The kingdom,

The power

& the glory:

 

-1-

 

The believer’s

ability authority

audacity

(based on conversations I have had with professing christians)

 

Back in the 1980s when I first came to Christ, pulpits & pews alike, were ablaze with predictions concerning a coming move of God. We were told that there would be signs. We were told that there would be wonders. We were told that there would be miracles. We were told that there would be an unprecedented manifestation of the gifts of The Holy Spirit. We were told that there would be a demonstration of the greater works. Glory to God. Hallelujah. Praise The Lord. Thank you Jesus.

FISTPUMP, FISTPUMP, FISTPUMP, YEEHAW, YEAH!

Well, what actually happened? There was a lot of singing. There was a lot of decreeing & declaring. There was a lot of dancing. There was a lot of laughter, especially in Toronto, Canada. This was accompanied by a lot of rolling on the floor, a lot of running in the aisles & a lot of animalistic howling. Not necessarily in that order, either. Of course there was also the taking up of several collections. There were even reports of folk removing articles of clothing. This was called revival. I kid you not.

There was a very thin line to be negotiated when commenting on or critiquing this move, because no one wanted to be guilty of blasphemy against The Holy Ghost. These things made national & international news headlines. Oh my. Was this real? Was this the culmination of all of those sweaty sermons & breathless prophecies that had gone before? Was this the end-time revival & restoration we had all heard was coming?

FISTPUMP, FISTPUMP, FISTPUMP, YEEHAW ...NO!

Although well-known verses from Acts 2 were cited time & time & time again, what we heard & saw was nothing like the outpouring of The Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Instead, we had vain attempts to recreate something else. Brethren, any move of God must be viewed biblically, not just historically. We have to study both, but given the choice I would advise anyone & everyone to stick to The Scriptures. Before we succumb to ear tickling & tantalising tales of supernatural events, let’s make ourselves a nice pot of tea & get comfortable. This is quite a thing.

There are some within The Church who believe that it is possible for individuals to invoke a move of God & get Him to do certain things. I was certainly taught this when I drifted into word of faith mythology. Faith was the key to access the things of The Spirit. Our position in Christ & the authority that went with it were also crucial for us to be in the flow of what The lord was doing. We were told that we could stride up to The Lord boldly & confidently get whatever answers to prayer we required. Sip some tea, don’t let it go cold.

¹¹ Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me’. (Isaiah 45:11).

Tell Him. Put a demand on Him. You’re equal with Him. He’s your covenant partner.

²⁸ Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways’ (Job 22:28).

Afterall, didn’t The Lord Jesus say that whatever we asked The Father in His name would be granted to us? (John 16:23).

FISTPUMP, FISTPUMP, FISTPUMP, YEEHAW …NO!

With such abilities, why hasn’t the most visible & influential parts of The Church done more than raise huge amounts of cash, dodge taxes & set up property portfolios & ministerial pension funds, disguised as denominations? What has The Church commanded? What has The Church decreed? What has The Church asked for in His name? Let me give you an example or two.

‘..we are believing the Lord for: jobs and better jobs; raises and bonuses; benefits; sales and commissions; favourable settlements; estates and inheritances; interests and income; Rebates and returns; cheques in the mail; Gifts and surprises; finding money; debts paid off; expenses decrease; blessing and increase’. Bethel Church, Redding California.

‘I am blessed, prosperous, redeemed, forgiven, healthy, whole, talented, creative, confident, secure, disciplined, focused, prepared, qualified, motivated, valuable, free, determined, equipped, empowered, anointed, accepted, and approved’. Lakewood Church, Houston Texas.

Before my detractors accuse me of cherry picking, I have to point out that these examples are typical illustrations of the focus that mainstream pentecostalism & charismania push forward. The object is not The Lord. The object is man, not God. If we gather enough people together, advertise like crazy, tweak the music just right, invite the most popular speakers, sort the lighting & set the mood, The Lord will move visibly & tangibly. Forgive me while I sigh heavily & my eyes roll back into their sockets. This is a formula that may have worked historically, but does it reflect what has happened biblically? Is this the extent of the ability of The Church, by & large? I’m asking honestly because this is what I see when I look at the profile of significant parts of The Church. Now once again, it has become fashionable to hang the word revival on every service, gathering & meeting that any Tom, Dick or Harry decides to organise. I cannot speak for the reformed christian community, although I do have dear friends in those particular camps. What I say here, I say as a moderate Pentecostal & an escapee from the extreme elements of the Charismatic persuasion.

