Components of Spiritual Revival

It used to be traditional (and perhaps for many it still is) to wear your "Sunday best" to church for services or special occasions.  It was viewed as a special occasion and a way to honour God by washing up and wearing the best clean clothes a person owned.  I knew of churches in our area where you would be prevented entry if you did not meet the requirements of a dress code.  There are sometimes also cultural traditions and etiquette churchgoers also consider to avoid offending others or might be a distraction.

I was impressed to read of the spiritual revival that took place in the days of Nehemiah, where instead of wearing their best to appear before the LORD the people wore sackcloth and put dust on their heads.  This was actually a way they honoured God in confessing their sin with profound grief.  The people did not make general confessions of being sinners but were specific in confessing their sin and those of their fathers--for hours.  Nehemiah 9:1-3 says, "Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. ² Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. ³ And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God."

The children of Israel who fasted in Jerusalem assembled together.  Rather than wearing their Sunday best, they looked like people who were bereaved and mourning great loss.  In one sense they were mourning the loss of righteous standing before God, for by exposure to the word of God they realised how sinful they had been and the great offences they committed before the LORD.  For 3 hours they read from the Book of the Law, and for another 3 hours they confessed their sins and worshipped the LORD.  What was important was the humble, contrite condition of the heart of the people before God.  A person wearing clean, fashionable clothes can be humble before the LORD, and a person wearing rags in the midst of a 40-day fast can do so out of spiritual pride.  This open confession of sin led to genuine worship and blessing of God.  The leaders exhorted the people in the latter part of Nehemiah 9:5, "...Stand up and bless the LORD your God forever and ever! "Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!"  Confession and repentance for sin led to effusive rejoicing and praise of God.

Jesus once asked His hearers if they though the 18 people upon whom the Tower of Siloam collapsed were the worst sinners in Jerusalem.  Jesus then said in Luke 13:5:  "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  In light of this assessment, when we observe the people who fasted, wore sackcloth, put dust on their heads, and confessed their sins for hours are not worse sinners than us:  we have all sinned.  Their problem previously and our problem presently may be we have not confessed, repented of and forsaken our sin as we ought.  There are professing Christians who do not make reading the word of God a priority, and even those who read it are not willing to submit themselves to be guided, rebuked or instructed by it.  Reading God's word, public confession of sin, and worship of God can be just going through the motions unless we humble our hearts before God and draw near to Him in faith.  May God teach us how to humble ourselves before Him so He will be exalted by us--for He is exalted and is glorious forever.

A Powerless Proverb

"Like the legs of the lame that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of fools."

Proverbs 26:7

This is a proverb that recently came to mind.  The imagery employed is of legs that are not able to fulfill their designed purpose.  The description of legs as lame and hanging limp shows they are not used or useful for walking, running, jumping or even standing.  While the person sits in a chair they look fit and able-bodied, but their appearance is an illusion.  I once knew a man who was paralysed from the waist down from a car accident in his teens and sat in a wheelchair.  Because of his healthy, fit appearance and active lifestyle, some asked him why he didn't use a cane.  They did not realise his legs were without strength, and over time because of muscle atrophy those legs became a liability.

A proverb in the mouth of fools is compared to the legs of the lame because those words of wisdom are never exercised.  A proverb or verses quoted from Scripture is powerless to guide or support the fool who spouts them.  The lame are unable to stand on their legs, and likewise a fool is unable to walk in the fear of the LORD he does not trust.  Those who speak eloquently and attempt to use the Bible to prove their points but do not know the God who inspired it, are like a paralysed person trying to walk unaided.  Their words are as powerless as those legs that hang limp, devoid of all power to do them any good.  It is hypocrisy to speak truth under the guise of possessing wisdom without belief or personal submission to it, and thus it will not profit the speaker at all.  Should this proverb come from the mouth of an accuser, God's word always supplies a wise response.

An example of this is found in the Bible when the devil tempted Jesus to sin by quoting from the Scriptures.  When Jesus had been fasting and was hungry, Satan approached Him and tempted Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by turning stones into bread.  Jesus responded by citing Deuteronomy 8:3 in Matthew 4:4:  "But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"  Satan figured two could play at that game, so in the following temptation he quoted from Psalm 91.  Matthew 4:5-7 says, "Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" ⁷ Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  The Scripture in the mouth of Satan was like legs of the lame that hung limp:  though he quoted from God's word, his parroting Scripture was powerless to sway Christ from the wisdom of God's word He believed and obeyed.

The Scriptural proverb observed by the wise provides strength to stand and guidance for our lives.  Jesus said those who hear and obey Him He likens to those who build a house on a rock that will endure all storms and conflict.  Since Jesus is wisdom for us, by the power of the Holy Spirit He enables us to stand in the face of verbal, spiritual, even physical assault.  Children of God by faith in Jesus are exhorted in Ephesians 6:10-11, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."  It is important we do not play the hypocrite with our words, quoting Scripture we are unwilling to put into practice ourselves.  By God's grace we are enabled to walk with Jesus, following Him as our Good Shepherd.  Even a paralysed person is able to stand with God's help as it is written in Romans 5:1-2:  "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

What Faith Is

Because God's ways are higher than ours and His thoughts not our thoughts, the natural man cannot comprehend Him.  To the human intellect, the wisdom of God can appear as foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18)!  One of the challenges Christians face is to communicate what faith in God is to those who mischaracterise it and reject Him.  The cliche that faith is, "Believing without seeing" is a misnomer, because saving faith in God is based upon drawing conclusions through various kinds of evidence:  personal observation of the world, historical and biblical accounts and eye-witness testimony.  When the data is considered together, faith is choosing to place our trust in God with intent to obey Him.  To some this will look like foolishness, to trust God no one cannot see.  But evidence for God's existence is all around us and becomes plainly evident when mixed with faith in God.

