A Burning Heart: Do You Have One?

I have listened over and over again lately to the English preacher Leonard Ravenhill. I can honestly say I have learned more about preaching, praying, Christian living and Bible study from his audio sermons than I ever did anywhere else. I can’t imagine the amazing and earth-shattering effect the Church would have if all her pastors had sat under Ravenhill. The man was profoundly in love with his LORD, out of love with this world and unafraid to preach the Bible cover-to-cover.

I can say with authority that my Bible classes never came within a hundred miles of the blessings, rebukings and usefulness of simply spending time listening to this man. I can then add that no preaching heard by my ears has ever matched his–of course his was not polished and academically perfected into a science void of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power. He preached; he did not teach. Teaching is what the Holy Spirit did in his heart and he in turn preached to men.

 

*** May I digress for a moment? This point is  necessary.

The term “preacher” is grossly incorrect today when referring to a minister standing in a pulpit. Preaching per se is all but extinct. Men no longer spend time in the deserts and caves seeking God’s face and beseeching the Holy Spirit’s power, but rather find a four year undergraduate degree to equal preparing for the ministry, and a seminary a much cheaper substitute for the power of God. While in their degree program or heaven forbid–seminary, they learn to methodically and systematically “academize” the Bible, God and most obviously, the Holy Spirit. They learn to deliver perfectly polished and scholarly sermons that are simply that: polished and academic–but empty, dead and powerless!

Academics replace power, humor replaces instruction, theology replaces knowing God, and the modern gospel of standardless separation–an oximoron–and all love replaces the moving power of the Holy Spirit to effect holiness and radical influence of the Church on a lost and dying world.

It is frustrating, but more so sad to watch. Even sadder is the majority of believers are content with it because it is oh so convenient. Maybe they simply don’t know there is something better out there; this is surely possible.

Back to the term “preacher”: No we hear little of that, but teaching. That is great and proper in its place, but information alone is just that: academic. The Church needs unction and men who will preach their hearts out and urge the lost to repentance and the saved to righteous living and dedication to Christ. (I’m not calling for a bunch a screaming rednecks to hoot and holler. Any fool can scream and sweat.) By the way, Ravenhill is not a very loud preacher. It’s not about volume or dynamics, but unction, zeal, and one other thing…what was it….Oh! POWER! Not man’s substitutes of polished academics and rhetoric. Those things are not bad, but can’t stand without the Holy Spirit’s power and unction. ***

 

Ravenhill’s preaching was not glamorous or spectacular; in fact, most of you would probably find it boring or would never get past his dry accent and humor. Throughout history God has proved through His greatest preachers that rhetoric and polished sermons avail little for the Kingdom of Heaven. Even the lowliest servant touched by the Holy Spirit’s power can unleash the mightiest of whirlwinds against the power of darkness.

Oh how I used to sit through service after service, message after message, chapel after chapel, etc. longing with unspeakable agony just to hear another man with the same burning heart as Leonard Ravenhill. I don’t believe his equal will ever surface. So the best I can do is keep listening to him, though he is dead and gone, his burning heart lives on and his message still shakes the bowels of Hell today. In addition to listening to him every chance I get, what human better to emulate? Maybe Paul.

The man had a burning heart, so vibrant for the love of God and disdain for all this world that would hinder that love; it shames me every time I listen to him or read his books. No other sermons on earth bring such conviction and inspiration unto holiness and complete abandonment of this world. That is power! I want what he had, his love of God and thirst for righteousness. I want a burning heart; I’m not at all claiming to have one, but I want one more than anything. Can you say the same? If not, why not. This is the thought I end with. Why not?

kw

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.

Revival Series: Part 2

Exodus 33:2-23; Exodus 34:28-35

We left off last time with the Israelites mourning at the absence of God’s presence. Now we arrive at a suspense in the narrative where Israel is told to mourn and stay quiet while God and Moses discuss what He will do with them.

 ⁵For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.

