In Light of Eternity

“In Light of Eternity” is the new biography of the fiery, Spirit-filled English preacher who was the undisputed authority on revival and the greatest preacher of the last century.

This man was used mightily of God to reach thousands and now tens of thousands with his preaching, his power and his ministry in prayer. His life’s power has extended beyond the grave. His story reminds me of Elisha, when a dead man was cast into Elisha’s grave, he revived and lived! Elisha’s ministry lived on! So it is with Leonard Ravenhill.

He was the man of the hour, God’s man. I have never heard a preacher more fiery, more in touch with God, more driven by an eternal perspective and a more real passion for God and life lived in response to His holiness.

The LORD has used him, though dead, more in my life and heart than any other. It is from Ravenhill I have learned more about prayer, revival and preaching than any other person or class. He had something not many have had since the days of Paul. No church can give it to us, no seminary can teach it to us. It can only be learned by an encounter with God in the desert of solitude with Him.

I am moved to tears at the vast difference in what Ravenhill had to what the Church has today. If I could only have a tenth of his spirit!

Leonard Ravenhill Biography: In Light of Eternity from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

In Light of Eternity

Revival Series: Part 3

1 Samuel 7

Before we look at this text, a little background information is necessary.

 In the previous two chapters we see that the high priest’s two sons lost the Ark of the Covenant in battle against the Philistines. The Ark was the very symbol of God’s presence and His glory. The Philistines captured it and placed it in the temple of Dagon. After being plagued by the ark for seven months, they had returned it unto the Israelites—hoping God would stop plaguing them.

In their joy over recovering the Ark, the Israelites who found it celebrated by opening it and worshipping its contents. God, angered over their idolatry and mishandling of the Ark, killed many of over three thousand men. Because of their fear of God, they placed the ark in a shed. It was later moved to Kirjathjearim and stored in the house of Abinadab.

 ¹And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.

 ²And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

The presence and glory of God was absent, shut up for twenty years. Imagine such a somber sight. Israel was in a state of mourning, for twenty years they lived in spiritual silence and groaned within for God’s presence to return. This is the first step in revival: to realize God’s presence has departed or has been kept out. So many of God’s people today wonder why no revival breaks out and why we see such a dead and stagnant Church; it is because God’s presence has been missing. Ichabod—“the glory hath departed.” Many have been too busy with their outreach programs, building projects, polished sermons, youth activities and fascination with this world to notice that while they have accomplished great things and built many things, God is nowhere to be found. Oh that we had men who wept over the Church as Christ wept over Jerusalem and as Moses wept over the Israelites worshipping the golden calf!  We must have men of God to weep and to pray over the pathetic condition of His Church. You might be offended at my words, but if you are, you are blinded by the delusion that all is well in the house of God this hour. The Church lacks the power it could have and once knew!

There are several reasons for this: First, the preaching is all intellectual now. There is little room or time for passionate, Hell-fire preaching that boldly and fervently proclaims “Thus saith the LORD.” Preaching now is down to an art. All one needs is personality, quotes, stories, loads of illustrations, intellectual appeal and carefully worded statements that make Scriptural commands more like suggestions. Preachers are afraid of offending, of confronting and Heaven forbid—keeping people ten minutes too long. It is interesting that the disciples never once asked Jesus “teach us to preach,” but teach us to PRAY!” There is the power; there is the real test of the preacher. Homiletics is important, but can never replace bathing in prayer before the sermon. Second,  believers today are too busy in the world Christ died to save them from. We all talk of growing in Christ and “growing in the Gospel,” but who really wants to? To grow in Christ we must cut off our flesh, the world and be separate and holy. Those who refuse to separate from the works of darkness will never see God, only the pure in heart can see Him. Everyone wants to get to Heaven but nobody wants God to be there when they arrive. Such irreverence and blasphemy have permeated our youth today! So often people make statements like “ride on King Jesus” and “Jesus my buddy.” The way in which some people refer to Christ and God you would think they believe they will get to Heaven, run up to God and say “Hey buddy, thanks for everything.” They have no concept of God, for they are ignorant of His holiness, His purity and His terror. When you get to Heaven you won’t run up to Jesus and greet Him like your “homeboy,” you will plant your face on the ground and lie paralyzed in sheer terror at His awesome presence! Lastly, and these are only to name a few, we do not hunger after God’s Word. Oh there are parts of it we love to hear on feeling special, being blessed, building up, getting together for the Gospel, encouraging, fellowshipping with believers and our deliverance from Hell; but we never want to hear of recognizing our depravity, being tried and tested, tearing down strongholds, separating unto the Gospel, confronting, getting alone in a cave with God  and our deliverance from this evil world and all its entrapments.

Forgive me if I sound angry or accusing, my heart is truly broken and I want to see God’s hand bring revival. But how can He send it before we prepare our hearts and face the reality we are in?

