WHY
REVIVAL TARRIES
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
There
are a number of reasons why more of the mighty works of God are not
manifested in this generation, even though Almighty God has promised
in His Word to work in and through us for that purpose.
JESUS'
Great Commission has been routinely held up as the Church's Marching
Orders for the past 2,000 years. He issued it to His disciples and
followers shortly before his ascension to His Father's Throne in
Heaven. It is recorded in the Gospels of both Matthew and Mark and
alluded to in the Book of Acts, as well.
He
said: “Go
ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth
not shall be damned. And these SIGNS shall follow them that believe;
In My Name shall they cast out devils: they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents and if they shall drink any
deadly thing it shall not hurt them. They shall lay their hands on
the sick and they shall recover.” (Mark
16: 15-20)
The
commands as well as the promises of Jesus have been etched in the
minds and hearts of His servants down through the centuries, as the
disciples of Jesus Christ have been led by the Blessed Holy Spirit to
make Him known around the world by preaching His unadulterated Word
and praying in His all-powerful Name!
Without
doubt, His followers took Him and His commands seriously which is
proven by the historical fact that every writer of the New Testament,
with the exception of John the Beloved, died as martyrs for Jesus
Christ! They went to their deaths with the knowledge that they were
glorifying God through their preaching as well as martyrdom.
MARTYRS
FOR JESUS CHRIST!
STEPHEN
was mightily used by God, yet was accused of heresy by Jerusalem's
Religious Council and put to death by stoning. The Bible says: “And
Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles
among the people.” (Acts
6: 8). After Stephen
delivered a great sermon about God's dealings with Israel and
declared that they had crucified their own Messiah, the Chief Priests
went ballistic.
“When
they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed
on him with their teeth, but he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked
up steadfastly into Heaven, and saw the glory of God and Jesus
standing on the right hand of God.
And
said, Behold I see the Heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on
the right hand of God. Then they cried with one voice, and stopped
their ears, and ran upon him with one accord. And cast him out of the
city, and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their stones at a
young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
“And
they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had this, he fell
asleep.”
(Acts 7: 54-60)
When
the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, the
Church of the Living God was born, and thousands were saved, healed
and filled with the Holy Spirit. They were accused: “Did we not
straightly command you that ye should not teach in this name?
"And
behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to
bring this man's blood upon us. Then
Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God
rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up JESUS Whom you slew
and hanged on a tree.
“Him
hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour,
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are
His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, Whom
God hath given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5: 28-32)
The
Holy Spirit worked with the disciples as they went to the Gentiles
with Christ's Gospel. The pagans said: “These
men who have turned the world upside down, have come here also.”
(Acts
17:6). When Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the Damascus Road, he fell to
the earth. His eyes were burned from the LIGHT which shone around him
and was blind for three days.
Lying
in the dust he heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Saul
Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” He
cried
out: “Who
art Thou, Lord?” Jesus
answered: “I
am JESUS Whom thou persecutest.” Saul
asked two very important questions: “Who
are You, Lord?” and,
“What
do You want me to do?”
These are the two most important questions everyone should ask the
Lord!
In
his Pentecostal message, St. Peter said: “Repent
ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out
when the
Times
of Refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
and
He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, Whom
the Heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the
world began.”
(Acts 3:19-21)
THE
TIMES OF REFRESHING!
The
“times of refreshing” which the apostle declared would come
before Christ's return, most definitely refers to times of seeking
God. There have been numerous seasons that God has stirred His people
to REPENT and seek His face during the past two millennium. Revivals
of righteousness must continue until the Church is revived, believes
the Word of God and puts into practice the commands of Jesus!
Repentance
of sin and genuine CONVERSION must occur in an individual's life
before his sins are blotted out. If there is no change in the life of
sinners, even if they begin attending church, does not amount to a
revival. A genuine Refreshing from ABOVE entails heartfelt remorse
for offending Him by an impure lifestyle, unbelief, pride and
rejecting the forgiveness He offers through the vicarious death of
His Son Jesus Christ!
We
need go no further back in the history of the backsliding church than
the opposition by large denominations of so-called Christian churches
to the March 3-5, 2017 Vancouver, B.C. Franklin Graham Crusade. Why
did those 'Yes-Men'
denounce
Franklin Graham, who is a genuine
'man of God'
seeking to turn lost and dying souls to the Saviour Jesus Christ?