This was surely a fearful and anxious time for the Israelites. Even though those untrue to God had been put to the sword, God was still heavily grieved with the remnant and I cannot imagine the sheer terror they faced–knowing at any moment God might destroy them as well. This only goes to show us how serious God is about disobedience to His word. Even something seemingly small to us is not small in God’s sight.

⁶And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.

The stripping of ornaments (jewelry) was not because jewelry is sinful. We know this because several chapters later we them wearing jewelry again. It was a sign of serious repentance. Jewelry was a status symbol; it meant one had wealth and brought attention to themselves and their financial standing. When God’s people truly repent, they will cast aside their pride and that which draws attention to themselves and humble their hearts and bodies before God. Such a display of humility was a somber sight.

⁷And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.

Moses set up the sacred tent outside the camp, “far off.” Sometimes we have to venture away from the camp and into seclusion to find God. Many examples throughout Scripture show us where men, even Christ, went out away from everyone else and all distractions to intensely seek the face of God.

⁹And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.

What a sight that must have been! The pillar was the sign of God’s presence and it descended where Moses stood. This confirmed that God was with Moses. Imagine a one on one conversation with the LORD! We can have intimate fellowship with God, but we cannot have such a conversation, at least not this side of Heaven. Moses got to do something only a handful of men have done: carry on a two-way conversation with Jehovah.

¹⁰And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.

As Moses talked with God, all the people stood in their doors and watched; they bowed in worship. Even though they were not speaking to God or hearing the conversation, they were overwhelmed by the awe of His presence and nearness. Do we have the same reaction? Maybe we’ve never known or sensed God’s presence in such a way. God’s presence is not a given. It must be sought and besought through prayer.

 ¹¹And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

What a description! Face to face. (We know Moses did not actually see God’s face, because later we see that no man can see God’s face and live.) What does this mean. It appears to describe the manner in which he and God conversed rather than the physical conversation. God talked to Moses as a friend talks to a close companion. What an amazing compliment that God would call a finite, sinful man His friend. As Moses left the tabernacle to tell Israel of the verdict, Joshua did not follow him; he stayed in the tabernacle. The Scriptures are silent on why or what he did. Perhaps he was so overwhelmed by what he had just seen he was too fearful to move. Maybe he was too excited to leave. The incident of Peter on the mount of Transfiguration comes to mind, which suggests that Joshua didn’t want to leave. Such is an encounter with God. We won’t want to leave. Oh that we might have such an encounter!

¹²And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

¹³Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

Moses prayed for God’s guidance. If only we would learn to pray such a prayer. If God is not guiding us, then we are at best unguided; at worst, misguided.

¹⁴And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

¹⁵And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

The LORD promised Moses He would be with him. Moses then says that unless God remains with him he doesn’t want to go into the promised land. Moses didn’t want the blessings or the rewards, but wanted God’s presence. So many “Christians” today are more concerned with receiving a spiritual high, blessings, money, rewards and their spiritual reputation than they are with having God with them. They live striving to receive God’s blessings and benefits without Him. Some walk around in arrogant and spiritual pride wondering why no one recognizes them as God’s gift to their church or school. Here’s why: because God is not with them, they’re only using God’s way to bolster their own Pharisaic ego. We must seek God’s presence above all benefits! Moses got it; he didn’t care about what he got out of God, he just wanted God. God’s benefits without Him are worthless. God’s presence, regardless of benefits is priceless.

¹⁶For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

What makes believers different from the rest of the world? Simply put, God’s presence and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

Moses wanted all the nations of the Earth to know that Israel was different and had God. Does the world think so of us? That was God’s intention from the beginning, however, much of the Church and believers today look so close to the world, I seriously wonder if they could tell. We must be different; the world should see a stark contrast. So many of the Lord’s people have little time for being a testimony to the world because they are far too busy trying to play in it. Leonard Ravenhill asked a good question in his sermons when he would say, “Are you crucified to the world tonight or does it fascinate you?” It is a haunting question. Truly, so many of God’s people are fascinated by the very thing God desires and commands us to be separate from.

