WHY
WE NEED
A REVIVAL
- written
in 1995 -
By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
The
Bible clearly outlines the sins of Israel, which at one time held a
special relationship with God. In this paper I compare Israel's
backsliding to the Church of Jesus Christ's seemingly constant drift
from our amazing spiritual beginning until the present!
In
the same manner, I parallel the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of
Eden from purity, honesty and worship of their Creator to the
corrupt, jaded and perverted world system of today!
God's
Word states:
"Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any
people." (Proverbs 14:34 ); "Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord." (Psalms 33:12) .According
to these Scriptures, Canada is in a fallen state!
The
Church is in desperate need of a genuine Holy Ghost, heaven-sent,
apostolic revival of mammoth proportions! Without a visitation from
God, the Church will not be able survive the awful onslaught of
Satanic invention and intrigue!
The
Evil One is working overtime to minimize, decimate and destroy the
effectiveness of the Body of Christ around the world! He has
employed many and varied agencies and emissaries to do his bidding
ever since 'The Fall', which has caused great confusion and suffering
to the Church.
The
greatest problem suffered by the Body of Christ down though
the centuries, however, has been self- inflicted! Discord
among brethren, jealousy, envy, backbiting, lust, greed, pride and
control, have been some of the sins that have seriously hampered the
sanctity and the growth of the Church!
Other
major problems have been that of deception, laziness and
indifference! Power hungry men have often been willing to compromise
the Word of God, to maintain their position of prominence in society
and authority in the Church.
CONSEQUENCES
FOLLOW ACTIONS!
What
has been the result of these actions? A loss of real spiritual
power, a vacuum of moral leadership in the Church and community, and
a blurred vision of the purpose and goals
of the Ministry. It has also generated a lukewarmness
toward the needs of the people, a lack of compassion to reach a
lost world and a loss of the Holy Spirit's fire in
praise and worship.
Here
are some key Scriptures that relate to our situation today and
their ramifications as it applies to our individual lives and the
Church body as a whole. In this message I seek to show the
similarities that existed in various times in Israel's history of
backsliding to what is happening in the Church presently.
1. NEHEMIAH
1:1-5
"The
words of Nehemiah the son of Hach-a-liah. And it came to pass in the
month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in the palace, That
Ha-na-ni, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and
I asked them concerning Jerusalem.
“And
they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity
there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the
wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates
thereof are burned with fire.
"And
it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and
wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God
of heaven, And said, I beseech Thee, O' Lord God of heaven, the
great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that
love Him and observe His commandments."
It seems
clear to me that the report given to Hezekiah about the
awful condition of Jerusalem, the City of God, and the
sad plight of the inhabitants therein, closely resemble the plight of
the Christian Church in many parts of the world today.
Jesus
said: "I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it." (Matthew 16: 18). It is true
that Jesus is building His Church and it is also true
that the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail against it.
During
the time of Christ, City Hall (as we call it), where plans of war
were hammered out, lay directly behind the gate, and
consequently was referred to as the Gates of the City! The
words, 'the gates of hell', refer to the opinions, plans,
strategy and agenda of Satan. They cannot succeed in the long term!
They will be defeated.
Our
Lord gave us the Great Commission, which stated: "Go ye
into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but 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 drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay their hands on the
sick and they shall recover." (Mark 16:15–18)
IS
THE CHURCH A REPROACH TODAY?
We
must ask ourselves the questions: "Are we fulfilling the Great
Commission of our Lord, or are we just playing Church? Are we casting
out devils, healing the sick, setting the captives free, and
preaching the good news to those who haven't yet heard?”
Even
a casual reading of the Epistles teaches us how graciously,
unselfishly and righteously God desires us to live, after receiving
Jesus Christ as Lord. Do we love the Lord with all
our heart, soul and mind, and our neighbour as ourselves? Do we love
others, as Christ loved us or do we hold onto grudges and
unforgiveness? It is difficult to believe that we are
not "missing the mark" in these areas.
The
Lord's Prayer, which our Master taught His disciples to pray, states
in part: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as
it is in heaven." Have our lives helped to cause that
to happen? Is His will being done in our earth (body) as
well as on the earth? Are we a part of the solution or a part of the
problem?
