"Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;...To Titus...." (Titus 1:1-4a)
In my recent reading in Titus I experienced an "anointing" which I have not experienced for some time. I had flashbacks, "remember the former things of old..., days in which the awareness of the "presence of God" and His power was so powerful in my life. This, "remember the former things of old," process has kept the Jewish People going as a People and Nation in the midst of unimaginable horror over the centuries. It is the essence of testimony, Jesus' faithfulness to His Followers over the centuries as the Church, and over the years to you and me.
In Isaiah 43, the prophet says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old," and in Isaiah 46:9 he says, "Remember the former things of old...." Now is this contradiction? No. There is always a sense in which we must, "remember...the things of old," but also "forget" the past. Remembering what God did is a constant call of Scripture. But the call to, "Do not remember," is a call to move on in what God is now doing and going to do. In non-theological terms, In Jesus Christ life gets better, not just personally, but Church and Kingdom wide. Remembering should be a building process, "line upon line," as in what our Lord Jesus Christ said, "I will build My Church." He still is.
I have been praying for myself from time to time, and for quite a while now that I would experience "renewal;" could call it "revival," or whatever. The Bible says at one point that we should, "call to remembrance the former days." There is something good in this, especially when, "the former days," were good, a time of "anointing," when, "the common faith," was strong, not only in me, but in the Church around me. Well I can tell you that reading in Titus in recent days has been sparking, "former times," anointing, when a spiritual strength was in me which I have not known for some time. I only pray that this is not just something personal, but Church wide. I don't claim to be an expert on revivals, what the Catholics call "renewal," but I have lived through at least one in my lifetime.
Now some would say that we shouldn't talk about, "the former days," because that is living in the past. Well, if the Church was living in greater anointing in the "past" than the "present," then I highly suggest remembering, "the former days." I lived through one of the greatest renewal times in the modern Church history, the early sixties to the early eighties. Anyone who "experienced" those years knows what I am talking about. The Church today is in what the Church has experienced over the centuries, a sort of holding pattern. Now I know that some will disagree with me vigorously, but I don't think I am that wrong. There was a book published back in 1969, right in the midst of one of the greatest revival times in Church History, entitled, Another Wave Rolls In. It was about the Azuza Street Revival. Maybe Church History is like that, wave after wave of revivals, renewals, whatevers. Personally, I think we are ready for another "wave." During the last few days something has been going on in me which I have not experienced for quite a while. I sang a solo an number of times some years ago which has the words, "Holy Ghost power, come do it again." There are those reading this who know what I'm talking about. Whatever it is, I'm attempting to allow the Holy Spirit to "come do it again"!
Too long again, sorry. But I believe another "wave" is coming, not just to me, but to the Church. It will take an openness to the Holy Spirit, "eyes to see and ears to hear." Derek Prince once said that in the last days there will be a revival which will reap many millions of souls. This will be right before the "Second Appearing" of our Lord Jesus Christ. While neither you nor I nor anyone else knows, "the day nor the hour," if the Bible teaches anything, it teaches that any who are running, "with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus," will recognize what our Lord Jesus Christ is doing in the Earth. I ask you to pray with me,
Father, in Jesus' Name, if this is just my request, I still pray for it. But I pray that we might see and "test" whether this is really of You, that You will ignite the "spark" of the Holy Spirit in Your Church, as Paul told Timothy, "Fan into flame...." Show us the "how" of this, reveal Yourself anew to Your Church, that what was and is only of You will spread again throughout the Covenant Community, the Church, "the Household of Faith." I pray this, Father, for Your Glory and Your Glory alone, Your purposes, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven." Amen.
In my recent reading in Titus I experienced an "anointing" which I have not experienced for some time. I had flashbacks, "remember the former things of old..., days in which the awareness of the "presence of God" and His power was so powerful in my life. This, "remember the former things of old," process has kept the Jewish People going as a People and Nation in the midst of unimaginable horror over the centuries. It is the essence of testimony, Jesus' faithfulness to His Followers over the centuries as the Church, and over the years to you and me.
In Isaiah 43, the prophet says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old," and in Isaiah 46:9 he says, "Remember the former things of old...." Now is this contradiction? No. There is always a sense in which we must, "remember...the things of old," but also "forget" the past. Remembering what God did is a constant call of Scripture. But the call to, "Do not remember," is a call to move on in what God is now doing and going to do. In non-theological terms, In Jesus Christ life gets better, not just personally, but Church and Kingdom wide. Remembering should be a building process, "line upon line," as in what our Lord Jesus Christ said, "I will build My Church." He still is.
I have been praying for myself from time to time, and for quite a while now that I would experience "renewal;" could call it "revival," or whatever. The Bible says at one point that we should, "call to remembrance the former days." There is something good in this, especially when, "the former days," were good, a time of "anointing," when, "the common faith," was strong, not only in me, but in the Church around me. Well I can tell you that reading in Titus in recent days has been sparking, "former times," anointing, when a spiritual strength was in me which I have not known for some time. I only pray that this is not just something personal, but Church wide. I don't claim to be an expert on revivals, what the Catholics call "renewal," but I have lived through at least one in my lifetime.
Now some would say that we shouldn't talk about, "the former days," because that is living in the past. Well, if the Church was living in greater anointing in the "past" than the "present," then I highly suggest remembering, "the former days." I lived through one of the greatest renewal times in the modern Church history, the early sixties to the early eighties. Anyone who "experienced" those years knows what I am talking about. The Church today is in what the Church has experienced over the centuries, a sort of holding pattern. Now I know that some will disagree with me vigorously, but I don't think I am that wrong. There was a book published back in 1969, right in the midst of one of the greatest revival times in Church History, entitled, Another Wave Rolls In. It was about the Azuza Street Revival. Maybe Church History is like that, wave after wave of revivals, renewals, whatevers. Personally, I think we are ready for another "wave." During the last few days something has been going on in me which I have not experienced for quite a while. I sang a solo an number of times some years ago which has the words, "Holy Ghost power, come do it again." There are those reading this who know what I'm talking about. Whatever it is, I'm attempting to allow the Holy Spirit to "come do it again"!
Too long again, sorry. But I believe another "wave" is coming, not just to me, but to the Church. It will take an openness to the Holy Spirit, "eyes to see and ears to hear." Derek Prince once said that in the last days there will be a revival which will reap many millions of souls. This will be right before the "Second Appearing" of our Lord Jesus Christ. While neither you nor I nor anyone else knows, "the day nor the hour," if the Bible teaches anything, it teaches that any who are running, "with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus," will recognize what our Lord Jesus Christ is doing in the Earth. I ask you to pray with me,
Father, in Jesus' Name, if this is just my request, I still pray for it. But I pray that we might see and "test" whether this is really of You, that You will ignite the "spark" of the Holy Spirit in Your Church, as Paul told Timothy, "Fan into flame...." Show us the "how" of this, reveal Yourself anew to Your Church, that what was and is only of You will spread again throughout the Covenant Community, the Church, "the Household of Faith." I pray this, Father, for Your Glory and Your Glory alone, Your purposes, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
