Note:  In the morning services on Sunday, February 19, the Travis Avenue Baptist Church will be sharing together in the Lord’s Supper. I thought it would be helpful to remind us of its powerful significance.

I recall my days as a boy playing with my buddies in the neighborhood.  Typically about dark I could hear my mom or dad calling out, “Mike, time to come in. Supper’s ready.”  As I ran in the door I knew the first stop was to be the bathroom sink where I washed off the layers of dirt and germs that had accumulated through the day.  Before I sat down to the meal with my family I would be thoroughly examined to see if I had really scrubbed up, or if I had merely waved my hand under the faucet.  Only when the scrutinizing eye of my mom or dad was satisfied did I get to sit down to eat.

From time to time Christ-followers are called together for a “supper” with their forever family, the Church.  It is called by various names … the Lord’s Supper, Communion, the Eucharist.  You can’t read the New Testament without knowing that Christ takes this matter very seriously.  The Lord instituted the ordinance on the eve of His crucifixion when He forged new meaning into the Jewish Passover meal.  When He broke the bread with His disciples Jesus said, “This is my body” (I Corinthians 11:24). When Jesus passed the cup among them He said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (v.25).

Far from being a one-time observance for the disciples, the Lord’s Supper was to be embedded into the life of every New Testament congregation.  Some churches share the Lord’s Supper each Sunday.  Others do it less frequently.  The New Testament seems to leave that issue open for debate.  It does, however, prescribe how followers of Jesus are to gather together to meet Him for this spiritual meal.

Look upward. The Lord’s Supper is a means by which we commune with the Lord (thus the name “communion”).  The observance is called “the Lord’s table” (I Corinthians 10:21).  He is the Host.  It’s all about Him. Jesus said to His disciples, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you…” (Luke 22:15).  Before participating in the Lord’s Supper we should prepare ourselves to experience the presence of the Risen Christ.

Look inward. Do you know that it is actually possible to sin while taking the Lord’s Supper?  1 Corinthians 11:27 says, “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”  The Corinthian church meetings were filled with selfishness and gluttony.  There was an absence of love for one another in the fellowship, which is evidence of an absence of genuine love for the Lord.  So in this attitude they came to the Lord’s Table in an unworthy manner.  How do we avoid this?  “A man ought to examine himself…” (I Corinthians 11:28).  In preparation for the Lord’s Supper we should each bring our lives before the Lord to ask, “Lord is there any sinful attitude or action in me that will cause me to enter your presence in an unworthy manner?”  When God puts His finger on something in your life confess it and repent before the Lord.  If it involves another person, go and make it right with them before sharing in the Lord’s Supper.

Look outward. The Lord’s Supper is called “communion” because we have fellowship with the Lord, but it is also because we have fellowship with one another around the observance.  The Corinthians completely missed this.  As they came together for what was sometimes called the Agape Feast, it was supposed to be a fellowship meal where they shared food with one another.  Some in the church, however, ignored this and jumped to the front of the potluck line and filled their plates and cups so full there was not enough for those who came after them.  This was the height of selfishness, and it carried over into the observance of the Lord’s Supper.  Paul warns, “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Corinthians 11:29).  Why?  In sinning against the Body of Christ (the church) they were sinning against Christ Himself.  Let the passing of the bread and cup among ourselves remind us of our responsibility to selflessly love each other.

Look forward. “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).  As we share together in the Lord’s Supper we are proclaiming the Lord’s death.  In the bread we remember the body of Christ that, on the Cross, absorbed the wrath of God against our sin.  In the juice we remember the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin.  Our mission as a church is to proclaim the Gospel, symbolized dramatically in the observance of the Lord’s Supper.  And we do so “until he comes.”  We look forward to the day when Christ will come and usher us into the great heavenly feast described in Revelation as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

So as you prepare for the Lord’s Day, prepare to come before the Lord and your fellow Christ-followers with your life clean before the Lord.  As we all do this we can expect the Lord to meet us at the Table.

Blessings!

Michael Dean

They were an odd bunch of guys, by and large.  We might call their behavior at times bizarre; their communications sometimes leave us scratching our heads.  They came from varied backgrounds.  Some of them moved in elite circles of high influence; others came from more common walks of life, like farming.  Most of them were fiercely faithful to God though some struggled with obeying God’s call upon their lives.  But they were all mightily used by God at strategic times in the history of His people.

