Quote from Forum Archives on November 3, 2003, 1:11 pm

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

REVVING UP FOR REVIVAL
November 2, 2003

Text: Philippians 3:7-16

In one week, we will be hosting revival services with Dave Osborne of
Hungry Hearts Ministries, the revival ministry group that he is
beginning. Dave has served as a youth minister in other states and is
currently an active layman at Oakford Baptist Church in Kokomo. As we
look forward to these revival services, we want to be in prayer for those
who will be our revival leaders, for our congregation, for our
communities, and especially for those whose lives are being touched and
convicted by the Holy Spirit to repent and turn to God through Jesus
Christ our Savior.

Revival is the term that the Church has used for many years to indicate a
time marked by a unique, observable, and even unusual - in some sense -
of humanity’s response to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Actually,
words translated as “revival” are used infrequently in the New Testament.
Where it is, such as Luke 15:24 which we will look at in more detail
later, it means “to become alive again” or “to rise again.” (Gerhard
Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. II, Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI, 1964, p. 872). I think we can
see why Churches have used the word “revival” to indicate those times
when men and women are convicted by the Holy Spirit and come to a saving
belief in God.

More frequently, New Testament writers used words that are translated “to
make new,” “to produce something new,” and “to renew.” (Gerhard Kittel,
ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. III, Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI, 1964, p. 452). So in the New
Testament, the use and concept of “revival” and “renewal” are equivalent.
Through His New Testament authors, God wants us to know that believing in
Him brings change in our life. And this change is continual. It never
ends. As we “rev up for revival,” I want us to take a look this morning
at the three types of revival, or renewal, taught by the New Testament.

Turn first to Acts 2. One type of revival found in the New Testament
corresponds to a lot of our typical images of revivals where
non-Christian men and women are convicted by the Holy Spirit and come to
a saving knowledge of God’s love through Jesus Christ. The setting in
Acts 2 is, of course, the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has come upon
the apostles, and now Peter is delivering a sermon to those who happened
to be gathered in Jerusalem. Join me in reading verses 22-24, 29-33, and
37-41: “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man
accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did
among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over
to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of
wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised
him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was
impossible for death to keep its hold on him… Brothers, I can tell you
confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is
here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him
on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing
what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was
not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised
this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the
right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy
Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear... When the people
heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other
apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far
off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call.’ With many other words he
warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about
three thousand were added to their number that day.”

It is evident that anytime something like this Pentecost event happens,
God has sown the seeds for it. The people Peter was addressing were ripe
for the moving of the Holy Spirit. In those times, there was a keen
interest in seeking the Lord. People were burdened by the inappropriate
legalisms of Judaism and the idolatry of the Roman Empire polytheism.
They were hungry and ready for the kind of lifting of spiritual burdens
that the love of Jesus Christ brought. The bonds of sin and death were
overcome. God forgave their sins. This was good news, and many people
accepted it.

Throughout the Church’s history of revivalism, God still prepares men and
women to repent and be saved. Crusades and tent revivals and other
similar mediums of revival services have been tools used by God to make
Himself known to unbelievers. As those who have helped with a Billy
Graham crusade well know, a whole lot of spiritual and physical
preparation goes into such a ministry. Prayers are lifted up by the
faithful throughout the crusade city and beyond. Counselors are trained.
Christians contact their unsaved friends and invite them to the services.
The Holy Spirit is at work, and people come to the Lord. To rev up for
revival, we need to be in prayer and reaching out to our unsaved friends
and neighbors.

A second type of revival is the repentance and return of backsliders to
righteous living. A backslider is a person who has come to salvation, but
turns away from living right with the Lord. This person creates a break
in the spiritual relationship. Some causes for backsliding include:
neglect of Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship with other believers;
lack of commitment; replacing love of God with love of worldly pleasures;
and corruption from evil companions. Turn to Luke 15:11-24. Jesus draws
us a graphic picture of the Father’s concern for those who have turned
their backs on Him. He wants them to come back; He makes it possible for
them to come back. “Jesus continued: There was a man who had two sons.
The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the
estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that,
the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country
and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent
everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began
to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that
country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his
stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him
anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's
hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set
out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your
son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his
father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was
filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around
him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against
heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But
the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it
on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the
fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son
of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they
began to celebrate.”

