What is an old fashioned revival?

Is Revival Near?

“The Gospel is not an old, old story, freshly told. It is a fire in the Spirit, fed by the flame of Immortal Love; and woe unto us, if, through our negligence to stir up the Gift of God which is within us, that fire burns low.” ~ Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarries

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘revival’? When I think of this term I think of renewed passion, energy for God’s Kingdom, setting down of ways that do not honor God, repentance, and restoration of a spirit of outreach. The Enemy never stops working to demolish our faith, and we must never stop striving to grow and feed our faith. This Fall Revival Series is an effort to draw our attention to the glory of God.

The Prophets spoke out against religious service that had no heart. This Revival Series is not about boostingWednesday Night attendance. Having breathing bodies in the pew is not God's idea of success or vibrant faith! This revival series is about placing ourselves under the hearing of God’s Word and opening ourselves up to His leading.

Think about it this way. Which action pleases the Enemy more: the hearing of messages meant to stir our hearts or the dusty reality of your empty pew?

We so often have let our everyday lives become overloaded and crowd out every opportunity to study, pray & fellowship. So I encourage you to engage this formula for revival:

Arrive Five Minutes Early. Our chronic late arrival leaves us no opportunity to greet both family and guests and discourages our speakers. Worship is not like a light switch … you don’t just sit down and turn it on. Arrive early enough to get your heart warmed up to receive and give a blessing. You can do this! What’s more motivating than an appointment with the King of Kings?

Pray Every Day. Pray not only for the sick but for the saved. Pray for our church, elders, ministers, and teachers. Pray for the lost. Pray for God to stir us up and open our eyes to opportunities He gives us to share the gospel with the lost world around us.

Bring a Friend. A guest speaker for a special series gives you an opportunity to ask a friend to join you. Introduce them to others. Pray for them during the service that they will have open hearts.

Attend Every Service. Each of our ten speakers will bring their own experience and viewpoint to our revival. Who knows but that one of them will really connect and reveal something you have needed to hear?

Pray More!  As we do everything we can do, plead with the Power that can do more than we can imagine! 

I believe this could be a turning point for our church. Every one of you is an important part of the history of this congregation.

What if this season of revival is a historic game-changer for our congregation??

My friends, we are not waiting on God to do something, He’s waiting on us. Pray … Commit to be present … Bring a friend … Pray some more. Revival is near.

God be near, we depend on You.   
                     

John Dobbs

Is drinking alcohol a sin?

A Flawed Comparison

Trying to compare drinking alcohol and other "bad habits" just doesn't work, unless we are actually talking about drugs that significantly alter sobriety and the ability to make sound judgments. There are plenty of those types of drugs, but comparing drinking to eating donuts is ludicrous. We aren't just talking here about long-term health. We are talking about the immediate effects that destroy one's ability to think. If eating donuts does that to you, then by all means quit eating them. But I have yet to meet the person who destroyed a family or killed someone in a car wreck over losing one's mind on donuts. If that kind of comparison is the justification for drinking today, then sell it elsewhere.

- by Doy Moyer

Common attitudes towards the Bible

Two Men Disagree With the Preacher

Two men disagree with the preacher. They have both been taught that they are not just to "swallow" everything the preacher says; that they are to think for themselves. They are to be commended, therefore, for their careful evaluation of what is taught.

The key words with the first man, however, are, "It seems to me." All teaching is judged according to his own thinking, as to whether or not it makes sense to him.
The key words with the second man are, "What does God say about it?" He desires truth and knows that truth can only be found in God's word (John 17:17). If he disagrees with the preacher, he does so because he is convinced the preacher has misused a passage of scripture or has failed to consider a scripture that might affect his conclusion. He comes with an open Bible and an open mind, prepared to defend his position or to yield if he sees that it is indefensible.

The first man exalts self. He places too much confidence in his own thinking. He may do so unconsciously, but in reality he makes his own intellect and experience his god. His thinking is reflected in the words of Naaman, "Behold, I thought," words that would have taken Naaman to a leper's grave had it not been for the admonition of his servants (2 Kings 5:1-14).

The second man exalts God. His confidence is in what God says in the scriptures. He recognizes that his own intellect and experience fade into nothingness when placed in the brightness of the light of truth. A "thus saith the Lord" ends all controversy with him. His thinking is reflected in that of the Bereans who "were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they... searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so " (Acts 17:11).

Unless the first man changes his attitude he is hopeless.  He is susceptible to all manner of false ideas. He cannot come to know God and His truth through his own wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:21). He must throw his own wisdom, intellect, and experience aside; he must become poor in spirit, meek before God, mourning, hungering and thirsting for righteousness; he must bow in submission to the Lord and to His word. He must say with Paul, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?'" (Romans 11:33-34).

The second man is a blessed and fortunate man in-deed, for he will learn the truth that will make him free (John 8:32). Unfortunately, he is a rare man in the twentiethcentury. But he does exist—and he can exist even in the man who is presently reading this article. What a challenge to each of us! After all, it is one thing to disagree with a preacher, but quite another thing to disagree with Almighty God!

- by Bill Hall