Hebrews 11:1-3 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. ³ By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."  Faith is not only exercised by people by faith in God but by all people--whether it be faith in themselves, their own intelligence, their sources of information, scholars, scientists, experts, parents or friends.  God has given to every person a measure of faith, and it is our choice where we will place our trust (Rom. 12:3).  A point being made in this passage is no one has ever seen a universe, galaxy, solar system or planet generator.  There is no mechanical means or power observed by man where we can say, "That's where the earth came from."  Because we have never seen a universe generator, people have long considered how our planet came into being.

As mankind has delved into the things that exist to observed and study them, much has been discovered:  the order in the universe, the abundance and diversity of living creatures on earth, that our solar system runs better than any clockwork we have devised on the grandest scale, the governance of natural laws, the existence of elements, the information packed into every living cell, and the vastness of the universe.  One could go on and on.  Some people observe the evidence and believe Darwinian evolution is the key to the origin of the species and also apply it to the cosmos.  Others, like the writer of Hebrews, see the same world and affirm life can only come from life.  They reason like every house has a builder, all of creation must have had a Creator.  The Bible reveals the God of Israel spoke the world into existence, and based on the data and evidence He is the most reasonable explanation for all there now is.  Mankind who never saw the invisible God observed the world, and deduced there must be a first cause Who is greater than all there is.

Psalm 19:1-3 reads, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. ² Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. ³ There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard."  Some have peered into the heavens and praised the sun or moon for their beauty, while others see the same heavenly bodies and praise God for His wondrous handiwork.  I cannot believe the sun should be 400 times farther from the earth and be 400 times greater than the moon, providing the ability for a perfect solar eclipse to be viewable from earth.  It is easier for me to believe the sun, moon and the earth's relation to them was designed than to believe this was accidental and formed over time by nothing for no reason.  Placing our faith in God according to the knowledge we possess is a conscious, personal decision.  Hebrews 11:6 goes on to say, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."  Believing God exists is the first step to understanding His goodness towards us.  Knowing He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, our faith continues to grow as we do so.

Rather than placing faith opposite to intelligence or actions, real faith in God is demonstrated by our actions--the way we choose to live.  James said faith without works is dead, and thus a man's faith is demonstrated by what he does.  A skydiver demonstrates faith in their equipment as well as themselves to safely navigate to the ground from great altitudes that would usually result in death.  The writer of Hebrews listed many people who chose to take particular actions because they placed their faith in God.  After Abraham placed his son Isaac on an altar in obedience to God, James 2:22 states:  "Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?  Therefore faith is not a feeling or a belief in the mind, but trust that takes action accordingly.  Based on his knowledge of Who God is and all He promised Abraham, he accounted God was able to raise Isaac from the dead and thus went through with his intention to sacrifice his only son.  That is real faith according to knowledge of God, and may it be demonstrated in all God's people He calls friends by His grace.

Obeying the Gospel

Today at Calvary Chapel Sydney I taught through Romans 10.  After Paul emphasised God's election of believers by grace through the Gospel, I enjoyed considering the emphasis on man's responsibility to believe in Jesus Christ.  Paul wrote in Romans 10:14-15:  "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"  In teachings of this passage I have heard many emphasis our need to go, a missional thrust of application.  The flow of the passage in context, however, shows God is the One who faithfully sends His messengers to bring the message of salvation through the Gospel so people can hear and believe in Christ.

Paul continued in Romans 10:16-18:  "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" ¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. ¹⁸ But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."  Paul spoke of the message of the Gospel having gone out to all the earth!  People heard the Gospel but did not obey it by submitting themselves to Jesus as Saviour.  God's will is the save people, He provided salvation through Jesus, and sent the Good News through the whole world.  The only way people exercise saving faith is by hearing and believing the word of God He has graciously provided for us.

When I was a kid and within Christendom to this day, there are efforts being made to reach people who are unreached with the Gospel--often in lands and languages foreign to us.  I applaud these efforts and praise God He has continued to send people to far away places to people He loves and desires to save.  Let us not forget that to every Christian couple who have a baby, that little one does not know God.  There are hundreds and thousands of babies born every day in our cities and nations who have never heard the name of Jesus except as an expletive.  This work of spreading the Gospel to every person needs to be done again after it has already been done, for the population of the earth continues to multiply.  Praise the LORD this is His work to accomplish His plans to save, and He is the One who sends us.  It is not a church or a mission board who does the sending, though at times they are His instrument, but God sends forth labourers into His harvest.  As we have received the Gospel and believed it, so we should obey it and share it with all:  to love one another as Jesus loves us.