The Path to Revival: Brokenness

This past Sunday I began to preach on The Path to Revival.  Revival is NOT the stirring up of emotions, but the transformation of the spirit, which affects the mind, will, emotions AND spirit.  It leads to an increase in godliness and renewed passion and usefulness for the Lord. 

The straying from God that is taking place in our nation has a lot to do with the weakness of the Church.  Christians’ beliefs and behaviors don’t match up like they should.  Filled with self-sufficiency and worldliness and pride, the light of Christ has been dimmed.  The farther the Church strays, the more those who don’t follow Christ stray. 

Here’s what the prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 57:15 (NIV) “For this is what the high and lofty One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”  

We do not experience God’s presence because we are not lowly and contrite.  The word contrite is used twice in this Scripture.  It refers to something that has been crushed into powder.  Why would God want to crush us?  So He can mold, remake us, and use us.  When we submit to the crushing of our self-will we become more useful to God.  If He doesn’t have to fight with us, He can guide us and use us.  Only in a “broken” state do we become the most useful to God.    

 The Path to Revival is through the brokenness of God’s people.  Have you submitted to God breaking?  Is your will…your self-sufficiency broken?  This coming Sunday—Pentecost Sunday, I will continue to share how the Apostles’ brokenness positioned the Church to receive the Power of the Holy Spirit, which affected nations.  God wants to do it again!  Are you in?