SERIES: REVIVAL TIME
TEXT: 2 CHRONICLES 7:14.
There are four (4) dangers that bonafide Christians face that hinders revival in the church in Kenya. Partial revival, lack of hunger, loss of passion and familiarity with God.
“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land”-2nd Chronicles 7:14.
- I believe we all know our country needs a spiritual awakening, but how do we get there?
- The above verse offers us the answer, revival happens when God’s people (not sinners) get revived.
- When we really get committed, sell out, go all in decide to live completely for God-that’s when it starts becoming possible.
- The tragedy with the people of God is that we tend:
- Take back our consecration to God.
- Leave our first love to Christ.
- Withdraw from a state of total surrender to God and come back under the control of self-pleasing spirit (carnality).
- Maintain the outward appearance of religion while backsliding in our heart-love for God.
- If you aren’t going all the way, why should you go at all?
Let us look at the four hindrances to revival:-
PARTIAL REVIVAL.
Ezekiel’s 2nd stage vision of revival- Ezek. 37:1-10.
- God gave Ezekiel a vision of a vast valley full of dry bones.
- Ezekiel was ordered to prophecy of revival for Israel. It happened in 2 stages.
- “So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying there was a noise, a rattling sound and the bones came together, bone to bone, I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, BUT THERE WAS NO BREATH IN THEM”- Ezek. 37:7-8.
- As Ezekiel prophesied, the bones disentangled themselves and began to form small groups which belonged to their original owners.
- Then those bones rearranged themselves into skeletons, each bone finding its proper place.
- Then the interior body organs reappeared, the sinews, the muscles and at last the skin appeared.
- The humans were completely reconstituted to be the persons they had been. They looked good, they had everything necessary, but one thing was missing- THEY HAD NO SPIRITUAL LIFE (BREATH) IN THEM!
- Ezekiel could have mistaken the appearance of the multitude as that the miracle was complete, but it wasn’t, they weren’t revived.
PARTIAL REVIVAL IS NOT REVIVAL!!
- They were closer to death than life!!
- Just because you are 50% revived, it does not mean that is where God wants you.
- Just because we go to church and mimic (life) what christians do, doesn’t mean we are saved!!
There are always imitations.
- We have all seen the imitations of Elvis Presleys.
- We all know about the imitations in the merchandising world-“Contrabands”, “knock offs”, “look a-like” purses, dresses, shoes, cars, jewelry.
- The same occurs in the spiritual world.
- There are cheap gospels that don’t save- Gal. 1:6.
- The Lord Jesus Christ said that in the judgment seat, he would have to separate sheep+goats, pretenders, imitators and genuine christians- Matt.7:21-23.
HALF REVIVAL IS NOT REVIVAL.
LACK OF HUNGER FOR SPIRITUAL THINGS
Revivals only come to those who want them badly enough.
- The only reason we are not revived is because we are willing to live without revival.
WHAT IS HUNGER FOR GOD?- Matt. 5:6.
- It is the appetite of the soul panting for spiritual God.
- 1st Peter 2:2- “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word.”
- Doctors consider appetite one of the strongest indicators of good health- lack of appetite is an indicator of deeper problem.
- If we go without food the body ceases to hunger.
- Many christians have gone without spiritual food for so long that they have lost appetite for the things of God.
- King David had appetite for God “You God are my God, earnestly I seek you, I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you in a dry and parched land where no water is” – Psalm 63:1.
“I spread out my hands to you, I thirst for you like a parched land”- Psalm 143:6.
Many christians have no appetite for the word, prayer and witnessing. They are not prepared for revival.
NO PASSION
Do you have passion?
- What are you passionate about? Mission, ministry, evangelism?
- Mark 12:30, a man walked to Jesus and said, “Lord, what is the most important thing in the Bible, Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (heart, sol, mind and strength).
- Love God passionately, return to your first love for GOD-Rev. 2:4-5.
- When we have love for somebody, everyone will see.
- “Actor Macready, I present fiction as if it was the truth but preacher present the truth as if it were fiction.
- The actor had the crowds, the preacher had no crowd.
- We will never win people to Jesus unless they can see He is our greatest love.
FAMILIARITY
The problem.
- Leviticus 10:1-10 tells the story of 2 brothers Nadab and Abihu sons of Aron the brother of Moses who was serving at the tabernacle.
- Nadab and Abihu were very careless in the handling of sacred things and the fire of the Lord burned them up.
- What was the problem? They became so familiar with God that they dishonored God.
- It is easy take the Bible, church, salvation and prayer for granted.
- It is easy to think we understand GOD, have figured Him out.
- To many people God has been captured, tamed and trained their liking (God capture).
- God still says, “among those who approach me I will be honored”-Lev. 10:3 “and those who honor me I will honor”-1st 2:30
- If we do not honor God and tremble at His presence, do we really honor Him?
- Will we really be allowed to approach Him?
We need a God who incites our wonder.
- Why do people go to see the ocean, the elephant, it is because people want to see something bigger themselves.
- God is almighty, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, infinite, eternal and immortal, let us honor Him.
- The vastness-He is the creator of the heaven and earth, He created thousands of billions of galaxies.
- God is eternal, almighty, immutable, a God of wonder.
- Let us honor His as our God and King.
CONCLUSION
- The apostle Paul told the early christians that they needed to wake up, that they were spiritually unconscious-WAKE UP.
- I want revival, do you?
- Let us come before Him, repent and ask God to revive us again.
- Come to Him for salvation of your soul.
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Rev, Dr. Willy Mutiso is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Athiriver. He is widely known for his practical and dynamic teaching style which helps people apply the timeless truths of Scripture to their everyday lives.
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