Sermon - Revival

Scripture reading: Isaiah Chapter 61

The hardest thing for me to do is to decide what to tell you. There so much I could discuss. I want to talk about how our determined pursuit of worship will influence if we will see revival. How the way we honor people will foster revival. How the exercise of spiritual gifts will facilitate revival. How the fellowship of the brethren will spark revival. But I don’t have time to do all of this. So I’ve isolated 2 or 3 aspects of revival that I think are what Father wants me to share today.

Full disclosure: I believe the Bible teaches revival. I believe in revival. I believe Father wants a lot of people in heaven. His desire is that none would perish, and I’d like to do whatever I can to make sure that Father would get as much of His desire as possible.

When I think about revival the first thing I think about is praying for our church to know “on earth as it is in heaven.” To me, that means revival right here, in our church. That’s what I pray for, a Holy Spirit explosion on Jackrabbit lane.

Everything good that happens here is because of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Powerful worship? Holy Spirit. Anointed sermon? Holy Spirit. Great people? Holy Spirit. These good things of this church are not the result of a 5 year plan or someone sitting down and deciding that next Sunday we are going to have extended spontaneous worship and Holy Spirit will move. Doesn’t happen that way.

So we can’t dictate revival, but we can pray it in, and that’s why I pray. I know many in our church are dedicated to prayer. We can pray for the life giving, life changing ministry of the Holy Spirit. The reason I’m explaining this is because I want to fan into flame a burden to pray for revival so a great harvest would be brought in. Amen?

Say this with me: If it’s kingdom... if it’s Holy Spirit… I want it.

I want to approach revival more from a doctrinal perspective today. Not a dry intellectual pursuit, but more like I want to provide a biblical basis for revival which informs your understanding, builds your faith, and spurs you to action.

First let's define terms. I would use revival, renewal, awakening, restoration, and a "move of God" interchangeably. They do mean different things, but I’ll just use the word “revival” to describe any kind of Holy Spirit intervention into human affairs, where He transformatively moves on a scale larger than perhaps a few people. This might manifest as multiple salvations, healings, rededications, restored marriages, etc.; all these would be evidence of revival. Revival might overtake a church, a city, a region, or even an entire country (or more).

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Cessationism - Episode 17 - Could only apostles confer miraculous powers or gifts?

Our next Episode in the cessationism series.

Additional Episodes:

• Episode 1, the Perfect.
• Episode 2, the apostles.
• Episode 3, prophecy.
• Episode 4, the closed canon.
• Episode 5, extra biblical reasons.
• Episode 6, only the apostles had all truth.
• Episode 7, there were only limited periods of miracles.
• Episode 8, tongues.
• Episode 9, the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Episode 10, does God speak only through the Scriptures?
• Episode 11, what about impressions?
• Episode 12, what is discernment? 
• Episode 13, the sufficiency of Scripture.
• Episode 14, Was the purpose of miracles restricted to the authentication of the apostles?
• Episode 15, Is revival excluded because of apostasy?
• Episode 16, is prophecy subjective?
• Episode 17, Could only the apostles confer miraculous powers or gifts?
• Episode 18, are charismatics functional cessationists?

Our criteria for the cessationism debate is that the argument must

1. be from the Bible
2. not appeal to contemporary expressions of charismata
3. not appeal to silence
4. not appeal to events or practices of history

That is, any defense of cessationism must be Sola Scriptura.
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The Prosperous Lifestyle of America’s Anti-Prosperity Gospel Preacher - By Julie Roys

Found here. 
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It is sad indeed to learn of a pastor who has excessively profited from his ministry. It is sadder still when such a person has been very vocal regarding the failings of other pastors in this same thing. Dr. MacArthur recently said, "The Apostle Paul described false teachers as doing...when he’s writing to Timothy...is doing what they do for money. They make merchandise of you. That’s what false teachers do. They’ve always done it. They make merchandise out of you, they turn you into a commodity to make them rich. In the words of Peter, “Don’t ever minister for filthy lucre.” The irony, in this particular case, gives us no satisfaction.

Apparently Dr. MacArthur has done very well for himself, according to the below article. Having said that, we don't know Dr. MacArthur's heart. We don't know his motivations. We only can evaluate the evidence presented, and it seems clear that Dr. MacArthur is very well paid, indeed.

After the article the reader will find a rather weak defense of Dr. MacArthur. We will provide commentary on that.

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The Kingdom of God

We have been pursuing our Doctrinal Rethink for some time now. In the process of engaging it we have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern.

Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched? How did we arrive at our doctrines?

***

Living proof you should follow Beth no Moore - by Michelle Lesley

Excerpted from here. Our comments in bold.

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We have no desire to defend Beth Moore; rather, it is our intent to examine the author's erroneous and sometimes foolish assertions.

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What Christians Should Know About the Enneagram - JOE CARTER

Found here. 

Ever since hearing of the enneagram we have wondered what it was. So we are happy to have found some information on it form the Christian perspective.

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46 and Done: Why Joe Biden Should Be Our Last President - by Alexis Grenell

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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The author is a socialist, which inevitably means she wants a governmental system that centralizes power in order for her preferred agenda to get installed. This is the obsession of leftists, that the American constitution is faulty, the people have too much power, America is evil, stupid, and/or racist; therefore, revolution is needed.

She pretends to want a parliamentary system, which is simply a convenient way to overthrow our wonderful system of constitutionally-limited government, but the pretense is just an excuse for socialism. 

The author has no room for those who embrace the framers, limited government, or citizen legislatures. 

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Cessationism - Episode 16 - Is prophecy subjective?

Our next Episode in the cessationism series.

Additional Episodes:

• Episode 1, the Perfect.
• Episode 2, the apostles.
• Episode 3, prophecy.
• Episode 4, the closed canon.
• Episode 5, extra biblical reasons.
• Episode 6, only the apostles had all truth.
• Episode 7, there were only limited periods of miracles.
• Episode 8, tongues.
• Episode 9, the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Episode 10, does God speak only through the Scriptures?
• Episode 11, what about impressions?
• Episode 12, what is discernment? 
• Episode 13, the sufficiency of Scripture.
• Episode 14, Was the purpose of miracles restricted to the authentication of the apostles?
• Episode 15, Is revival excluded because of apostasy?
• Episode 16, is prophecy subjective?
• Episode 17, Could only the apostles confer miraculous powers or gifts?
• Episode 18, are charismatics functional cessationists?

Our criteria for the cessationism debate is that the argument must

1. be from the Bible
2. not appeal to contemporary expressions of charismata
3. not appeal to silence
4. not appeal to events or practices of history

That is, any defense of cessationism must be Sola Scriptura.
****

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation - By Elizabeth Prata

 Found here. Our comments in bold. 

Ms. Prata and people like her are adamant that women should not teach men. It is becoming increasingly clear that she should not teach women either.

The author makes every attempt to fit the Scriptures into her doctrine. She makes several obvious mistakes.

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Does 1 Peter 3:18 teach that God punished Jesus?

We have been pursuing our Doctrinal Rethink for some time now. In the process of engaging it we have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern.

Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched? How did we arrive at our doctrines?

Today we revisit a topic we have considered before, the punishment of Jesus for our sins. The doctrine that Jesus was punished is is part of the tripartite reformist view of Jesus' sacrificial death: Penal Substitutionary Atonement. That is, according to PSA Jesus 

• was punished by the Father (P)
• died in our place, to (S)
• atone for our sins (A)

Frankly, we find the biblical defenses of these doctrines to be surprisingly weak, In fact, we would say that none of these concepts are taught in the Bible. We realize this is controversial. In fact, some consider it a dividing line between orthodoxy and heresy. Such characterizations are unfortunate, especially since we believe there is ample reason to question these doctrines. Again we refer the reader to our discussion.
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The armor of God: To stand

"Don't go after the enemy until you've gone after God." - Ray Hughes.

It is easy to become casual about Scriptures we have read over and over. So we are always delighted to study familiar Scriptures and discover new things. One such passage is Ep. 6:10-18. This is the primary "spiritual warfare" Scripture, and has been portrayed in children's church, preached from many pulpits, and even demonstrated with actual armor.

There is one part of this that never seems to get preached about, and that is what it means to stand. ...and after you have done everything, to stand. This word has remained in the back of our mind as a curiosity. What did Paul mean to get all dressed up just to stand? 

Here's the passage:

Ep. 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ep. 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

IS CALVINISM BIBLICAL? A BIBLICAL EXAMINATION OF CALVINISM AND ITS TEACHINGS CONCERNING SALVATION, ELECTION, AND PREDESTINATION - By Cooper P. Abrams, III

Found here. https://bible-truth.org/Election2.doc

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This is a long article, written by a person who we've examined before and found his presentation to be less than correct.

So we present this article with a grain of salt. We don't know how accurate the author is, but there is also a good deal of valuable information.