I’m speaking, of course, of the Old Testament prophets of God. Not all of them left written Scripture behind; but those who did fill roughly one-third of the pages of our Old Testament.  Their writings have been grouped in a broad category of Old Testament books simply called “The Prophets.”  We cannot have any real grasp of God’s dealings with ancient Israel and the surrounding nations without some understanding of the messages of the Prophets. 

Quotations of and references to the messages of the Prophets are peppered generously throughout the New Testament, particularly in the life and teachings of Jesus.  So to fathom the message of the New Testament requires that we understand what God was saying in ancient times through the prophetic writings.

Sometimes the messages of the prophets took the form of “foretelling.”  Often their prophecies had multiple fulfillments regarding the immediate circumstances, as well as the first and second comings of Messiah Jesus.  More often, the prophet’s message was more in the line of “forth-telling.”  That is, they delivered straight-forward, powerful messages of truth to God’s people in a variety of different situations.

Humanly speaking it was typically not a good sign when one of the prophets showed up.  It generally meant that God was about to get in the face of His people through the rebukes and corrections of the prophets.  Divinely speaking the appearance of a prophet on the scene was a statement of God’s redeeming love for His people.  God’s messages through the Prophets were a sign that He was graciously and mercifully involved in the lives of His people.  

On one occasion Jesus raised a dead man to life again.  The Gospel account tells us that the people who witnessed this miracle were filled with awe and praise.  They said, “A great prophet has appeared among us.  God has come to help his people,” (Luke 7:16).  The arrival of a prophet was an encouragement to the people that God had come to their aid.

We live in an age of biblical illiteracy, sadly even among believers.  I’m convinced that the average believer is vastly uninformed of the scope of God’s activity among His people through Old Testament events and personalities.  As a result we have missed out on an opportunity to understand the character of God and the ways in which He deals with us.

In light of that I feel compelled to embark on one of the most challenging preaching experiences I have ever attempted … to preach a series of messages through the seventeen books of the Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament.  My plan is to preach each week from a different prophet in the Bible.  (I don’t recall ever preaching a message from Obadiah!)

In doing this my prayer is three-fold:

• That we will get a better grasp of the historical events that form the context of much of the Old Testament
• That we will grow from the examples of men of God who obeyed Him in difficult times and in the face of great opposition
• That we will see our glorious Savior Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of all the prophets wrote

I look forward to standing before God’s people this Sunday at Travis Avenue Baptist Church with God’s Word in my hand and His love in my heart.

“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me’” (Luke 9:23).

In my message yesterday to the Travis Avenue Baptist Church I challenged believers with the truth that following Jesus Christ is serious business.  When Jesus set out the conditions by which we are to follow Him as disciples, He didn’t hold anything back.  There’s no fine print.  He’s straight up with us about the kind of life we are saved to live as disciples.

Our church’s Blueprint for Spiritual Formation reminds us of what the Bible teaches about our mission.  We “join God in developing passionate followers of Jesus Christ.”  Our sole purpose for existence as a church is to join God in what He is doing in this world, the main thing being the making of disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

(The Blueprint may be downloaded at http://www.travis.org/images/blueprint_brochure.pdf.)

What are the characteristics of a passionate follower of Jesus Christ?  As we study the New Testament, particularly the Gospels, we get a clear picture of the kind of life Jesus had in mind for those who seriously followed Him.  In the Blueprint we identify seven categories of spiritual formation that must take place in the life of a Christ-follower.

In Jesus’s twin mini-parables found in Luke 14:28-32, He teaches and warns us against what we might call “thoughtless discipleship.”  As disciples of Jesus, we are to be as diligent and thoughtful about our spiritual development as we are about any other important area in our lives.

So I challenged our members and guests to read, pray and think carefully through the Blueprint for Spiritual Formation to discern which categories of discipleship where they most need growth.  I promised that I would supply some resources to assist you in your development as a follower of Jesus Christ.

