The Continued Joy Of All The Redeemed

If personal Revival comes to you it is going to radically change your prayer life. Instead of looking at all the immorality of society and praying for a return to America’s great yesteryear, we begin to pray for Revival to sweep the land. Notice the difference in revival vs. Revival?

Well yes one is capitalized and one is not. Very good! But do you know the difference? Revival small r is what churches do; revival big R is what God does. Little r revival is penciled onto your calendar and plans are made; finding the right preacher, getting the music right…there is much for a church to do when planning a small r revival.

But the church that is seeking a big R revival to show up is preparing hearts for God to be able to do a work.

So when I begin praying for my church’s planned small r revival, if big R revival is to happen I am seeking God’s redeeming work in my life. And what God begins putting on my heart is to pray for Him to deliver and protect my church, my home, and my community. When I have confessed my sin and am right with God, I ask Him to bless my family, my church, my community, and all those within my sphere of influence because I do not know what effect my past sinful actions have had on all.

When I am redeemed and God is pleased with my personal sacrifices of a broken and contrite heart then I begin in earnest to pray for my family and all others. I ask God to bless others for His glory.

    “Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.” (Psalm 51:18-19)

This is when my worship becomes pleasing to God; when I am in right standing with Him and I bring my sacrifice of praise and myself as a living sacrifice. I am holy and pleasing to God. This is the point David is at as he writes the last two verses of Psalm 51. Matthew Henry explains it this way:

“Those who have been in spiritual troubles know how to pity and pray for others afflicted in like manner. David was afraid lest his sin should bring judgments upon the city and kingdom. No personal fears or troubles of conscience can make the soul, which has received grace, careless about the interests of the church of God. And let this be the continued joy of all the redeemed, that they have redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.”

Do you see now why Revival has not come to America? It is because we are trying to make little r be big R. It is the proverbial cart before the horse. How can I pray for Revival to sweep across America when it hasn’t even begun in my own heart? And once Revival comes to my own heart, how can I but pray for it to sweep across this great land?

I’ve been making much hay about our microwave approach to revival and personal piety, but let me go ahead and offer you a microwave method that I pray will get you to seek a crock-pot course in your walk with Christ. Think of this in light of beef stew. Your life is real busy and though you long for the old crock pot beef stew recipe your mother used to make; you just don’t have the time. However, the more you eat your Dinty Moore, the more you long for Mama’s beef stew. (Those who know me will not be surprised by the food analogy).

So here is your microwave method. Two simple verses and one simple approach to life. Ready?

    “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

    “Do everything as though Jesus is coming back while you are doing it.”

Oh Bro Dave that’s is easier said then done! I didn’t say they were easy; I said they were simple. There is nothing theologically profound that requires a PhD to explain this. Paul is exhorting you and me to let go of control of our lives and give it to Jesus, after all it is the least we can do. And he is also beseeching us to not allow the world to push us into its mold, but to allow a biblical perspective, grounded in the Word of God, to guide in our walk with Christ. And all that we do should be done with the expectancy of Christ’s imminent return. Simple but not easy.

Okay, perhaps we should visit this some more. Fine, but I beseech you that you go before the Lord this weekend and allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart and to reveal any unconfessed sin, because without that happening first you are not going to present your body nor let your mind be renewed. It’s just not going to happen.

And if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior you do not even have the cart before the horse; you have neither. You need to understand that there is no righteousness within you apart from Jesus that is holy and acceptable to God. Give your life to Christ today for today is the day of salvation.

I pray Revival comes to your heart this weekend.

And as always, please remember to go to church on Sunday.

May the Lord richly bless you.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2010 David Jeffers

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