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Rock Your Role: Jill in the Pulpit (1 Timothy 2:11-12) - by Michelle Lesley

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Ms. Lesley makes her case according to the traditional understanding of these passages, but does not consult the Greek. Nor does she examine her assumptions or add anything original. She simply parrots the traditional line of thinking, assuming it is correct. 

It's not.

In addition, she barely manages to quote Scripture. This is an unfortunate prevalent tendency among the Doctrinal Police.

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Basic Training: 8 Things You Need to Know about Prayer - by Michelle Lesley

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Mixed in with an occasional good explanation is some really bad teaching. More troubling is that the author doesn't quote a single Scripture. Not one. The author purports to instruct us on the critical issue of prayer without providing a single Bible verse.

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More thoughts from an 80 year old

 11/1/16: I am taking care of everything in your life. Leave everything in My hands... Thank you Jesus, You created me for Your purposes.

11/24/16: Serve with gratefulness and love. 

Deconstructing the Heresy of Dominion Theology - by Rev. Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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It has been some time since we have had the opportunity to comment on Rev. Wade. He's back, and little has changed. He remains unable to edify or encourage the brethren. He seems unaware of any Scriptures that contradict his viewpoint. And, he hardly manages to quote or even reference the Bible as he goes on the warpath against someone named Barry Maracle. 

We do not intend to defend Mr. Maracle or dominionism, we are simply interested in Rev. Wade's presentation.

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Chris Blackeby Appears on Charisma Mag Podcast: Dude Believes He’s Jesus - by Staff Writer

Found here.  

Our comments in bold.

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We don't know this Chris Blackeby or why he might be such a danger. We certainly have no intention of defending him or his teachings. We shall, however, examine "Staff Writer's" presentation in order to determine the source of his outrage.

We need to note that the author quotes no Scripture, explains no biblical concept, nor does he mount a refutation of the the person who is the subject of his ire. Nothing.

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And the Winner of The ‘Worst Christian of 2020’ is… by G. Seth Dunn

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This may be one of the most unchristian, debased articles we have ever read by the Doctrinal Police. Can you imagine? A person sets out to rate Christians in order to determine who is the worst one.

This author does not edify. He does not offer correction. He makes no effort to offer a solution. 

Ironically, he begins by conceding that it is "pharisaical" to ask who the worst Christian is, but goes on to say he can still "fairly" ask the question, with the thinnest of justifications: The perceived damage done to the Church.

But he doesn't provide the Scriptural documentation of this. In fact, he doesn't quote a Scripture, reference a Scripture, or explain any Scriptural principle. At all. Period.

We should note that we do not intend to defend Mr. Mohler, we are simply interested in the egregious presentation of the author.

Lastly, as we have noted elsewhere, there is no biblical principle that can be invoked to call out errant Christians who are not part of the congregation. All the correction and discipline contained in the NT was local correction by those in authority in that church.

Thus the bomb-throwing from afar is not biblical and not appropriate.

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Who is the "angel of the Lord?"

This post is not about Christmas, but since the story of Christmas is obviously front and center this time of year, we wanted to note some elements in the account Luke chapter 2. Here's the passage:

Lk. 2:8-10 And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

The "angel of the Lord" (angelos Kyriou) appeared to the shepherds. This phrase is found frequently in Scripture, mostly in the OT. The phrase appears eight times in the Gospels, and four times in Acts.

Our preliminary thesis is the angel of the Lord, in almost every instance, is God the Word appearing. This isn't always true since The Father spoke at times as well:

Mt. 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

But we would suggest that most every other instance of God speaking is the Word of God:

Jn. 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Not only did He create all things, the Son's word continues to sustain the universe:

He. 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. 

The apostle John also tells us:

Jn. 12:41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

We would suspect that John was referring to Isaiah chapter six, where Isaiah recorded his encounter with the One seated on the throne in glory. Interestingly, Isaiah first refers to the Lord (Adonai, verse one) as the one seated on the throne, but in verse five he says his eyes have seen the LORD (Yahweh). Then in verse eight he says he heard the voice of the Lord. 

The question asked is, "Who will go for us?" This boggles the mind. Isaiah sees the pre-incarnate Word and identifies Him as both Adonai and Yahweh, and then hears (them) say "us."

***

What are the "mysteries?"

We have been pursuing our Doctrinal Rethink for some time now. In the process of engaging it we have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern.

Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched? How did we arrive at our doctrines?

Today we consider a topic that we have not seen discussed anywhere: The "mysteries," or, "secrets."