HOME OF ARTICLES
“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1 NKJV)
History has taught us that true revivals don’t just happen arbitrarily or randomly. No generation in the past has ever experienced a mighty move of God by chance.
If any generation desires to see the manifestation of God’s overwhelming presence, it must prepare the way for God. God is not an intruder or a gatecrasher who will force His way into our affairs when not invited or wanted.
Our responsibility is to prepare the way before the Lord and seek Him with all our hearts, and when we do this, the Lord will not fail to reveal His incredible presence and power in His temple, the church.
Jeremiah 29:13 – NKJV
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
If we fail to prepare the way before God and seek God wholeheartedly, we may not experience true revival in our generation.
In the first part of this piece, we began to examine the antecedents of true revival: the essential things we need to know or do before we can expect true revival to break forth in our generation.
We are examining some vital issues that our Lord Jesus Christ raised with His disciples on His way to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead.
First, the Lord would have us know why today’s church is spiritually sick and weak.
It is a must for us to know from where we have fallen. Jesus said, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works…” (Rev. 2:5 NKJV).
We must acknowledge that our refusal to continue steadfastly in the teaching of Christ has debilitated us spiritually.
Second, the Lord would also want us to be assured of His unwavering and everlasting love for His Church, notwithstanding her unfaithfulness and backsliding.
Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus (Romans. 8:38-39).
On His way to Bethany, Jesus reiterated His love for Lazarus, saying to His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” (John 11:11 NKJV).
Despite her disheartening condition, the Lord cannot employ anyone who does not love the church for her revival and restoration.
Let us further examine some important antecedents of revival.
Third, the Lord would have us see accurately, know, and understand the church’s exact spiritual and moral condition.
While the Lord Jesus drew near Bethany to revive Lazarus, He began to help His disciples see and understand Lazarus’s present condition, for they had thought that Lazarus was sleeping.
John 11:11-14 – NKJV
11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
Like the undiscerning disciples of Christ on their way to Bethany, many believers today are completely ignorant of today’s church’s spiritual and moral state. Such ones need to cry to the Lord to anoint their eyes with eye salve so they can see as the Lord sees (Rev. 3:18).
Like the Laodicea church, the church today is boasting, saying, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ –and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” (Rev. 3:17 NKJV).
We are certainly not yet ready for true spiritual awakening or revival if we continue to take pride in our large congregations, which are primarily spiritually immature, carnal, or sensual, or in our gigantic cathedrals and imposing edifices void of God’s presence, or in our material prosperity at the expense of our spiritual maturity.
Today, many believers are at ease in Zion because they are undiscerning and oblivious to her corruption and ruins. You cannot see today’s church as the Lord sees her, and your heart will not be burdened to passionately and continuously cry out to the Lord to purge His church and revive her again.
Like Ezekiel, your eyes must be opened to see beyond today’s church’s superficial growth and prosperity before you can be one of God’s revival partners in this generation (Ezekiel. 8:5-12).
Lastly, having helped them understand the present state of Lazarus, the Lord Jesus now said to His disciples, “Nevertheless let us go to him.” (John 11:15 NKJV).
Until you also begin to see as the Lord sees, you cannot be His partner in revival. Although revival is primarily the Lord’s work, He seeks suitable men to partner with Him.
When they set out on their journey to Bethany, Jesus expressly declared His intention to raise Lazarus. Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” (John 11:11 NKJV).
The Spirit of the Lord quickens, revives, or gives life (John 6:63, 2 Cor. 3:6). However, the Lord always loves to work in us, with us, and through us. Although the Lord Jesus, the Resurrection, and the Life raised Lazarus from the dead by His voice, He had some works for His disciples to do.
What are these works or assignments?
First, the Lord asked His disciples to remove the huge stone that had been laid against the mouth of the cave before He called Lazarus to come forth (John 11:39).
Second, after calling Lazarus from the dead, the Lord said to His disciples, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:44 NKJV).
Although the Lord alone can revive his church, He is seeking partners, instruments, or vessels that He can work with, work in, and work through to accomplish His work.
The Spirit of God is calling into a partnership for the revival of the believers whose eyes the Lord has opened, having anointed their eyes with eye salve so that they may accurately see the ongoing spiritual and moral corruption and degeneration in the church and thus be burdened to cry out to the Lord for the revival and healing of His church.
The Lord is also seeking concerned, compassionate, bold, and courageous believers who will remove every “stone” that wicked hirelings or spiritual undertakers in our generation have laid against “the caves” they had constructed to keep the sheep of God in perpetual bondage.
The Lord is recruiting men and women who will wield the sharp “sword of the Spirit” to cut and lose the grave clothes that greedy hirelings or spiritual undertakers have used to wrap and blind the minds, hands, and feet of God’s sheep in their caves.
Friend, would you be one of God’s revival partners in this generation?
Let the Lord know your response today!
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I want to be your partner in the revival of Your Church. Dear Holy Spirit, teach and strengthen me to play my God-assigned role in the revival or spiritual awakening of today’s ailing Church, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our mandate is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.
Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.
AWH, Blogs.
Share this:
Comments
Post a Comment