The most significant failure within the organized church today, and the key to why revival has hidden itself from the church, has everything to do with the credibility gap.
The day of miracles did not end with the Apostles just as the days of miracles should not have ended for Israel.
Miracle and revival are one and the same.
Beware the scholar who does not preach that God is a present reality, and will do as the Word promises.
If we believed we’d expect miracles and proclaim the present reality of the Savior, Deliverer, Provider, and Friend: God has promised over and over that He will come into our arena – our every need – healing us, saving us, delivering us, and providing for us.
Look at Psalm 50
“The Mighty God, even the Lord, has spoken.” and called out to us from morning to night. (My paraphrase)
“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined.”
“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence.”
“Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you will glorify me.” (v. 15)
Next to the book of Isaiah, the Psalms are the most quoted scripture by the New Testament writers.
The Psalms can instantly bring us close to God and have given believer’s faith and hope since their writing.
“Call upon Me . . . .” “I will. . . .” and “You will glorify me.”
In other words, a credible witness – a church person who knows the present reality of God—can sing: “I called; He answered.”
When this is broadcast, it glorifies the Lord.
The word “glorify” means “weight.” It ‘gives credence,’ that God is for real. The church whose people have miracles in abundance is in revival.
Does the preacher, as a witness of God, give us a testimony that has any weight?
Are we convinced by the preacher that God indeed will come to us in our need? Or does the preacher weigh more heavily on us that we must get off our duffs and minister?
The truth is that if God does not the ministering, we labor in vain for His word says, “Faithful is He that calls you; who will also do it.”(I Thess. 5:24). God must intervene miraculously.
Spiritual battle is poorly understood or at least not preached about very clearly. But, “Standing on the promises of Christ my King,” represents the only valid reason Christianity has stayed in existence.
Jesus was not overly focused on poverty, not even very focused on civil injustice. But, today those are the heart, and main-stream of Christian emphasis.
Before we plunge ourselves into either church or civic programs, if we want to see real sustained results with utterly transforming power, we must focus expectantly on God. God centeredness must precede and be predominant: we never go it alone. “Except the Lord build a house (and His church) he who labors does so in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
Some believe that God must be reluctant to bring revival. Oh, no, God is not reluctant. Each of us is endued by God with enough faith and enough truth that when we encounter feelings of doubt or purported facts or memory of failures that we can cry out to God. Ongoing personal salvation is the heart of revival. And testimony about it glorifies God, gives credibility to His promises.
The person whose life is an ongoing miracle glorifies God. And, also produces a credible witness in the world. This is the church that Jesus builds and the gates of Hell cannot prevail against this Christian. (Matt. 16:18) It is, ‘The Life That Wins.’
Buddy