Posted on 07/27/2019 12:20:26 PM PDT by God cares
I, as a long time watcher of FR before signing up as this screen name, have been musing about how revival in America could be sparked.
The first thing, humbly submitted as I see it, would be faith followed up with prayers. God is omnipotent and can, as we might understand it in human terms, schedule Christians into an era to join those already there and who are praying to see more Christians. Knowing about human souls from before they are conceived, this is one of the easier tasks for deity. John Knox era Scotland might be an example of where this actually happened; Knox, with the confidence of a man who believed in God's omnipotence, prayed for Christians to appear, and they did. A more difficult task is winning those souls in the first place, for there even God has to sacrifice (and that is why a cross figures so prominently in Christianity). An aloof God would work no salvations. An aloof Christendom can win no souls. We know something about what God is like; the bible, backed up with myriad witnesses, tells us so. We don’t have to guess. Now we need to act like we believe it.
The second thing, joined to the first, would be to offer all the glory for it to God. American glory, such as it is, begins as God’s glory.
The third thing, joined to the other, would be to do things that show our yet-unbelieving neighbors that there is a salvation in Christ and that this salvation isn’t just about going to heaven when we die, but about beginning to enjoy the fruits of heaven right here on earth. I can’t count the number of people who are hung up on things that happen solely after they die — going to heaven, or to the other place. That misses the point that the Son and the Father and the Spirit preached and demonstrated in the bible. Both heaven and hell experiences begin on earth. Jesus lamented to the official preachers of the day that they were living in a hellish manner, and challenged them to think about what would keep them from ending up eternally fixed in that attitude (it, of course, was Himself).
In short, a revival in America begins by recognizing something larger than America. And here’s where I have seen people treat “God and country” as though, dangerously, they could be peers. They want some God, yes; He helps keep morale and order, after all. But when they are told that they must put God first? Now you’re harassing them. It isn’t hard to imagine God sadly shaking His head in Heaven about that one. Were His servants being guilty of harassment when they strove to raise up the American colonies as an independent entity? King George and loyalists didn’t like it, enough to try to wage war against the new entity. But they failed.
Thank you for hearing me out....
WELCOME!
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Indeed my Brother, many are Awakening around the world, I see it as you do
As it is written in scripture, Feed My Lambs and Feed My Sheep as Our Lord spoke to Peter
It has begun!
There's no valid point to prove by remonstrating to the rest of FR, which I have seen that, beyond a doubt, represents a number of secularists and semi-secularists; if they eventually believe, it will be by seeing a credible witness, not by being preached at.Yesterday in the News forum here I posted a line about a spiritual moment of appreciation I had to God while being in a lake the day before and was replied to by someone who took God out of the context and turned it into a filthy "joke" about homosexuals. Then was trolled for hours about it. Others joined , not my side.
I hope you will check out the daily AMERICA PRAYER VIGIL to pray for our President, Vice President, and our nation. We've seen many answered prayers since its inception.
AMERICA Prayer Vigil (July 27, 2019)
Let me know if you would like to be on the PING LIST.
I understand... when God moves, so will the enemy, although the enemy’s game ultimately will lose.
This probably has to do with the sparking purpose that FR was inaugurated with. It was to provide a place for those who hated the Clinton administration to rally. And it succeeded there. The “Free Republic” vision was for America to be free of the specific problems that the Clinton administration, and later, secular liberals, brought to America.
But we can’t live on hate forever. If we do succeed in rebuking what we hate, we then have the task of embracing love in its wake. And this is where we need to take a look even at liberals, lest we end up with half of America estranged from us. The cure for secular liberalism isn’t secular conservatism. It’s God, who will rechannel the desires of the liberal through His own holiness, which is also a generous thing.
Certainly, please add my screen name to that list. The bible bids us to pray for all who are in authority.
The purpose that I would urge prayer for would be an angle on things that hasn’t been widely envisioned. Ask God for more saints in this place and age. Directly.
