Revival Has Come

Revealing Christ to the Nations

Revealing Christ to the nations of the world is the destiny handed to us by the Father. It is the only purpose for which the church exists in the world today. To many in the Body of Christ, this may sound like a cliché; nevertheless it is an utmost and profound truth. Sadly, the church does not have its focus on this purpose. It has been distracted by false teachings and doctrines of devils that have infiltrated the church and moved it into apostasy.

Paul taught us in his writings to the Thessalonians, that the man of sin, who is also known as the antichrist, could not be revealed until there first be a falling away. This falling away gives reference to the church. It is the people of God that will depart from the faith. But is it more accurate to say it is the people of God that have already departed from the faith?

We have heard much to do about a great evangelistic move of God coming into the world. But before evangelism can come to the world, revival must first come to the church, the house of God. Today, the people of God are confused; they have been misled by false promises and doctrines of men and devils. They are distressed and many walk in despair, not knowing whether they can trust God’s word or not.

For this cause, many have departed from the faith. We’re not waiting for the great falling away, we are in the midst of it. Nevertheless, we know that God’s purpose shall prevail in spite of the disposition of weak and failing Saints. More and more we’re beginning to see that the church has entered into an era that parallels that of the time of Elijah, the prophet.

ELIJAH-PERIOD SYNDROME

During the time of Elijah the Prophet, King Ahab’s wife Jezebel, had either killed or silenced the prophets of God. She raised up the prophets of Baal and had as many as 450 prophets who sat at her table. Today these prophets are seated as talk show hosts, movie stars and politicians. The prophets of God have stood in silence and watched while these ministers of Satan evangelize not only the world, but the church as well.

Satan has had little or no opposition to the rise of promiscuity in the household of faith. The fear of being negatively labeled has robbed the ministers of God of steadfastness and immovability. Nations that were once God-fearing have turned away from a path that acknowledges God, to one that excludes him from nearly every facet of their lives. But the state of things should not be a surprise to the true sons of God.

The Scriptures have already informed us of these times. For in the last days there will be a great falling away. Nevertheless, even as it was in the days of Elijah, though nations of the earth may have officially turned away from God, there are many dwelling within who have never bowed a knee to unrighteousness. But where are they? Why won’t they come forward? What are they waiting for? Could it be that some of them are fearful and afraid of the negative connotations the world places on their stand for holiness? They could also be afraid of changing political climates and threatening social environments. They are the people of God hiding in caves of spiritual obscurity.

Even as it was in the days of old, they are waiting for their latter-day Elijahs. They are waiting for those who have not sold their souls for the pleasures of this world. They are waiting for the sons who have courage to stand against false doctrines and promiscuity in the household of faith. This is the question; do we leave the nations of the world to hopelessness, discouragement and despair? Or will the sons rise up and bring forth the true gospel of Jesus Christ and a demonstration of His power.

These are troubling times. The economic systems of the world are collapsing. Can there be a revival in times such as these? Can God revive his people and bring them back to walking in the Spirit, in the midst of such hardness. For the answer to these questions, let us look once again to the schoolmaster, the Old Covenant.

The blessing in being a child of God, is to be able to walk in the confidence that when we don’t know what to do, God will tell us what to do. We are so blessed to have a God who declares that He changes not. The truth is, He does not change. He is the same today as He was 2000 years ago, or even 5000 years ago, for that matter. The Lord has promised that He will lead and guide us. He is quite capable of keeping that promise.

As I sat down to write this lesson, the Lord spoke to me very clearly and said, my people must learn to pray in the manner of the prophets of old. They must pray in the spirit of the prophets. The prophets of old loved the nation of Israel. Israel was their homeland and the people were their people. Therefore, when the nation was in trouble through disobedience, they did not separate themselves from the people, even though they were called of God and were considered to be righteous men of God. When the nation was carried into captivity, they did not cease to perform the office of the priesthood.

