The Holy Spirit Brings Revival

Let’s have a look at the Holy Spirit and Revival!

Throughout the centuries, since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, there have been numerous recordings of Holy Spirit inspired ‘revivals’ or ‘awakenings’ in the world and probably many more that were not recorded, big and small.

When I look at my own life since my spiritual rebirth in May 1988 in the little South Coast town of Mosel Bay in South Africa, I can distinctly see times of ‘revival’ in my own spiritual walk. These personal times of revival may not have had the worldwide impact of a ‘Wesleyan Welsh Revival’ in the 18th Century or a more modern revival like the ‘Toronto Blessing’ or the Brownsville Revival’ both in the 1990’s, but on a personal level they have certainly had a tremendous life-changing impact on me and my personal walk with Jesus and have drawn me back to and closer to him.

The Holy Spirit is the primary mover and shaker of all types of revival, whether it is on a personal level of restoration and growth or on a corporate level such as the ‘Toronto Blessing’ and they are all done to increase the Kingdom of God to the glory of Jesus.

What is revival and what is its purpose?

Most modern dictionaries today will describe the word revival as something like this:

an improvement in the condition of someone or something, a strengthening of someone or something. The strengthening of the fortunes of someone or something.

Or

an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again.

And some synonyms for revival would go like this: a comeback, bringing back, re-establishment, reintroduction, restoration, reappearance, resurrection, resuscitation, re-launch, regeneration, revitalization, reinvigoration, awakening, rejuvenation, stimulation, rebirth.

My instances of personal revival in restoration and growth are not uncommon amongst Christians and some of you will probably have experienced similar things in your own walk. My spiritual condition and my physical condition were improved, restored, delivered and revitalised, and all the other synonyms applied to revival, by a sovereign move of God through the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of Jesus. He defeated Satan’s plan to destroy me!

Now what God did for me and what he has done for others in a similar fashion is not new. God has been doing this from the time of creation! He is and wants to be continually and intimately involved in a personal relationship with each and every one of us and He actively pursues this relationship through the power of the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus. This is why Jesus sent the Comforter to us when he ascended into heaven.

John 14:15-18 (NIV)

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

The corporate revival is what took place at Pentecost (Acts 2) where God poured out his Holy Spirit and many unbelievers came to salvation and the disciples and others began their ministries in the power of the Holy Spirit and the Lord added to the numbers of those being saved daily!

Acts 2:2-4 (NIV)

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 2:47 (NIV)

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

And a good example of a personal revival s in the case of the Apostle Peter after he had denied the Lord three times, ran off weeping bitterly and then decided to go back to fishing!

John 15:15-17 (NIV)

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

Peter is fully restored and experiences tremendous personal growth and greater understanding of God and his purpose here on earth!

God revives us when we go cold or are in a ‘bad’ place and when we seek his face with all our heart! Revival begins with the Church with each and every born-born again Christian praying in the unity of the Spirit.

Now let’s get something straight here, revival is not a new phenomenon and when I say new, I mean it is not just a New Testament or a ‘today’ thing, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says, there is nothing new under the sun!

Ecc 1:9 (NIV)

What has been will be again,

what has been done will be done again;

there is nothing new under the sun.

There is no knew thing under the sun, God is the same yesterday, today and always, He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. God knows those who are his. God knows those who will heed His salvation call. He gives us so many chances to respond to His call through the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of Jesus!

One of the ways the God has used and still uses and will continue to use to reach mankind is through revival by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the lives of ‘men’ It is the Holy Spirit that draws us to Jesus for our salvation. God will continue to bring revival to us, His Church, both corporately and individually. God has done this from the beginning of man’s days, and He will continue to do so until Jesus comes again. It’s all about Jesus, all glory to the Son! But the Church needs to be proactively praying for revival in ourselves as individuals and corporately our different congregations in order for His will to be done in our lives.