1.  LEARN AND APPLY THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.

Books:

How to Read the Bible for all Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart
The Essential Bible Companion by John H. Walton, Mark L. Strauss, and Ted Cooper Jr.
Read the Bible for Life by George H. Guthrie

Websites and Apps:

Bible Gateway – http://www.biblegateway.com/
GLO Bible App and Software – www.globible.com
Logos Bible App and Software – www.logos.com
Discipleship Journal “Helping you Grow in Christ” – www.discipleshipjournal.com
Faith Factor with Dr. Michael Dean – www.travis.org/faith-factor 

Church ministries:

Sunday Morning Bible Study for all ages
Various Men’s and Women’s Bible studies offered throughout the year
A2C Groups
(Contact Kirk Wooldridge at kirk.wooldridge@travis.org for more information.)

2. OBEY GOD AND DENY SELF.

Books:

Soul Shaping by Jim Wilson (spiritual disciplines)
A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller (prayer)
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (devotional)
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster (spiritual disciplines)

3.  SERVE GOD AND OTHERS.

Books:

The Volunteer Revolution by Bill Hybels
Your Spiritual Gifts by C. Peter Wagner
You Were Made for More by Jim Cymbala

To participate in a PLACE workshop or for information about church opportunities to serve contact Bernie Hargis at bernie.hargis@travis.org .

For a list of volunteer opportunities in the community contact Doug McPherson at doug.mcpherson@travis.org.  To become involved in Travis’ community ministries contact Anthony Galata at anthony.galata@travis.org.

4.  SHARE JESUS CHRIST WITH OTHERS.

Books:

Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels
Oikos by Tom Mercer
The Unexpected Adventure by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg

Websites:

North American Mission Board – http://www.namb.net/ – resources for sharing your faith
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association App and Website – http://www.billygraham.org

5.  LIVE BY FAITH IN GOD.

Books:

Radical by David Platt
The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith
Mentoring 101 (Books 1-4) by Ron and Della Proctor – www.lifebuildersnet.org
Fresh Faith by Jim Cymbala and Dean Merrill

Websites:

Crown Financial – Biblical principles of money management – www.crown.org

6.  SEEK GOD IN WORSHIP.

Books:

The Air I Breathe by Louie Giglio
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Laurence
Return to Worship by Ron Owens

For information on opportunities for involvement in the worship ministries of our church contact John Lee at johnlee@travis.org .

7.  BUILD CHRIST-CENTERED RELATIONSHIPS.

Books:

The Legacy Path by Brian Haynes
Spiritual Growth of Children by John Trent, Ph.D., and Rick Osborne, Kurt Bruner Editors
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas (revised)
Connecting by Larry Crabb

Websites and Apps:

Focus on the Family – Helping Families Thrive – www.focusonthefamily.org
Couple Checkup – http://www.travis.org/resources/couple-checkup.html

For information on connecting with an A2C group (small groups for biblical fellowship) contact Kirk Wooldridge at kirk.wooldridge@travis.org.

Note:  If you would be interested in meeting periodically with a mentor to assist you in your growth as a follower of Jesus Christ please contact Kirk Wooldridge at kirk.wooldridge@travis.org .

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“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16).

 We can only imagine how rich were the times of communion that Jesus enjoyed with His Father.   What depths of intimacy did Jesus and the Father experience in those precious occasions?  Of course Jesus lived in continuous fellowship with His Father.  There was never a moment when Jesus was “offline,” spiritually speaking.

Unfortunately, that is not the case for us.  Struggling as we do with worldly or sinful distractions, we can easily let the days slip by without turning aside to enjoy time alone with God.

In Luke 5:16 we gain some valuable insight into the make-up of a successful devotional experience with the Lord.

A PRIORITY

Notice that Jesus “withdrew.”  He understood how the distractions and interruptions of the daily life can crowd out the most important meeting we ever have … our meeting with God.  It requires a determination to turn aside from the things that normally consume our attention so we can focus on the Lord.  If Jesus, the eternal Son of God, needed time alone with the Father, how dare we think that we can get by without it?

A PERIOD

Jesus would “often” slip away for time alone with God. This was no sporadic activity.  We read on numerous occasions in the New Testament when Jesus went off to spend time with the Father.  In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord Jesus gave careful instructions to His disciples about time alone with the Father in prayer.  I cannot imagine Jesus teaching His disciples to do something He didn’t do habitually.

