Sermon Central
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"o Lord, Revive Thy Work"
Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Mar 24, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: All over this great country of ours, CHURCHES have revival services each year. Many of these churches schedule them in the FALL and in the SPRING of the year.
While it is good that churches schedule these services frequently, it is equally good that they recognize that before a church can experience a HOLY GHOST REVIVAL MEETING, they must know WHAT A REAL HOLY GHOST REVIVAL IS.
A Holy Ghost Revival consist of at least three things, such as:
1. It is a bringing back to life
2. It is a restoring of what needs to be restored
3. It is an awareness of God's Presence that make God the focus of attention
WHY DO WE NEED REVIVAL? We desperately need revival because of two reasons. We need it-
(1) BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS OF THIS COUNTRY
We have become accustomed to hearing terrible things almost every day on the television news or the printed news, such as:
• A 16-year old boy carries a gun into his school and murders a classmate
• A mother gives birth to a child and leaves her in the garbage can at Disney World
• Teachers are being assaulted by students in school
• Motorists shoot other drivers for going too slow in front of them
• A man is shot in his front yard by a drive by motorist
• A man rapes his daughter
America, like many other nations in the world today, needs a good old HOLY GHOST REVIVAL!
The devil is doing everything he can do to flood this country with sin. There is a giant tidal wave of sin that is sweeping this nation. This country MORALLY and SPIRITUALLY is in a mess!
Illus: Every year, the President of this great nation gives the State of the Union address. During this time, he speaks to the congress and this nation, and tells them of the condition of this nation economically, and militarily. In the past, we have heard president after president come before the American people and say, “I AM HAPPY TO TELL YOU THAT THE STATE OF THE NATION IS GOOD!”
But listen, when it comes to the SPIRITUAL CONDITION of this nation, this nation is bankrupt. No human solutions can turn back this tidal wave of evil. We must have Divine intervention! The world in which we live is permeated with spiritual darkness.
If we as citizens cannot see the need for a HOLY GHOST REVIVAL in this land, may God help us! Why? Before God can REVIVE AND RESTORE, we must recognize as a nation what needs RESTORING and REVIVING!
We need HOLY GHOST REVIVAL because of the CONDITION OF THIS COUNTRY SPIRITUALLY.
But we also need REVIVAL-
(2) BECAUSE OF THE CONDITION OF THE CHURCH
I know I sound like a prophet of doom today as I say the COUNTRY in which we live in is a mess, but it is just as bad for the CHURCHES across this country. CHURCH and COUNTRY are in a spiritual mess.
WHY DO WE SAY THE CHURCH IS IN A SPIRITUAL MESS? Because we are in desperate need of a Holy Ghost revival.
Why? Because of these reasons:
1. We need revival because the church IS NOT SPIRITUAL. The churches today are filled with people that are materialistic and carnal minded.
2. We need revival because the church has lost it’s identity. For example, you cannot tell where the world ends and where the church begins.
3. We need revival because the church is PRAYERLESS and CARELESS.
4. We need revival because church people spend more time reading the newspaper than reading the Word of God.
5. We need revival, because some feel we can't reach people today without rock bands, hip talk, and worldly dress.
6. We need revival today because we have become more dependent on methods, techniques, strategies, and programs, than on prayer and the Holy Spirit.
7. We need revival because in the effort to convince the world that Christianity is fun, we've entertained and amused ourselves.
8. We need revival because we have lost confidence in the power of:
• THE WORD TO CONVICT.
• THE GOSPEL TO CONVERT.
• THE SPIRIT - TO DRAW MEN TO CHRIST
9. We need revival today because we have seen what human effort, creativity, and technology can do, but we have yet to see what God can do.
10. We know what money, organization, and promotion can do; but we have yet to see what God can do!
11. We need revival today because we are called to BE SAINTS, not just to be CALLED SAINTS!
This country needs an old fashioned Holy Ghost Revival, where the Saints of God are awakened and jolted into action. But the big question is, WHEN WILL WE HAVE REVIVAL?
The book of Isaiah gives a list of things we will have to do before we can experience HOLY GHOST REVIVAL. Such as:
I. WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DEITY