In the Old Testament we see how God sent his Holy Spirit to restore and revive Israel, His chosen people, on numerous occasions through the prophets and through the judges. The book of Judges is a prime example of this, God brought revival by the power of the Holy Spirit and through those individuals (the Judges), He brought revival to the nation of Israel. He also did this through some of the Kings and other individuals like Mordecai and Esther. This was done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s take a look at Othniel, one of Israel’s first Judges as an example.

Judges 3:9-11

9 But when they (Israel) cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. 11 So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

This type of revival happened on many occasions in the Old Testament over many years. Unfortunately man has developed a bad habit of forgetting what God has done and often grows cold or just falls into complacency.

In the New Testament we read how God brought revival to individuals and to the Church of the time through the ministry of Jesus. Jesus moved in the power of the Holy Spirit, his very birth was through the power of the Holy Spirit. The miracles, signs and wonders he performed were all done in the power of the Holy Spirit. All these things brought revival to his chosen people. At the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and when he was arrested, the disciples fled in fear and panic and Peter denied him three times soon thereafter. I guess you could say that they became ‘unrevived’ – this is probably not even a proper word, but I hope you get my meaning in this context. This same type of thing often happens in today’s Church and we are often deceived by false prophets and teachers!

Now these situations doesn’t take God by surprise in any way, remember he is the beginning and the end; nothing is a surprise to Him! He wrote the script for us and he doesn’t change His mind, what He has ordained will come to pass!

OK so here we have a bunch of freaked out and ‘unrevived’ disciples who watch the crucifixion of Jesus and without their leader they decide to give up and go back to their old jobs; let’s go fishing is the general consensus; forgetting everything they’ve been taught and all the miracles they have witnessed. Yes, I’ve been there and done that! I expect some of you have too? But God brings revival to the disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit! Look what happens next.

Jesus is resurrected after three days by the power of the Holy Spirit and he appears to the disciples and many others and just before his ascension into heaven, he tells the disciples that he is going to the Father and that he will send them the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) and tells them to go and wait in Jerusalem. He then ascends into heaven.

Now the disciples are still a bit unsure of themselves and are still in a state of ‘unrevival’, but they obey the Lord’s instructions and return to Jerusalem to wait for power from on high. I don’t think they fully understood what that meant. When the disciples went back to Jerusalem, they gathered together to pray in one accord in an upper room, together with some other close followers of Jesus.

Acts 1:12-14 (NIV)

12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Ok. So now remember this bit because I’m going to say it big and bold so that you won’t forget:

It is the prayers of the saints, praying in unity and in one accord that ushers in revival in the power of the Holy Spirit. When we cry out to God – revival comes both individually and corporately!

Now why do I say this? Well turn with me in your bible to Acts 2. Excuse me! You haven’t got your bible with you? Naughty, naughty! Go and fetch it quickly or switch on your electronic version.

After the upper room prayer meeting, we move on to the day of Pentecost and look what happens now!

Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Here we have it then, REVIVAL, in a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a mighty wind and tongues of fire! The very first Pentecostal revival meeting energising, empowering and equipping the saints to step out and minister in the power of the Holy Spirit, performing miracles and signs and wonders and drawing the lost to salvation in Christ Jesus – to his glory!

This was an explosion of new life within the Church both individually and corporately which resulted in a blessing to the sick, the possessed, and the lost and to mankind in general, this is what revival is all about.

Look around you child of God, look at the news, walk in the streets, society is breaking down fast and getting worse by the day. Rally around my brothers and sisters, gather the saints, sound the trumpet and call out to God, Church. Pray for revival in one accord – the world needs the saints to be revived, the world needs revival, the world needs JESUS and we need a mighty outpouring of his Holy Spirit upon the Church – a mighty wind and a mighty flame! The Church should be praying for revival in unity and in one accord.

Let’s take a quick look at the amazing things that happened in this Holy Spirit inspired revival at Pentecost in bullet form and fired from the gun of the Holy Spirit!