¹⁸And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

Moses wanted to see God’s glory even more than ever before. Do we want to see God’s glory? I don’t think many of us do, because if we did we would either go into shock or die from the sheer awe. So many people sing and talk about wanting to see God in His glory, but do they really know what they are asking? As Isaiah found out, the closer we get to God and the clearer we see Him in His glory, the more fearful and ashamed we become–realizing our horrid uncleanness before Him. Perhaps you want to see His glory, just make sure you know what you ask for and what may happen as a result. You may be changed forever, your life never being the same again.

¹⁹And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

²⁰And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

As mentioned earlier, no mortal man can see God’s face and live to tell it. Why? Because mortal flesh cannot contain the beauty and majesty of His glory and His pure holiness. Moses asked for the impossible, but God did not utterly refuse him.

²¹And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

²²And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

²³And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

God would hide Moses in the rock and pass over him. Moses would only see the back parts. What does this mean and what does it signify? We cannot see God, but we can see where He has been and where His presence has passed by. I am not too encouraged when I hear someone say “We are going to have a revival service this week, etc.” Well, maybe you will, maybe you won’t. No one will know until afterwards. God does not automatically show up. Many quote the passage “Where two or more are gathered in my name there I am in the midst,” but many forget all about the “in my name” part. If we are not meeting in His name, with His blessing and His approval, we are wasting everyone’s time. God must be invited and His house must first be cleansed and ready for His visit. Jesus did not enter the Temple, His house, and worship immediately, first He had to get rid of the corruption and those misusing it. When Jesus comes back again He won’t cleanse the temple, he’ll cleanse the pulpits and pews.

Exodus 34

²⁸And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

Moses miraculously was sustained by God during his lengthy fast. When God is near, Earthly matters and even material needs are irrelevant.

²⁹And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

Imagine the sight! When Moses spent that time with God, everyone knew it. He didn’t have to advertise it. So many people love to advertise their time with God and impress others with what they learned and how spiritual they are. I’m so tired of seeing people trying to impress others with their pseudo-spirituality. If they would meet God desiring to see His glory instead of their own, perhaps they would not need work so hard trying to convince others of their spirituality. Moses didn’t have to say a thing, his face shone with the glory of God. When you and I truly meet with God in secret, we won’t have to tell anyone; they will see it in our life and even our countenance.

³⁰And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

The people feared to come near him. Have you ever seen someone so close to God and just having been in a meeting with God that you were in awe and feared disturb them?

³³And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.

In stead of advertising his encounter with God, Moses had to cover his face to keep from blinding the people. Modesty and humility are always so much better than flaunting one’s own delusion of spirituality. The LORD does not need us advertising His presence; when it comes, people will know it.

³⁵And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

After we encounter God in His glory, we will be different, think different, act different, even look different. Such an encounter with God should change us. If you think you have met God and don’t change, you met someone or something else. It is impossible to see the glory of God and not be drastically effected. That’s what revival is: seeing the majesty and holiness of God, seeing our own sinfulness and corruption and responding in reverent worship and an intimate fellowshipping with Him. When this happens, we will repent of our sins, put off earthly distractions, forsake idols and serve the LORD with our whole hearts. Revival costs nothing, but requires everything. We can’t buy revival, we can’t induce it. We can only pray for it and prepare our own hearts and then be willing to change everything in our lives should God send it. That is in essence why we never see it; most people don’t want the consequences of revival. They want to enter the promised land without encountering God.

Thoughts on BJU Bible Conference 2011

I have been attending Bible Conferences at Bob Jones University for eight years; four in the Academy and four in the University. While there have been conferences where a particular sermon stood out as powerful and memorable, never before in my eight years of attending have so many powerful and convicting messages been preached in a single week, and all with the same underlying theme.

The speakers were assigned no theme, but each message pointed us back to the power and sufficiency of the Word of God.

