Resistant to Revival

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears; you always resist the Holy Spirit!” Acts 7:51

Stephen was chosen as one of the first deacons of the early church. He was a spiritually gifted man of unique qualities that endeared him to the people. Not only was his love for the church evident in his willingness to help the pastoral staff serve the needs of the congregation, he was also unafraid to challenge the intimidating tactics of the religious elite as they sought to silence the witness of Christ’s followers. The boldness of Stephen came at a high cost, however, as he was martyred for his unwavering faith and his uncompromising preaching of God’s truth.

Stephen accused his listeners of resisting the Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts is a history of the Third Person of the Trinity working mightily through the early believers. God had showed up, and He was showing out! Jerusalem was a place of an incredible revival among the church and an undeniable awakening among the lost. Amazing numbers of men and women were coming to faith in Christ, and the elitist Jews had had enough.

Is it not troubling to realize that when God begins to do a great work, that you will often find a work of resistance to His activity? This kind of action is not reserved solely to the testimony of scripture as revealed in the life of the church in the New Testament. As a student of revival, I discovered that the prophets of the Old Testament faced ridicule, threats and violent opposition whenever they exalted a message demanding repentance and remorse to those that would hear and heed God's voice. In fact, throughout history, this type of activity has been repeated time and time again.

The last message that I posted on Pulpit Truth was about our need to experience Showers of Blessings from the throne of God. As I have thought about that truth, I have reflected upon my own experiences when I saw men and women WITHIN the church seek to position themselves in OPPOSITION to the work of the Spirit of God. Oh, how my heart breaks when I realize that we are so often defeated from within! Our failures are not political, beloved, they are spiritual. And the sad truth is that some who are members of our churches DO NOT want to encounter the showers of grace falling upon us!

You see, friend, when revival comes, everything changes. EVERYTHING! The presence of God among His people burns away impurities, rights wrong relationships, corrects false doctrine, and restores the passion of worship to His people. Now the question must be asked: Are we ready for such an experience? Will we release ourselves to His control? Are we willing to yield to His lordship in all areas of our lives, homes, churches, and our work environments? Revival is not about what happens only inside a church building; it is an event that touches each area of who and what we are, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you and I are privileged to experience Showers of Blessings, please do not be one of those who will always resist the Holy Spirit. Seek Him. Love Him. Obey Him. And who knows, we might hear that lovely sound…the abundance of rain!

 

 

 

 

Showers of Blessing

“I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase.” Ezekiel 34:26-27

Do you remember the words of the beloved hymn “Showers of Blessing” from when the church was a little less contemporary in her worship? If you don’t know it, you should get familiar with the powerful truth of this precious, old song.

I began thinking about this hymn when I was called upon to pray this past Sunday night concerning the severe drought that we’ve been experiencing in our area of Mississippi. As I’ve traveled throughout the Southeast during the past few weeks, I realize that we are not alone in our need of moisture (excluding south Louisiana, which is still recovering from the historic floods of late summer, and those communities adversely effected by the torrential rains of Hurricane Matthew). All over this area of the United States, I’ve seen what would normally be lush green pastures transformed into ugly brown terrain. There is no doubt about it, we certainly need showers of blessing to fall and grant us some much needed relief.

But just as we need physical rain, we also need spiritual blessings to shower down upon us. Without an incredible move of the Spirit of God, we are headed toward disaster. Never in my lifetime could I have imagined that we as a nation would become what we are becoming today. We laugh at what breaks the heart of God. We applaud and promote what He clearly describes as unholy and wicked. We deny the importance of faith and the Bible in the establishment of our country. And we steadily increase the pressure to conform the church to the immoral and insane ways of the world.

The hymn writer said, “Mercy-drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead!” I, for one, am very thankful for the mercy-drops that I’ve experienced during my years of ministry, but we need so much more that mercy-drops now. We need the windows of Heaven opened, and the presence of the Lord to overwhelm our lives, homes and churches!

Here are the words to the hymn…

There shall be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above.

Refrain…
Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing, Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys, Sound of abundance of rain.

There shall be showers of blessing; Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing, Come, and now honor Thy Word.

There shall be showers of blessing: Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing, Now as on Jesus we call!

There shall be showers of blessing, If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing, If we let God have His way.

Would you please join me in praying like we’ve never prayed before? Pray for broken and repentant hearts in the pulpits and pews across America! Pray for true revival to occur as we seek God’s face and grace! Pray that His glory would overwhelm us, and that we would once again be known as a people “who have been with Jesus!"

Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.