If your Gospel isn't touching others, it hasn't touched you! --Curry R. Blake

There are those moments in life when one has a decision to make and he knows that the choice he makes can and will affect not only his life but the life of others as well. I find my self at one of those cross roads today! I am a christian. I would like to think that I am not just one of thousands that claim the name of Christ yet bear no real resemblance to the one who's name I claim to bear. Nonetheless there are certain times when God leads His followers places they are not sure they want to go.

Four years ago I had the privilege of going to Cambodia t see how we as a church could get involved in taking the gospel to a nation that is 98% unreached. Meaning they have never heard nor do they have access to the gospel. While there Chiv, my Cambodian brother in Christ was reunited with his family he hadn't seen in over thirty years since he escaped Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime.

He shared the Gospel with his family and they not only believed and surrendered to Christ but asked us to come share with their village. Since that time several hundred have come to Christ and three or four villages have come to the faith.

In the morning Mark and I will travel to Cambodia yet again to film all that God has done, to teach and disciple those who have come to the faith and train them to do likewise, and to go to some villages that have never heard the gospel and share with them the amazing message of Christ.

On the one hand I am excited who wouldn't be? On the other hand I am leaving my Wife and best friend and my three beautiful little boys! They are old enough to understand that daddy is gone. The older they get the heavier it weighs on my heart to leave them. To go around the world and into the jungles of Cambodia that is currently experiencing the worst floods in ten years. What if something were to happen to me? Who would take care of them? these thoughts can become haunting if I were to let them.

David Platt once said:
"We have the resources to get the gospel to difficult/dangerous to reach peoples. The question is, Do we have the resolve?"

The truth is God not only will but already does take care of my boys and Kim! Who am i to think that He needs me to get that job done. I want to raise my boys with the knowledge that taking the gospel to the lost is worth the risk! It comes at a sacrifice not only to me but to them as well. But that is a good thing! There are things that are more important in life and sharing Christ is one of those.

I John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ lay down His Life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

So off I go! Please pray for the flooding to stop for safe travel for the gospel to be preached and received! Lives changed! Pray for protection and for the nation of Cambodia that in out life time they will become 98% Christians!

The major problem in every marriage: sin. The major solution for any marriage: a Savior.

I recently had the privilege of marrying one of my former youth to her now husband. Every time I preach a wedding I am reminded of the God who came and died in my place, to take away my sin, so I might have a restored relationship with God. A holy act! A divine intervention!

In today's day and age this symbolism of God and His pursuit of us has come under attack ever more increasingly. Even some of the men I know who feel called by God to be His ministers here on earth seem to be getting ever more caught up in the relativistic society in which we live and have exalted political correctness over holiness.

Homosexuality, polygamy and all sorts of other "Lifestyles" are becoming the norm and even entertainment for our so called reality shows. Trevin Wax writes about an interview that addresses the subject very well I think:

Host: You are a Christian pastor, and you say you believe the Bible, which means you are supposed to love all people.

Pastor: That’s right.

Host: But it appears to me that you and your church take a rather unloving position when it comes to gay people. Are homosexuals welcome to come to your church?

Pastor: Of course. We believe that the gospel is a message relevant for every person on the planet, and we want everyone to hear the gospel and find salvation in Jesus Christ. So at our church, our arms are outstretched to people from every background, every race, every ethnicity and culture. We’re a place for all kinds of sinners and people with all kinds of problems.

Host: But you said there, “We’re a place for sinners.” So you do believe that homosexuality is sinful, right?

Pastor: Yes, I do.

Host: So how do you reconcile the command to love all people with a position on homosexuality that some would say is radically intolerant?

Pastor: (smiling) If you think my position on homosexuality is radical, just wait until you hear what else I believe! I believe that a teenage guy and girl who have sex in the backseat of a pick-up are sinning. The unmarried heterosexual couple living down the street from me is sinning. In fact, any sexual activity that takes place outside of the marriage covenant between a husband and wife is sinful. What’s more, Jesus takes this sexual ethic a step further and goes to the heart of the matter. That means that any time I even lust after someone else, I am sinning. Jesus’ radical view of sexuality shows all of us up as sexual sinners, and that’s why He came to die. Jesus died to save lustful, homo- and heterosexual sinners and transform our hearts and minds and behavior. Because He died for me, I owe Him my all. And as a follower of Jesus, I’m bound to what He says about sex and morality.

