"Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear" (Isa. 59:1-2).
I'm still asking the question, "Why does revival tarry?". Why aren't more hearts broken and contrite? Could it be that our "iniquities have made a separation" between us and the LORD?
Sin is an ugly and resilient monster. Unfortunately, sin isn't a monster that attacks us from the outside, but one that devours us from the inside. It doesn't die easily. It keeps popping up here and there. We tend to harbor it as if it were a stray kitten. But in reality, it is a ravenous lion seeking to devour everyone in its path.
Sin separates us from God. It functions as a dividing wall of hostility. God, the Holy One, is angry at our unrighteousness. His holy justice rages against our iniquity. We cannot approach God while still in our rebellion. Sin has cut us off, and muffled our voices so that our prayers are not heard.
Revival may tarry because we harbor sin in our hearts. Our prayers go unheard when there is sin in our hearts. Our sin "hides" us from God's face. For this reason, we need to confess our sins to restore our relationship. We have to abandon sin, if we want to see revival.
Are you ready to experience revival? Are you ready to make a break with sin?
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
Bro. Randy,
ReplyDeleteI must confess that after the conclusion of our revival services Wednesday night, I was feeling let down. I didn't feel like my spirit, or anyone else for that matter, had been revived. But after thinking about it over the past several days, I am looking at things much differently. In fact, I believe that Monticello Baptist Church is experiencing revival. I'll share a few reasons why I have come to this conclusion.
First of all, the Gasper River Association's Digest of Letters shows that Monticello gave more money to Missions than any other church in the Association. I do not say this to boast, rather to point out that it was not very long ago, that we had to hold money out of the building fund to pay our monthly expenses. At a time when other churches in our denomination are cutting budgets and reducing their missions giving, Monticello has been blessed to be able to increase our missions offerings by 5 percent! This means that through our offerings, our small country church in Provo, Kentucky is a part of spreading the Gospel message across the entire globe.
Secondly, when I look out over the congregation on Sunday morning, I see lots of new faces that were not there just a short time ago. While it is true that we have not baptized as many new believers as we would have liked to, our attendance is increasing steadily. Thanks to many dedicated folks, we have a wonderful children's ministry that seems to have more children every Sunday, and a growing group of teenagers also.
Finally, Monticello has a spirit of family and fellowship that is very special. Having been in several different churches as a Gideon speaker, I can tell you that I have not felt that everywhere I have been. Of course, that might have been because I was speaking, I don't know. I believe that new people are coming to our Church because they feel a warm spirit of Christian love and fellowship at Monticello.
Perhaps, I am being to much of an optimist. I realize that there is much more for our church left to do. There are lost people in our community and around the world that we must win to the Lord before it is to late! But after much thought, I believe God is blessing Monticello with revival, and I am thankful for what God has done, what He is doing, and what He is about to do in our Church and community!
Yours in Christ,
Shane Wells
Shane,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful comments. I agree that God is certainly blessing us at Monticello. I also believe that great things are ahead. Let me also say, I am glad to know you read my blog, and grateful that you shared your comments.