 ³And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

Samuel heard their groaning, their mourning and their weeping. He confronts them to put feet to their prayers and prove they were truly repentant. What did he tell them to do? To put away the strange gods, prepare their hearts unto the LORD and serve Him only. What a sermon he gave in those few words! If we could only do the same, we might see revival. You might say, “but we don’t have strange gods.” Oh but we do! They’re everywhere. Television, facebook, twitter, movies, socializing, sports, music, pop culture; the list is endless. Not all these things are inherently bad, but when put above or equal with our passion for and time with God, they become idols. Dr. Ken Cassias made the statement at Bible Conference that facebook and twitter will be evidence on Judgment Day that we had all the time we needed and more to spend time thinking on God and growing in Him. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and get done what we need, and some get done what we want. Do we need God or not? If God is to send revival, we must rid ourselves of all false gods in our lives and prepare our hearts unto God and serve Him alone. We cannot hold onto our idols in one hand and claim to serve God simultaneously, it is impossible.

⁴Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.

The Israelites genuinely repented and put away their idols. True repentance always goes beyond tears and empty decisions and promises. They did not just “make a camp decision” if you will. They cut off and plucked out. They proved their decision was a life changing one. That is was true repentance does; it brings about action.

⁵And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.

Mizpeh was a sacred place where the people gathered when a special event or worship service. God’s people must be in His house before He can speak to them. Samuel says he will pray for them. As I already mentioned, we desperately need ministers that pray for their people. Praying for sicknesses and traveling safety and needs are fine, but more important is interceding prayer for the sinfulness and rebellion that floods God’s house.

 ⁶And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, we have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.

Drawing water was a sign of repentance. They publicly repented and fasted. They weren’t fasting to impress others with their pseudo-spirituality; they were far too concerned with seeking God’s face than nourishing their physical needs. They confessed their sin to God. As humans, we hate ever admitting we’re wrong, let alone that we are wretched sinners against a holy God! When true revival comes, not some altar call that only lasts as long as the organ plays, men and women openly confess their sins to God and repent unto righteousness and holy living. I want to see it; we can see it. Oh that God would send it and give us grace to bear it.

⁷And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

The Philistines thought a national revival service would be an excellent time to wipe out all Israel. Mark it down, when God speaks and works, the Devil is mad and will try to counteract God. When a prophet of God speaks and preaches truth, the Devil will always stir some kind of resistance against him and his work. The preacher who knows nothing of resistance knows nothing of serving God and proclaiming the truth. Standing for God and proclaiming His word has never gone without satanic opposition, even from within the Church. Satan uses whoever he can to disrupt the working of God; he is not picky about who works for him.

 ⁸And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

The Israelites cried unto the man of God that he might intercede for them. They knew Samuel had the power and blessing of God upon him and that his prayer life was alive and fervent. Oh that God’s people knew their pastors were men who knew what it was to agonize in prayer over their congregations. Oh that we all knew what it meant to have a prayer life so powerful and real that people could ask us to intercede on their behalf and know we would get a hold of God.

⁹And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.

The LORD “heard him.” What a testimony this is. We know that God does not always hear us when we pray—if there is sin in our lives. Samuel had a direct line to God and nothing hindered it. The LORD heard his prayer; and may He hear ours.

 ¹⁰And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.

If the Church had men who prayed as Samuel did, the enemies of God would experience the same fate; they would shake in terror at the awesome power of God and would fear and tremble. Sadly, the world and the enemies of the Church know little of this today. It is sadly the Church who trembles in fear and is smitten.

¹¹And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.

Samuel made a monument of the LORD’s intervention. Let us never forget His intervention for us and times where He has delivered us.

¹³So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

God’s enemies were subdued and no longer harassed the people of God. Oh that we might see that binding and loosing power promised by Christ! The hand of God was against the Philistines all the days Samuel lived. Why? Because that man had a walk and prayer life with God that was real and besought God and subdued His enemies.

Separated Unto The Gospel of Christ – K.D.W.