Host: But Jesus didn’t condemn homosexuality outright, did He?

Pastor: He didn’t have to. He went to the heart issue and intensified the commands against immoral behavior in the Old Testament. So Jesus doesn’t just condemn adultery, for example, as does one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus condemns even the lust that leads to adultery, all with the purpose of offering us transformed hearts that begin beating in step with His radical demands.

Host: You say he condemned adultery, but he chose not to condemn the woman caught in adultery.

Pastor: That’s right, but He did tell her to “go and sin no more.”

Host: But who are you to condemn someone who doesn’t line up with your personal beliefs about sexuality?

Pastor: Who am I? No one. It’s not all that important what I think about these things. This conversation about homosexuality isn’t really about my personal beliefs. They’re about Jesus and what He says. I have no right to condemn or judge the world. That right belongs to Jesus. My hope is to follow Him faithfully. That means that whatever He says in regard to sexual practices is what I believe to be true, loving, and ultimately best for human flourishing – even when it seems out of step with the whims of contemporary culture.

Host: But you are judging. You are telling all the gay people watching this broadcast that they are sinners.

Pastor: I’m not singling out gay people. I’m pointing to Jesus as the answer to all sexual sinfulness.

Host: But you are referring to gay people. Why are you so focused on homosexuality?

Pastor: (smiling) With all due respect, you are the one who brought up this subject.

Host: Are you saying that you can’t be gay and Christian?

Pastor: No. I’m saying that you can’t be a genuine Christian without repentance. Everyone – including me – is guilty of sin, but Christianity hinges on repentance. We agree with God about our sin, and we turn from it and turn toward Jesus. When it comes to Christianity, this debate is not about homosexuality versus other sins. It’s about whether or not repentance is integral to the Christian life.

Host: But do you see why a homosexual watching this might think you are attacking them personally? You’re saying that something is wrong with them.

Pastor: I think Jesus’ teaching on sexuality shows us that there is something wrong with all of us – something that can only be fixed by what Jesus did for us on the cross and in His resurrection. That said, I understand why people might think I am attacking them personally. Most people with same-sex desires believe they were born with these tendencies. That’s why they often see their attraction as going to the very core of who they are, and so they identify themselves with the “gay” label. So whenever someone questions their behavior or desires, they take it as an attack on the very core of their being. That’s usually not the intent of the person who disagrees with homosexual behavior. But that’s the way it is perceived. I understand that.

Host: If it’s true that a person is born with one sexual orientation or another, then how can it possibly be loving to condemn one person’s orientation?

Pastor: Well, we really don’t know for certain about sexual attraction being innate and set from birth. All we have is the testimony of people who say that they’ve experienced same-sex desires since childhood. Christianity teaches that all people are born with a bent toward sin. It’s possible that some people will have a propensity toward alcohol abuse or angry outbursts, while others may have a propensity toward other sins. Regardless, Christians believe people are more than their sexual urges. We believe that human dignity is diminished whenever we define ourselves by sexual urges and behaviors. Consider this: married men are sometimes attracted to multiple women who are not their wives. Does this mean they should self-identify as polygamists? Not at all. And surely you wouldn’t consider it hateful for Christians to encourage married men not to act on their desires in an effort to remain faithful to their spouses. It is the Christian way, after all.

Host: No, but it still seems like you are telling people not to be true to who they are.

Pastor: It only seems that way because you believe sexual desire reflects the core of one’s identity. It would help if you and others who agree with you would understand that in your putting pressure on me to accept homosexual behavior as normal and virtuous, you are going to the very core of my identity as a follower of Jesus. The label most important to me is “Christian.” My identity – in Christ – is central to who I am. So I could say the same thing and call you intolerant, bigoted, and hateful for trying to change a conviction that goes to the core of who I am as a Christian. I don’t say that because I don’t believe that’s your intention. But neither should you think it’s my intention to attack a homosexual person or cause them harm merely because I disagree.