Hezekiah
was confronted with a pitiful sight! The walls of Jerusalem were
broken down and the gates had been burned with fire! And the remnant
that were left in God's Holy City were in great
affliction (poverty, despair, sickness) and
reproach (persecuted, maligned, ridiculed). If we are
honest with ourselves and God, we must admit that this is a picture
of the Church world-wide.
Never
before, has the Roman Catholic Church been so publicly
disgraced and sued in the courts, because of the sick homosexual
practices of their pervert pedophile priests! And when you
see Protestant denominations in the Western World caving in
to the demands of homosexuals and lesbians for ordination and
same-sex marriages for their clergy, doesn't it make you sick?
The
first time I saw two men kissing on TV, I felt nauseated! What
a reproach. What an unnatural, disgusting image for little children
to absorb!
The
disastrous fall into almost comatose formalism, and a rejection of
the Virgin birth of Christ, the Born Again experience and the
Doctrine of Hell of many Protestant Churches makes one wonder how bad
it can get. The only answer is a red-hot, Holy Spirit led revival of
righteousness.
When
we thought it couldn't get much worse, presently in 2018 possibly the
greatest scandel since the time of Martin Luther, mega numbers of
R.C. priests and prelates are implicated by their sodomy culture,
bringing untold destruction to thousands of boys.
The
National Public Radio recently reported: “Clergy sex abuse has
cost the Catholic Church $3 billion in settlements. Clergy sex abuse
of children not only in terms of trust and reputation, but also
financially, to the tune of more than 3 billion U.S. dollars.”
Testimonials,
lawsuits and convictions are literally shaking that church.
Allegedly, the former straight laced Pope Benedict resigned because
he couldn't take the ingrained homosexual culture in the Vatican and
Pope Francis is apparently, considering following in his footsteps
WE
OVERCOME
SATAN BY JESUS' BLOOD!
The
Devil is lurking in the very heart of the Roman Catholic Church, the
Vatican's chief exorcist claimed on Wednesday. Sicilian
priest and long-time exorcist Father Benigno Palilla recently
told Vatican Radio that
requests
for exorcisms had tripled in the past few years.
“There
were now, he said, 500,000 alleged cases of demonic possession
recorded in Italy each year. With a population of around 60
million, this means the Devil is apparently active in one of every
120 Italians. Why
the sudden increase in possession by the Devil? Palilla attributes it
to an increase in practices that “open the door to the Devil” –
such as people seeking out wizards and fortune tellers, reading tarot
cards, and generally dabbling in magic and the occult.
“The
Devil is a real person,
“armed with dark powers”, the
pope declared in a television interview in December 2017. Satan
gets more than a dozen mentions in the document as Francis talks
about how life can be “a constant struggle against the devil, the
prince of evil.”
The
Bible declares: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that
were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38);
“...For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3: 8)
“Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will fee from
you.” (James 4: 7); “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion goeth about, seeking whom he
may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith...” (1 Peter 5: 8,9)
St.
Paul warned: “Neither give place to the devil.” (Eph.4: 27); “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10: 4,5)
(2). JOEL 1:9-14,
JOEL2:15
"The
field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new
wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye
husbandmen; howl, O ye wine dressers, for the wheat and for the
barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
"The
vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate
tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees
of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from
the sons of men. Gird yourselves and lament ye priests:
howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye
ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink
offering is withholden from the house of your God.
"Sanctify
ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the
inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry
unto the Lord. Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand,
and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."
I
believe that there is a parallel between the crises in the
Church today, and the vision that the prophet Joel had
of Israel facing the day of judgment, called in the Old
testament, 'the Day of the Lord'! Using this Scripture as a
type of the Church in the time of the end, allow me to
share some pertinent and very important truths:
Why was Israel
asked to call a solemn assembly? Why must the priests lie all night
in sackcloth, crying unto God? Why must all the inhabitants of the
land fast, mourn, weep and repent? Judgment was coming! The terrible
'Day of the Lord' was about to take place, when the Almighty's wrath
will fall upon the world at the very end of time.
THE
BIBLE ISSUES A WARNING!
St.