What is typically called revival today, is nothing of the sort. it is nothing more or less than an entertaining distraction. it is a circus. it is a joke. it is a scheme & it is a scam for the biblically illiterate & spiritually indolent. The rich leaders get richer & the poor saints get poorer.

Harsh, but true. Real revival is nothing like that. Look at The Scriptures. Look at Church history. One is a record of spiritual truths. The other is a record of spiritual experiences. In The Church today, we have many who would gladly choose experience over truth & that subtle abandonment of God’s Word is not without spiritual consequences. Ability does not automatically equal authority.

While The Church is praying, ‘Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.’ (Psalms 85:6-8), perhaps The Lord is saying to His church, ‘Wilt thou not read thy Bible?’. Read the book of Ezra. Read the book of Nehemiah. Read any biblical account of true revival among God’s people. It did not begin with laughing. It began with weeping. It began with a genuine repentance. It began with a deep sense of helplessness & humility. It began with a return to His Word. It began with real prayer & intercession. It did not begin with audacity. Selah. Pour yourself another cup of tea.

When I say audacity, I don’t mean boldness, bravery or daring. I don’t mean swashbuckling with the powers of darkness & wielding The Name of Jesus at the devil & his angels. All power & authority, in heaven & earth belongs to The Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18). It is not present in the swing of a preacher’s jacket. Don’t worry, we will come to Romans 16:20 in our next meeting. When I say audacity, I mean an insolence, an impudence & an impenitence. I mean presumption. Brethren, I have been guilty of all of these sins. Sip some tea. Look at The Scriptures. Look at the history of The Church. I say again, it has become fashionable to hang the word revival on every service, gathering & meeting that any Tom, Dick or Harry decides to organise.

In these man-made revivals, do we see any deep spirituality, or just an emotional display of unrivalled carnality & shameless self promotion? Is The Gospel preached? Is God glorified, or is man? Remember what the word revive means; to bring to life again. Ergo, this means an acknowledgement of the state of The Church as a body & also the state of individual saints. God will NEVER bless what He has not sanctioned or ordained.

Some of you may very well become upset with me, when I say what I’m about to say in this series of articles. But I implore you, as Paul said to his son Timothy, ‘Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things’ (2^nd Timothy 2:7). You & I cannot invoke God or bend His will to ours. We do not have that ability. You & I cannot command The Lord Jesus with declarations or decrees. We do not have that authority. You & I cannot predict or control the movement of The Holy Spirit. We are not that audacious, surely? Well sip some more tea, because you may be surprised.

The only choice we have as believers, is a commitment to Him, submission to Him & obedience to Him. Does The Church need revival? Yes. Will The Church have revival? I don’t know. I see it in The Scriptures & I see it the history of The Church as something that is descriptive of certain circumstances. However, those who seek to emulate what only God can do, take these things to be prescriptive & herein lies the problem. This is deceptive. This is dangerous. This is audacious. With an unbridled arrogance, parts of The Church have either lost their memory or lost their mind, not bothering to consider anything that The Lord may have to say on the matter.

¹⁵ For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones (Isaiah 57:15).

Are the audacious humble? Are they contrite? Or rather, do they somehow think that they are the ones who are able to cause a holy God to do whatever they ask of Him?

¹ Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. ² After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. ³ Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth (Hosea 6:1-3 & James 5:7-8).

¹ O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. ² Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. ³ Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. ⁴ I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. ⁵ I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. ⁶ His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. ⁷ They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon (Hosea 14:1-7).

² 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 (Habakkuk 3:2).

Remember Adam, who was afraid of the voice of God because he had sinned. May the same fear come upon The Church & may He have mercy on us & revive us. 

It makes no difference what you or I want. It really doesn’t. what matters is what God wants. The Church seems to have forgotten the words of The Lord Jesus Christ, the Supreme Head of all things, Who taught us to pray to The Father. We would do well to remember this.

⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen (Matthew 6:9-13).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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