• The disciples and the Church are revived and filled with the Holy Spirit.

• The disciples’ measure of faith is increased and they begin to minister in power and boldness.

• Miracles, signs and wonders accompany their ministry.

• Thousands of unbelievers get saved.

• The sick are healed and demons are cast out, setting people free.

• Paul is converted on the Damascus Road.

• The gospel of salvation is spread to both Jew and Gentile across the known world of the time.

• The infilling of the Holy Spirit is spread to others by the laying on of hands

• And much, much more!

Right then, I think we have now established what revival is and what its purpose is:

1. It is a sovereign move of God in the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit
2. It restores an individual – a returning prodigal son like me and of course the prodigal son as in Luke 15:11-32.
3. It empowers the Church to move in the power of the Holy Spirit performing miracles, signs and wonders.
4. It draws the lost to salvation.
5. It inspires prophecy and the other gifts of the Spirit thus enabling God’s children to hear His voice and to know His will so that the Fruit of the Spirit can be manifest in us and through us!

Summary
So now we’ve had a look at the Holy Spirit’s involvement in revival and what really stands out to me is that God is always calling us to him and desiring to be intimately involved in our daily lives and in this day and age God does this through His Holy Spirit, who is also the Spirit of Jesus – remember the Holy Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit; is one God!

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is a promise from God that the Church needs to fully appropriate in order to walk in faith upon God’s path and in God’s will for us both as a corporate body and as individuals. In others words the Church needs to be walking and living life in the Spirit – this is why Jesus sent the Comforter to us!

But most notably the key to these revivals and probably every other revival as well, is the Church, men and women of God coming together in unity and praying for a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit to draw the lost to salvation in Christ Jesus. A Church that lifts the name of Jesus higher and higher so that He will draw all men unto himself!

Let’s just remind ourselves of the main points that we need to embrace when God touches our lives with revival. This will also serve as a keen reminder of how the Church needs to pray, the Church needs to always be in a state of Holy Spirit empowered revival:

• Revival comes through God’s sovereign outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

• Revival comes when the Church comes together in prayer and in unity and in one accord.

• Revival comes to individuals and corporately to the body.

• Revival is contagious, it can be spread by man filled with the Holy Spirit and stepping out in faith and reaching out to the lost to fulfil the great commission. It will spread from man to man, church to church, town to town and from country to country – Joel 2:28-32 and repeated by Peter in Acts 2:17-21 at the Pentecost revival.

• The Church in this day and age should be praying and preparing for revival in order to be ready and raring to go when God pours out His Holy Spirit in the last days.

• It is God’s desire to work with men filled with the Holy Spirit to spread revival – the Church needs to be bold and brave and step out in faith.

Remember that everything God does is to the glory of the Son, Jesus! It’s not about the miracles, signs and wonders, these are just a part of God’s blessings, it’s all about Jesus. Everything we do should be to the glory of the Son, our Saviour and Lord – Jesus!

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father
In Jesus’ name and in the power of the Holy Spirit I pray that you would bring revival to my heart. I pray that you would rejuvenate my Spirit and fan into flame the gifts that you have placed within me and that you would, by your Spirit, help me to encourage others to seek your face and to pray for revival within your Church and to my own congregation where I fellowship. I pray for an outpouring of your Holy Spirit that would energise and empower the Church to be bold in preaching the Word and to step out in faith and minister in the gifts of the Spirit. I pray that people will be drawn to you, Lord, for salvation. I pray for miracles, signs and wonders, healings and deliverance to follow us wherever we go to the glory of Jesus. I pray for a revival that will never end until your return. I pray that I would not grow cold and that you would keep your fire burning within me and within your Church. Amen!

Why Is It Important For Christians To Be Clothed In The Full Armour Of God?

Yes, how should Christians be dressed?

In this article I am not talking about how we should be clothed in our everyday physical lives, how we dress when we wake up in the morning and don our clothes to meet the need of the day!