Peter wrote about it with great solemnity and warning: "But
the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night; in the
which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these
things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conversation and godliness?
"Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the
heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, according to His promise, look
for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness."
“Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may
be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless." (2
Peter 3: 10 -14). Why should we call a solemn assembly and
sanctify a fast? Why should the Church spend much, much more time in
prayer? Here are three reasons:
a.
WE HAVE LOST THE HARVEST - VERSE 11
For the
Church, the harvest is the youth of our nation! Our young
people who have drifted away from the faith of their fathers and
mothers! Young people who smoke marijuana, fornicate, drink alcoholic
beverages and gamble at the casinos and video lottery terminals!
Young people who are carnally minded and live only for pleasure,
instead of being consecrated and dedicated to God and His program.
b.
WE HAVE LOST THE JOY - VERSE 12
The
reason that there is so little joy in the hearts of Christians is
because we have lost the harvest. It is because we are not winning
souls to Christ! The Bible says: "They that sow in tears
shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious
seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
with him." (Psalm 126: 5, 6).
I
have never met an unhappy soul winner! People who witness for
Christ and are engaged in Church and Missionary work are the happiest
people that I have been privileged to meet, because they are involved
with eternal souls. A soul winner's joy is sweet and his reward is
great.
The
Bible says: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness
of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the
stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12: 2, 3)
c. THERE
IS NO MEAT & DRINK OFFERING - VERSE 13
The
priests and their families lived off some of the offerings that
were brought to the temple. People had stopped bringing in their
offerings, so therefore there was very little for the ministering
priests to live on. How can the Church survive when people lose
interest, backslide, stop paying their tithes?
How
can the work of God grow if people stop serving Him, and discontinue
giving missionary offerings? Only a revival, an awakening, a
visitation from God Almighty will shake us into action, so that our
hearts will be right with Him and open to the call of God upon our
lives. Let us call a solemn assembly and get people involved in
fasting and praying for a genuine revival from Heaven.
(3). HABAKKUK
3: 1, 2
“A
prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. O Lord, I have heard
Thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of
the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember
mercy."
This
is one of the most powerful Scriptures in the Bible, to convince
the Church to call upon God for mercy, forgiveness and help! The
prophet had been in prayer and God had spoken to him.
Prayer is a two-way street. It is important to let God speak to us
during our times of seeking Him! What God told the prophet
shook him to the core, and made him afraid.
What
did God tell Habakkuk? It seems that God must have given
him a message, that impending judgment was about to
fall. Gripped by a holy reverence and godly fear, the prophet cried
out:
"Instead
of judgment, send a revival. Revive Thy work O Lord, in the
midst of the years. Don't let your cup of judgment get filled up!
Rather make yourself known unto us NOW by forgiving our sins and
showing mercy. And if You must judge us, in Your great wrath remember
to be merciful!”
(4).
JEREMIAH 2: 13 ; 6: 16
"For
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken
cisterns, that can hold no water. 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 rest for your souls. But they said, We
will not walk therein."
There
are some sad stories in the Bible of hardhearted people who refused
to turn to the Lord, even after He called them repeatedly! Here
He speaks to Jeremiah - the weeping prophet - about His feelings
regarding Israel , His chosen people! He asks: "Hath
a nation changed their gods, which are no gods? but My people have
changed their glory for that which doth not profit." (v.
11).
He
indicts Israel on two counts: Forsaking Him, the
fountain of living water and exchanging Him for counterfeits - broken
cisterns which can hold no water.
Then,
He challenges them to take a good hard look at all the alternatives:
"Stand at the crossroads of life and have a good look at the
alternatives. Then, return to the good ways and walk in them."
What does He offer? Peace and rest for our souls! yet, there are many
who enter the wide gate and take the broad road which leads to
death and destruction.
THE
BIBLE GIVES THE KEY TO REVIVAL!
Here
is the KEY to revival: “If My people, which are called by My name,
shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, then will I hear
from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land." (2 Chron. 7: 14).
There
are four things that God's people must do in order for the
Almighty to rend the heavens and come down in Revival Power in
our midst!
First,
we must humble ourselves, getting rid of the sin of
pride. Second, we must begin to pray earnestly for His
intervention. Third, we must seek His face in protracted times
of intimate fellowship with our Heavenly Father! We must get close
enough so that we can walk with Him like Enoch, Abraham and Moses!
