is it impossible to have revival all the time?

When I was first saved, I was so on fire for the Lord. It was a total interruption to my life. Finding God was the last thing in the world that I or anyone who knew me would have expected. So I spent long, long hours alone talking to my new Dad, whom I called Grampa. I would write the things that poured out of my soul, dwelling on the new feelings I had, meditating on the love and mercy that God had shown in choosing me out of everyone, to call.
Nothing, and I mean nothing mattered to me anymore. I didn’t care about career, about romance, about earth. I would just gaze off into the distant sunset and imagine what heaven is going to be like when it finally arrives, and how it would make that lovely sunset pale by comparison.
When I woke up each morning I lay there with my bladder burning for 3 hours because I couldn’t force myself to get up until I read my fill of this new book and all the light that it brought to my eyes. Everywhere I went, I carried a Gideon New Testament in my sock, and I could hardly walk 50 feet before I had to stop, take it out and read some more! Then I would sigh like a school girl in love reading her bough’s love note, hold it to my chest, and then tuck it away before continuing for another 50 feet.
I used to gaze up into the eyes of an older sister who was a mentor to me and ask her anxiously, ‘Will I always keep my zeal?’ It was the only thing that mattered to me in life. She recounted horror stories of people who had begun just like me, but fell away into dead zones, not wholly wicked, but not on fire for the Lord, or even concerned with spiritual things anymore. One story she told me was of a young man who, in a fit of jealousy shot both his wife and her cousin, and was now in prison for life. No one knew what his spiritual condition was.
It put such a terror in me. Can that really happen to someone as zealous as I feel today? Is that really possible? How fearfully I guarded my heart in those days.

When the church began in Jerusalem it was the most beautiful thing, with whole masses being saved at once, and that fire just rolled and rolled as the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Door to door they broke bread together. Daily they continued in the apostle’s teaching. They fellowshipped in the temple courts and gave it a newfound joy and fervor that had been unknown under the reign of the ‘form of godliness’ legalism of the spiritually dead and judgmental Pharisees and Saducees and Lawyers. Everywhere they went, the disciples of Jesus glowed with something fresh and lovely that was contagious and enviable. There was joy, excitement, peace, love of course, and an intimacy with God as a Father that made people outside the circle wonder how they felt such a familiarity with this God of mount Horeb, hurling down thunderbolts, and shouting thunderous commands.

The same effect swept over the Gentile world as Paul carried the gospel to the former idol worshipers, once lost in superstition, fearful of upsetting yet another god under every table, behind every tree. So delighted by the knowledge of God that they would be found to spend all night hanging on Paul’s word until one would fall asleep and fall out the window. Miracles were an every day thing as the congregations were filled with the Spirit of God and numerous gifts to minister to each other and to the lost as well.
Even the sorrows and tribulations of persecution, the losses of those who ‘fell asleep’ in Jesus were not enough to dampen the fervent joy of His new believers. But at some point the Hebrew writer made the observation that things had begun to wane, for, in his words, ‘Though now you ought to be teachers, you have need for someone to teach you again the elementary principles.’ He would have to exhort them to ‘remember the early days.’
Jesus would have to say to the Gentile church, ‘Remember your first love.’ So clearly the honeymoon glow had faded; and while there were still many saints who retained the fire, character, and power of the Spirit alive, on the whole the church receded into a lukewarm soup that has often had to be rekindled by the Lord’s gracious visitations throughout the ages in different places.
I wonder if it is inevitable in a world where Satan is its god, always at war with the church and the Spirit of God. I don’t doubt that it is. I don’t doubt that it is just the nature of such a world. But at least, I don’t think it has to be that way in our individual lives, although it has been true for me. One thing I noticed about the church down through the centuries is that the damage that persecution could not accomplish, seduction did, just as Samson’s enemies had to resort to the alluring pleas of Delilah when violence proved futile.
It doesn’t mean that we can’t revive the fire, right here, right now, through prayer and confession. ‘Give him no rest’, says the Lord. Can we draw ourselves away from the business and cares of this life enough to show the Lord that we want it, that we value it more than anything? Soon this world will plunge into a darkness that makes what we called the ‘Dark Ages’ feel desirable. Soon, the Lord will be returning for His chosen ones. I wish we could give him something worth returning for, something ablaze with love and zeal for Him. Just one last flame, not the entertainment we’ve grown comfortable with, or the relaxed state of complacency in us being content that we are at least going to heaven in the end.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining or criticizing. I’m really just dreaming of the zeal I left behind, and the vision that the church was in the beginning. I don’t think condemnations achieve it. They just make us despondent with guilt. I just hope we haven’t ceased to dream and ask.
 