No, I am going to talk about how we should be spiritually clothed as born-again Christians, as children of God and most importantly, as soldiers in God’s army. Because, whether we like it or not, when we become born-again, we not only become children of God, but soldiers in His army and as such we need to be dressed appropriately in order to overcome the enemy who is constantly fighting against us!

Now, why do I say this? Why are we constantly at war?

Let’s take a look at the scriptures that tell us we are constantly at war with Satan!

Genesis 3:14-15 (NIV)

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[seed] and hers; he will crush[strike] your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Now, looking at the above two verses, we see that as a consequence of sin (the fall of mankind through Adam and Eve) God put enmity between man and the Devil. This enmity is still very much a force today and will be so until Satan is consigned to The Lake of Fire permanently. We are constantly at war with Satan and his sole purpose is to destroy mankind and everything that God has sets up and created!

John 10:10a (AMP)

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.

We, the Church, are constantly at war with Satan, this is something the early Church was very much aware of but in today’s Church many of us seem to have forgotten this and have become increasingly complacent about fulfilling our roles as soldiers in God’s army. 

2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NKJV)

3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

We have let our guard down and many of us are being wounded and many destroyed! We have forgotten how to fight the enemy who is not flesh and blood and most importantly we have forgotten how to clothe ourselves for the battle!

Let’s read what the Apostle Paul says about our daily fight with the Devil and his troops!

Eph 6:12 (AMP)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.

In the verse above Paul is noticeably clear about telling us who the enemy is, it is Satan as he is the prince of this fallen world in which we live. Paul teaches us to be aware of just who the enemy is and he realises that in order to engage the enemy successfully we need to be clothed appropriately in order for us to be fully protected. He goes on to tell us exactly how we must clothe ourselves!

Eph 6:13-18 (AMP)

13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.

This is a key passage of scripture that is essential for all born again believers to know and implement in order to be a relevant and effective spiritual warrior in the Kingdom of God. It is important for us to examine the verses in some detail. We need to be dressed in the full armour of God so that we can be fully spiritually protected and fully able to not only fight the good fight but to defend ourselves from the enemy's constant attack, especially as the days become more and more evil!!

1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NKJV)

11 But you, O man of God, flee these things (see verses 3-10) and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 

In his writing of these verses in Ephesians 6 above, I think we need to understand that Paul's analogy of the full armour of God, he would have been very familiar with the Roman soldier dressed in full battle armour, after all he was escorted by Roman soldiers on more than a few occasions.

He also knew that no Roman soldier would ever dream of going into battle without putting on his full battle armour. The Roman soldier was probably the best protected and equipped soldier of the time and his armour was designed to be effective against the enemy’s weapons of the time, both in defense and in attack!

In the table below we can examine each part of the Armour of God that Paul mentions from Ephesians 6:

Verse(s) (NIV) – 10 - 13

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 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.

Commentary:

In these four verses Paul is giving us a pre-battle pep talk. He knows what battles we’re going to face in our daily walk because he’s been there and done it. He’s been whipped, stoned, left for dead, bitten by a poisonous snake and for good measure, whipped some more.

He knows we’re facing a spiritual battle and he tells us to be prepared and make sure that we clothe ourselves in God’s protection – the Armour of God. When we do this, we will be able to stand firm and strong in the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. We will then be fully equipped to defeat the enemy in our daily walk!

Verse 14 (KJV)

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Commentary

On a Roman soldier it is the belt that holds the other pieces of body armour in place and it is on the belt that the sword is hung. When a Roman soldier had finished putting on his body armour, he would gird his loins with a belt as described above. This is how the Roman soldier would be able to stand firm in the battle.

This meant that he was now ready for service and to go into battle. So what Paul is saying here is that we need to gird ourselves to do battle with the belt of truth which is our integrity and right standing (being born again) in Christ Jesus and our walking in the Spirit. This means that we, as soldiers of Christ, are to be led by the Holy Spirit in everything we do!

