During the time of the rule of Oliver Cromwell over the British empire, there was a financial crisis. The government had very little silver. Cromwell sent his officials to look for silver. They reported back to him the only place silver was found was in the churches. The statues of the saints were made of silver. To their report Cromwell replied, 'melt down the saints"! Our churches need to experience a "holy melt down"! We must experience real revival if the church is to make an impact in our gospel hardened and God rejecting culture. We must confess to the Lord that something is missing. He already knows, but He desires for us to confess the sin and repent of our complacency. The first step to spiritual renewal is the awareness we are not right. In Revelation 2:1-7, the Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Body, rebukes the Ephesians. He calls back to "first love". He then commands the fellowship to do three actions(verse5). First, the CALL TO REMEMBER. The Ephesians had not lost their passion for Christ but left it! They loved the Lord but not with the same fervency of the early days of their salvation. we, too, if we are to experience revival, must reflect upon our walk. Do you and I have a burning passion for the Lord Jesus? I am really excited about His word, His work, and His witness through us? Have we lost the joy of our salvation? All of us need to experience a reviving work of the Holy Spirit because it is impossible to walk in victory over them the Devil, the temptation of the world, the battle with our sinful nature, and the fatigue of our circumstances without it! Many of us have fallen to a lower dimension of living! Second, the CALL TO REPENT. The Lord Jesus said it is sinful to love Him with less than "first love". This is not the opinion of the pastor, the leaders of denominations, or movers and shakers in the Christian culture. This is the diagnosis of the Great Physician and Lord of the church! Here is a sin most all Christians can commit and not worry about being "churched". It is very seldom a message or even mentioned in a message. There is a lot of talk about God's love for us, but there is very little mentioned about love for Him. Read Matthew 10:34-39 again. Don't water it down. He assumes the position of first priority! We must confess and repent of our gross sin. Because we are so prone to excuse our attitudes and actions, the Holy Spirit is the only one who can bring us to brokenness! When was the last time someone repented in your church for not loving Jesus with" first love"? When were the alters packed full with broken hearted people overflowing in tears because of conviction produced the Spirit? Revival will never come without a return of conviction and repentance within the churches, and that will not occur without preaching the rest of the story! Third, The CALL TO RETURN. Repentance is not genuine unless it is a change in both attitude and action. Christ calls for the fellowship "to do first works". They were already active in service, but Christ calls for them to walk with a passion for Him. They were to have a consuming passion to glorify Him and to fellowship with Him! Let me ask you, how is your prayer and bible study time? How often do you witness for Christ? When did you last chose to do something sacrificial just because you loved Him? Do you praise the Lord outside of church? He calls all Christians into a deep and vibrant personal fellowship with Himself through the presence of the ever-present Holy Spirit! Christianity is not a religion, regiment, or a routine. Christianity is a personal relationship with the Living Lord Jesus who has saved us! This why we need revival! It is impossible to stay in close commune with the Lord without it. We are not historical reenactors meeting occasionally to portray something long ago in history! We are participants in the on going Story! Jesus Christ lives today and He makes a difference today! When the flames of revival are fanned, the church will fall in love with Jesus again and then the world will see the power of God! WE NEED A "HOLY MELTDOWN"!
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Doug MillerEvangelist Archives
May 2021
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