Without trying to be critical but if you talk to some they may have you believe we are in revival now. I came to know Christ at the end of a revival that started here in the 60’s and ended late 80’s. I have looked at other revivals especially the one in the Outer Hebrides Orkney Isles north of Scotland. There were sturdy woman and men of God in place and there was a hunger in prayer for revival. Revival is, I believe, a sovereign move of God that more often than not will happen if the first two things are in place though it may happen without them and even those things being in place does not guarantee it. From what I saw though it was marked by a genuine spirit of repentance and a hunger for the Word of God. The stories out of the Isles are amazing yet even at the time it was snubbed by a lot of religious people and only lasted about 20 years!
Following is a quote from ta book written about the time!:
“There was nothing humanly speaking to account for what happened. Quite suddenly, upon
one and another came an overwhelming sense of the reality and awfulness of His presence and
of eternal things. Life, death and eternity seemed laid bare. Prayer and weeping began and
gained in intensity every moment. Each seemed to sing and to pray oblivious of one another.
Then the prayer broke out again, waves and waves of prayer; and the midnight hour was
reached. The hours passed like minutes. It is useless being a spectator looking on, or praying in
it, in order to catch its spirit and breath. It is necessary to be in it, praying in it, part of it,
caught by the same power, swept by the same wind.” Joseph Kemp. Edwards p 12
I don’t want to discourage but what you would like to see happen, will take an act of God. imo.
Doesn’t have to be terrible.
Could be something beautiful.
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It would be a factor of understanding just that, as well as understanding what God is like, which could provide the forum in which God will pull these pieces together.
God wants us to understand that before He “does” anything, He “is” love. Love isn’t among the attributes of God revealed to Christendom — because love is His essence. God certainly has to do other things in order to keep the love going. The love can’t be forever fighting itself. It does not act in a formless manner. And thus forward. In the vanguard of advancing love, we will see the way being made, such as was made by John the Baptist. Donald Trump might be one of our new John the Baptists. He doesn’t preach gospel, but he wants to make room for it. Mike Pence might preach gospel.
I’m beyond the “butting buts” point. Training and patience, I can understand the need for. A forever failure of Him to honor His word — that’s impossible.
We’ve prayed for a revival in America for a very long time. I dream of the day when the top leadership in House and Senate give their testimonies of how their hearts were changed. (Or, if the Rats were struck by lightning in lieu of revival, that would be OK, too. Prefer the revival/salvation path.)
I believe that will be when what had been secular liberals are caught up willingly in God and understand that true social generosity doesn’t come from tax-and-spend schemes of man, but from contribute-and-minister plans that are envisioned by God.
Secular liberalism may be about to shoot its wad and have nothing else, and thus be forced to its knees. The question for us in turn is: will we be gracious victors? There already is some overlap between government and church programs, as awkward as the issues that are thus raised are. The ideal would be to see such strength and resourcefulness in Christendom (it isn’t just dollars that can be contributed, it is time and talent) that these programs migrate entirely into the churches, where they are now immune to secular politics and can be accompanied by robust gospel presentations.
Very well said, and really gets to the heart of the problem facing us as a nation, IMVHO.
Bless you!
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Not to put too fine of a point on the difference between means and ends, but, revivals are the work of the Holy Spirit. We can’t make them happen.
That said God uses means. It seems the means He often uses are faithfulness in the part of His people. Our prayers and our faithful lives. Which are also a work if the Holy Spirit...
So let us resolve to pray faithfully for revival and the furtherance of His kingdom, and be faithful to Him as we wait for His answer.
Thank you. It’s one of my pet peeves about where Christendom has gotten, and I kept bumping into that attitude over and over when I was an unbeliever. It’s unhelpful. Gaining a heavenly seat is definitely something that begins on earth, even while we are still sinners. (It is the Cross sacrifice of Christ overshadowing us that makes such a paradox possible. His grace has been promised sufficient for us sinners.) Anyhow, I can sure imagine Jesus on that Cross thinking “I’m not suffering here just so that you guys can play rope-a-dope on earth, waiting till you die for My benefits!” Or more biblically, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, for the sake of the joy that was set before Him. This joy is completed in Heaven, but it begins on earth, as many other bible passages testify.
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