In order to be consistent in our time alone with God we should have a set time that we routinely meet Him.  For many, the best time is in the mornings.  Granted, to do this means one having to get out of bed earlier than usual, or spending less time reading the morning paper.  If you have an early flight to catch at the airport, you set your alarm to get up early so you won’t miss the flight.  Isn’t time with God more important?  Others prefer a different time for their devotions.  The important thing is to make it a habit.

This may be particularly challenging for mothers with small children.  Creativity and commitment will help you to find time to meet God on a regular basis.

A PLACE

Jesus withdrew to “lonely places” for this essential time alone with God.  The word translated “lonely places” means deserted, uninhabited placeS.   Jesus knew that He needed at times to be away from other people so He could focus His heart and mind on His heavenly Father.  To do this meant finding a place where He would not be disturbed by others.

To go along with the habit of meeting God at a set time, it is also good to have a set place.  Find a quiet place in your house where you can keep your Bible, prayer list and other devotional resources.  Imagine God sitting in the chair next to you as you spend time with Him.  In time that place will become “holy ground” for you.

A PLAN

Luke 5:16 says that Jesus sought time alone with the Father in order pray.   Jesus, limited as He was in the human body and experience, vitally depended on His Father for strength.  Jesus accessed this strength in prayer.  We can also imagine that Jesus had the Scriptures memorized.  After all, Jesus was and is the Word of God.  When He was alone praying in the Wilderness of Temptation (Matthew 4) Jesus answered each of Satan’s temptations with Scripture that He knew from memory.  Jesus was daily immersed in the truth of God’s Word.

The two most important components to a successful devotional life are the Word of God and prayer.  Have a systematic plan for reading Scripture, whether it is in small or large portions.  Often some kind of devotional classic can help to focus our thinking on the Word of God.  In 2012 my plan is to read through the entire Bible which takes me every day to the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs.  Additionally I am reading the devotional classic Faith’s Checkbook by Charles H. Spurgeon. 

After a time of reading, studying and meditating on Scripture, our faith should be sufficiently recharged for us to enter into fervent prayer.  While much of our praying will be spontaneous, Spirit-led conversation with the Father, it is also helpful to have a systematic plan for our praying.  An ongoing prayer list is essential.  The list might include people and things that we pray about daily or weekly.  A prayer list strengthens our faith as we are able to note when the prayers have been answered.

No appointment we have each day is more important that our appointment with God when we come into His presence, feed on His Word, and pour out our hearts to Him in prayer.  Make it a priority.

Throughout the Christmas season the spotlight inevitably at some time or the other comes to rest upon Mary.  We read of her in the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus.  We sing of her in many of our Christmas carols.  We think of her as we pass a manger scene with all the key characters in their places. 

Mary was given the remarkable assignment of “presenting” Jesus to the world.  God chose this simple young lady for an enormous task of carrying the Christ child in her womb, giving birth to Him as the Savior of the world.  We know that Mary felt the tremendous weight of shouldering this responsibility.  When the angel announced God’s assignment for Mary she “was greatly troubled at his words,” (Luke 1:29).  She was puzzled and asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin” (v.34)? 

It’s important to note that Mary doesn’t make the mistake of Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) when he was told that he would have a son.  He asked, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man” (v.18).  Zechariah had to endure the consequences for his lack of faith (see vv.18-20).  Mary’s question was not rooted in doubt, but in certainty.  “How will this be,” not “how can this be.” 

Mary’s faith made her a prime recipient of God’s miraculous power.  What Mary was about to accomplish (giving birth to God in human flesh) would not and could not be done in her own power.  Luke tells us the secret to Mary being able to successfully present Jesus to the world: 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (v.35).   

What would come about in and through Mary’s body could only be explained in terms of the Holy Spirit’s activity in overshadowing her with the power of Almighty God. 

In a very real way, you and I as Christ-followers have a similar assignment to that given to Mary by God.  We are chosen to “present” Jesus through our lives.  Through us He is to daily invade our surroundings and circumstances through His indwelling presence in us. 