Once again Jesus illustrates how much more the Father desires a loving
relationship rather than only judgment. This does not mean that God
cannot or will not judge and punishment. This prodigal son returned to
his father because of a consequential type of punishment; when he ran out
of money, he ran into real hardships. God brings many such punishments to
backsliders to get them to return to His righteous ways. Revivals reach
these people, too. It is an opportune time for the backslider to get his
or her life right with God. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit
through a song or a message or some other medium, the prodigal son or
daughter experiences that moment of sanity as he or she recognizes what
an unnecessarily miserable state of affairs his or her life has become.
The need to return to the Father, broken and ashamed, makes an
overwhelming appearance in this person’s life and, like the poor
prodigal, begins shuffling along the road with his or head hung low.
Imagine the uncontainable joy when the backslider, like the prodigal,
discovers the Father meeting him or her afar off with hugs and
exclamations of joy! This is indeed revival, as this person returns to
life. “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again.” Revving up for
revival means returning to the Lord who first loved us.

The third type of New Testament revival is perhaps what tends to receive
the least attention. Yet, it is vitally important. We have read about it
already, so return to Philippians 3:7-16. Consider closely verses 12-14:
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made
perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of
it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward
what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God
has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Revival is also for Christians who are daily walking with God and serving
Him. Perhaps this is when we use the word “renewal” more than “revival.”
David Mains has even found another word to try to describe it: “Sometimes
I prefer to use the word regenesis for this experience instead of
revival. It doesn’t have as many negative connotations. To me, regenesis
speaks of a new beginning, a return to the closeness humankind first
enjoyed with the Creator in the Garden of Eden. Whatever the word,
revival or regenesis is a time when people discover with dramatic newness
the reality and power of Christ’s presence in their midst… revival is
marked most of all by that powerful and unmistakable awareness that
Christ has again drawn wonderfully close.” (David Mains, The Unseen
Guest, Mainstay Church Resources: Wheaton, Illinois, 2001, p. xv).

Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to keep striving for all that
God had called them for. Even the great missionary, evangelist, and
spiritual giant Paul acknowledged that he had not obtained everything
that Christ promised; he had not yet “been made perfect.” What did he do?
He pressed on “toward the goal to win the prize for which God” had called
him heavenward in Christ Jesus. He kept up his daily walk with God!

This is a New Testament form of revival. Our daily walk with God as a
born-again believer is a daily revival. Our daily Christian walk can be
enhanced through revival services, but the Christian’s “pressing on
toward the prize” brings as much zeal to a revival service as a revival
service brings to the daily Christian.

So how does the daily Christian rev up for revival? I hope that some of
the answers are obvious, but Paul puts it plain enough in verse 16: “Only
let us live up to what we have already attained.” Are you a person who
has not been a Christian for very long and does not know much of the
Bible? Doesn’t matter; you know some things, like Jesus loves you and
like we’re supposed to treat others like we want to be treated and like
Jesus wants them treated. You have attained this much about the Bible.
“Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Have you been a
born-again Christian for a long time now and have grown in knowledge of
God’s Word? Great! Then you know what I’m talking about. We may not know
everything or understand everything there is to know about God’s Word,
but that’s OK. Keep living daily for Christ and “only let us live up to
what we have already attained.” Can you think of any better way to rev up
for revival?

Which category will you fit in during these revival services? I hope that
on the whole most of you here this morning fit into the third category:
those who are continuing to strive after all God has called us for. But
I’m not going to speak for anyone or try to guess their spiritual state
before God. What I will say is that regardless of which category you are
currently in, revival is for you. Revival is meant for all of us because
the love of God is meant for all of us. It is a time for the unbeliever
to receive salvation; it is a time for the backslider to return to the
loving Father; it is a time for daily-living Christians to receive
encouragement and renewal. Revving up for revival is actually pretty
straightforward: come to God and be saved; turn away from the rebellion
of personal sins and return to the loving Father; or continue to walk
daily in the light of God’s love by living “up to what we have already
attained.”

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!