My favorite sermons were:

Jeremiah - Bud Steadman – The text was Jeremiah 1, a passage the Lord has used in my life many times. Jeremiah was chosen before birth as a prophet to Israel and the nations. The Lord chose him to spend 40 years preaching repentance and coming judgment, knowing that no one would repent. Jeremiah had hesitations about his calling–saying he was too young and inexperienced. The Lord comforted Jeremiah with the fact that He was with him and was the true source of his message.

Jeremiah’s Message – Bud Steadman – Jeremiah 7-10 was the text. This sermon focussed on the message of Jeremiah and his audience’s response. Jeremiah ministered faithfully for 40 years, suffering imprisonment, mistreatment, deportation, forsaken by family, friends, rejected, ignored, despised and depression. Most men today, even in our circles, would have considered Jeremiah a total failure. He never saw a revival, a response, an altar call, a mission board’s founding, a church built; he did however get two books written–Jeremiah, the record of his “failure” of a ministry and Lamentations, his weeping and wailing over Israel’s rejection of God’s warning.

Men of God  - Bob Potter – Psalm 78 – This message hit the proverbial nail on the head. The single most destructive and rampant weakness in Fundamentalism and the church in general is the lack of godly fathers who lead their homes spiritually and make sure their children are brought up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

The Living Word of God – Rev. Innes – Hebrews 4:12 – This was the most convicting message to my heart. To see an elderly man so filled with passion and energy just over the fact that God’s Word is alive! How moving! So often we approach the Bible routinely and forget that it is literally alive with power–to either feed us and grow us in Christ-likeness or to expose and reveal the wickedness of our hearts. The Bible can pierce the deepest strongholds of the human mind and heart–cutting apart our pride and excuses with razor sharp precision. This message will be my most memorable  in eight years of Bible Conferences.

In addition to the blessing this message was to me, Dr. Bob Jones III said it was the confirmation in his heart of the Holy Spirit’s coordination of the theme “The Word of God” for the conference. He also said he was greatly moved and convicted by it and that he believed the Lord was telling us that we need to return to the old landmarks; he said that perhaps we have been too engaged in the culture and had lost our bearings.

I believe we and the church overall has been too concerned that we fit into the current culture and we do need a shift back towards the old landmarks. We must stop worrying about offending the culture and stay true to the Scriptures in spite of the culture.

This last week was a tremendous blessing to me, students, faculty and staff and I believe was specifically orchestrated of God to bring about reform and a return to the “old paths” spoken to us by the prophet Jeremiah.

The Bride Of Christ: Pure and Undefiled

Introduction

I was able to continue listening to the sermon I began Tuesday (it is an hour and fifty-eight minutes long.) I still have another thirty minutes left, but I was again greatly challenged by the content presented.

The key statement that stood out to me last night was this: “The bride of Christ is not adulterous or sinful or divided. She is simply overrun with goats and tares dwelling in her midst, which give her such a bad reputation.”

The Church Is Pure And Unified

Have we not heard ever so often that the bride of Christ–the church–is corrupt, adulterous and stained with sinfulness? The point the dear preacher made was that such arguments and accusations are neither Biblical nor true.

He made the point that we often believe and preach that there is a remnant within the church. He disagrees with such a notion; he feels that Scripture teaches that the remnant are the Church and anything not conforming to the Biblical model for the Church is not the Church at all.

Christ prayed in John 17 that the Church would be unified, pure and separated unto God. Did God fail to answer the prayer of His own Son? I think not. The Church, the true Church is unified, pure and separated unto God. Sadly, the true Church is small in comparison with that visible group that declares themselves to be of the church.

There Are Goats and Tares Amongst Us

The chief problem with the Church’s purity and unity is that most people who claim membership in her are actually goats, not sheep; and tares, not wheat.

Surely you remember the parable of the Wheat and the Tares? That parable is a perfect picture of what the Church has always been like, even since the very first days after Christ’s ascension.

