False revivals often place their major emphasis on miracles. Genuine revivals focus on ministry. False revivals emphasize spectacular signs and wonders; genuine revivals recognize that the greatest miracle is a changed life. The healing miracles of Jesus testified to the fact that He was the Messiah. As our compassionate Redeemer, the Savior was concerned with … Continue reading –>
One of the challenges of true revival is breaking through the icy surface of cold formalism, while at the same time avoiding the fiery flames of fanaticism. Formalism is rigidly locked in the status quo. It is satisfied with the external husks of religion while it denies the living reality of faith. Fanaticism tends to … Continue reading –>
Revival is all about knowing Jesus. It is a reawakening of the spiritual faculties of the soul. It is a personal and vital experience with the Savior. Knowing Jesus-really knowing Him as a friend-is the essence of all revival. From the depth of his personal experience with Jesus, the apostle Paul shared that he is … Continue reading –>
All true spirituality is focused on knowing God and doing His will (John 17:3, Heb. 10:7). Any so-called “revival” that focuses on experience rather than commitment to obey God’s Word misses the mark completely. The Holy Spirit will never lead us where God’s Word does not. The Holy Spirit leads us into the Word (2 Tim. 3:15-16). The … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: John 17:3; 1 John 2:3-6; Matt. 23:27-28; 2 Thess. 2:9-12; 1 Cor. 12:4-7. Memory Text: “Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness. The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalm 119:159-160, NKJV). Early in my ministry I studied with … Continue reading –>
“In these first disciples was presented marked diversity. They were to be the world’s teachers, and they represented widely varied types of character. In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these men, differing in natural characteristics and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, … Continue reading –>
Irunga stepped outside the mud hut that was her father’s home. She had hoped that he would understand that becoming a Christian didn’t mean she was rejecting her family’s traditions. She loved her family, but now God was more important. Irunga is a Herero, a tribal people living in northern Namibia. She grew up watching … Continue reading –>
The closer we come to Jesus, the closer we come to one another. We see with new spiritual eyesight. The Spirit of Christ enables us to view one another differently. The little things that once bothered us are reframed by the grace of Christ. Cherished hostilities are relinquished in the light of His magnificent grace. … Continue reading –>
The New Testament reveals that the early church had a definite organizational structure. This structure helped to preserve the doctrinal purity of the church and keep it focused on mission. In Acts 6, a small group of disciples met together to solve the problem of the distribution of food to the widows of the Greek converts. … Continue reading –>
The unity experienced by the New Testament believers was based on far more than emotional warmth between members. Read Acts 1:8, 4:33, 5:42, 9:31, and 28:28-31. What was the all-consuming passion of the New Testament church? How did this passion unite them? The disciples were consumed with something much larger than themselves. Christ’s commission to take the gospel to the … Continue reading –>