Host: But the problem is, your position fosters hate and encourages bullying.

Pastor: I recognize that some people have mistreated homosexuals in the past. It’s a shame that anyone anywhere would mock, taunt, or bully another human being made in God’s image. That said, I think we need to make one thing clear in regard to civil discourse: To differ is not to hate. I hope we can still have a real conversation in this country about different points of view without casting one another in the worst possible light. The idea that disagreeing with homosexual behavior necessarily results in harm to gay people is designed to shut down conversation and immediately rule one point of view (in this case, the Christian one) out of bounds. As a Christian, I am to love my neighbor and seek his good, even when I don’t see eye to eye with my neighbor. Furthermore, the picture of Christ on the cross dying for His enemies necessarily affects the way I think about this and other issues



For more on the subject you might want to visit http://www.facebook.com/#!/plattdavid as David Platt will be addressing this topic and more November 4th through his "Secret Church" simulcast.

For more from Trevin visit: http://trevinwax.com


As a final thought I leave you with the title of this Blog, the words of David Platt "The major problem in every marriage: sin. The major solution for any marriage: a Savior."

We had the wonderful privilege of taking our three sons camping this past weekend. It was incredible fun and the boys had a blast! It brought back so many memories from my childhood and teenage years, of times we camped in the Rockies when we were growing up. Then in Chile we would camp with a few close family friends. As a teenager I would go backpacking with my friends as often as we could. But somewhere over the past several years it has been something i have done very little of. We tried to take the boys once when we went to see my parents in New Mexico but Kim gets terrible altitude sickness and we ended up having to drive her out of the mountains and so the boys and I only stayed one night.

This time we went to Arkansas where the mountains are not as high and Kim wouldn't have to deal with the altitude. We got to spend four days on this trip and it was great! AS we walked some of the several trails in Petite Jean state park I was reminded why I love the outdoors and especially the mountains. With the combination of pine trees that dominate the smell of the air and the various oaks and elms amongst others changing colors for fall it stimulates the senses. Then there are the incredible rocks! Boulders the size of buses and even larger, plenty of things to climb. These are the memories I had from growing up and now my boys will too!

One of my favorite trails we took was the trail to "Bear Cave." this was my boys favorite part as well. The trail ends up at this huge rock formations. Boulders the size of houses piled on top of each other making towers that reach three to four stories high. Perfect for climbing! While I didn't take the boys all the way to the tops as it would have been far to difficult the teens that were with us did. The boys climbed for hours and could have climbed all day had we let them. AS we climbed I was reminded of Luke 19, where Jesus responds to the Pharisees when they ask him to quiet the people who were praising him and throwing palm branches down as he entered Jerusalem. Jesus responds in verse 40 saying:

“I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

Walking thorough Gods creation. One is reminded of His glory revealed! His Majesty! as if God placed these stones here to build a playground for His children to play on and remember how much He loves us! To drive us to praise Him.

Thank You God for your splendor and your creation. You are truly an amazing God!

Disciplship II

In my last post I talked about discipleship and how we as a church were going through a process of evaluating what we were doing as a church, what was effective and what was not. The conclusion I came too was pretty much summed up in the following statement.

“Quantity cannot replace quality. It wasn't most of Jesus metaphors and teaching that got across to the twelve, in fact most of the time they didn't understand what He was saying. It was the walking with Him in good and bad, everyday life stuff where Jesus rubbed off on them. Time and the Holy Spirit are the key. Maybe we would be better served to make sure the things we are doing are Spirit filled and lead and that we are giving them the time and effort before we go throw other things on the plate.”

I wanted to make sure and clarify what I meant by that statement so that there is no confusion.

Many times as Christians and ministers we are always looking for the next best thing, what is working best in other churches and then implementing the same in our situations? The problem with that is that it often leads us to another program that will most likely not change our current need of Spiritual nourishment. True discipleship doesn't come from a program it comes from the Holy Spirit’s work in us and through us! That doesn't mean that programs in and of themselves are bad or are not used by God to help the discipleship process. Rather it is a matter of what is our focus. We would be better served to seek God’s direction in what works best for our ministry scenario in where God has us serving. Than to imitate something that has worked somewhere else.