Here
were their reasons:
They were offended because Graham was against the sins of Sexual
Perversion, Abortion and by calling the Muslim political/religion
inherently evil. And since when is it wrong to preach the Gospel and
tell the truth?
MARTIN
LUTHER, the Leader of the Protestant Reformation stated: “
If
I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every
portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which
the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not
confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the
battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be
steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace
if he flinches at that point.”
If
they can't stomach the preaching of Franklin Graham, how could they
handle the much more powerful preaching of Moses, Elijah, John the
Baptist, Jesus Christ, Simon Peter, Stephen, St. Paul, Martin Luther,
John Knox, John Wesley, William Booth and Charles Finney?
WHY
REVIVAL TARRIES!
1.
Because the Church is no longer tarrying before the Lord in fervent
prayer, for God's love and healing to be activated in people's lives.
The prayer room has been exchanged for the TV and Lunch room. And the
holy altar waits for the sweet smell of hot tears from supplicants,
desperate for God to save their friends and loved ones!
Just before ascending to Heaven, the Crucified and
Resurrected Lord, said: “And
behold, I send the promise of the Father upon you, but TARRY ye in
the city of Jerusalem UNTIL ye be endued with POWER from on High.”
(Luke 24: 45-49)
“But ye shall receive power after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be WITNESSES unto Me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost
part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The
Key Revival Scripture quoted since time immemorial, has very seldom
been put into practice. Preaching without practice is called
Hypocrisy.
The Lord states: “If My people which are called by My Name, shall
HUMBLE themselves, and PRAY, and SEEK My face, and TURN from their
wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and will FORGIVE their sin
and will HEAL their land.” (2 Chron.7:14)
Jesus
promised: “And
whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I
will do it. If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the
Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide
with you forever;
“Even the
Spirit of Truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him
not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you. I will
not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.”
(John
14: 14-18)
The
nearest place to the heart of God is the place of worship, repentance
and faith. The Holy Bible abounds with testimonies of people who came
to the end of themselves and cried out to the Lord and received
forgiveness, healing and deliverance!
The
shed blood of Jesus Christ makes it possible for fallen man to enter
into the 'Holy
of Holies',
the very Presence of Almighty God! Prayer is the channel through
which we make contact with our Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus
Christ!
Our
Lord stated: “Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with
Me,” (Rev.
3: 20)
Dr.
Ole Hallesby,
founder of Norway's Independent Theological Seminary (1931) stated:
“I
doubt that I know of a passage in the whole Bible which throws
greater light upon prayer than this one does. It is, it seems to me,
the key which opens the door into the holy and blessed realm of
prayer.
“To
pray is to let Jesus into our hearts. This teaches us, in the first
place that it is not our prayer which moves the Lord Jesus. It is
Jesus who moves us to pray. He knocks. Thereby He makes known to us
His desire to come in to us.
“Our
prayers are always a result of Jesus' knocking at our hearts' doors.
This
throws new light upon the old prophetic passages: “Before
they call. I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will
hear.” (Is.65:
24)
I
have often used that Scripture text as an invitation for sinners to
open their hearts to the Saviour. Dr. Hallesby, however, reveals the
heart of Jesus longing to spend time with His children. “Open
your heart to me”,
He says. “I
want to sup with you. I want to have fellowship with you.”
PRAYER
is the way to fellowship with Jesus! “Come
and dine”,
He called to the disciples who had fished all night and “taken
nothing.” There
are times we also may feel as though we have failed the Lord. Then we
cry unto Him and are refreshed once more in His presence.
The
Bible says: “Thou
wilt shew me the path of life:
In
Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand are pleasures for
evermore.”
(Psalms 16:11). The place of prayer has been nearly abandoned by most
Christians and replaced by a place of fellowship and other
activities.
Dr.
Andrew Murray wrote:
“It is in Prayer that promises have their fulfillment, the Kingdom
for its coming and the glory of God for its full revelation. How
quickly we are deceived into resting in the form of prayer, while the
power is missing.
“Our
early training, the teaching of the church, the influence of habit,
the stirring of the emotions, any of these can lead to prayer that
has virtually no spiritual power to be taught true prayer – that
which takes hold of God's strength and to which the Gates of Heaven
are opened wide.”
2.
Because the Church is not eagerly awaiting and longing for
Christ's Return, and is delinquent in disobeying His urgent
call to prepare ourselves for that earth shaking event!
The
Word of God says: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.
“Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be: but we know that, when He shall APPEAR we shall be like Him: for
we shall see Him as He is.”
(1 John 3:1-2)
Jesus said:
“And
this gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations: and then shall the end come...For
as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the
west, so shall also the COMING of the Lord be.
“But
of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in Heaven,
but My Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the
flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not
until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be.
“Then
shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left.
Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the
other left. Watch
therefore: for ye know not what hour your doth come...Therefore be ye
also READY: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man
cometh.”
(Matt. 24: 14,27,36-42, 44)
“Teaching
us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, LOOKING
for that blessed Hope, and the glorious APPEARING
of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for
us...” (Titus 2: 12-14)
SERVING
GOD WHILE WAITING!
“For
yet a little while, and He that shall come will come and will NOT
tarry.”
(Heb.10: 37); “For they themselves show us...how ye turned to God
from idols to serve the living and true God; and to WAIT
for His Son from Heaven, Whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus,
which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thes.1: 9,10)
JESUS
promised that He would return: “Let not your heart be troubled, ye
believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's House are many
mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. I will not
leave comfortless; I will come to you.”
(John 14: 1-3,18)
“And
ye now therefore have sorrow: but
I will see you again,
and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you,”
(John 16: 22); “And
now little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may
have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at His Coming.” (1
John 2:28)
“Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
do: but we know that, when He shall APPEAR, we shall be like Him:
for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in
Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. (1 John 3:3,4)
“And
when the Chief Shepherd shall APPEAR, ye shall receive a crown of
glory that fadeth not away,”(1 Peter 5: 4); “For ye are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life,
shall APPEAR, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Col.3:
4)
“Behold,
I show you a MYSTERY; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.” (1 Cor. 15: 51,52)
“So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that
LOOK
for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
(Heb.9:
28).
The
first time Jesus came, it was as the sin bearer, as God's Paschal
Lamb and our Substitute to put away sin forever through His vicarious
death for us all. The next time He comes, it will be as the glorified
Reigning King!
Here
is the KEY – Unto them that LOOK for Him and are waiting patiently
and earnestly for His return, He will abide and work His miracle
power! When that happens Revival fires will burn again in the Church!
3.
Because the Church has become LUKEWARM in its love for our Saviour
and is in grave danger! There is nothing more dangerous than having
only a little oil in our lamp and feeling that we are safe. We must
keep our lights burning brightly for Christ continually!
JESUS
warned: “Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten
virgins,
which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And
five of them were wise and
five were foolish.
They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them.
But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
“While
the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at MIDNIGHT
there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to
meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And
the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps
are gone out.
“But
the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us
and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
And when they went to buy, the bridegroom came and they that were
ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut.
“Afterward
came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he
answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not. Watch
therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh.” (Matt.
25: 1-13)
BECAUSE
THOU ART LUKEWARM!
Appearing
to St. John in a blinding light, JESUS warned: “And unto the angel
of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. So
then because thou art LUKEWARM,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
“Because
thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that
thou mayest be rich; and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed,
and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine
eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten, be Out
of the seven churches our Lord addressed on Patmos, five were
commanded to Repent or Else! The Laodicean church which mirrors many
of the churches of today was singled out as needing a strong revival
of repentance and righteousness. May Almighty God have mercy upon us
all and send us a gracious REVIVAL.
4.
Because the Church has taken away from the Holy Spirit the leadership
of His Church, placing it into human hands. The One Whom Jesus
Christ, the Head of the Church, sent to lead His Church has been
replaced by men like the Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and
Pastors!
JESUS
CHRIST stated: “And behold, I send the Promise of the Father upon
you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with
power from on High.” (Luke 24: 49)
“And
being assembled together with them, commanded that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father, which
ye have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall
be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
“But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
(Acts
1: 4, 5, 8)
“And
I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that
He may ABIDE with you FOREVER; Even the Spirit of Truth, Whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not neither knoweth Him:
but ye know Him: for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will
not leave you comfortless: I will come unto you.” (John 14: 16, 17)
“And
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My
words: and My Father will love him, and WE will come unto him and
abide with him.” (John 14: 23).
Almighty
God is One, in Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus
Christ declared that He would return together with the Father in the
Person of the Holy Spirit and abide with us. If we love Jesus (verse
21) and keep His Word, the Father is obligated to love us and live
within us! (John
15: 5-7; Col. 3:3; Eph. 3: 17; 4: 6)
THE
HOLY SPIRIT IN CHARGE!