Just how much the people around us truly experience Christ in all His presence and power depends upon how yielded we are to the activity of God in and through us.  It’s only as the Holy Spirit comes upon us, and only as we are overshadowed by the power of the Most High God, that we will effectively present Jesus to those around us.  His love will be felt through our love.  His words will be heard through our words.  His hands will touch through our hands. 

Mary’s response to God must be ours as well:  “May it be to me as you have said” (v.38).

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:20). 

The Christmas season is a prime time for the witness of Christ-followers.  That’s true for at least two reasons.  First, this time of the year we need to tell this great story.  God broke into history.  He stepped out of heaven and into our world in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.  The Father sent His Son into the world that the world, through Him, might be saved.  That’s good news that must be told this Christmas season.

Second, this time of the year people need to hear this great story.  Everywhere we turn there’s tension in the air.  Nothing magnifies the driven, materialistic nature of American society like a Christmas shopping season.  Nothing magnifies the loneliness that many people feel like the Christmas party season.  People need to hear the life-changing story of the coming of Christ.

The shepherds who visited the scene of Jesus’ birth serve as great role models for us.  Having witnessed the extraordinary thing God had done, they then became witnesses of the extraordinary thing God had done.  Here are a few practical ways to do that this season: 

• Send Christmas cards with a simple Gospel message in the greeting.
• Go out of your way to be kind to sales clerks.  They are the brunt of much of the tension during this shopping season.  A kind word can open the door to telling them about the peace you have in Christ.
• Invite non-believers to our church’s Christmas concerts or Christmas Eve service.
• Help children stay focused on the spiritual meaning of Christmas.  Don’t let them lose Jesus among all the Christmas wrappings and decorations.
• Invite neighbors to your home for some Christmas snacks; show them that Christ is central in Christmas for you.

So let’s be like the shepherds of old and go our way glorifying and praising God for all He has done in sending His Son to be Immanuel … God with us.

Acts 9 tells the inspiring story of a woman named Tabitha (some knew her as Dorcas).  Her character was that she “was always doing good and helping the poor” (v.36).  What a reputation!  What comes to the mind of others when they think of you?  Always doing good? Always helping others?

Sadly, Tabitha became sick and died.  As funeral arrangements were being made for her it was learned that the Apostle Peter was nearby.  Two men were sent to bring back Peter; perhaps he could do something to reverse this awful loss.

When Peter arrived he found the room filled with people, specifically some widows who had been the recipients of Dorcas’ incredible service.  “All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them” (v.39).  Peter was surrounded by the tangible evidence of this woman’s life of service.

How hard would it be for others to produce evidence of your life’s service?  Certainly we don’t do good deeds to be recognized or applauded by others.  But our love for God and others will most certainly be evidenced in practical, visible expressions of ministry.

As I write I think about a precious sister in the Lord named Minnie Neth.  Minnie served in our church’s preschool ministry.  For twelve years Minnie rocked babies, changed diapers, sterilized toys and a host of other things little ones need. 

About a month ago Minnie became seriously ill and died.  As funeral preparations were being made her daughter called the church office to ask an amazing question:  Could Minnie be buried in one of the smocks worn by our childcare workers?  Of course, our preschool leadership was most happy to provide the smock.  So when loved ones and friends came to pay their respects to Minnie and her family there in the casket was Minnie’s body clothed in her uniform of service.

How will others remember you when you’re gone?  Will your service to God and to others be foremost in everyone’s thinking as they recollect your life?

Back to the story from Acts 9.  Apostle Peter knelt beside the bed of Dorcas and prayed for her.  Miraculously God raised her from the dead, and Peter helped her to her feet.  Understandably this created quite a stir in the city, and many people put their trust in the Lord.

We know nothing more about Dorcas’ life.  But I’m pretty sure she resumed her life of doing good and serving others who were less fortunate until God finally called her home.

You and I still have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others.  Perhaps as you ponder your life and how you will be remembered you would have to honestly say that there’s not much evidence of a life of service.  It’s not too late to start building a legacy for the glory of God and the good of others.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). 

I have long admired the tenacious spirit of the Apostle Paul as he went about his God-given mission doing the work the Savior had given him to do.  Right up to the day of his death the great saint kept the Master’s business before him, wanting to not quit until the race was done. 