The breastplate of a soldier’s armour does as it says, it covers the breast; the area between the waist and the shoulders. It protects the soldier’s vital organs and most significantly it protects the heart. For the soldier of the flesh the breastplate is made of iron. For us, the spiritual soldier, our breastplate is made of our righteousness in Christ Jesus, our right standing with God in Christ Jesus protects our hearts and minds from the attack of the evil one!

We all know that the Devil constantly attacks our hearts and minds with lies, accusations and reminders of our past sin. If we do not clothe ourselves with the breastplate of righteousness the Devil’s lying arrows will penetrate our hearts and render us null and void. Be aware of who you are in Christ Jesus and come boldly into His presence and he will fill you with his Holy Spirit who will cement your righteousness in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Don’t try and take on the enemy without first praying and then being led by the Holy Spirit with all your armour on!

Verse 15

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Commentary

Now, keeping the Roman soldier in mind, what did he wear on his feet when marching and going into battle? He wore heavy duty, hobnailed boots called Caligae – no Roman soldier marched or went into battle without them on! They were the strongest footwear going – military Doc Martens!

For the battle shoes of the Church, the spiritual soldier, we need to put on the peace that comes from the Good News of the Gospel in Christ Jesus so that you will be fully prepared. Our spiritual shoes (our peace in Christ Jesus) allow us to step freely and without fear while we turn our full attention to the battle at hand.

The peace God gives us will propel us onward to proclaim the true peace, which is available only in Christ Jesus, to the world. 

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The peace that surpasses all understanding. We need to prepare ourselves to follow the Lord no matter what. Pray continually, rejoice always!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 (NKJV)

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

Verse 16

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.

Commentary

The shield not only defends the Roman soldier’s whole body but also his other armour – his breastplate. The shield of faith has a very specific function, which the Bible makes abundantly clear: it will quench all the fiery darts of the evil one and all his wicked followers. Not some, not most but all of them.

The shield moves with the attack no matter what direction it is coming from. This is the kind of faith that Moses had when he confronted Pharaoh to let Israel go. It is the kind of faith that Elijah had when he confronted the prophets of Baal, the faith David had when he fought Goliath, the kind of faith Jesus has and that he gives to us today through the Holy Spirit! Without faith it is impossible to please God!

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Verse 17

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Commentary

The Roman soldier’s helmet was made of iron and was strong enough to withstand several hefty sword or spiked battle club blows. It covered the whole head and the back of the neck with just slits for the eyes and for the mouth. It even had an iron piece to protect the bridge of the nose and the cheeks.

Satan's favourite target is our mind. We have often heard it said that our minds are the devil’s playground. Satan's weapons are lies and false accusations. The enemy wants to make us doubt God and our salvation.

The helmet of salvation protects our minds from doubting the truth of God's saving work in us.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NIV)
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

The Roman soldier’s sword was light and short and ideal for hand-to-hand combat where short, stabbing motions were required. It was not only a weapon of offence but was also ideal for defence as well.

The believer as a spiritual soldier needs to be prepared to go head-to-head and toe-to-toe with the devil at all times.

The sword of the Spirit – the Bible, the Word of God, is not only a weapon of offense in the armour, but also a tool for defence. Strongholds, arguments and thoughts are all weapons the enemy uses against us. With the Sword of the Spirit, God's word, the Church is equipped to deal with them all. We need to trust in the truth of God's Word.

Have confidence in the value of God's word and develop a hunger and desire to know it and study it. When Jesus went head-to-head with the devil in the dessert – Mattew 4:10-11, He used the Word to defeat him and resist temptation. We need to be prepared to battle the enemy in the same way. By the Word of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 4:10-11 (NIV)
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Heb 4:12 (KJV)
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Verse 18

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 Lord’s people.

Commentary

And last but not by any means least, prayer! Every believer individually and the Church corporately, needs to be constantly in prayer. Praying in the Spirit in tongues and praying in the Spirit in our understanding.

