JCSM Shareware Collection 1993 November/JCSM Shareware Collection - 1993-11.iso/cl040/study22j.lzh/REVIVAL.TXT

Text File | 1989-12-14 | 10.9 KB | 366 lines

                        "Revival"        11/11/89
    Psalms 85:6

     In mid-April of 1989, I began to hear God speaking to me. It

was not something I made up in my mind. I heard an actual  voice.

The problem was that I didn't understand; maybe I didn't want to.

     Despite  this "affliction," life went on. One day, I told  a

friend  of mine about it. She said, "So, you think God's  calling

you  into the ministry, huh?" Whoa. Ministry? To be honest,  that

word scared me to death. I didn't want to go to Africa!

     I said, "Well, I don't think He's calling me to ministry.  I

just  feel  like  He wants me to do something."  Well,  she  kept

insisting it must be ministry, so I let her win.

     She had told me previously about her prayer for the  school.

She  said, "Something's happening here. I can feel the  spiritual

warfare  going on, and it's getting stronger, and stronger  every

day."  I  understood what she was saying, I felt it  too,  but  I

didn't see what that had to do with "the voice" until much later.

.. (11/9/89)
     Then,  Markos  came  into the picture. I  believe  that  God

worked  through  him to interpret His will; Markos  revealed  it,

probably without notice. I don't even remember what he said,  but

all of a sudden, we were working together. We didn't know what we

were doing, but we did it anyway.

     Till school was out, anyway. During the summer, very  little

was  done  on my part. The battle was still raging  fury,  but  I

didn't see it. Satan took what little faith I had and wrenched it

between  his  fingers  like play-dough. But for  the  prayers  of

friends  and the Power of the Blood, I wouldn't have  passed  the

test. The faith of a mustard seed...

     In the few discussions Markos and I did have that summer, it

had  already been understood that Mark and John were in.  That  I

recall, we never talked about it; they had already been chosen.

     School  started, and dreams of the future arose again.  John

and  Mark  were  told  of  our  aspirations  and  were  in  total

agreement. But that's all that happened for a while. Satan  began

to put doubt in my mind, but not for very long.

     That's  when  Sam came in. He came out of nowhere;  I  don't

even  remember  meeting him. But, as we were  talking  about  the

group, Markos told me about Sam, and that's all that was said.

     Excitement  grew; we had grown from two to five without  any

effort  on our part. In the middle of September, God told  us  to

get busy.

     We made copies of a song written by Acappella called "He Gave

Her Water." I didn't see the significance of that being our first

..11/9/89
song  for  some time. That one was easy, so we started  to  learn

some others. Within two weeks, we knew four songs total.

     We had "View That Holy City" down well enough to do for  our

debut; the talent show at school on October 13th. That afternoon,

we were helping to set up when we were told we had one minute  to

come up with a name. We had done a lot of prayer and research, so

we  had  a list of names a mile long. We couldn't decide  on  one

mutually before, but that afternoon it wasn't so hard to  choose.

"Revival"--  "`cause  that's  what we want to  do."  Besides,  we

decided  that if we changed our minds later, it's ok. After  that

night, the list of other names disappeared, and a name change was

never even mentioned.

     That night, we went back stage, sat down on the stairs,  and

prayed until words were none. We prayed that we could show Christ

to a world of dying people; we were blessed that night. When  the

time  came for us to sing, we walked onto the stage  and  relayed

the words the best we could, filled to the brim with the  Spirit;

we won the talent show. We were asked to go back up, as a  matter

of  fact. But I was convicted for my actions later.  Actually,  I

was convicted for my lack of action. We didn't go back and  thank

the  Master;  that's a mistake that we learned  from.  Though  we

didn't  receive any physical punishment, we did feel a  touch  of

His wrath.

     One  day,  John  and  Markos met a  couple  that  were  very

musically  involved. When told about our group, they asked us  to

come  sing for their little choir that meets at their  house;  it

was  this  couple that really helped us get started.  On  October

24th,  they  asked  us  to come back and  let  them  help  us  on

microphones,  which we desperately needed. That night, they  gave

us  the  sheet  music  to our fifth  Acappella  song,  "John  the

Revelator."

     On  the 27th of that same month, we sang for a  small  Bible

study  group  which  Markos goes to. There were  only  about  ten

people,  but  it was still exciting. We sang our two  best  group

songs,  "He  Gave Her Water" and "View That Holy City,"  then  we

split to trios to sing "When I Say Farewell" and "Create In  Me."