A recent New York Times article carried the remarks of Mona Simpson, the biological sister of Steve Jobs, now deceased founder of Apple.  In her remarks, a eulogy for her brother, Simpson talked about the last days of Jobs’ life on earth after his long battle with cancer. 

“Intubated, when he couldn’t talk, he asked for a notepad. He sketched devices to hold an iPad in a hospital bed. He designed new fluid monitors and x-ray equipment. He redrew that not-quite-special-enough hospital unit. And every time his wife walked into the room, I watched his smile remake itself on his face.”

And: 

“On Steve’s better days, even in the last year, he embarked upon projects and elicited promises from his friends at Apple to finish them. Some boat builders in the Netherlands have a gorgeous stainless steel hull ready to be covered with the finishing wood. His three daughters remain unmarried, his two youngest still girls, and he’d wanted to walk them down the aisle as he’d walked me the day of my wedding.” 

I’m not surprised at these comments.  Steve Jobs was likely one of the most important and productive figures in modern history.  His life’s work changed much of the way we live our lives in the 21^st century.  You don’t make that kind of impact without being focused, perhaps even driven, toward creative goals.  Jobs didn’t just decide one day that he had done enough.  His passion to create and to innovate persisted even during his life-and-death struggle with cancer.

I read about people like Steve Jobs and wonder, “Do we as Christ-followers have the same dogged spirit to finish the work our Lord has given us to do?”  After all, we are not working for something that will end up in an electronics recycling bin someday.  We have been given eternal business to do. 

None other than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has called us to Himself and commissioned us for His work.  Christ has made us His hands, His feet, and His lips.  We walk with Him every day into a world lost in sin and in need of the Savior.  We must never forget our mission.  This work must consume us every day we live until we have no more days to live.  As we do so we are storing up treasure in heaven that can never deteriorate or be lost.

As a pastor I have watched many people die.  I have been amazed at how the spirit of a person remains strong even when the body can hardly take another breath.  It’s not uncommon for people to muster the strength to speak of their life’s passion with their dying breath.

Mona Simpson shared how Jobs called her on the morning before his death and asked her to come to the hospital as soon as possible.  She said, “His tone was affectionate, dear, loving, but like someone whose luggage was already strapped onto the vehicle, who was already on the beginning of his journey, even as he was sorry, truly deeply sorry, to be leaving us.”  Steve Jobs made it through the night, but Simpson recalls, “Steve’s final words, hours earlier, were monosyllables, repeated three times… OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.”

I have no idea what caused Steve Jobs to say what he did with his last words.  I don’t know what he was thinking (or seeing).  I do, however, know what the Apostle Paul was thinking and “seeing” as he pondered what awaited him beyond the suffering and labor for his Lord in this life:

“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).

Now that will make one really say, “OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW!”

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).

In days of revival I have turned to the Word of God for guidance as we seek Him for His fresh touch upon our lives.  I have also turned to church history for descriptions of what times of revival looked like in various settings where God moved in an extraordinary way.  What I read often leaves me dumbfounded because we rarely see these kinds of manifestations of God in our day.

Consider the accounts of the revival that moved through Korea in the early 1900s as recorded in Chosen for Choson by Stella Price.  The book is primarily about the ministry of Robert Jermain Thomas, one of the first Protestant missionary to Korea.  Thirty years after Thomas’ martyrdom in Korea a far-reaching revival and spiritual awakening was taking place in Korea, particularly in Pyongyang, the modern-day capital of North Korea.

Missionary George Shannon McCune wrote to a certain Dr. Brown in 1907:  “The Holy Spirit has come in power.  Last night in the meeting of the Central Church was the first real manifestation of His power and presence.  None of us have ever seen anything like it before.  We have read of the revivals in Wales, India, etc., but this surpasses anything that we have read about. During the evening meetings we had been praying for the Holy Spirit; we had been praying in a definite way that He would manifest Himself at this time; at certain times in the meetings the whole audience would break out unitedly in prayer for the Holy Spirit. Men have been agonizing for the Holy Spirit.  We missionaries began last August in our Bible conference here at Pyongyang to plead for that power; we had special meetings every night for one week beginning the day after Christmas praying definitely for His power at this time.”