Both wheat–truly regenerate believers–and tares–impostors and deceived sinners–have been allowed to grow beside and amongst one another, but not forever. When Christ returns, he will separate the goats and the sheep and will part the wheat from the tares and will destroy the goats and tares.

What Are We To Do Now?

As believers, and members of the true Church, we should devote much effort, time and prayer to the purification of the Church. We must begin a cleansing within our own ranks.

There are several recommendations I believe can greatly help with the purification of what we call the visible or professing Church:

Gospel-Centered Preaching

This portion is dedicated to pastors, preachers, evangelists and spiritual leaders who teach or preach the Word to anyone of any age; (think not me arrogant, for this is simply the reiteration of what an older preacher who preached this sermon.)

As preachers of the Word, we need to ensure that preach the pure Gospel of true regeneration by the grace and power of God–and not the ever-popular “decision slip gospel.” How dare we preach salvation to be walking an aisle and filling out a card and then dealing with future conviction and the Holy Spirit’s prodding an individual to consider the validity of their profession by referring the sinner to a date in the back of their Bible as their assurance! Where is that taught in Scripture?

Salvation is not about making a decision for Christ; it is about the Holy Spirit breathing into the soul of a sinner the breath of eternal life–which is followed by continual repentance against sin.

Every sermon we preach should tie into the heart of Scripture–the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All Scripture points to the cross and so therefore our sermons should as well.

Careful and Scriptural Discipleship

Perhaps the greatest time of tragedy in a Church is immediately after someone comes forward and makes a profession of faith.

When a sinner comes forward and professes themselves to have been regenerated, their is normally a overwhelming acceptance and I say blind acceptance that they are truly born again. We ought to examine their conversion, as they should be taught to do as well. Matthew 7 teaches that we will know men by their fruits, not by their profession.

I am personally agitated and angered at the very sound of hearing someone say something like this: “Well, he has been living in sin for years, but he made a profession of faith and asked Jesus into his heart when he was a child, so he is saved, but the Lord is just not brought him back yet.” This is a great and profound lie! 1 John tells us that it is impossible for a person to claim to belong to Christ and simultaneously and live in prolonged sinfulness.

If a person lives in sin for years with no sign of chastisement, repentance or remorse, I submit to you, based on Scripture, that person does not have a problem with carnal Christianity, he or she never truly experience regeneration through the Holy Spirit.

I would like to inject my own opinion here: I have serious reservations about accepting young children for baptism, due to the prevalent deception of children through this modern idea of decision making salvation. I did it, I have seen others do it and then all of us have come to realize in our late teens and early adult lives that we were simply making a decision that had nothing to do with true faith and repentance.

If you know that I am heavily opposed to baptizing young children without first taking years to closely examine the validity of their profession, you must then deduce the insanity and sheer heresy of infant baptism–which the preacher of this sermon referred to as the Golden Calf of the Reformation.

Powerful Prayer for Revival

Finally, we need desperately to pray for revival; not a week of it, not a year of it, but for true revival sent from the Spirit of God–which will change our lives and transcend future generations.

The Word says that if God’s people will humble themselves and pray, He will hear their cries. We must confess our own sins, purify our Church and ensure that we are preaching and teaching the true Gospel, and then we must pray as dying men.

May God forgive our failures in these areas and may He purify us and set us on the firm foundation of Scripture, that He might receive the glory and the praise before the heathen. Amen.

Seeking The Old Paths

10) To whom shall I speak, and give warning that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken; behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. 13) For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 14) They have healed also the hurt of my daughter slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 15) Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I wish them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. 16) Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said We will not walk in therein. 17) Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

I wish to be very contrite and transparent tonight, well almost this morning; I have chosen to write based on this passage due hearing several sermons by the late Rev. Leonard Ravenhill. Brother Ravenhill was a mighty preacher of holiness, repentance, the glory of God and of revival. He wrote several books, which include titles such as Sodom Had No Bible and Why Revival Tarries.