Praying the Word into our lives and into the lives of others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, Ephesians 6:12, and so we always need to be in the Spirit – walking in the Spirit. The battle is won in the heavenly realms. Prayer is an integral part of our worship of God – it should never be neglected. Praying in the Spirit in our understanding and praying in the Spirit in tongues always!

Paul encourages to be alert, to know what is going on around us. To recognise the signs of the times and join with our fellow Christian soldiers in battle!

Matt 18:18 (KJV)
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Prayer:

Abba Father in the power of your Holy Spirit I pray that you would help me to always be clothed in the full Armour of God and to never take it off. Help me always to realise that my battle us not against flesh and blood but against the evil spirit that Satan is and against the evil spirits that he commands. Thank you, Father for Jesus who has overcome the world and in Him I can do the same, for in Christ Jesus I have the victory. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and

 praise!

Jesus, the Name above all names!

 

 Remember: Reading this blog is no substitute for you reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My words are fallible, the Word of God is not!

Last updated: 4 February 2024.

Follow The Way Of Love

How do we do this? How do we follow the way of love and why should we follow the way of love?

Well, shall we try and work these questions out by examining scripture. Our first scripture is one of the most famous verses in the Bible and one which you, dear reader, probably know by heart.

John 3:16 (NIV)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Whenever the New Testament writers are referring to God’s love, they use the Greek word ‘agapē’ – pronounced ‘ag-ah-pay’ which, when expanded to its full meaning, is translated in English as ‘a love that is unconditional, benevolent, charitable and freely given’ - we don’t have to do anything to earn it or give anything in return for it, we just need to receive it.

Do you love others in this way no matter who they are or what they have done? The love the World tends to display is love that is lustful and of the flesh. It is self-seeking and self-satisfying, in fact it is self-orientated in every way! Quite the exact opposite to the selfless love of God – the love that God expects His Church to display in Christ Jesus!

As we receive God’s agapē love, so it is our duty as God’s children to show His love to others in all we do as part of our service to Him.

The Apostle Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 14:1 (AMP)

Pursue [this] love [with eagerness, make it your goal], yet earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual gifts [to be used by believers for the benefit of the church], but especially that you may prophesy [to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people].

Other bible versions say, ‘follow the way of love and eagerly desire the spiritual gifts’. 

Follow the way of love! Yes, indeed, but not just any kind of love, God’s love -agapé.  

So, what does God's love, that we as His Church should be emulating, look like?

This is the love that brought our salvation to us in Christ Jesus. This is the love that God expects us to have for each other and the love He expects us to have for the lost! This is the love that Jesus talks about in Matthew 22:36-40 (AMP):

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 And Jesus replied to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ 40 The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.” 

And if we do not love our Christian family in God’s way, we have a problem! Just have a look at what 1 John 4:20 (AMP) says about this:

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 

OK then, getting back to Paul’s instruction to us to ‘follow the way of love’.

Straight after this statement he tells us how to follow the way of love (agapé) and we do this by eagerly desiring the Spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

Now why would Paul exhort us to eagerly desire the Spiritual gifts? Well, this is what I think, all biblically based of course. The Spiritual gifts:

• Enable us to live life in the Spirit

• Enable us to express God’s love to us – He knows we need them to emulate Jesus, to be conformed to his image.

• Enable us to love others the way God wants us to, well not just wants but expects us to.

• Enable us to experience the fullness of God’s love for us and pass it on to others.

• Enable us to build up and edify the Church, our family in Christ Jesus.

• Enable us to receive God’s guidance for ourselves and use us to give His guidance to others.

• Enable us to lift up and glorify the name of Jesus!

• Enable us to perform miracles, signs and wonders just as Jesus did!

Now that we know this, why don’t we do it! Why don’t we get filled with the Holy Spirit and follow the way of love!

Love covers a multitude of sins. When we have the Fathers love for others, we will be able to forgive others as He forgives us.

