BRING DOWN REVIVAL II: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 6TH MAY 2018

MEMORISE

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. Ezekiel 3:17

READ: Jeremiah 8:1-10 

1 At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:

2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.

4 Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?

5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?

10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

MESSAGE:

In the past two days, we have examined what causes the need for revival and the divine template God has established for obtaining revival from heaven. The question we will be considering today is this: Dose the Church of the 21st century need revival? I strongly believe the answer to this question is yes. You may wonder why I believe so. 

When you critically look around you with the eyes of the spirit, you will observe several things that have resulted in the Church falling short of the glory of God in this modern generation. You will also observe that it is increasingly becoming difficult to uphold biblical principles in the public arena in many nations of the world, especially in the western world. 

The mention of the Bible, reading of any portion of Scripture, and the observance of devotional prayers are outlawed in academic institutions at all levels, in offices, and in other public places in some nations that were previously proud to be identified as Christian nations just a few years ago. 

Church has consequently toned down the commandments of God and stepped down Bible doctrines in many places whenever it is opposed by the acceptable culture or popular opinion of the people. The Church, including some very big denominations, has clearly departed from biblical doctrine on issues relating to salvation, mercy-killing, marriage, divorce, remarriage, abortion, homosexuality and many more issues.

As seen in today’s memory verse, in every generation, God is always seeking for watchmen who will speak His mind to the people, irrespective of the circumstance, warning them against doing things that are contrary to His will. Many Christians, including prominent Christian leaders, have openly abdicated this responsibility in the public place because of the fear of losing face. 

If we will please God, we must stand firm in the sound teaching of His word (Ezekiel 3:17-21). This is where the problem lies:  many preachers and teachers of the word are no longer warning the Church against apostasy and wickedness because of the fear of losing “valuable” members. Our Lord Jesus Christ sent messages of warning to the seven Churches in Asia, and we also must do the same today (Revelation 2-3). 

We must stand firm on genuine repentance as demanded and witnessed in Proverbs 28:13, acts 3:19, 2 Samuel 12:13 and Psalm 51:3-4. Note that repentance is not limited to unbelievers alone; every sincere child of God will always engage in self-examination to avoid the presence of un-confessed sins in their lives (1 John 2:1-11). 

Finally, warring brethren must reconcile in line with Matthew 5:21-24 and Psalm 133:1-3. As you seek God’s face for revival today, He will answer you by fire in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please help me to be a faithful watchman in this generation in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 17;

Hebrew 12:3-29

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 9: THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

o Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.

2. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

4. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.