Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message

 

Revival in 4 Steps

In continuation of his post on Revival, Pastor Rajiv today outlines the steps we could take to experience our own revival.

Remember, God has designed revival to begin with his own people who are called by his name, people like you and me who have called on the name of Jesus. 

As a revival process, God’s first call for his people is to humble themselves. 

How? Firstly, by recognizing and confessing our need to seek God in all things – spiritual and material. Our independence to be overcome by Dependence. We need humility to constantly guard against spiritual pride because spiritual pride results in self-centeredness, according to Hawkins. (Note: In Colossians 3:12, the word humility in Greek means “humbleness of mind or lowliness of mind”, and it’s the same word used in Ephesians 4:2, Philippians 2:3, and 1 Peter 5:5. It is in this attitude of the heart that we came before the Lord, admitting that we were wrong; we are sinners, repenting, and asking Him to be our Savior because being so crushed by the turmoil of sin and darkness of the world, we recognize there is no place to turn but to God, in other words with a broken spirit). Therefore, in order to be truly humble we need to bring a broken spirit before God.

Secondly, we are to pray and call out to God earnestly. If we are to see true revival, we need earnest and fervent prayer. In fact, every true revival has been the result of fervent and earnest prayer. We have seen what happened when the early church prayed and when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Prayer invokes the Holy Spirit and for any revival to take place we must be filled with the Holy Spirit who will give us the courage to speak the word of God with boldness.

Thirdly God demands that we seek his face. Hawkins holds that if we spend as much time in our prayers seeking God’s face as we do to seek His hand to help us, we would be much nearer to our own personal revival. (Note: To seek God's face is to turn from any wicked ways, to look to his presence, strength, and precepts and NOT LOOK BACK.)

And finally, we must turn from our wicked ways. Unconfessed sin is unforgiven sin, and this is the greatest obstacle to revival. Just confessing our sins and feeling sorry for them is not enough. We need to forsake them altogether, (In thought, word and deed) because that is true repentance.

The final step in God’s recipe for revival is God’s delight. God’s delight is forgiving the sins of his people if they are truly repentant and turn from their wicked ways. His promise is that He will hear from Heaven he will forgive our sin and He will heal our land.

God delights in healing our hearts, healing our homes and everything around us because it appropriates his sacrifice on the cross and does not render His death in vain. He is willing; He is waiting, and He is longing for us to call on His name in prayer and seek his face (get to know Him) through his word and turn from our wicked ways so that he can fulfil his promise.

The big point for us to remember here is that that prayer and revival go hand in hand. 

There can be no revival without fervent and earnest prayer.

Revival- A Fire in the Belly: By Pastor Rajiv

Revival refers to a spiritual reawakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation in the life of a believer. It need not necessarily mean a movement but can be personal as well. Most, if not all, of us need a revival from time to time. Pastor Rajiv shares his thoughts today on revival.

The first question is "why revival"? What is the need? 

First let’s refer to this verse from ‎2 Chronicles 7:14

“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 will forgive their sin and heal their land”.

This verse answers the "who", the "why" and the "how". It is extremely crucial especially at this point in time for the world we are living in because we all need healing. We need forgiveness. These are words said by God on the dedication of the temple by Solomon, and yet, it is so distant from our world today when churches are empty, church attendance is on a steady decline and church buildings have been converted into pubs and B&Bs. 

So today, is when revival is needed most, and this verse is a key as it describes the steps.

Now let's discuss the "who". Who needs revival? God’s subject here is people. His people – "if my people". God desires revival in His created world and He desires it in his people who are called by his name.

It clearly means that revival starts with us; you and me who are God’s family; you and me who are called by his name. It is an individual responsibility and not that of a movement. If we look at the great revivals that have taken place in history, we will find that it was always one-man, or one woman who came under deep conviction and shook the world.

O.S. Hawkins, in his book “The Prayer code” holds that the problem is not with the current world culture but with God’s own people who are called by his name. Again, you and me. Today, if you are looking for revival, are convinced you need it, then the question is how? How do we create revivals in ourselves and subsequently the world? The answer lies in the quoted verse which we will discuss in the next post. 

In Case You Missed it....