On the same day missionary Graham Lee wrote to the same Dr. Brown: “At times the whole audience would break out in prayer together and then some men in trying to make a confession would break down and from all over the room would come the sound of men crying to God in prayer and weeping with an uncontrollable emotion.  As I write this morning and think of that meeting last night my own eyes well up with tears.  One couldn’t help but weep.  It was the Spirit of God cleansing our church and getting it ready for larger usefulness.  Things were confessed last night that nothing but the Spirit of God would make men confess.  Strong men who prided themselves in their strength broke down and wept as if their hearts would break. (My own cook confessed to deceiving me and cried aloud to me in agony, ‘Is there any hope of forgiveness for me?’ I tried to tell him there was hope but he still continued to cry out in an agony of spirit such as I have never seen. ‘If I am not forgiven I shall die.’) No words can describe that meeting.  It was a manifestation of God’s Sprit such as I have never seen.  God be praised for it and now may he keep these men as they go to their homes and use them greatly in their own churches.”

Admittedly these occurrences seem very unusual to us.  This kind of emotional praying makes many of us a bit uncomfortable.  Perhaps even the focus on the work of the Holy Spirit is rather foreign to us.

But in these descriptions I see a thread of authentic, biblical revival manifested in the following:  fervent, united prayer; believers completely yielding to the Holy Spirit; confession and repentance of sin; the purpose to be of greater usefulness to God.  The goal is not merely a person’s emotional experience, but true cleansing and preparation for usefulness by God.  In the years to come tens of millions of Koreans would be saved.  The 20^th Century spiritual awakening in Korea goes down as one of the most amazing in church history.  Today Korean churches are sending missionaries around the world.

Great movements of God such as the Korean revival in the 20^th Century have been documented in nations all around the globe.  We are long overdue for such a movement of God in our beloved nation.  The first thing that must happen is that the church in America must be revived.  For this kind of movement of God to gain traction we must stay focused in our seeking God in prayer.  He is our only hope.

Spirit-anointed prayer gatherings like the one in Acts 4 and the ones in Korea are the birth pangs of revival.

“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” (Ephesians 6:18).

One of the great duties we have as believers is to be continuously alert to the opportunities to pray for and encourage others.  The Holy Spirit will prompt us when others need prayer and encouragement.  This reality was powerful illustrated a few years ago in an article in Billy Graham’s Decision magazine:

“Kumar, a Christian in South India, was grieved because none of the 13 people he had invited came to watch a Billy Graham evangelistic broadcast at his home on December 23rd. He began to pray, and around 9 p.m. he felt God compelling him to invite his wife’s sister’s family to watch the next night’s broadcast. Immediately he set about to contact them.

“It wasn’t easy. His sister-in-law’s family had no phone, so Kumar had to call their neighbor and plead with him to go and bring them to the phone for an urgent message. When his brother-in-law, Satish, reached the phone, Kumar asked him and his family to catch a bus to his city as soon as possible. Satish said he had no money. Kumar encouraged him to borrow the money and said that he would reimburse Satish for the tickets.

“Satish consented, and at 4 a.m. he and his family boarded a bus for the long trip to Kumar’s house. They arrived at 5 p.m., and an hour later they watched the My Hope telecast from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Afterward, Kumar gave his testimony and asked if the others wanted to put their faith in Christ. They were all looking at one another, and Kumar wondered what they were thinking. Then Satish, noticeably distressed, stood and explained that he had lost his job because the tea factory that he worked for had closed. Further, the company was demanding that the family vacate their company-owned house. Seeing no hope, the family had decided that on December 25 they were all going to commit suicide.

“Now they saw that through Jesus there is hope, and they prayed with Kumar to accept Christ. Satish said he felt like a new man, and, after staying several more days with Kumar, the family returned home ready to face the future with Christ.”

The Holy Spirit has perfect knowledge of the needs in the lives of people all around us.  If the Holy Spirit has access to our hearts and minds He will prompt us as to how God would use us to meet the needs in the lives of others. 

I marvel at the grace of God that He would choose to include us in the miraculous process of ministering grace to others in their time of need.  So be watchful and prayerful as to what God is doing all around you.  There’s no greater fulfillment in life than to be part of what God is doing in the lives of people around you.