One of the great things about what the Navigators have been walking us through as a church (although it can seem somewhat tedious at times) is that rather than just coming in and implementing a program they have lead us to take the time to really seek God. To evaluate what we are doing that is working and what we are doing that is not working. Will we be implementing new processes as our new discipleship plan for our church unfolds? Of course we will! Some things won’t change. Some new things will be implemented. But none of those things will remain or be implemented just because they have worked before or somewhere else. It will be because we have sought God! We have gone through a lengthy evaluation process. So whether it be Sunday school, small groups, triads or quads, bible studies or prayer groups it won’t just be a cafeteria of options for people to pick and choose. It won’t be a program implemented just because it has worked somewhere else. No it will be a deliberate effort of the local body of Christ who has spent months praying and seeking God’s desires for this local body.

Hopefully every ministry opportunity, every fellowship group or study group, every time we come together as a church it will be intentional God lead and orchestrated times where we grow together. Where our members are not coming because it is the next thing on the list, rather because people are meeting Christ and growing in the faith. Or in keeping with the theme of the previous blog everything we do has great quality and brings nourishment to the soul!

As I sat there in our meeting I couldn't help but get excited because as I heard people speak I wasn't just hearing that we were adding more quantity to the things we were doing. I was hearing quality as I heard the testimonies of members who’s lives were already being changed by some of the things that this discipleship process has brought about!

Discipleship?

As God continues to fulfill the vision he lead our church too in regards to Cambodia and our adopting the Khmer people, many challenges have come our way! These challenges have been some of the best things that have ever happened to me spiritually speaking in that I have had to do some real soul searching, and relying on God! I have been stretched in ways I would have never even come close too and headed in directions that would have never even been on my radar otherwise.

One of the many unexpected challenges has been the overwhelming power of God moving and bringing the lost to Himself at a rate that quite frankly we were neither anticipating nor prepared for! To be quite honest I was prepared for the most difficult part of reaching an unreached people group to be the communication of the gospel in ways they would understand and receive. How foolish of me, God from the outset brought Chiv my Cambodian brother on the scene and every time he opens his mouth in Cambodia masses are getting saved! What has been a challenge however has been how to disciple these new converts. The great commission calls us not just to save people rather to teach them in the way that they should go. This is rather difficult when you are oceans apart. In this too God is stretching us and proving that He is God and He is in control. He will not abandon those who pursue Him!

An unexpected result of our efforts in Cambodia has been that we have recognized that we need to re-evaluate our discipling efforts at home. Are we intentional enough? Do we have appropriate ways in which our members are being disciples and discipling? This has lead us into an 18-24 month process that is still in the works where we have brought in the Navigators and we are looking at out church with a "fine toothed comb" to see where we are effective, where we are anemic and what we need to do to be better disciples who are discipling. In fact just last night I was in a meeting where updates on the process were being given and several testimonies were shared. And while God is doing amazing things I have to admit that my mind wondered as people were sharing. It wondered back to Cambodia. To all the weird things we ate. Yes, I know my mind is a wild and out of control monster of it's own but bear with me.

In Cambodia we ate some weird stuff, stuff I don't even want to know what it was! Just like the first pic above of my friend Mark that was with me you can see the fish head and yes that is an eye that he was about to eat! Many of the things we ate had little to no nutritional value what so ever and so it begged the question why we were eating it in the first place? Somewhere along the way I realized that during the Khmer Rouge Regime while Cambodia's people were in concentration camps and labor fields being starved to death. They learned to eat anything! Bugs, plants, anything! Many times they were forced to make soup because they didn't have enough rice so they would have a bowl of soup with about 5 or 6 grains of rice and in order to give it sustenance or flavor they would come up with anything to try and get protein or break the mundane. The more stuff and the more variety the better they could forget the fact that the were indeed starving to death.