And Four, we must "lay aside every weight and the sin
which doth so easily besets us" (Heb.12: 1, 2), and
turn from every wicked way.
5. MALACHI
1: 6 - 9; 3: 8 - 10
"A
son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a
Father, where is Mine honour? and if I be a Master, where is My fear?
saith the Lord of hosts unto you. O priests, that despise My name.
And ye say, Wherein have we despised Thy name? Ye offer polluted
bread upon Mine altar, and ye say, Wherein have we polluted Thee? In
that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
"And
if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil and if ye offer
the lame and the blind, is it not evil? offer it now to thy governor;
will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of
hosts. And now, I pray you, beseech God that He will be gracious unto
us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your person saith
the Lord of hosts.”
God
was displeased with the priests who were indifferent to their holy
tasks in the temple. They were only going through the motions instead
of reverently ministering to the Lord! Are we also guilty of
only going through the motions without real conviction and love for
our Lord?
May
God help us to give Him our very best, instead of the cull, the left
- overs in our life. He is not content to play second fiddle or
be the fifth wheel. He wants to be NUMBER ONE in our heart
and life! Let us give Jesus Christ centre stage.
In
verse 11 through 14, we read: "For from the rising of the
sun even unto the going down of the same MY name shall be great among
the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto
My name, and a pure offering: for My name shall be great among the
heathen, saith the Lord of hosts."
What
were they doing? They were offering animals that were blind and lame
and sick unto the eternal God! He asks: "Should I accept
this of your hand? saith the Lord. But cursed be the deceiver, which
hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a
corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and My
name is dreadful among the heathen."
A
SIN AND A SHAME!
It
is scandalous when you consider the very little we give to God and
His cause in the so-called Christian nations, relative to
what we spend on cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, pornography,
gambling and amusement. It is a Sin and a Shame! We spend
more money on chewing gum in our respective countries than we give
to Almighty God. That has to change!
In
Chapter 3, we read: "Will a man rob God? yet ye have
robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee. In
tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed
Me, even this whole nation.
“Bring
ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine
house, and PROVE ME now herewith saith the Lord of hosts, if I will
not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
there will not be room enough to receive it.
"And
I will REBUKE THE DEVOURER for your sakes, and he shall not destroy
the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit
before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."
Upon
the authority of God's Word, I declare that you will never sorry if
you give God His share in tithes and offerings. He is no man's debtor
and He will prosper and bless you as He has promised. His Word cannot
fail and He will not fail you.
Isaiah's
life was changed when he had a vision of God in the temple. He became
one of the greatest Prophets of all times! He cried out: "Behold,
the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His
ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you,
that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59: 1,2)
Here
he gives us the key to forgiveness and peace: "Seek ye the
Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near: Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and
let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to
our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55: 6, 7)
6.
REVELATION 3: 14 - 20
"And
unto the angel of the church of the La-od-i-ce'ans 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; I would that thou wert cold or 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 thou art wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, 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 zealous therefore, and
repent. 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."
The
La-od-i-ce'an Church had drifted so far from the truth
that Jesus is standing on the outside seeking entrance to His OWN
CHURCH. How very, very sad! He wants us to be red hot for Him and His
Gospel. Please make room for Jesus Christ in your heart and life
today! Only then, do we really begin living. In his great love and
mercy, Jesus will wash away every sin and fill our hearts with
contentment and contagious joy!
What
a reproach in that Day, to be left on the outside, because you have
left Him on the outside of your life! He urges, “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.
“To
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as
I also overcame, ans am set down with My Father in His throne.”
(Revelation 3: 20,21)
7.
JONAH 1:1-6
“Arise,
go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it; for their
wickedness is come up before Me. But Jonah rose up to flee from the
presence of the Lord; and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship
going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into
it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
“But
the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty
tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be
broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his
god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into
the sea, to lighten it of them.. But Jonah was gone down into the
sides of the ship, and he lay, and was fast asleep.
“So
the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him. What meanest thou O
sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be it that God will think
upon us, that we perish not. And they said everyone to his fellow,
Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose
cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon
Jonah.
