[display_podcast]
Revival prayers by Ian Milmine [36]
We are coming to the end of our series of talks on revival. What have we learnt throughout this series? Well, if God has quickened you to feel a greater urge to pray for revival I shall feel part of the job has been done. As we saw some weeks ago, the prayer of a Christian who sees the need in his own heart and the great need around him should be: “Lord, give me a hungry heart.” Jesus said, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 6:6). It is those who seek God with all their heart who find Him, Jeremiah tells us in chapter 29:13. It is in this seeking of God with all our hearts where a personal revival can begin.
Ian Milmine, Revival's General Secretary
The second important lesson that I hope has been brought home to your heart is the feeling of the need of the world of those who are unsaved around us. We were reminded that the shortest and yet one of the most powerful Scripture in the Bible is the one that simply says, “Jesus wept.” If God in human flesh wept, then we’ll also weep when we understand His heart. One of the trademarks of every time of true revival ever recorded is the gathering of people to weep in brokenness and repentance over their sins, and the blatant sin of the world around. Why? Because sin hurts the heart of God.
The third important lesson that I have tried to put across is that revival requires us to pay a price. The Holy Spirit will ask us to abandon sins, pastimes and practices that had seemed reasonably legitimate before His quickening of our souls. I know of no revival that hasn’t been accompanied by a deep sense of guilt, a repentance of sin, and a puting right of wrongs, followed by a wonderful experience of the peace that is available throught the precious blood of Jesus. The question is, do Christians today really want revival? Are they prepared to accept the alteration to their lives and daily routines that revival will surely bring? Or is this all too much for us comfortable XXi century Western Christians?
We have seen therefore that revival begins in the Church, by bringing backslidden Christians to repentance and a new beginning of obedience to God. And our challenge to God’s people, in the words of the apostle Paul is, “It is time to wake up from our slumber!”. Illustrations from people God used as instruments of revival sowed us that God can work revival through just one individual who is totally committed to Him, hungering for revival, and willing to pay the price in his or her obedience to the revival covenant.
And then we have seen the wonderful effects a revival can produce upon society at large – falling crime rates, abandonement of drunkennes, reconciliation among communities, and solution to the many social ills that our society today is unable to cope with; why? because they are primarily spiritual in nature.
Don’t you long for revival in our midst today? I do, and I trust this series has been helpful to you. God bless and revive us all!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Share
How Should Christians Live in a Secular World? | 316
January 31, 2013
Introduction to Revival (Video)
August 21, 2012
The King’s English 100 phrases in 3mins
July 14, 2012
Imprisoned Iranian’s Stand for Christ | 310 | Report 31
March 26, 2012
Rwandans Find Peace in the Gospel | 310 | Report 30
March 24, 2012Bible is Norway’s 2011 Best Seller | 310 | Report 29
March 22, 2012“At Times of Crisis, Revival is Near” | 310 | Report 28
March 20, 2012An Appeal for Full Time Missionaries | 310 | Report 27
March 18, 2012Young People Finding Christ in Europe | 310 | Report 26
March 16, 2012Spain: God Goes Beyond Expectation | 310 | Report 25
March 13, 2012About Author
(2) Readers Comments
Leave a Reply
Victor Pearce: Called Home by His Master
I am sory to know only today the 18th April 2013 that Mr. Pearce had d
Pastoring the Party Streets of Ibiza | 10th Jan 2010
Hi Mihaela! Yes it is you can get more information here: http://www.2
Victor Pearce: Called Home by His Master
I have only recently become acquainted with this mans work. I am great
Chinese Find Christ at University | 315 | Report 24
In light of the growing problems in that part of the world, we must al
Marian Matthews
Dear Ian,
I found your articles on Revival were amazing. I belong to the fellowship of Brickhill Baptist Church in Bedford, and for over a year now God has laid it on my heart to pray for Revival in Britain. Several of us now meet together every Sunday evening to pray “Pentecostal style” i.e. praising God all together, and then to cry out for Revival to hit our town and our country. I find I can’t begin praying for the lost without sobbing – and I always feel as though I am sensing just a little of the heart of God and the pain He feels for a lost generation. Others have felt the same. Then, everywhere I go, I am hearing the same thing, and bible texts are confirming this too. Today I went to join a very small group of six ladies of very senior years. They have spent their lives reading the bible from cover to cover, and praying for revival. The text the leader brought today was 2 Chronicles 7 v14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” She went on to speak of the debauchery in 18th century Britain – likened it to Britain today – and pointed out that in the 18th century the slide in moral standards preceded the Revival – and it can happen again today.
Thank you for your wisdom. I shall continue to pray in expectation of the miracle our God can bring to this nation, and to the world.
Peter
I believe that along with and combining what you said in your prayer for revival , That the Churches need to come back to God in confession of past sins and turn back to Jesus in sincere repentance and that He might cleanse them and enpower them in the work of ministy.
Well how many churches do you think will do this ? Well I can tell you that my own Church where I worship did not do it when put it to them . You see some years ago the Lord said that the churches on Canvey Island should turn back to Him and repent of their sins; I said that what I had expierienced was of my own inmagination and decided not to go to the Churches, but everytime that I thought of the situation with the churches a fire would iniote in my body which would get bigger as the time went on and was terryfing; then after a United Church service other were saying what they thought the churches ought to do to bring people into the churchesw, and I had a little voice saying to me go and teell them Peter, so I said that I thought that the churches needede to come back to Jesus in repentance and instantly the fire went and so I did what I had been told.
Have a nice day with Christian regards,
Peter Grigson