In much the same way, we as Christians erroneously tend to think of discipleship. The more things we throw into the "pot" there better it will be. Sunday school, small group, accountability group, triad or quad, mid week bible study, prayer meetings and the list goes on and on. Don't get me wrong none of these things are bad in and of themselves. And most of these can be used as tools for discipleship. However it is not as simple as the more you are involved in the better the discipleship. Quantity cannot replace quality. It wasn't most of Jesus metaphors and teaching that got across to the twelve, in fact most of the time they didn't understand what He was saying. it was the walking with Him in good and bad, everyday life stuff where Jesus rubbed off on them. Time and the Holy Spirit are the key. Maybe we would be better served to make sure the things we are doing are Spirit filled and lead and theat we are giving them the time and effort before we go throw other things on the plate. More things might make us feel liek we are getting full but that doesnt mean we are getting healthy nurishment taht we truely need!

AS for Cambodia, I am getting ready to go back in a few weeks and thank God Mark is going with me so he can eat the gross stuff for me!

Definition of AMBIGUOUS

1a : doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness b : inexplicable

2: capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways

— am•big•u•ous•ly adverb
— am•big•u•ous•ness noun

I’m sure you are wondering what I have to say about the word ambiguous or how in the world it pertains to the image above and let me assure you I will address both throughout this blog. However let me forewarn you that this like most of my posts might get a little lengthy, so you might want to wait until you have the time to read through my thoughts and look through the window that is my brain and the way I process things.

Let me begin by telling you a true story that happened just a few weeks ago.

As many of you know, our church has adopted the Khmer people, by adopted I mean that we have committed to pray and find effective ways to impact the largest people group that live in the nation of Cambodia Today. As a people group they are 98% unreached, meaning that 98% have never heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Four years ago I and two others went to explore ways in which we could do just such a task. One of those who went with us was a Cambodian named Chiv who has sense become one of our associate pastors. While we were there he was reunite with his family that he hadn’t seen in thirty years since he escaped the Khmer Rouge regime and ended up in the U.S. While being reunited he was able to lead his family to the Lord. The last thing they asked as we left was when we would come back and tell their village about the real God. So one year later we sent a team back and while there they preached the simple gospel and almost all of the village of O-Khmom gave their lives to the Lord. Six months later we sent another team to encourage these new converts and check up on a process of discipleship we had left in place with four Christians we were supporting to go and follow up with every convert. While there our team heard that a neighboring village had heard of the way that O-Khmom had been sharing everything and how they were being blessed and wanted our team to go share about this God that had brought so much change to their neighbors lives so that is exactly what we did and most of them converted as well. Since that time more are being added to their numbers consistently.

A few weeks ago, one of the women from O-Khmom was out in the fields harvesting when she was overcome with a sense of fear so she left the two gentlemen she was working with and went a little ways away and knelt to pray that God would deliver her from this fear. While she was praying the truck that they were throwing their harvest into drove over a land mine that had been left from the 70s when the Khmer Rouge was retreating and had been unearthed since then by the rains. Even though this field had been cleaned of mines this one had been buried to deep and had just now come to the surface. As the mine exploded under the truck destroying the vehicle miraculously the lives of the two gentlemen were spared by God and both of them were left with minor injuries and the woman who had been praying thanked God. As the governmental officials from the demining department came to report on the matter as they have too for every incident the woman told them the story as it happened so they wrote it as such and the report went all the way to the capital and was filed as a “mine that had gone off but none were injured as they had been protected by God!”

What a story! In fact God has been challenging me as of late with what HE has been doing in Cambodia through our churches going through the book “Radical” by David Platt and many other things as of late.

Revival is something I think we would all say that we desire as Christians. But what is it that marks revival. What is it that we tend to look for as signs that revival is happening? For the past year many of the students in our ministry here and some of my former students have been praying and fasting that God would begin a revival on their school and university campuses. In many ways I have encouraged them to be doing this for the past several years. I am happy to say that many of them are beginning to see God move on their campuses and with that move of God have come various questions that have been directed my way. I have tried my best to field those questions and in many ways they have caused me to question. What are the real markers or indicators of a genuine God breathed revival? Not one of those weeks we as churches like to plan and cal a revival, no I mean a genuine God breathed spontaneous revival that is contagious and spreads. And after such a revival breaks out what should our focus be then? What are we to do following an out pouring of God’s Spirit?