“Then
said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil
is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? What is
thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto
them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of Heaven, which
hath made the sea and the dry land.
“Then,
were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou
done this? For the men knew that he had fled from the presence of
God, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, what shall we
do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us: for the sea wrought
and was tempestuous unto them.
“Then
said he, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea
be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is
upon you. Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring it to land.; but
they could not; for the sea wrought and was tempestuous unto against
them.
“Wherefore
they cried unto the Lord, and said, we beseech Thee O Lord, we
beseech Thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon
us innocent blood: for Thou O Lord, hast done as it
pleased Thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea,
and the sea ceased from her raging.
“Then
the men feared exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord,
and made vows. Now the Lord had prepared a GREAT FISH to swallow up
Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three
nights."
What
a wake-up call Jonah received from Almighty God and what tremendous
measures He takes, so that a heathen city could hear God's voice and
be saved. It was an unusual and awesome way to reach that entire city
for Him.
WHEN
GOD BECAME A MAN!
It
pales, however, when one considers the Salvation plan that Jesus of
Nazareth fulfilled through His Virgin birth, pure and righteous life,
vicarious death and glorious resurrection. The Sovereignty of God
demanded punishment for sin and the CROSS provided the
Final solution!
For
a time, God overlooked or winked at our sins in His great mercy and
kindness by allowing the sacrificing of innocent lambs, goats and
bullocks (occasionally a red heifer) to suffice.
When
the fullness of time had come, however, Almighty God our Heavenly
Father, gave Himself in His Son to be the propitiation for our sins
and those of the whole world.
The word propitiation means the
covering, satisfaction and the expiation. Jesus of Nazareth, true God
from eternity and true man by His virgin birth, had to die so that He
could cover us and remove our sins to SATISFY the Righteous Demands
of Divine Justice.
While
in the belly of the GREAT FISH, Jonah repented of his rebellion and
disobedience. God forgave him and gave him another opportunity to
reach the wicked city of Nineveh with God's message of repentance and
judgment. Praise the Lord!
“And
the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry
ground. And the Word of the Lord came unto Jonah the Second time,
saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh that great city, and preach unto it
the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh,
according to the Word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great
city of three days journey.
“So
the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest one even to the least of them. For word
came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he
laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in
ashes...
“When
God saw their works, that they turned from their Evil way; and God
repented of the evil that He had said that He would do unto them, and
He did did it not.” (Job 2:10; Job 3:1-10)
The
total repentance of the entire city of Nineveh moved Almighty God to
change His mind about His judgment toward them. He freely forgave
them all by extending His mercy toward them. Jonah's change of heart
in obeying God's directive after a long and hard lesson, brought our
Heavenly Father's great love into focus for all to see and
experience.
THESE
ARE IMPORTANT LESSONS FOR US ALL!
There
are a number of lessons for us to learn from this ancient happening:
First, God loves the heathen and will use every possible means to
rescue them. Secondly, the work of a true 'Man of God' isn't a soft
touch. It may involve tough times and very hard work. The importance
is to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and answer 'yes' when He calls!
My
prayer is that everyone of us will be willing to carry the message of
Christ's salvation to our relatives, friends, neighbours and others
as often as possible whenever possible to as many as possible, for as
long as possible!
WILLIAM
BOOTH and his wife Catherine founded the Salvation
Army in 1865. They chose as their slogan, 'Blood and Fire',
referring to Jesus Christ's BLOOD shed for the remission of sins and
the Fire referring to the FIRE of the Holy Spirit. He
stated, "The tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire
on the altar of your heart. Anyone who has tended a fireplace,
knows that it needs to be stirred up occasionally.
In
1892, William Booth wrote the well-known hymn, 'SEND
THE FIRE'. It is filled with Gospel truth,
Biblical Doctrine and Great Commission Admonition. You can
sense the presence of God by reading the words, and the Holy Spirit
burns when it is sung.
There
is no-one as unhappy as a person who has been called of God to preach
Christ's Gospel, but has stifled that call. For some people it will
be too late to answer that call, but for others the Holy Spirit may
still be calling for you to do His bidding. May He help you to answer
that call. Amen.
