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REVIVAL NEWS |
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REVIVAL NEWS |
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AFFECT OUR PRAYING
BULLETIN ON REVIVAL NO 115-1
If you travel, you will soon discover why God has not yet heard our prayers for a nationwide revival - there are evangelical Christians who do not respect their brothers and sisters in Christ in other denominations.
It is not language barriers, or the lack of the truth of the Gospel, but the refusal to love Christians in other churches that hinders our prayers for revival. Worldwide evangelism is hindered, not by not enough praying, but by unwillingness to love and accept others who love and want to obey Jesus Christ, love the Bible and claim salvation through the blood of Christ as we do.
Modern missions began when fighting quarrelling Lutheran, Calvinist and Anabaptist Christians had a love feast on the estate of Count van Zinzendorf. They were torn apart by criticism and doctrinal differences - until they repented and accepted each other. It started a 100-year continuous prayer meeting - and sent missionaries into all the world.
New missionary endeavor will also come when evangelical Christians confess their sins: hate, prejudice and condemnation, and unite to do as our Lord commanded us to do before His ascension to heaven.
Prayer meetings for revival will be of no avail until we, as evangelicals, confess our lack of love toward each other. God will not tolerate our hate toward any born-again Calvinists, Arminians, Baptists, Methodists, Mennonites, Pentecostals, Charismatics, etc. etc. The apple of God's eye are those who trust in Jesus for their salvation. We may have the right doctrine and zeal, and give much to missions, we may have the gift of prophecy and have faith to remove mountains, yet if we have not love for other Christians, it profits us nothing (I Cor. 13: 1; John 1:7; 2:3, 4, 9; 3:10, 15, 16; 4:1, 11, 20, 21; 5:16).
In his book, Prayer's Deeper Secrets, F.J. Huegel helps us see this hindrance to revival. Extracts from the chapter The Law Of Right Relations, express the importance of good relationships for effective revival praying:
Nothing so affects the Christian's prayer life as his relationship with others. Here is where prayer founders; here is where the prayers of the Church run aground and lose their efficacy.
Jesus our Lord, with His customary incisiveness, ... (says): "When ye stand praying, forgive." He had just said: "What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." But He goes on to say however, it is not as simple as that. Look well to your relationships with your fellows. Have you quarreled with anyone? Go seek your brother and be reconciled. Has someone wronged you? Then you must forgive. Then comes the terrible judgment: "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
The world's greatest need is for great intercessors - that the power and goodness of Almighty God might be brought to bear upon benighted souls as when a great river invades a parched desert land. Nothing costs like prayer. It demands among other things, right relationships. It costs forgiveness like that wrought on Calvary. I must forgive my brother if I would approach Him who bore all my sins in His body on the tree that I might be forgiven. In the face of God's forgiveness, ... all petty human bitterness and all unwillingness to forgive become infinite incongruities. Nothing will so get you out of step with God as a lack of forgiveness. Though it may hurt like the pulling of all your teeth, you must forgive, or give up the hope of becoming an effective intercessor.
Missionary labors have taken me to many lands and associated me with almost all the types that make up God's great family today. There is a general conviction that the greatest need is life from heaven, revival, that which inflamed hearts and revolutionized lives at Pentecost. ... Oh, the longings for genuine revival, and what earnest prayers that God would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might melt at His presence, as we read in Isaiah but the revival does not come.
When one searches into the cause, one is driven to the conclusion that it lies in ourselves. Our divisions and narrow bigotry, our ill will toward groups with a different theology and distinguishing traditions, our denominational pride and zeal for our own particular group, our unwillingness to recognize the unity of the body with Christ as Head and our passionate labors, which we say is for Christ, but at whose roots there lies the uncrucified flesh...
I can only pray for revival as I stand on universal ground - on the oneness of the body of Christ. I must say amen to prayers of all the saints. I must in spirit embrance all God's children, regardless of color or denominational differences, little different from my own. I must be willing to die, knowing that we who live are always "committed unto death for Jesus' sake that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:10). My pride and disdain for others who differ, will as certainly and effectively close the door of heaven against my prayers, as does open sin of a heinous nature.
United prayer will be, and is, effective! No power can, or will, triumph over the praying Church of Jesus Christ. The enemies of the Gospel are noticeably recognizing this. That is why there is so much demonic activity in heaven and on earth. Victory is won on our knees, for God listens to the prayers of His people who agree in prayer.
(Article by Elmer G. Klassen taken from Herald of His Coming)
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The Bulletin of Revival is part of the ministry of Revival Congresses SA and serves as a Heart cry for a Biblical and Godsend Revival. There are so many "revivals" these days that few people could distinguish between false and real revival. The Bulletin will distribute and publish, sermons, stories and news of current movements of the Holy Spirit in Revival to the subscribers. The Bulletin is also aimed at all leaders, pastors and Christians that prayed and long for Revival. The purpose is to encourage and motivate believers to keep on praying for Revival. The Bulletin is usually sent out biweekly. Please feel free to send this Bulletin to anyone you know who would be interested. If you would not like to receive this information, please send us a message: Remove from the list or Unsubscribe. Visit our website: www.revivalsa.co.za
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