Well I think a good place to start is the first outpouring of the Spirit in Acts chapter two. Here we see the disciples closed up in the upper room and the Holy Spirit came upon them, there was a wind, tongues of fire and they rested on each one of them. They were filled with the Spirit and each of them began speaking in tongues as the Spirit was giving to each of them. We see Peter quote the prophecy that was given in Joel chapter two that alludes to prophecies, visions, dreams, signs and wonders. Finally we see that the Lord added to their numbers.

For most of us and in modern church history these are the things we look for as markers that a great revival has broken out! That God has moved! And I must confess that in many ways I have believed and sought the same when looking for revival.

However, I must confess that the older I get in my faith and the longer I serve in ministry, that I think we as the church are missing the boat when it comes to defining and seeking revival from the Lord.

Let’s look again at Acts chapter two. What are the real focuses of this chapter that we should be looking at.

First, the disciples were in the upper room. Does revival necessitate us separating and spending countless hours together with other believers in order to see a move of God? Is that the point we should draw from this? I’m not sure that it is. I’m not saying that retreating and spending time seeking God is a bad thing, but is it necessary to see a move of God? What we should really draw from this is that the Disciples were being obedient to God’s command. They were there because God had told them to go and wait. Time and seclusion seem to have no real bearing here rather obedience is the real key that can easily be missed. Note Acts chapter eight where God calls Phillip to go and it is because of Phillip’s obedience that the Ethiopian gets saved. Some might not see this as a revival but think about it. Here is a man from Ethiopia that has a portion of scripture which is miraculous in and of itself seeing as how the printing press had not been invented and the Jews were so cautious with their caring for the propagation and care of the scrolls. He is from Africa not Egypt, rather Ethiopia, not a neighboring country with Egypt but farther south. Yet here he is and God brings the two of them together and this man gets saved and goes home to share the gospel with an unreached nation. I would say there is a revival in this story wouldn’t you?

Secondly we see the Spirit move upon the disciples through a wind and fire and giving them a gift of tongues. Now there are varying theologies on when the Holy Spirit comes upon Christians today as to whether we receive the Holy Spirit when we get saved and the Disciples did at a later time because Christ had to ascend before he sent the Holy Spirit. But for me this isn’t the focus of this part of Scripture. What we should be asking is not when and how but why? The focus here is not the wind the fire the tongues it is that every man “heard in their own language the Mighty deeds of God and they continued in amazement.” (v. 7-12)

Third, Peter quotes the prophecy of Joel about visions, dreams signs and wonders. Is the point we should take from this that if we are full of the spirit that we should all prophecy, dream dreams, and have visions? Well if we make that general of an assumption that a move of God is always evidenced by such things then we must also say that revivals should be accompanied by blood, fire, vapors of smoke the sun going dark and the moon turning to blood shouldn’t we? I would suggest that here too we need to look deeper. Peter deeper intent here is to point out to the Judean and Jerusalem Jews that God fulfills His word. In many ways this could be seen as a reproach that these men who should know the word don’t know it well enough to see its fulfillment. Indeed as we find out later much of Joel’s prophecy is yet to be fulfilled as most of it is referring to the end times and matches up with the prophecies of Revelation. This is rather a call to know Gods word and apply it to life. True revival is the living out of God’s word more than it is the mysterious and flamboyant manifestations as mentioned earlier when talking about the tongues of fire.

Finally, we see that God was adding to their numbers daily. This is what most of us attribute to revival and a genuine move of God. Numbers! This is probably the easiest in my opinion for us to miss the point, probably because it is a very subtle thing but of utmost importance. God wasn’t adding to their number daily! He was adding to their number daily THOSE WHO WERE BEING SAVED! Many a church has had huge growth numbers and it has been said of them that they have experienced a revival. But the key point here isn’t the numbers, it is that people were being saved. Pula would go on to define this as people were being made into “new creations” people were dyeing to themselves and being remade into the image of Christ! Just as there were always multitudes following Christ when He was healing and manifesting Gods power in miraculous ways only to abandon Him when He was crucified. Many a church or supposed revival movement has gained momentum and people have come from far and wide when signs and wonders were being manifest but as soon as the miraculous or supernatural is gone the wean away.

