G'Day Gids! My reply to your post has taken awhile (six weeks) but as I deem the Latter-Rain to have commenced at the beginning of the Church Age and that I struggle with the non-Biblical concept of revival I decided to lay laid low on the topic; not that the benefits of times of revival are bad, in fact far from it, but our expectations of what a revival should be and with what we expect the long term outcomes to be are where I feel trouble arises.
Over the next week I will start a new thread on Azusa Street, my first thread in awhile, which should help to explain what I have glossed over in this post.
Back in 2012 I purchased a book that was on special for $5.00 about an English Pentecostal Pioneer that I could not ever recall reading about by the name of Rev. Alexander Boddy and particularly with his 'Pentecostal' work within the Anglican Church in England. This book was certainly insightful as it allowed me to better understand how the English and European Full Gospel movements developed seperately from that of Azusa Street.
Then sometime in 2015 I purchased another book titled Azusa Street by Frank Bartleman (d.1935) who detailed the revivals within the Los Angeles region starting prior to that of William Seymour; other than skimming through a few pages it remained essentially unread up until a few weeks back.
Then I came across another book about two weeks back titled Joseph Smale - God's 'Moses' for Pentecostalism (2014) by Tim Welch. Anyway, I found the three books with their interconnecting information to a wonderful resource which is why I will start a new thread on Azusa Street with its connections to this particular thread.
Hi Bibs, I want you and every reader here to know that what I am about to share here is not done our of disrespect or judgment. Every word is motivated by loved , in hopes that what God has given me to share will penetrate the slumber that has overtaken us, and totally dispell the thick mist of unbelief that has hardened our hearts.
We are told that there will come a day that God's people will indeed experience healing, but only 'slightly'. Is that not exactly where we find ourselves?
You mention Asuza Street. How blessed they were as they sought God for rain. But are we forced to look back over one hundred years to try to justify that we are walk just fine and that sirely, our God is well pleased with us? There is no question that a big mercy drop fell on Azusa Street. But we have ralllied around it for far too long, trying to warm ourselves from someone eleses fire. It is time we build our own.
We have, as Pentecostals and Charismatics, become content with once-a-week Christianity. While evil men wax worse and worse, and the world contines to look more and more like the devil himself, can we truthfully say the same about our light and love?
Can anyone here even compare our efforts to their personal hunger and zeal that so drove those of a hundred years ago into th Holy of Holies? And what would those good souls say if they could witness what we have done with the spiritual treasures they received from the hand of God?
Can anyone here say they are truly running their race as if there is but one prize? The sheep, truly called of God, are scattered over every high hill, and the shepherds, those called to prayer, fasting and ministry of the word so that the speep would grow up into Him in ALL things, are now CEOs, competing for sheep with programs, fancier sanctuaries, and professional marketing techniques. God says that we have blasphemed His Holy name wherever we have gone. Oh, our doctrines may all be in order, but our hearts? Hmm, not so much.
And yet we have the nerve to say all is well, while we run headlong into the darkest period of man's history with contentment that all is just great because He is all ours. The problem is that we are not 'all His'. Yet it never even dawns on us that these things ought not be so.
We have a gospel that preaches forgiveness a thousand different ways, every single Sunday, in churches all over the world, to the point we have become numb to it, slowly turning grace into the reason we should not be concerned about continuing to serve sin and self. But as to how to overcome besetting sins in our lives, or to grow in holiness, or to see fruits of the Spirit swell and come into full display in our hearts, our pulpits are as silent as our hearts are empty.
And why is that? To be bone honest, is it not because our pastors and leaders, those entrusted to plant us into an abiding overcoming relationship with God, where holiness is not look on as legalism or as if it is a dirty word, do not know how to be free themselves? Where once we were self loving creatures with big sins, now we are religious self loving creatures with littler sins. Brothers and sisters, may I encourage you? God has far better things in store for us, things that we have not yet even dreamed.
Does it ever cross our minds that we have become the very definition of Laodecia? Can anyone here say that we are walking in all God has for us? Are we seeking Him with ALL of our hearts, or do we reason "Well, we have done that seeking you speak of already, and now we speak in tongues, so check that one off our list." And if there is a hint of conviction, still we find no reason to move from our lethary, for heck, we have been forgiven for that as well!
Make no mistake. The separation is beginning. Good WILL separate from evil. Light WILL separate from darkness. The multitude in the middle will be faced with a choice in the days ahead.... all Him or all me. And praise God, it will not be because of our efforts that we finally walk pleasingto God, but because we admit our great need and finally trust God to be the master potter, and set us free from our Romans 7 prison.
To those living in contentment in their Romans 7 Christianity, with sin, self and this world still lording it over them, with no real desire for victory, painful chastening may be the only thing to save and awaken them, yet God will do it because He loves us so, and for no other reason.
But for those of you who read the words and who hate your weaknesses, your worldliness, and your lukewarm heart, who are bound by sin and self but long, like Paul did, to be truly "free indeed", may I encourage you that God will not leave you scattered over every high hill. The darkess and the defeat that has plagued us is about to be dispelled. If need be, God will come and carry us back on His own strong shoulders, for His house WILL be full.
Bibs, some people resist what I share because they do not see where a 'revival' is prophesied. Some have been turned off to that term because of localized stirrings we call revivals that have led to excesses such as promised of gold dust and the baying of barking dogs, but never led to holy, fruit-filled lives. Because of these things, doubting that a final great outpouring is still in our future is very understandable. What is not, though, is why our hearts do not hunger for it. We are in a great famine. It is not a famine of the word of God. It is, however, a famine of HEARING it.
Guys, there can be no mistake. A final awakening will occur. God is not comng back for an anesthesized church. We will not, as God's church, start with an explosion of joy, love and power, and make our exit with shame and religious, lukewarm hearts.
The next step in our awakening is hunger. Multitudes are going to become hungry for more, for a closer walk with God, one where, when they enter there prayer closet, God immediately responds "Here am I." That should excite it beyond words. But sadly, multitudes of hearts whispers "Meh, I have need of nothing, I have forgiveness so why sweat it?". For these, the chastening is about to begin. Love calls for nothing less.
I fully know how hard these words can be to hear, and that I must be thought a hard, legalistic judger of hearts, but these words are said with love and concern. They may not be what we want to hear, but they are exactly what we NEED to hear.
The only question is:
Are we thsoe who have ears to hear and hear not, or are we those who hear and receive the words, not matter the cost? In the end, as the valley of decision looms on the horizon, that question will be the razor edge that will separate the tares from the wheat.
Blessings, Bibs, you know that I love you.
Gideon
