RENEWAL
We sing:
“Revive us again, fill each heart with thy love, may each soul be rekindled
with fire from above!” Gospel Meetings
bring righteousness, justice, and holiness – as Jesus is lifted up! When a congregation experiences Renewal,
certain things happen. God in effect
says: "By your faith, command Me."
We are to first act and then God will grant us Renewal!!!
Renewal, Revival,
and Spiritual Awakening make things happen.
1.
God comes down. God is always with us, but we need to be
reminded. Renewal lifts up our eyes to The
Holy One, mighty and majestic, who dwells among His people. Like Isaiah in the temple we really see The
Living God.
“In the year
that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up,
and the train of His robe filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1
2. God's Word Comes Home.
In Renewal the Bible shows us Eternity. Christians find that this
collection of Hebrew and Christian Scriptures is still God speaking to us and feeding
our souls.
“Therefore I
remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of
my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of
love and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:6-7
Timothy had a special gift, but each of
us has been given a talent, a gift with which we accomplish things.
3. God's Purity Comes Through. God uses His Word to renew consciences. The perverseness, ugliness and guiltiness of
sin are seen and felt with new clarity.
The depth of one's own sinfulness becomes obvious as never before. So then forgiveness of sins becomes the most
precious truth in God's promise to us!
“...but as He who called you is
holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be
holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter
1:15-16
4. God's People Come Alive. Joyful assurance of salvation. Conscious
communion with a Living savior. A spirit
of prayer and praise. A readiness to
share a life in common with other believers.
A love that reaches out to all in need.
These are characteristic marks of renewed Christians. Old fears dissolve; and a new frankness in speech and action come
to take their place. The church at Ephesus
“But I have this complaint against you.
You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you
have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t
repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the
churches.” Rev 2:4-5 (NLT)
5. Outsiders Come In. The church is alive! People are drawn by the moral and spiritual
magnetism of what goes on in (among) the church. People are not impressed by a "words
only" gospel, but by transformed lives and the living community of
Faith.
“Then those
who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand
souls were added to them.”
Acts 2:41
6. Testing Renewal. We are to test all things. Jesus is Lord. He came in the flesh. He was tempted in every way that we are. He
died on the cross. He raised from death
to life again! He is coming again in
power!
a) Doctrinal Does this Renewal produce a spirit that
honors and praises the Christ of the Gospel?
b) Ethical Does this Renewal
produce character that is Christ-like?
c)
Holy Joy Does this Renewal produce joy unspeakable and full of glory? “Whom having
not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your
faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9 (KJV)
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