“Separated unto the Gospel” Tis a phrase we don’t hear too often now days in our modern-day churches. What does this phrase mean? Turn to 2 Corinthians 6. In verse 3, Paul starts right into his thrust of separation by beginning with the reason we must be separated from the World. It is because we must be “separated unto the gospel.” Look in Verse 3. “Giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed.” Now, the word “offense” does not refer to offending someone by preaching the truth and them not liking it. This is of course the first thing liberal-minded Christians, if you wish to use such an oxymoron phrase, would believe and teach. The Scriptures refer here to causing someone to stumble; doing something that violates their conscience; more bluntly, not living what you say you teach and believe.
Next, in verse 4, “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God.” I like William Tyndale’s 1534 translation, “But in all things let us behave ourselves as the minsters of God.” True, this passage is speaking expressly to minsters and Spiritual leaders, but a wider application is perfectly fitting. Whether a preacher or not, a Christian, one bearing Christ’s name, should live in a way that does not damage the name, cause, or message of Jesus Christ. And we should be deeply ashamed whenever we do anything that might damage His precious name.
Now in verses 5-10, Paul gives a comparative list between good and bad circumstances and declares that whatever set we find ourselves in, we are to live as testimonies for our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Regardless of our condition. [read the list for yourself.]
After laying the foundation: doctrine and logic of why we must be good examples of Christ in this world–as to not offend or mislead the lost–Paul moves on to the powder-keg of his sermon. He tells in verses 11-13 that he has a real burden for them and preconditions his “bomb-shell” with love. In verse 14, He tells us “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial [Satan]? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” This unequal yoke is often interpreted as marriage, but it goes farther than that. Marriage with an unbeliever should be a given. Our friends whom shape us should be believers. Acquaintances may not always be believers, but people whom we choose to spend significant amounts of time with should be believers. I know someone out there is going to say “how do we reach the lost?” but that is not what I am talking about here. I am referring to your companions. Paul uses examples: Righteousness and Unrighteousness, Christ and Satan, light and darkness, believer and infidel, and finally, temple of God with idols. Now the first 4 are obvious, but Paul spends more time with the last one: Verse 16, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Christian people ,WE ARE THE TEMPLES OF THE ONE LIVING GOD!!!
We have the Holy Ghost dwelling in our souls; how can we mix the presence of the God with that of the wickedness of the World? This is what Paul is driving at. How can we profess Christ and live just like the people who hate and denounce him? It is insanity to claim we can do both. We either “love the one or hate the other.” We have to choose one. God does not play the “walking the fence line game.” God does not play the kind of games the Church of Modern America plays. We serve a Holy God, yet we are so foolish to think we can be a Child of God and play in the sin and wicked filth of the world! He is our God; we are His people.
Therefore…verse 17, “come out from among them [the lost] and be ye [saved people] separate [labeled, set apart], saith the LORD, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty.” We are to be set apart from the lost people in this wicked world. Yes we must witness and reach them, but this is not done through being just like them! God help our churches and pastors who have bought into this lie of Satan that says by being like, looking like, acting like, sounding like the world, we can reach them. NO NO NO! This is a lie! The reason we must live separate from the World is so we can reach them for Christ. They must see, and hear a difference in us and therefor be drawn to find what that difference is.  Many modern church movements and New Evangelical or Neo-Calvinistic leaders have twisted and ignored this doctrine of Separation. We are to be salt and light in a rotten and dark world.
I am not being hard and judgmental, I am just speaking the truth! How can the world ever come under conviction for their sins if God’s people are living just like them? They can’t.

Remember what this passage teaches. Apply its truth to your heart and life. Give no offense to any man. Live a separated life that God may be honored and that lost people may come to Christ. Do we really realize how serious a sin being worldly is? It is damning thousands upon thousands every day, and it is often OUR fault!

May God have mercy upon us is we live not Separated unto the Gospel. Amen

KDW

The Need For Balance Between Exposition and Application

At this point in my life, I have come to see the great need in Fundamental circles for there to be a balance between  the two aspects of preaching known as exposition and application. I speak from personal experience, observation and research. I grew up Baptist for 18 years, went to the Free Presbyterian Church for a year and am now in the Baptist Church with a sincere desire to see it reformed. I say this to stress that I am not making blind statements or unestablished arguments.

Allow me to preface the following with the confession that it may offend; I am simply telling the truth and am telling what I have seen and experienced. I allow you to draw your own conclusions and make your own judgments, but here is my opinion.

What caused my dissatisfaction with Baptist preaching, in general, was its focus on application with little exposition of doctrine. What I saw was shallowness in the pulpit; what I was also was seeing was the effect that shallowness was having upon the congregations subjected to it. People hardly knew why they believed what they did; many had no idea that many things they believed were man-made and not of the historic Baptist tradition. I saw a major lack of the sound, complete exposition of sound doctrine.

After spending over a year in the Presbyterian Church, I witnessed the complete opposite–a focus on exposition with little or no application. I witnessed some accounts of people who had the doctrine down pat but had it had no  applicative effect on them.  Now I will confess that I preferred to have a lack of application rather than a lack of exposition, but nonetheless both elements must be present. (Personally, I believe that Scripture teaches there should be a greater superiority of exposition to application.) Bottom line: both exposition and application must be present in the pulpit or the preacher is failing his divine mandate to preach the whole counsel of God to the flock.

So…..what’s the answer? Well, simply to make sure as a preacher that one focuses on plainly expounding the WORD, and being sure to give practical application to help the congregation know how to practical put into practice the doctrine they have just heard.