seeingeyes

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If I answer the title question- is it impossible to have a revival all the time? The answer is clearly yes. "Revival" means bringing something back to life again. It is a word that points to a particular event that happens and then is done. Like "birth" or "resurrection".

The birth of a person may take hours or days, and then it's over. They are no longer "being born" they "have been born". When Lazarus was shuffling out of the tomb with his grave clothes on, he was "being resurrected". Afterward, he "had been resurrected".

Now, I'm not trying to give a grammar lesson here. (God forbid!) But I think that it is an important concept when we look at how God actually works in the world (as opposed to how we think he should work in the world).

One of the great stumbling questions of all time is, "Why did God, who wants a sin-free world, create a world in which sin is even an option?" How many millions of gallons of ink have been spilled on that question! Most of us who try to consider that question either have to shrug and claim divine mystery or else walk away from Him altogether.

Your question is similar. "Why would God, who wants a sin-free church, allow His church to fall away from it's first love?" And it's an equally frustrating question.

But let me put this premise past you: What if the question is so difficult because our assumption of what God wants is wrong? What if God's priority is not a sin-free world or a sin-free church?
 
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G

gideons300

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If I answer the title question- is it impossible to have a revival all the time? The answer is clearly yes. "Revival" means bringing something back to life again. It is a word that points to a particular event that happens and then is done. Like "birth" or "resurrection".

The birth of a person may take hours or days, and then it's over. They are no longer "being born" they "have been born". When Lazarus was shuffling out of the tomb with his grave clothes on, he was "being resurrected". Afterward, he "had been resurrected".

Now, I'm not trying to give a grammar lesson here. (God forbid!) But I think that it is an important concept when we look at how God actually works in the world (as opposed to how we think he should work in the world).

One of the great stumbling questions of all time is, "Why did God, who wants a sin-free world, create a world in which sin is even an option?" How many millions of gallons of ink have been spilled on that question! Most of us who try to consider that question either have to shrug and claim divine mystery or else walk away from Him altogether.

Your question is similar. "Why would God, who wants a sin-free church, allow His church to fall away from it's first love?" And it's an equally frustrating question.

But let me put this premise past you: What if the question is so difficult because our assumption of what God wants is wrong? What if God's priority is not a sin-free world or a sin-free church?
I would think it quite evident from scriptures that He wants both, but there is a refining process for both. This world will have its end and THEN the sin-free world God longs for will appear- New Jerusalem. As to the sin free church, God has spoken His will-even our sanctifcation. The bride of Christ is to be without spot or wrinkle at his appearing. Many have said that this just means we all are righteous in Christ's righteousness and this is true..."in principle". But He did not see the church of Laodecia through any rose colored glasses and I have sincere doubts that He is with us. Why would judgement begin at the house of God is He saw us all as perfect in Christ to begin with?

The essence of the OP is that it does seem to be human nature to "de-evolve" back to status quo at times, and sadly this is true. To need revival is to first admit we are not "viving"- living in God's fullness.

The question is, is revival possible for the latter days church? Many point out that a great falling away is definitely prophesied, and it is, but I believe scriptures do point out to an end gathering of saints, such as Joel and Zephaniah and Ezekiel 36. At least that is my hope and prayer before we enter into a great darkness.

If we can barely keep the victory in a time of peace and prosperity, our only hope is a) revival or b) a multiplacation fo God's grace to help us through the blackness of evil is rushing towards us at the speed of light .

If revival is needed and many admit to its need, both personally and corporately, I am simply confused as to why we do not talk about it, hunger for it, and if necessary, weep for it. It seems our pride or our contentment without it gets in our way.

God has always promised that brokenness is the first step, and then HE WILL MOVE but so many want happly little self-help sermons and not something that will put them on their faces.


Blessings,

Gideon
 
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