Ruination

What kills revival?

Complacency: When you've just got the fire started do you stop fanning the tiny flame? Yeah? This is akin to chucking a bucket of water on the kindling, and puff, it's over! Complacency snuffs the urgency to add more fuel, and the tiny flame of revival is extinguished!

Institutionalisation: So often over organisation stifffles spontaneity! With roles often assigned to, or more likely hijacked by well meaning souls who lack the skill-set required to carry out those roles! In the way the path of those who do know is stymied resulting in 'the same old same old!' With square pegs clogging round holes! All of us make up the body of Christ, but in church we dont need feet where an arm is required or an ear when an eye is needed!

Emotionalism without depth: How often do we see arms flung to the rafters at the first note of a praise song? And it makes me wonder, 'Is this genuine emotion, or is it simply a misguided response to what's perveived as acceptable behaviour during worship?

For me, it's my heart that raises my hands in praise and it happens only when I've aligned myself with the Holy Spirit and He prompts me! Our emotions must be real as 'shallow gestures are the mark of jesters' and none of us can fool God!

Division: Doctrinal splits, now there's a big one we don't like to talk about! Lets not get hung up in legalistic judgements that drive us apart. Then there are the church leaders who openly live sinful lives whilst still being allowed to carry on in ministry! Now that's never going work, is it?! Real integrity binds the church in unity, that's whats required! not, 'do what I say and not as I do!'

Materialism: Without doubt all of us like our comforts. so we need to examine ourselves and ask, do we put weath before God? If we're 100% truthful the answer is often we do! So the acid test is for all of us is, do we serve God or mammon?

Neglect of Justice: If we ignore the needs of our parish communities and even the wider society that we live in, then we lack love and we become irrelevant! just like a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal (1 Corint 13:1)

Moral Failures: We only need look at the 'Mega church' leaders to see those whom have fallen to temptation? Too many to mention!, Or what about accountancy errors, misappropriation of church funds, etc, call it what you like, but it sits under the banner of theft! Or what about when things are going well, do we let ourselves become proud of our work? Satan is never very far away, so we can't let our guards down for an instant for 'Satan never stops working to make the righteous fall!'

Revival thrives on humility, prayer, and spontanaeous adaptability, Are we prepared to fan the flame of revival when it ignites, to fervently pray and fast, or do we merely ask our congregation to 'fasten your seats belts' as we prepare the spritual plane for landing shortly after the sermon ends!

Have a great week, and God bless,

Trev.