That night, we learned another song in about thirty minutes, "For

The Lost."

     It was pretty evident that God had moved us, but then things

slowed down again. On November 5th, we sang at the Central  Texas

Gospel Convention, featuring the Florida Boys. Again, we  prayed

like  mad before we sang. When we were introduced,  the  audience

clapped,  but they didn't look to enthusiastic. John said  a  few

words, gave us the pitch, and we began to sing. Almost instantly,

the  crowd came alive. We sang our new song, "For The Lost,"  and

then  we began to walk off stage. We didn't even make it  to  the

door  when they called us back on stage. We blushed and sang  "He

Gave Her Water." At that, the audience was on their feet. Out  of

that audience, we received four requests to sing at churches, and

two  requests  for newspaper interviews. We also  were  the  only

group  to receive complements from the Florida Boys that day.  We

received  so  many  complements  that I  had  to  repent  for  my

attitude and pray for humility.

     When we got through thanking God afterwards, we left to  get

ready  to  sing that night. We had been asked a couple  of  weeks

earlier to sing at John and my church, so that night, the five of

us sat up with the choir until our time to sing. We had to "speed

pray" as we were walking out because we hadn't had time before.

     After  we  sang, I felt as though we were  accepted,  but  I

didn't  feel the Spirit move like He did earlier. But  the  Youth

Minister apparently did; he asked us to sing a concert at one  of

the  largest  disciple camps in Austin. As of  yet,  we're  still

praying.

     Around  the 7th, my friend began to say that the battle  was

coming to an end. "The oppression is so great at this school;  God

is about to do something. My friend and I have been praying for a

revival at this school." It was then that I began to realize  how

God  was working in our lives. Our school, our town,  our  world,

have  to  be  revived before it's too late. My  friend  had  been

praying  for a "Revival"; it is our job, as Christians, to  "give

the water" to those who thirst. This was the sign that proved  to

me that "Revival" is of God.

     A few days later, we received a card from Markos' mother. On

the front of the envelope was written:

                            "Revival"

            "At that time Michael, the great prince  who

            protects your people, will arise. There will

            be  a  time  of distress  such  as  has  not

            happened from the beginning of nations until

            then.  But  at  that  time  your  people   -

            everyone whose name is found written in  the

            book  -  will be delivered.  Multitudes  who

            sleep  in the dust of the earth will  awake:

            some  to everlasting life, others  to  shame

            and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise

            will  shine  like  the  brightness  of   the

            heavens,   and  those  who  lead   many   to

            righteousness,  like the stars  forever  and

            ever."                       - Daniel 12:1-3


     That  night, I began to think about God's plan, and how  all

the "right" people just came. Sure, we have problems and get into

arguments,  but  God has given us all wisdom, that we  may  work

them out. I began to wonder, how? How can I do anything? I  found

the answer in Judges 6:14-16:


            The Lord turned to him and said," Go in  the

            strength  you  have and save Israel  out  of

            Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

            "But  Lord," Gideon asked," how can  I  save

            Israel? My clan is the weakest in  Manasseh,

            and I am the least in my family."

            The  Lord answered," I will be with you  and

            you  will  strike down  all  the  Medianites

            together."


     That  means that I can't do it alone; "Revival" can't do  it

alone. We, as Christians, are a team, an army. When I think about

how  "Revival"  is being formed, I Corinthians 1:26-31  comes  to

mind:


            "Brothers,  think of what you were when  you

            were first called. Not many of you were wise

            by   human   standards;   not   many    were

            influential;  not many were of noble  birth.

            But  God  chose the foolish  things  of  the

            world to shame the wise; God chose the  weak

            things   of   the   world   to   shame   the

            strong...therefore,  as it is written:  "Let

            him who boasts boast in the Lord.'"

     There  is  nothing short of God's power that  can  stop  the

"revival" that is about to begin. As our theme verse asks:

            "Will You not revive us again,

                 That Your people may rejoice in You?"

                              - Psalms 85:6

     Our  message  is that God loves you so much  that  since  He

can't raise you up against your will, He lowered His  omnipresent

being  into  the chains of flesh, His  omnipotent  knowledge  was

exchanged  for our weak, limited minds; all for one purpose -  to

DIE, that you might live. He went through Hell so you don't  have

to.  That  is  love. That is power. That  is  Jesus  Christ,  our

Redeemer.

     "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words  may

be  given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery  of

the  gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that  I

may declare it fearlessly, as I should."  - Ephesians 6:19-20



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