The prophets of God ‘stood in the room’ and prophesied the will of God to the people and to Kings if need be. Though many times their lives might have been in peril, they did not abandon their calling and their obligation to encourage the people of God just to protect themselves. They kept the laws of God, even in the midst of adversity and captivity.

The Lord promised the Church of Jesus Christ a “greater works” ministry. We must believe this promise. We must believe that this day is upon us and we are capable of doing the works our Father ordained before the world was created. The fulfilling of this prophetic word is in the obedience of the sons of God. We must follow the Spirit and go back to the example that was given to us by the prophets of old.

HABAKKUK 1:1-4

1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.

2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!

3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.

4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

Let us remember that this was the prayer of the prophet of Israel. He was praying regarding the spiritual condition of his people and his nation. This is the burden, vision or prophecy that God did cause the prophet to see. Notice the word burden is used here to exemplify the great concern and love the prophet of God had for his people.

This is where I believe we have missed the mark as sons of God even in intercession. The love of God for the people of God is not always manifested even in our prayers. Ironically, it all goes back to walking in the Spirit. If we do not walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will not experience the great love God has for his people. Therefore, there will be an element of judgmentalism in our heart that will be manifested in our prayer.

Intercession must cease to be a ritual or a church ceremony that we are compelled to do simply because it is the order of the day. But it must be a deep passion for the deliverance of God’s people from the snares of the devil. This passion must be pure and fervent and the only motivation and drive for our trip to the throne of grace. Without such passion, prayer and intercession simply becomes a meaningless oration that accomplishes little or nothing. When we look upon our society today, we see so many lives that are being destroyed continuously by the enemy. But how do we really feel about this?

Is our motivation fueled by the despair, distress and hopelessness of the people of the world; or are we driven by the thought that if things change with them, our lives would be easier and much more peaceful.

Is it possible that our prayers are motivated by the thought of receiving personal spiritual power from God to be used to change the lives of others.

The above causes seem to be very noble; however, they do not exemplify the bond of perfection. You need to understand that I am speaking of that which actually motivates us to pray for the nations of the world, as well as our own country. Intercession must strictly be an act of love. If it is not, then there is some opposition within us that will not allow the bond of love with our fellow man to be manifested. Consequently, we cannot escape the fact that such opposition is rooted in judgment, sin, or apathy.

JUDGEMENT

Many in the Body of Christ, who seem to walk in the truth, are sometimes judgmental of those who don’t. This disposition is not always expressed in deeds or conversation, but is merely a thought that creates an attitude of the heart. It is a subtle feeling of superiority and spiritual pre-eminence that separates us from those for whom we pray. They are ignorant of the things of God, lost and/or out of the way. Therefore, they are not our equal. But when the prophets of old prayed for their people they said, “Lord we have sinned against you”.

DANIEL 9:5

5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: DANIEL 9:8 (KJV)8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

This is the prayer of Daniel the prophet of God for the people of Israel. The Lord considered him to be a righteous and steadfast man of God. However, in prayer the love of his people was first and foremost exemplified. He prayed as if the fate of his people was also indeed his fate. He made himself one with the nation.

God is revealing a mindset of division to us and that it is void of the oneness that the love of God provides. When Jesus, who was the only righteous soul on the planet prayed for the lost, He said Father make them one, as we are one. This is compassion expressed in intercession. But note here, He didn’t confine his prayer to those whom the Father had already given him, but he also prayed for those who would believe on him through their word. He was touched with the infirmities of those who might possibly believe centuries later.

My point is not to get us to make ourselves as sinners in prayer; neither am I intending that compassion requires us to do so. However, intercession for the lost must be made inside a reality that these are real or potential members of the body of Christ, whose infirmities we are touched with. Without experiencing the feelings of their infirmities, our spiritual disposition in prayer is one of high-minded arrogance.

Commitment to praying will not remedy this unlawful spiritual condition. Walking and praying in the Spirit is the only solution to missing the mark in intercession. We must manifest a great love for those who are already in the Body of Christ but are off course, teaching in error and walking outside the boundaries of the faith. The revelation of this truth and submission to it will bring revival to the Church and the world.