Greetings from N. Wintzell,
I have to take a moment and apologize for the lack of posts over the last few days. I normally take the weekends off, but I managed to tack Friday and Monday onto the weekend. It's an exciting week here on N. Wintzell. Suzanne and the kids are getting ready to back to school. The kids started going to the daycare this week, while Suzanne is preparing her classroom. Which brings me to my next point: Suzanne got a job! Suzanne will be teaching at Dixon Elementary School this year. Thanks to all of you for your prayers for us as Suzanne went through the job hunt. Now, if we can just sell a house in Wetumpka...
Anyway, on to some other assorted thoughts: I had the opportunity to go to the Mobile Baptist Association's Pastor's conference yesterday. Dr. Mark Foley, the president of the University of Mobile, shared with us about a topic that he has been dealing with a lot of late, revival. For those of us who have been a part of the churched culture of the South, revival has a very definite meaning. Revival is the term that has been used to describe a series of evangelistic meetings hosted by the church or churches in a community that go beyond the regular worship services of the church. Members of an older generation will recall camp meetings under tents that lasted for weeks, while others may recall 4 night events that were hosted in the church from Sunday to Wednesday. Regardless of the nature of the meeting, "revival" isn't an accurate description of what is taking place. We are having a specially designed worship service and we hope that revival springs from that meeting.
What is revival? It has been defined as "a renewal or a restoration". If you look at the roots of the word, it becomes apparent that revival refers to the refreshment of something that was once full of life and vitality. You can't revive something that has never been alive. Revival can't take place in the lives of people who have never known life. Revival takes place when the Holy Spirit moves in the lives of people who know Him and have experienced His work of regeneration.
I'm experiencing a season of revival in my own heart and life right now, and I'm thankful for the work that God is doing in me. As part of that work, I want to see the spiritual vitality of God's people revived. So, what part do I play in that. The most commonly cited verses on revival come from 2 Chronicles 7:14:
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
A few thoughts on this passage:
1) This is not a magic formula for revival. Too many times we are guilty of believing that this verse and others like it are instructions given to tell us how to get God to do what we want Him to do. When you find yourself in this position, you can remind yourself of these truths.
Repeat after me:
I am not God.
I did not create the universe.
I did not create myself.
I did not number the stars nor do I call them out by name.
I am a finite creature.
I can barely get myself ready in the morning and handle the day's tasks by myself.
If it weren't for my wife, I couldn't do that. (OK maybe that's just me)
In spite of my shortcomings I have experienced God's gracious salvation in Christ.
It's not on my own merit.
I didn't do anything to deserve it.
It's not my job to manipulate God to do what I want Him to do.
I offer up my prayers to a gracious Father who desires to hear me and loves me.
I do not tell Him what to do.
If I were in charge I would screw things up royally.
I will not tell God what to do.
I will not attempt to manipulate God with my words.
I will pray to Him and listen to His instructions.
I will obey His commands and trust Him for the results.
2) While it is not a magic formula for revival, it does show us our responsibility in the revival of a nation. What are we to do? Humble ourselves and pray, seek God,and turn from our sins. Simple enough? If we do that, then God has to do this, right? If that's our thought process, then we've probably missed the boat on the first part. We don't need to do those things because we believe that by doing them we will force God's hand and make him bring revival. We pray and repent because they are the right response to our situation. When we do that, we can trust that God is in control of the rest of it and know that He will do the reviving.
3) Revival will spread. When I share what God has done and is doing in my life with someone else then the spark of revival grows until it becomes a flame spread across our families, our friends, and our communities. For those of you out there who are reading, when you've experienced God's work of renewal in your life, you're not meant to keep it to yourself. When we share what God has done in our lives, we will see the evangelistic explosion that so many of us desire. We will see the transformation of individuals through the power of God.
The Great Welsh Revival that began in 1904 was one of the great moves of God of the 20th Century. According to one account:
"People were changed in so many ways. The crime rate dropped, drunkards were reformed, pubs reported losses in trade. Bad language disappeared and never returned to the lips of many – it was reported that the pit ponies failed to understand their born again colliers who seemed to speak the new language of Zion – without curse and blasphemy – even football and rugby became uninteresting in the light of new joy and direction received by the Converts."
That's what I hope to see. People changed by the impact of the gospel so that our community, our state, and our nation experience revival. I spent last night with a group of pastors and we heard stories of alcohol abuse, drug addiction, and gambling problems. We heard about families that were being destroyed by all of these things. We want to help. We want to minister. So many of these issues have bubbled to the surface in recent days, but I understand this: These problems were there before. Our current situation has just exacerbated the problem. The solution is out there, and I know that God is at work in our community right now. I'm praying and I hope you are as well.
That's my view anyway, from here on N. Wintzell.
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