To lead a significant life

                                                    WE NEED REVIVAL

What the individual needs, what the Family Structure needs, what the Church needs is Revival.

Not a revival of the Economic Systems, not  a revival of a Political System, not a revival of the madness of Military might, and not a revival of the many religious systems that could be mentioned.

                                                       WE NEED REVIVAL

Most of those who would call themselves Christ followers have never experienced a true revival of the Church that those of years past were fortunate to experience. A true God inspired, Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer, Soul saving, Spiritual heart healing, life changing, family restoring Revival.

We have spent too much time and energy praying and seeking for our own comfort, entertainment, and wealth to have devoted the time individually and corporately to do as Holy Scripture instructs, in order that we might see Revival in our time.

Scripture gives us many indications of how we may seek and receive true Revival, so we will take two, one of them from the Old testament and one from the New Testament and look at them individually and together as they really are of one inspired Breath.

In the Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles ch 7 vs. 12 thru 16, we see that God is talking to Solomon and is giving Solomon the order of Revival, and speaks to Solomon in a blunt, and frank fashion, not allowing the questions of relativism to have any space.

12. And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. 13. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people: 14. If my people which are called by 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. 15. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. 16. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

In these few verses, we read where God has spoken to Solomon, who is the King over a people group whom God has called His chosen.

Let us examine these verses to see if they tell us the same today as they did approximately 3015 years ago.

Verse 12 tells us that God can come in the night ( a quiet time when we may least expect His presence) and spoke directly to Solomon (yes it is true! You can personally hear His voice) and has chosen for Himself a house ( not a physical dwelling as it was in the time of Solomon, rather it is the house of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that all that have truly been soundly, scripturally,  Born Again into the family of God, comprise)
Verse 13 is warning us, of the things that we see if we are truly looking, and indicating that they are not just something that happens, yet are things that are divinely allowed to happen to draw the attention of His children back to Him.
Verse 14, Who is the people who are called by His name? It is the people who have experienced that moment of being Born Again and who have that indwelling of the Holy Spirit (know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit) and have that same Holy Spirit to make intercession for them in the things that they do not know how to pray fully. How do we learn to humble ourselves, when we are only taught that we deserve more, so that those who are teaching can get their share? It is those who seek His face and not His hands ( for what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his very soul?) if we seek His face, then we will know His will, and purposes and our souls will not be in jeopardy.
If we turn from our wicked ways we will have to admit that there is still a standard of holiness that all of us must cling to, and cast off the idea of hyper grace that has derailed many who have innocently been lead into the ditch of failure.
If we can do these things then the promise is that God will hear from Heaven (yes, He still reigns from the Heaven that is His creation) He will heal our land and our sins will be forgiven (national sin, and generational sin, yet not personal sin for that is dealt with in another manner).
15. He promises that His eyes will see us and His ears will hear our pleas that are made in this place (the place of the indwelling of His Spirit).
16. For now He has sanctified, (made Holy) His residence and is there personally and forever.

That is the Revival that we seek, the Revival that shouts live here oh Lord, move here our God, save our souls you Lamb of God, and speak to us with your very breath, that we would as a spiritual building do those things that are pleasing to you alone and that our Families, our Churches, and our Nation would reap the benefits of your manifest presence.

In the New Testament book of Revelation ch. 3 vs. 14 thru 20, we are witness through the written Word that God in the form of Jesus Christ is speaking to another man; John with warnings of judgment, balanced by a promise of reward if we will only do as instructed.

14. And to the angel of the church of Laodicea write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot. 16. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17. 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: 18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20. 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.

It is stunning to realize that the same God that spoke to Solomon individually now is speaking to the entirety of His dwelling.

14. For those who may not know, the Church at Laodicea was a group of worldly individuals who felt that the wealth and prosperity that they had accumulated was an emblem of favor before God.
15. But God saw that prosperity in another manner however, declaring that the comfort that they had gained had allowed them to become lukewarm (not having much fervor) being neither completely cold (spiritually dead) nor hot (being on fire and in love with the God they named).
16. Because of their lack of fire they were to be spewed (vomited) out of His mouth.
17. The reasons of their lack of strength is noted and shamefully named.
18. The Church is invited to return, with the true wealth of the riches of His grace, cleansed again and clothed with repentance, looking upon His face and not upon His hands.
19. The Church is reminded that He can and will send a rebuke and chastisement (in the form that He chooses, maybe the loss of wealth, the loss of identity, or worse) but as always the warning is balanced by the promise of grace upon repentance.
20. The Lord Jesus is a gentleman, as He stands patiently outside the door of our Churches waiting to be invited back in (the Cross is being preached in fewer houses than ever before) yet He will return and walk the isles, move amongst the pews, and ministering to those whose Churches will heed His knocking.
He will also come into the house (spiritual dwelling) of any man who will hear His knocking upon the door (heart) of that individuals soul.

This is Revival when a lost, or wounded soul, will seek His face, will repent (change his mind about sin, or false teaching) will call upon Him to forgive his sins, and will begin to live for Him alone.
When this Revival begins the person or group that is revived must not keep it to themselves but must understand that all have been commanded to follow that call to "take the good news of the gospel to every creature."

True Revival will change a sinner, will cause a family to find that place of love and compassion again, will cause the brick and mortar Church to desire to once again be the place from which  the world is told the truth, and will cause a Nation to turn from the perversions, of the export of abortion, pornography, pharmaceutical addiction, and thoughtless murder.