Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced similar threats as Daniel did, but at least they had each other. Daniel apparently only had himself. (Of course, we will see that this wasn’t his mentality). Where will we be when all our moral support is gone and everybody except our own self turns against God and therefore against us? Now, it may be […]
» Read moreWe are normally quick to hail the bravery of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and try in some superficial measure to learn from them; but we should admit to ourselves that we often view their situation as being long ago and far away, thus lacking true potential for changing our lives. But the reality is, these men existed. These men had […]
» Read moreFrom a large-scale perspective, revival and persecution are very close in purpose for the people of God. Revival restores them to spiritual vitality and an impactful collective testimony. Persecution purges them to spiritual purity and singleness in affection toward God. Revival positively raises us toward spiritual maturity. Persecution negatively cleanses against spiritual complacency and immaturity. Persecution pushes Christians together; revival […]
» Read moreIn examining revival lessons from Acts 19, the first thing we notice is that only Paul and not Apollos had the privilege in God’s sovereign purposes to see revival in Ephesus. Apollos had his work in Corinth. Paul had his in Ephesus, and it was there that the Word spread like wildfire. Was the work in Corinth of less dignity? […]
» Read moreThe Word of God is always the means of the Spirit of God to bring conviction of sin and restoration to the Christian community. Apart from the Word of God, there will be no work from God. And as long as we have the idea that we can somehow separate the power of God from the clear, consistent teachings of […]
» Read moreIsrael as a nation needed to be revived at many different times. If we want to know what revival looks like, Israel is a great place to start. After all, “The things written aforetime were written for our learning.” Specifically with 1 Samuel 7 and 8 we find a comprehensive overview of this seemingly mysterious process we like to call […]
» Read moreEvery revival needs a man of God to serve as a leader for God’s people as they renew their commitment to the Scriptures. Pentecost had Peter. The Reformation had Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin. The Evangelical Revival in England had Whitefield and Wesley; in America, Jonathan Edwards. In the same way, Israel had their spiritual leaders to guide in spiritual restoration, […]
» Read moreGod is a God Who works, not only in spite of our failures, but through them. He works in difficult circumstances. He works in times of departure from His Word. Thus it should be no surprise that as we come to the book of 1 Samuel we find God working through a barren woman and a failing high priest. This […]
» Read moreRevival is seldom criticized amongst Christians, because nearly every person wants revival. We all want to see change. The Charismatic community wants to see everyone restored to full experience of God and His wonders. The Catholic community (not that we should consider it Christian in the Biblical sense) wants to see everyone “come home to Rome.” The traditionalists want restoration […]
» Read moreIf some Evangelicals today were asked to define worldliness, what would they come up with? After all, many find nothing wrong with advertising “Beer and Bible Study” so as to attract others. Tattoos and piercings are seen as perfectly acceptable, since there is no verse that directly says “Thou shalt not…” except in the book of Leviticus (But who cares […]
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