 

The Tipping Point : Fire in the belly of every believer

The Wind and the Sail : Partnering with God

Quotable Quotes

The Christian Way

"I can honestly say I am a Christian, but my spirituality has been developed on the road and is based on my experiences with God." Justin Timberlake

The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.' Billy Graham

I wish not merely to be called Christian, but also to be Christian. Saint Ignatius

When a man becomes a Christian, he becomes industrious, trustworthy and prosperous. Now, if that man, when he gets all he can and saves all he can, does not give all he can, I have more hope for Judas Iscariot than for that man! John Wesley

A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian... and most of all, his family ought to know. Dwight L. Moody

I'm just like you - I want to be a good human being. I'm doing my best, and I'm working at it. And I'm trying to be a Christian. I'm always amazed when people walk up to me and say, 'I'm a Christian.' I always think, 'Already? You've already got it?' I'm working at it. And at my age, I'll still be working at it at 96. Maya Angelou

Stories To Tell

"But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds".
Psalm 73:28

"Looking back on life, we observe countless moments when God has intervened in our lives or the lives of others. He bestows upon us numerous blessings and miracles beyond our understanding. We each have a story to tell and a witness to share. We will shout praises to God from the mountaintops and continue to look for opportunities to tell all we meet about the mighty works of the Lord". Pastor David Jacobs. 

These stories could be of protection from our own or others mistakes or from health issues or about healing; they be could of provision when all sources were finished. Different people will have different stories and each story can be an inspiration to someone somewhere. Sharing it is also a thanksgiving for deliverance, as we let our life itself become a witness.

Today we urge you to share your story. Send it to us so we can share it with others. You can do so anonymously as well. Even if you don't want to do that, we encourage you to share it in your church group or fellowship.

Our mail is id thisweekwithjesus@gmail.com.

Searching for God's Will

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you". 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV
"We may think it is complicated to search for and know God’s will in our personal lives. Some may think it is for them to become a pastor, a teacher, a doctor, or to run a business. While all these are actually personal choices that God has freely given to us, He had a specific will for all His people.
.... the opening scripture reveals that God’s perfect will is for us to remain thankful to God in all circumstances. When we are thankful, whether in good or bad seasons, it means we see God moving, and this keeps our faith going! Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), which is why being thankful is a crucial element of walking in the Father’s perfect will! "

What are you thankful to God for today?

Quoted from Watchdis Media in KJV Devotional. 

A Kind Word

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” - Maya Angelou

A compliment, a thoughtful deed, an act of kindness, a blessing and a thank you go a long way in making someone feel seen, heard and valued. Words and actions can create a feeling of being important. We are all created in the image of God and when we recognize that fact, we acknowledge that other people have a worth in Christ. We don't look through people. When someone talks, we pay attention. We don't humiliate, nor do we build ourselves at someone's expense. And if we have done that by mistake or inattentively, we apologize so that the other person feels valued.

It takes a lot of strength, humility and empathy to be genuinely kind, so let us start training today. 

Proverbs 16:24

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 15:1

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Pascal's Wager

Pascal's wager is a philosophical argument advanced by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), seventeenth-century French mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian. This argument posits that individuals essentially engage in a life-defining gamble regarding the belief in the existence of God.

So, true to form, we humans have evolved a devilishly clever logic to follow God, based on the premise that we have everything to win and nothing to lose.

If that is the motivation, I am afraid that's a no go because belief and love of God is based on faith and faith is based on experience.

Faith follows no logic. God follows no logic either, because our logic is based on the natural order of things in this world which were anyway created by God. Therefore, God created His won logic. For us, the parting of the red sea followed no logic. The healing of the lepers followed no logic. The resurrection followed no logic. If you are peaceful, that is illogical because how can you find peace in this disturbed world? Yet God gives us His peace.

So, if my belief in God is based on a principle of covering all bases, I am afraid that is no basis of belief in God.

Unless I have seen the see the value of life with God where is the basis of my belief? To know Him I need to experience Him, or as the Bible says -"Taste Him". 

The Bible comments thus: 

James 2:19

"You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder...."

1 Peter 2:3

"if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord...."

Hebrews 6:4-5

"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come..."

Source:https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Experience,-Of-God

Who is your God?

Whatever continually occupies your mind is your God. Your job, worries, burdens, children, wife, husband... whoever comes first.
Why not give God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that place? That is not to say to ignore all others. But Those are responsibilities which we can fulfill with the help of our God.
It's not easy to relinquish control but do remember, every night when we sleep, by default we pass the control to God. It's time we gave Him priority in our conscious time and our attention as well.
Proverbs 3:6 proclaims, “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success,”