On the back of last week’s post (“Your Holy Spirit Is W-A-Y Too Safe“), I want to add an addendum.
In some charismatic circles, much is being made of the recent “outpouring” at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. Now it appears that Rick Joyner’s MorningStar Ministries has brought in Todd Bentley of the infamous Lakeland (Fla.) “revival,” and, of course, we’re getting claims of a fresh wave of glory and outpourings (HT: Bene D). And yes, Mike Bickle of IHOP recently spoke there, bringing it all full circle. (See Bentley’s tweets starting Jan. 6 for the blow-by-blow.)
I’m writing this Sunday evening, Jan. 10, but I want to take us back a couple weeks to Christmas.
When the Messiah was born into the world, the people who got the notification were those on the fringes. Shepherds. Wise men from the East. Not the greater nation of Jews; they missed it.
Should churches see revival in the days ahead, I believe that those touched by genuine moves of the Holy Spirit are going to be those OUTSIDE traditional charismatic church venues. These will be churches where people have been earnestly praying for God to shake them out, churches filled with people most desiring of repentance, not charismata. They will be people who are waiting expectantly for God to manifest Himself in their midst in a way they are not willing to plan, a move that happens on God’s timetable and God’s way. And that move will excite people whose bookshelves are devoid of tomes by Bickle, Joyner, Hagin, Roberts, and so on.
Most of all, I think if such a revival comes, it will be among humble people who can’t point back with pride and say, “Look at all the revivals we helped birth! Look at all the gifts we’ve manifested and how God has used us! Look how doggone charismatic we are.”
In other words, should we have revival break out in churches in the next few years, it’s not going to be among the usual suspects.
*Most of all, I think if such a revival comes, it will be among humble people * — isn’t that where God usually moves, in HIS remnant.
Sulan,
Yes, but it seems the people who are not humble are the ones touting their “revival” most. If anyone claims real revival, the presence of humility will be the best arbiter of its genuineness.
hey – is that prophetic?
Rick,
No, not really. More like spiritual common sense, I think, a lack of which seems to dog the contemporary charismatic movement nearly everywhere it goes. And that makes me sad.
I’ve noticed that when people in the Bible are brought to a place of revival, the words usually heard are “I am not worthy!” not hallelujah.
David,
Once again, spot on. (Though I would say that hallelujah follows shortly afterwards.)
After the coal to the tongue…
You know, Isaiah never mentioned it, but getting a coal touched to his lips must have hurt…I wonder if there is a lesson for us here…”coming clean” is not a pain-free process.
An authentic charismatic movement in this country has been dead since 1997. What we have now is mostly flim-flam, ego-stroking, merchandizing, and the selfish pursuit of ambition.
I was involved in it for a while. But then you realize there are one tooo many elevations of man, and more than one too many Scriptures taken out of context, making promises that God never made — just began to remind me of the Wizard of Oz.
Isn’t this pride really one of the primary reasons for the letters to the Corinthian church? They were “enriched” with revelation and lacked no spiritual gift (1 Cor 1:5-7), but they were quarrelsome and worldly, still susceptible to immorality, prone to making unwise comparisons between ministers and ministries (2 Cor 10:12; 1 Cor. 3:3-4) and disorderly and carnal in the exercise of spiritual gifts.
To this unruly group, Paul said things like this: “Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Cor 4:7) He also warned them that the generation in the wilderness witnessed miracles, the power of God
[I am finishing my truncated comment above]
He also warned them that the generation in the wilderness witnessed miracles, the power of God, etc., “nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them . . . now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did” (1 Cor. 10:5-6). Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.
Revival is not found in these displays of euphoria and kundalini and other falsehoods. The true coming revival is people simply waking up and walking in Love of God and others. It won’t happen at a place or time. It happens as people truly worship in spirt and truth and genuinely respond to God. It is being true to the Loving God and others to the end.
Going after these others, is but more pathways to death. Big party, big show as people drown in death.
Great post mate … great post.