“Nevertheless
I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away; for if
I go not away, the COMFORTER
will not come unto you, but if
I depart, I will send Him unto you.
“And
when He is come, He will reprove the world of Sin, and of
Righteousness, and of Judgment; Of sin, because they believe not on
Me. Of righteousness, because I go unto My Father, and ye see Me no
more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world (Satan) is
judged.
“I have yet
many things to tell you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He
the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all Truth; For He
shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall
He speak, and He will show you things to come.
“He shall
glorify Me; for He shall receive of Mine and give it unto you. All
things that the Father has are Mine: therefore said I, He shall take
of mine, and show it unto you.” (John 15: 26; 16:13)
In 1968,
God gave us amazing Gospel crusades in the West Indies, Norway and
Newfoundland, where our Saviour poured out His Spirit in an extra
ordinary way resulting in thousands of souls being saved, many filled
with the Holy Spirit and a number of notable miracles. Our crusades
across Norway lasted 3 1/2 months with newspapers writing about the
amazing Move of God in that nation.
During
our Crusade at the F.G. Bursey Memorial Tabernacle, near Lewisporte I
was invited to go on their Radio Network across Newfoundland.
During the interview their leading Radio announcer began to tear-up.
I realized what was happening and asked, “Are you a
backslider? He said, “Yes.
Would you please speak for ten minutes on the greatest MISTAKE the
Church has made in the last 2,000 years.”
Immediately
God gave me answer. I said, “The Greatest Mistake the
Church has Made since it inception is two fold. Number one: The
Church has taken the authority and leadership out of the hands of the
Holy Spirit and put that authority into human hands. Instead of the
Blessed Holy Spirit of God leading the church, men like the Pope,
Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and Pastors are leading the Church.
“And
number two: The Church has rejected the authority of the Word which
the Holy Spirit has anointed, the Holy Bible!
I
had the privilege of praying with the announcer and for the
listeners. After signing off, the announcer and I were walking toward
the front desk when I noticed two men walking quickly toward us. I
thought possibly they were going to 'ball
me out' for
causing their announcer to become emotional, but they were as happy
as could be. They said, “All the telephone
lines are jammed. More than 70,000 people are listening. We have a TV
Station across the street, please go over there and do the same
thing.”
In
1987,
Donna and I were invited to the First Pentecostal Conference of Latin
American in Sao
Paulo, Brazil.
There were six of us preaching at the 35,000 seat stadium. The theme
of the Convention was, 'The Holy Spirit in the World'. Earlier,
Newsweek Magazine's cover stated: '...LATIN
AMERICA PREDOMINANTLY CARDINAL RED, TURNING PROTESTANT BLACK.'
The
large article stated that every hour 400 people were converting from
the Roman Catholic to the Evangelical Faith. In my column for the
Edmonton Sun that week, I wrote:
"The
Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Pope is the Vicar of
Jesus Christ on earth, and as such leads the Church. The Bible
teaches that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church and He sent the
Holy Spirit to lead His Church on earth. I'm sorry John Paul 11, I
didn't know the Holy Spirit had taken early retirement!"
5. Because the Church has forgotten the words of Jesus Christ's Great
Commission and have lost the burden for the unsaved. The Church has
grown listless in this late hour and needs a massive revival and
refreshing to right the ship and return to being a people of “called
out ones from the world”; the
soul winning Church!
The
Great Evangelist, D.L. Moody stated: “Shame
on the Christianity of the 19th
Century. It is a weak and sickly thing. Would to God that we had a
few men like Daniel living here today.”
VANCE
HAVNER the powerful Baptist Preacher, stated: “Many
years ago in Scotland in a certain community the fires had all gone
out. They searched everywhere to see if anyone had fire. Finally they
found a humble house where the hearth stone glowed with a cheery
flame. Soon they were carrying coals here and there to replenish
their own blackened fire places. Today, there are weary hearts,
discouraged souls, needy churches looking for a soul with fire,
someone kept aglo inspite of the world, flesh and the Devil.”
Robert
Murray Mcheyne said: “Men
return again and again to the few who have mastered the spiritual
secret, whose life has been hid with Christ in God. These are of the
Old Time Religion, hung to the nails of the cross.”
LEONARD
RAVENHILL
stated: “The greatest
tragedy is a sick church in a dying world.”
The
Bible says: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the
people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion
on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad, as sheep
having no shepherd.