A true indicator of God breathed revival is that it is followed by Spiritual Awakening. In fact most people confuse revival with the later. True revival isn’t about the manifestations of the Spirit, it is about man having a “re-birth” In other words it is about the Christian coming to the end of himself, remembering that he is in desperate need of God’s grace and that his sanctification comes in, through and by God alone. True revival is about repentance, submission to obedience. Biblically based living and acknowledging God’s Holiness and absolute power and glory not because of Him manifesting Himself through gifts or for what HE has done but for Who He is in His essence! Holy! Omnipotent God! He is who He says HE is! He is Who He says He was! He will do what He says He will do!

When believers are reminded of these things then it leads us to revival. It leads us to coming to the end of ourselves. Not to a place where we take the Holy Spirit and His gifts as God giving Himself to us to wield at our whims. No, true revival is us giving ourselves to God to wield as HE chooses regardless of the outcome.

We Christians, as humans, if we are not careful have the tendency to take this God and try to make His purposes fulfill our own. We say things like it is Gods desire to empower you! God longs to impart His gifts to You! And if we are not careful the focus becomes YOU! But these statements are simply not true. Real revival is not God coming to you and empowering you to do a good work for His kingdom at all! HE does not impart the Spiritual gifts to us so we can be empowered to do the work for God. Real revival is us coming to a place where we remember that God called us to die to ourselves. That each and every day we are to take up our cross, to die to ourselves all over again, and that it is not us that live rather that we be a vessel through which Christ lives in us. Notice who the signs and wonders were intended for in Acts two. It wasn’t for the Jews who had already received revelation and choose to reject it. It was for the lost. We should not need manifestations of the Spirit to draw nearer to God, to be more empowered for God, as Paul says the mysteries of the gospel have already been made clear to us. True revival isn’t about us at all. It is us coming to the end of ourselves so that God can do what HE wants in and through us so that He can manifest Himself to the lost and dying world around us.

Already in the first century church we see Paul having to address this in the church in Corinth as they had become enamored with the gifts of the Spirit rather than the why He was imparting them. We see this in I Corinthians 12-14 Notice what he follows up his discussions about the gifts of the Spirit with in chapter 15. Here we see Paul remind the believers in Corinth of the importance of the resurrection. That is, He points to the gospel and reminds them what it is all about.

In Jesus’ own words in John 15:26 he tells us “the Spirit of Truth…will bear witness of Me.” He then goes on to say that we “will bear witness” of Him as well.

In revival we are reminded of Who He is and who we are not! We are reminded to die to ourselves! Spiritual awakening follows true revival as the Spirit makes Christ known in and through us! Thus the attention in revival and spiritual awakening, in the impartation of the Spirit and use of the gifts is always to point to Christ not to draw attention to the Spirit or the gift.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this discourse, the photo at the beginning of this post causes me to think of revival in that these fish had just come up out of a river in Cambodia that we were about to take a boat down to get some footage. All these fish are dead and are being laid out become a sun dried fish jerky. It is in the fish’s death that life and sustenance are brought to those who are nourished by eating them. In the same way when we die to ourselves God takes us and uses us to bring life to those who are in need of a savior around us. This photo also reminds me of the story of the fish and loaves of bread. Just a few fish and loaves of bread were used by God to feed thousands. The key there isn’t that there were thousands it is that all who were hungry were fed. In the same way revival and spiritual awakening doesn’t require numbers to be a move of God it doesn’t require manifestations that blow our minds. True revival and Spiritual awakening are about us dying so that others may live the same way Christ did for us. In revival God uses us to bring life to others and point them to Christ. I have seen this first hand in Cambodia. Nothing fancy, nothing special about our church or the way in which we have done ministry. In fact we really haven’t done anything at all! Just a simple presentation of the gospel to Chiv’s sister, no grand manifestations or need of demonstrative gifts, and yet three years later hundreds have come to be saved! There is nothing ambiguous about what God is doing there. No doctrinal conundrums, just people coming to recognize Who God is and surrendering to Him as their Lord and God is adding to their number THOSE WHO ARE BEING SAVED!