REVIVAL

REVIVAL    “WORTH CONSIDERING”   7/17/20       From Ken<>< Aloha Family and Friends, this came across my desk this morning and felt well worth sending along.  My prayer is that those of you who are really Christians that you will look up the Bible Verses suggested and spend some time with George on this one.  We are so really in deep need a national revival.   Yours, in HIS great love,   Ken<><   www.Trinity-Aloha.org
WHY NO REVIVALS in THE WEST? – 10 Reasons by George Otis jr.
1. EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS Attention is the building block of intimacy, but many of us are finding our computers and cell phones more irresistible than quality time with God. It is not overt rejection that repels God´s presence, but rather momentary distraction with lesser things…
2. INTERNAL OFFENSES The Western Church has developed an astonishing, and highly unfortunate, tolerance for disunity. Instead of teaching and practicing forgiveness, we have adopted our culture´s penchant for demanding rights and living in a state of perpetual offence. Others have become self-appointed guardians of orthodoxy, criticizing and distancing themselves from those who do notmeasure up. (Isaiah 58:9; Galatians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 12:21-27; Hebrews 12:15)
3. NO SENSE OF COMMUNITY Whereas many of the world´s tribal and clan-based cultures are able to make sense of corporate repentance, the fragmented, individualized West struggles. (Nehemiah 4:14; Acts 2:43-47, 4:32-35)
4. COMFORT ORIENTATION… Oriented toward comfort and convenience, they are glad to receive revival so long as it does not require them to break stride. In their minds, preparations should be pain-free and part-time. (Haggai 1:2-4; Luke 8:14; Philippians 3:18-19; 2 Timothy 4:10)
5. LIMITING THEOLOGY Some Westerners view human preparation for revival as a presumptuous encroachment upon God´s sovereignty. They insist spiritual awakening is the product of arbitrary dictate, meaning that faith does not enter the equation. One can only hope that God might, one day, choose to visit. But where there are no principles to apply, no guidelines to follow, no promises to expect, and no certainty of success, the likely outcome is diminished expectations and lamentable apathy. (2 Chronicles 7:14-15; Hosea 6:3; 2 Corinthians 6:2)
6. ABSENCE OF HOLINESS Although sin is present in all countries and cultures, those living in the Western world are subject to temptations unprecedented in their sophistication, availability, and persistence. Like Achan, we have found ways to hide “devoted things” in our tents. Unlike Achan, our individualized culture makes it more likely these choices will go unchecked – which is why more than half of all U.S. pastors report struggles with pornography. (Joshua 7:11-12; Isaiah 59:2; Psalm 24:3-4, 66:17-19; James 4:8-9)
7. PRAYERLESSNESS Despite the advent of the 24/7 prayer movement, many Western believers maintain only marginal contact with their Heavenly Father. It is a curious neglect that has prompted prayer leader Eddie Smith to say, “Jesus is the only bridegroom I know whose bride will hardly speak to him.” Unfortunately, the very nature of revival precludes it from being welcomed by a prayerless people.  (Isaiah 43:22; Hosea 7:13-14; James 4:2)
8. IGNORANCE OF THE PAST Modern Westerners like to style themselves as “forward-thinking” or “progressive” in outlook. Few possess the slightest understanding of the spiritual continuum they are part of. Fewer still show any interest….
9. RELIANCE ON PROGRAMS For Western Christians beset with lingering doubts about God´s willingness to reveal his thoughts and presence, the way of revival is untested and often delayed. Program planning, on the other hand, offers immediate gratification. The catch is that earnest activity is often substituted for genuine change leaving communities improved, but untransformed. (Jeremiah 17:50; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
10. LACK OF DESPERATION Christian writer Norman Grubb once said: “Until there is a conviction of need, there can never be a desire for change.” For many Westerners, desperation is an unattractive and unnecessary condition. We prefer to view problems as challenges to be conquered rather than emergencies requiring immediate and radical action. Swollen with options and possessed with a false sense of time, we allow incrementalism to supplant urgency. (2 Kings 13:18-19; Ezekiel 9:3-4, 9; Daniel 9:13; Zephaniah 1:12)