“Then
saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous but the
labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He
will send forth more labourers into His harvest.”
(Matt. 9: 35-38)
The
Bible says: “Be patient therefore, unto the Coming of the Lord.
Behold the husbandman waiteth for the PRECIOUS FRUIT of the earth,
and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and the
latter rain. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the
COMING of the Lord draweth nigh.” (James 5: 7, 8)
We
are asked to be patient with a long patience and not give up, throw
in the towel or stop in our quest for souls. The work of sowing and
reaping must continue. We cannot, must not and will not stop until
our Lord returns. He is counting on us to finish the work He began so
long ago at such a tremendous cost!
The
Bible states: “Grace
be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from
this present evil world, according to the will of God the Father.”
(Gal.1:
3, 4)
“But
for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that
raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Who was delivered for our
offenses, and was raised again for our justifications.” (Rom,
4: 24, 25)
“For
as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things
like silver and gold but with the precious BLOOD of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish or without spot, Who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world. But was manifest in these last
times for you.
“Who
by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave
Him glory, that your faith and your hope might be in God.” (1 Peter
1: 18-21).
JESUS
said: “Say not ye, There are yet for months and then cometh
Harvest, Behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the
fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth
receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he
hat soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” (John 4: 35,
36)
“I
must work the works of Him Who sent Me (Father
in Heaven)while it is
day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the
world, I am the LIGHT
of the world.”
(John
9: 4, 5)
DR.
CALVIN MILLER wrote: "Missions
is a divine madness that hears the voice of God's only begotten,
crying from a mountaintop, into all the world
(Matt. 28:18-20). It
takes this cry to bed and pillow every night. It wakes at every dawn,
as Christ whispers in the heart, "I was dead, but look--I am
alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.
You
must arise for I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.
There is no time to waste, the world is loved and doesn't know it.”
JOHN
HARPER'S LAST CONVERT!
RMS
Titanic with 2,224 passengers and crew aboard on it's maiden journey
from
Southampton to New York City, sank in the North Atlantic Ocean at
about 2 AM April 15, 1912. Four days after their launch they struck a
massive ice berg and sank a couple hours later. Some were so sure
they would be rescued and refused to get into the life boats, so many
left less than filled.
There
were only enough lifeboats for half of those aboard. Between 1490 and
1635 perished. They had received 6 warnings of sea ice on April 14,
but the owner refused to slow down or take a longer and safer route.
They wanted to set a record. The Owner stated that nothing could
sink the Titanic and the builder had boasted, “Not even God
could sink that ship!”
A
Baptist preacher John Harper gave his life jacket to an
unsaved person and had the band play 'Nearer my God to Thee'.
Harper carried his little daughter to the life boat and kissed her
goodbye. He went about urging people to pray and call upon the Lord.
He said, “Let the women, children and the unsaved into the
boats.”
When
the ship went down he found himself in the freezing water holding on
to a piece of the wreckage. People were crying, praying and screaming
all around. He noticed a young man near him and shouted: “Young
man, are you saved?” He answered, “No.” The preacher shouted, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved.” A wave came and carried him away.
A
few minutes later, he saw the young man near him again and he
shouted: “Are you saved now?” The young man
answered, “Not yet.” John Harper shouted, “Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” And
then, the young man saw the preacher's hands lose their grip and
slide down into the water.
A
couple weeks later, a young man rose to his feet in a Gospel meeting
in New York City to give his testimony. He recounted what I have just
written. In closing he said, “I am that young man and I'm
here to tell you that with several miles of water under me I believed
and I'm here to tell you that I am John Harper's Last Convert.”
Remember,
Jesus Christ said: “Come unto Me a ye who labour and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11: 28); “All that the
Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh unto Me I will
in no wise cast out.” (John 6: 37).
Although we have not experienced the fierceness of such drastic persecution in the Western World, millions of our brothers and sisters in the Islamic world and other totalitarian nations are presently being tortured, raped, beheaded and even crucified for the name of Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.
MOODY NEWS wrote: "90,000 Christians were murdered for their faith around the world in 2016 according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, the number of Christians martyred in the last decade at 900,000 which amounts to one Christian killed every 6 minutes. Amy Kellogg explained that their definition for a martyr is anyone who lost their life prematurely as a result of human hostility, while they were upholding Christianity.
"This makes Christians the most persecuted religious group in the world", Kellogg said. - From Special Report on CSGC - (02/07/17)