1 Peter 4:8 (NIV) 

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 

If I don’t have the Father’s love in me, then I am pretty much a waste of skin! 

1 Cor 13:1-3 (NIV) 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

When I have the Father’s perfect love in me, fear has no hold on my life, and I have complete freedom. The love of God for me and my faith in Jesus, sets me free from the law of sin and death!

1 John 4:18 (NIV) 

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 

John 8:36 (NIV) 

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

Picture this, a Church continually being filled with the Holy Spirit both as individuals and corporately as a local body of believers. A Church that lives life in the Spirit obedient to God’s Word in every way. A Church that is filled with God’s love and follows the way of love. This is a powerful Church. This is a Church that God sees for those in Christ Jesus! This is the victorious Church. This is the Church of Jesus Christ against which nothing can withstand!

Matt 16:18-19 (NIV) 

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 

Let’s bring glory, honour and praise to our King, our Lord and Saviour – Jesus, the name above all names! C’mon Church let’s get serious and be obedient to God’s Word in everything and in every way!

Who would not want to follow the way of love? 

Who would not want to love others as the Father loves us? 

Prayer
O Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit this day and every day. Help me follow the way of love and eagerly desire the Spiritual gifts that I may be used as your servant to build up and edify your Church and bring glory to your name. Help me to love others the way you love them and the way you love me. Amen!

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise! 

Jesus the Name above all names! 

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!

Why Do Christians Need To Know The Bible?

Why is it so important for each and every born-again believer to know the Bible – to read it and to study it and to feed on it daily? The reading and following of the Bible is so, so much more important than following the traditional liturgical formulae of man! Following the traditional liturgies of man leads to spiritual death, following the Bible in Christ Jesus leads to eternal life!

The Word of God has always been with us, right from the creation of everything! How do we know this?

John 1:1-4 (NIV – brackets mine) 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He (Jesus) was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

In the above verses it is made quite clear that the Word was with God at the very beginning and so was Jesus his Son. If we look a little further down chapter one, we see this in verse 14.

John 1:14 (NIV) 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So, here we have it and it couldn’t be any clearer! Jesus is the Word! The Son who came to earth in the flesh to redeem mankind – a living sacrifice through whom man is forgiven and receives eternal life!

When we read and study the Bible we get to know the very essence of our Lord and Saviour and in the power of the Holy Spirit we can do even greater things than he did. Our foundation as a born again Christian is the Bible, God's Word and the Word that became flesh - Jesus Christ!

John 14:12, 15-18 (NIV) 

12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

In verse 15 above Jesus tells us that if love him and keep his commands (the teachings of the Bible) the Father will give us the Holy Spirit to help us forever more! What an amazing comfort that is!

In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 8 in the Old Testament, Moses is talking to the Israelites just before they are about to go in and possess the Promised Land and is exhorting them to be obedient to God’s instructions. In verse three he says this to them:

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV)
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Here we see that God humbled Israel in their Wilderness journey in order to teach them the importance of obeying His Word to the T! It is not good enough to have a full belly and have clothes on our backs and then to forget being obedient to the Word which is the bread of life – it feeds our spirit and soul! Physical food keeps the body alive for our period of time on earth, but the Bible (His Word) feeds our spirit and soul unto eternal life and beyond!

It is also interesting to note that this is the same passage of scripture that Jesus uses to overcome Satan during his period of temptation in the wilderness just before He began his ministry on earth. Knowledge of the Bible is a crucial part of the Christian’s armoury in defeating the attacks of Satan and his minions!

Matt 4:4 (NIV) 

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Now let’s carry on in the New Testament and have a look at what the Apostle Paul tells the young man Timothy about the importance of knowing the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16-17Amplified Bible (AMP) 

16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the [a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So, let’s now analyse these two verses piece by piece. The Bible is:

• God-breathed – given by divine inspiration to men under the power of the Holy Spirit who is the breath of God.
• It instructs us in all things.
• It convicts us of sin – we should be measuring our lifestyle against the word of God.
• It helps us to correct wrong things in our lives and restores us to obedience to God.
• It trains us on how to live righteous lives.
• It equips us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to do the good works that God has predestined us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Why else should we know the Bible?