I wish I had the time and skill to effectively communicate the deep and lasting rebuke this dear saint constantly leaves within my soul–even though he is now in heaven and only preaches from recordings and mp3′s. His faith and simple exposition of the Bible is all a listening sinner could hope for from a preacher.

Why pick a passage such as the one above? Well, as brother Ravenhill believed, I believe and frankly am seeing the results of what I and other Christian writers refer to as “American Christianity” all around me and even in my own life. Think not that I am hear tonight to wail against others while not observing the many faults and shortcomings in my own life. I am no exception; I have not been immune and am not immune to the degenerate effects of this so-called American Christianity.

This passage not only exemplifies the heart-cry of Ravenhill and many before him, it is the cry that I have deep within my soul–even as I struggle against “AC,” or a shallow, weak and powerless Christianty. Just years before he died, brother Ravenhill would cry from the pulpit that he was “tired of hearing about revival; tired of talking about revival.” He wanted to see it; to experience it. It has been over several hundred years since the last great outpouring of the Spirit in the United States.

Revival is not when a preacher gets up and forces people down an aisle and they fill out decision cards; revival is when people are so overwhelmed by their sin and overcome with the fear of God, in all his power and holiness, that they fall on their faces and cry for forgiveness and mercy and are changed forever! Ravenhill said that “in evangelism, the preacher gives the invitation, but in revival the people make the invitation.” Revival is not something that can be organized or planned for or orchestrated, it is something that only God can send. All we as humble sinners can do is to prepare our own individual hearts and put off sinfulness and worldliness and cry for revival and pray for it. May we do that!

I want to see revival! Not just for myself, but for all of the United States. I want to see it at my church, at the University, in Washington, everywhere! I am not in an emotional rant; I am simply expressing the deepest groaning of my soul.

I humbly ask that we as American believers repent of our shallowness and ourt idolitry and our love of the world and our weakness and call out to God for revival to breakout in our lives, then our homes, then our churches, then our schools, then our towns, then our states, then our nation, then the world! Cannot God do it? Is it too much?

We see in verse 16 and 17 that the problem is not with God but is with His children. Just as the Israelites refused to hear God’s word and walk in his ways, we have done the same thing. We have watered down the Bible until we are no longer holy–which means separate and distinct from the world–and we are no longer seeking the face of God above all else, but are plagued with idolitry and care for this present world.

Will you refuse the way of the LORD? Will you refuse to hear the cry of the prophets and the preachers who have gone before us preaching and wailing upon deaf ears?

May the sweet LORD have mercy upon us if we do refuse; but may he allow us to see revival in our day as never before. Amen. May we see it, may we see it!

From the Heart

I listened to a sermon by Leonard Ravenhill this morning titled “The End Times.” I am overwhelmed with conviction at the lack of my own waste of opportunities to serve and minister for God. Brother Ravenhill–in Heaven now–is still used of God to proclaim the Gospel and cry for revival; his voice sent the message of God into my ears and heart over the way in which as American Christians, we value the things of this present world over the things of eternity.

I was ashamed to admit that we American believers are so prone to place such value on things, materialism, and possessions; we ought be broken and in tears over the millions and billions who have never heard the gospel because we are too busy worrying about our own bank accounts and retirement plans. Are we here to live like kings or here to live as dying prophets preaching to damned souls? Do we even think about the billions of souls we live amongst, who will most likely never know Christ, yet we are too busy to beseech them with the gospel of Christ? I do; and I have. And I am overwhelmed with grief and shame at my failure to overcome my stupid fears and pride to tell them of the God I confess.

I can’t help but think that it may be possible that we as twenty-first century believers do not live and preach the same gospel Jesus preached and lived. He preached a hard and costly gospel, yet we preach a salvation which consists of getting poor sinners to say “uh-huh” when prompted. The gospel is no longer a life long commitment that supersedes all others and permeates into every area of life, but it is a mere decision we make to allow us to live as we deem righteous by our conscience and then we will go to heaven with Jesus when we die.

