Why Revival Tarries - Part 2 — Henry Blackaby

Church and he adds to that body as it pleases him. How then should I consider my relationship to those. He adds they're his and it is his will that I should lose none. And so that became an absolute in my ministry.

And after 30 years of pastoring my wife and I went back in our mind we sat through an evening and began to review of the three major churches that I pastored two in California and one in Saskatoon. Could we remember apart from those who moved out of the city and moved to another plate.

Could we remember anybody that we had lost. And we could not remember one person that we lost from our churches. You know why revival care lingers and Terry's. We don't care for the people of God. We're like shepherds who let the sheep wander on the mountain at the disposal of the enemy.

And we do not seek them out and save them. And God condemns the shepherds who will not go after his sheep or feed his sheep. You need to understand God condemns the shepherd who will not have a shepherd's heart.

Don't ask God to bring revival to your church. If you are not with a shepherd's heart over the people he gives he won't entrust you with others if you're not faithful with the ones he's given you. And so in that enormous passage of Ezekiel he said I will seek out and save my own which you are not seeking out and say I will find them.

So I look back on my ministry to see if God had granted me the grace to know how to guide the people of God so that we would not lose one that belongs to him. They're his. And he says I will ask the shepherds to give an account for every solitary one I added to them.

And at the end of those 30 years I could not remember nor could Marilyn one person that we had lost in 30 years. Many people say that's astounding. And I say no that's biblical. That's what God intended in the first place.

Jesus' Model of Keeping Those Entrusted to Him

And so John says concerning Jesus he came to his own. And here in the 17th chapter of John you're going to see how Jesus related to the ones the Father gave him. And so we continue for these moments. While I was with them in the world I kept them in your name folks that became an absolute for me as a pastor.

While I was with the ones God entrusted to me I kept them in his name that is in his full character. I immersed them with God's enabling in the character and the nature and the activity and the purposes and the ways of God.

When the people of God are immersed in the relationship to God you don't lose them. They wouldn't think of leaving that kind of relationship. But you have to teach them and you have to guide them. Are there some sheep who tend to wander.

What do you do. You find a way to find them and keep them and don't let them wander. You don't just say well you're going to have to lose some that never crossed my mind. I never said what the culture says.

You're going to lose some. I said not me. God being my helper I will do what the heart of God says to do. It is my will that of all I give you you should lose none now. How then did he to those whom the father had entrusted to him.

Pastoral Care That Restores Joy

Look at verse 13 and following. But now I come to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. That also became an absolute for me. I could always tell when one of the believers was struggling he had lost his joy because Jesus said the reason I'm giving you what I'm giving you is that my joy might be in you and your joy might be full.

So how would you know if one of God's people under your watch care was moving away from him. They lose the joy. And it may relate to what's happening in their marriage or their family. But God has a solution for our marriages and God has a tremendous guidance for how we guide our children.

God has given us everything we need to shepherd the people of God. And so he says here father the reason I'm sharing what I'm sharing is that my joy may be fulfilled in them. I have given them your word.

Living in the World Without Belonging to It

The world is hated them because they're not of the world just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world but that you should keep them from the evil one. They're not of the world just as I am not of the world.

Is that true about the CEOs who are in your church. Do you know that most of the people in your church spend most of the week in the in the secular business world. Do you prepare them as they go out into corporate America.

They're not of that world. But he says I don't pray you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one in the midst of the world. Are you preparing God's people to be dramatically in the world but not of the world and to be the light in the midst of darkness and salt where it's decaying.

Are you helping them to understand how to live out in the real world in such a way that the enemy does not have a hold on them. But they are defeating him. Now the reason why revival Terry's is we're not giving any attention to the people of God.

Preparing God's People for Revival and Witness

Jesus did and Pentecost came his people were ready. And I believe revival Terry's because we are not paying attention to the people of God. Jesus said I don't pray. I pray for these. I don't pray for the world.

And then he goes on to say to the father what he asked the father to do. And you'll catch it here. And it's incredible he says sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. Let me stop there for a moment.

Are you carefully guiding God's people to both hear understand believe and practice the Word of God. For instance I often.