Mark My Word Daily with Reinhard Bonnke Friday, March 14 Typical Revival I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11) O Lord, send Your revival, and start the work in me. The 18th century saw the birth of what has been called evangelical Christianity, although evangelical truths have always been woven into the tapestry of Christian faith. Evangelicalism arrived on the religious scene with extraordinary marks, and for nearly two centuries, powerful emotional and physical occurrences - such as prostration, anguish of soul, and outcries - were part of the responses that accompanied the new evangelism. Special times such as these are identified as revival. Today, revivals are being idealized. They are considered to be God, and the Christian faith, at their peak. A revival atmosphere, in the classic sense, is sought as the sign of a God-blessed Church. Some preachers minister as revivalists - itinerants fostering revival-type reactions, warmth and fire, in churches. A revival, such as is recorded in the work of Wesley, is taken as the answer to the ancient cry of the soul for God to come forth from the hiding places of His power. Israel cried out for God to display His reality by destroying their enemies ... but now Christians cry out for God to draw them to Himself. The motivation is different - but revival is the desired response. Did you know the word revival does not appear in the Bible? There are numerous references to people who are revived from illness or death, or when a nations broken spirit was revived by new trust in God ... but the term revival is a man-made expression. Perhaps we put too much emphasis on our constructions, and not enough trust in God and His mercy? The accounts of the times of Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards, Evans, and others fill many people with longing. Stories of these times are told repeatedly today, and prayer has increased for a true manifestation of divine power. However, despite intercession, the decades of the 20th century have seemed increasingly different from the revival times of the th century - in Western countries, at least. The reason why revival tarries is usually held to be the deficient lives of Christians. What an indictment! We want to be Gods instruments of bringing revival to this world!
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:30:05 +0000
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