1.  Like Jesus, it is flawless and without error. It guides us to maturity in our faith and our daily Christian walk.

2 Samuel 22:31(NIV)

“As for God, his way is perfect:
    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.

 

Psalm 119:160 (NIV)

All your words are true;
    all your righteous laws are eternal.

 

Proverbs30:5 (NIV)

“Every word of God is flawless;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

 

2.  We should live on it – Deuteronomyt 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 (These verses are quoted previously in the article)

 

3.  We need to fix the Word in our hearts and minds so that it will always be with us in our souls.

Deuteronomy 11:18b (NIV) 

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;

 

4.  We should live by it.

Psalm 119:9 (NIV)

How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
    By living according to your word.

 

5.  It leads us and guides us and keeps us on the path of righteousness.

Psalm 119:105, 130

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.

 

¹³⁰ The unfolding of your words gives light;
    it gives understanding to the simple.

 

6.    It brings life, good health and healing.

 

Proverbs  4:20-22 (NIV)

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
    turn your ear to my words.
²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
    keep them within your heart;
²² for they are life to those who find them
    and health to one’s whole body.

 

7.    It accomplishes what God desires.

Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)

¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
it will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 

8.    The Word will last forever when all else has passed.

Matthew 24:35 (NIV)

³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

 

9.    The Word has always been with God – John 1:1 (Verse already quoted)

 

10.  THE WORD IS JESUS – John 1:14 (Verse already quoted)

11.  It is the words of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

John 6:68 (NIV)

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 

 

12.  It is the sword of the spirit to defeat the evil one. Like Jesus did – quote the          Bible to defeat the evil one.

 

Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)

¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

13.  It needs to live in us as part of our daily Holy Living.

 

Colossians3:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

 

14.  It moulds us and shapes us into who God needs us to become in Christ Jesus.    The more we read and study the Bible and understand it, the more we will be      conformed to Christ's image.

Heb 4:12-13 (NIV)

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

 

15.  We need to do what the Word says and not merely listen to it or just read it.        We need to put the Word into action in our lives daily! Jesus blesses us when      we do this.

Luke 11:28 (NIV)

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

James 1:22 (NIV)

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

16.  When we study the Word we are able to present ourselves to God as those             who are approved because we will be able to handle the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

17.  Knowledge of the Word will keep us from being deceived by false prophets               and teachers.

Jesus himself warns us against these people. When you know the Truth of the Word, you will be able to spot them easily. Stay away from them!

Matthew 7:15 (NKJV)

 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Matthew 24:24-25 (NKJV)

24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

The Apostle Paul also give us a stern warning about those that preach a false gospel. If you don't know the Bible you will not know what is true and what is false!

Galatians 1:6-9 (NKJV)

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert[a] the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b]accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

When we know the Word for ourselves we will not be deceived by false prophets and teachers. There are many of them in the world today. They are wolves in sheep's clothing and do jot have the things of God in mind. 

If we don’t know God’s Word, then we’ll never know God’s ways and consequently we will never know who we are in Christ Jesus – we will never be truly conformed to His image and we will be easily deceived by false teachings.

Rom 8:29 (NIV) 

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

 

Prayer:

Lord, I pray in Jesus name that your Word would come alive to me. I pray that it would bring me healing, understanding, wisdom and above all your love, love that would be manifest in me and through me to reach the lost. O Lord write your words indelibly on my heart and lead me in all truth by the power of the Holy Spirit that I may truly be conformed to your image and be a blessing to this world. Amen.

 To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is not excuse for you not to read and study the Bible for yourselves. My word is flawed the Bible is not!

Last updated: 22 April 2024