of souls that will be damned
forever. To just see a glimpse of this reality will shake any soul to ask what
can be done? George Whitefield said: “At the day of judgement we shall all meet
again.” How will you feel when you meet all of the millions of souls that could
have been saved if you prayed and sought God for a revival of religion? When
the Church does not have revival hell enlarges what a frightful thought.

If no revival then, sin will abound. Men will begin to draw sin “with a cart”
speaking of the enormous amounts of sin that abounds in a season when the
Church is not being the salt of the earth. We see that evidently today where
people call good evil and evil good and to such God says “Woe unto them.” As
Richard Baxter said of sin, “it is the murderer of the whole world.” The only
hope for lost captive sinners is Christ! yet the Church and Christians keep
multitudes from Christ. Lamentable fact! When the church is not the “light of
the world” the world falls into outer darkness. When the Church does not have
revival sin abounds 0n the earth.

If no revival then, the Word will be despised. In a season where there is no
revival in the church the world will begin to disregard the law of God as the
Scripture says “they have cast away the law of the Lord.” And they begin to
“despise” not only the Word of God but the “Holy One of Israel.” This is a
double-smart; the church is ineffective and God is mocked. Martyn-Lloyd Jones
wrote to this fact: “Does it grieve you my friends, that the name of God is
being taken in vain and desecrated? Does it grieve you that we are living in a
godless age. The main reason we should be praying about revival is that we are
anxious to see God’s name vindicated and His glory manifested.” When the Church
does not have revival God’s name is despised.

Leonard Ravenhill wrote: “this generation of Christians is responsible for this
generation of sinners.” This responsibility is of eternal consequence dear
reader, being a Christian is a somber thing. Over a hundred years ago Andrew
Bonar wrote: “Revivals begin with God's own people; the Holy Spirit touches
their heart anew, and gives them new fervor and compassion, and zeal, new light
and life, and when He has thus come to you, He next goes forth to the valley of
dry bones…Oh, what responsibility this lays on the Church of God! If you grieve
Him away from yourselves, or hinder His visit, then the poor perishing world
suffers sorely!” Evan Roberts wrote: “Prayer is buried, and lost and Heaven
weeps. If all prayed the wicked would flee from our midst or to the refuge.”

LOSS of REPUTATION

Perhaps one reason why there is no revival is because the minister’s are not
willing to pay the cost, namely the loss of reputation. Gilbert Tennet was used
mightily of God in the second great awakening, hear him give account of the
popular preaching in his day: "They often strengthened the hands of the wicked
by promising them life. They comfort people before they convince them; sow
before they plow: and are busy in raising a fabric before they lay a
foundation. These foolish builders strengthen men's carnal security by their
soft, selfish, cowardly discourses. They have not the courage or honesty to
thrust the nail of terror into the sleeping souls!" Preaching without unction,
Praying without fervor, are two reasons why revival tarries in our day. We need
a moratorium on reputation to see revival. May God rouse this generation to a
passionate pursuit for revival and a determined ardor to see it come to pass.

~Greg Gordon is Moderator of- www.SermonIndex.net - an excellent
resource on Revival.