Some of us will be ashamed when we see Jesus because it will be the first time we have actually reverenced him for who he is. We will be shocked by his holiness and stunned at his glory, because never before had we seen him as a holy and glorious God, but as a hip friend who wants us to be accepted and to be as liberal as possible. How can we not be terrified to meet Christ and find him so different than our lives teach him to be?

We know better brethren! We have more Bibles here in America now than some nations ever had altogether. Some people have not even seen a Bible, yet we treat it as another text-book written by man. Sodom had no Bible and was burned with brimstone; what do you think America’s judgment will be like?

We fail on a daily basis to spend 10 minutes with Jesus, yet we will spend hours watching our stocks, earning money, eating food, entertaining ourselves yet we fail to do the one thing that really matters. We wonder why our churches are so full of dead people and all manners of spiritual failure, yet we won’t spend half an hour in the book beseeching the power of God and His help to live purely and to serve him with our all.

We argue over Bible versions, theological systems and interpretative views yet we are corrupted by sinfulness, selfishness, arrogance, pride and utter spiritual failure! Why do we only speak of revival as a thing of the past and a thing of a long forgotten event? It is because we are not ready for revival. How can God bless the American church right now? Some say revival has come in the form of Neo-Calvinism and contemporary worship and in the venues of Sovereign Grace Music and preachers like C.J. Mahaney, Joshua Harris, John Piper, Mark Driscoll and the like, yet this is NOT revival, but a cheapening of the Christian walk, which is to be one of reverence for God and worship that glorifies Him, not appealing to our own fleshly desires and impulses. Music that sounds like a rock concert and draws in the world cannot be the revival fire of God, but the work of His adversary Satan. If this new style and philosophy draws in the lost sinners of the world, it is not a worship that glorifies God, but one that accommodates and pleases men.

Christ’s message did not draw in the world; it confronted them, convicted them and caused them to hate and murder him. The gospel is of love, but its message is one that causes offense and exposes the sinner for what he is; a damned soul standing before a Holy and Righteous God deserving of His divine and eternal wrath for their sins. It shows them that aside from the blood of Christ, they have no plea or hope of escaping the eternal flames of Hell. As brother Paris Reidhead said, we need to stop trying to convince a good man that he is trouble with a bad God, and start convincing a bad man that he deserves the wrath of a good God.

We must get up and away from our own ambitions and desires and exhaust ourselves for the Gospel, but let us preach the true, undiluted Gospel. And may we not apologize for God’s wrath and justice. Until we preach that men deserve God’s wrath, expect no revival and no lasting change. I am tired of seeing weekly decisions that go as fast as they come. I want to see revival! I am tired of hearing about it, reading about it, praying for it, I want to see it! And the only way we can see it is to view God in all His holiness as He is and see how wicked and sinful we are and respond to that truth.

May we end the diluted Gospel and preach the true Gospel; and may God use that to usher in revival to America as we have never before witnessed. Amen.

Why Revival Tarries

“Why Revival Tarries” is, I believe and so do many others, Leonard Ravenhill’s greatest work. Although brother Ravenhill has gone on to be with his Savior in 1994, his life is still touching hearts and preaching on as it were. He reminds of the passage where the dead Israelite was cast into Elisha’s grave, touched Elisha’s bones and revived. This man of God’s ministry has definetly reached beyond the grave.

Many people did not really like brother Ravenhill; they considered him too harsh, too bold, too shocking. Well, he was; but only out of his overwhelming passion to see God bend over and breath the winds of revival on America and Britain once again. Mr. Ravenhill greatest sermons include “What is Your Life?” and “Standing at the Judgment Seat.”

I can honestly say before the Lord that this book has given me more of a thirst and passion for revival than anything or one else so far. I am overwhelming humbled and challenged and I dare say changed by Rev. Ravenhill’s personal zeal for holiness, Godliness and purity in these latter days.

I hope this book blesses your heart as it has mine.

Also look for: “Revival God’s Way” and “Sodom had no Bible.”