How to Get Revival - Part 2 — Erlo Stegen

Surrendering One’s Life to God

The one who wants to save his life will lose it. I eventually said, Lord, you must understand, if you expect me to live that kind of life, it will be the end of me, I will die. He did not feel sorry for me, he rubbed in more salt by saying, do you not hear?

He who wants to save his life will lose it. Only he who loses his life will find it. I received another blow. You will reap what you sow. On top of that, the Lord still added, whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

Well, eventually I was in such a state that one of the Christians heard some people who saw me standing say, is that a tramp? He does look like a drunkard. Even the people who I'm looked down upon now look down on me.

That is how God dealt with me. I think that you now understand when I say it was like a mill with a huge millstone inside. I'd say, oh God, I cannot. It goes against my grain, against my feelings, against my whole being, against everything in me, that I could only fall on my knees and say, Lord, don't go according to my feelings, neither according to what my parents taught me.

I want to learn to know you. Teach me, Lord. I say, yes, Lord. Write it in your book that I say, yes. Let your will be done in my life. Not what I say, but what you say. Then one day it was as if I saw three different groups of people.

The Three Spiritual Conditions of Believers

There were three different standards or levels. On the ground there was a big crowd of people. In the middle not even half as many and only a few people on the top. The people in the middle looked very unhappy.

They had long, sour faces. At the bottom there was a big tumult and a lot of noise. The Lord spoke to me about those who are cold, those who are hot, and those who are lukewarm. I was in the middle, not a raw heathen, but also not on fire, not red hot for the Lord.

I could only throw myself, weeping on the bed and cry, Lord, let your fire burn in my heart. Friends, God's ways are not ours. I had to learn to follow God and not want Him to follow me. I would pray, Lord, please work amongst us through your Spirit.

Letting God Work According to His Will

But then there would be the fear, what if there is disorder? Today I am ashamed of it. There is disorder if God is not in our midst. So I pray, Lord, work, but not like that, and not with tongues. Do it according to our tradition and the way we are used to.

But the Lord taught me, if I come, I work according to my will, not according to your will. You cannot dictate to me how I must do things. You must bow and accept what I do. I haven't got time to tell you all about revival.

I'm just touching on a few points, just touching on the hem of the garment. But may this be enough for us tonight, that we are conscious of the fact that our only hope is that God comes down, that God moves, and that God works.

May each one of us be willing to go through with God and pay the price. Friends, the third point, it is God working in and through us. Dear friends, may your life and your ministry be such that God can work through you.

We are quite a few thousand people around, preachers of the gospel. What couldn't God do through us if we are truly His disciples? But let us ask ourselves, each one individually, do I walk in the footsteps of my Master?

Do I live according to the Bible? Is His word yes and amen to me, or have other things crept into my life? Friends, it is God who works, and He works through us. We are quite a few people here tonight, preachers of the gospel.

What couldn't God do through us if we are truly His disciples? But let us ask ourselves, each one individually, do I walk in the footsteps of my Master? Do I live according to the Bible? Is His word yes and amen to me, or have other things crept into my life?

Revival Begins with Personal Surrender

One thing helped me before the revival broke out. I use this example. I drew a circle around myself, and I said, Lord, start within this circle. I had heard of an American preacher who wanted revival badly, and then heard of another minister who was experiencing revival in his church.

So he told his wife, because we whites tell our wives everything, we are a bit different to other nations. So I told my wife, I'm going to that minister. I want to find the secret. So he left home and travelled thousands of kilometres.

When he got to the minister, he said, Brother, I've come a far way. I have heard that God is working in your congregation. Wouldn't you allow me to stay with you for two weeks? I would like to be present when you preach or pray.

I want to find the secret. In my congregation it is so hard, so difficult. The young people aren't interested. Even the elders and deacons of the church are hard like granite. This man of God said, My friend, you needn't be here for two weeks.

You can go home right now. I will give you the remedy. Go into your office, remove all the furniture from the centre of the office, sit on the floor, take a white crayon and draw a ring around you. When you have closed the circle, say, God come down, send revival and start within this circle.

This man was disgusted and said, My, what does he tell me now? Most probably he felt like Naaman. He was told to go to that dirty river and be dipped seven times into the water. He said, the fault doesn't lie with me, it's the congregation, it's the deacons, the elders, the young people.

We like to point at others. I did the same. But look at my hand. When I point out at a person, three fingers point to me and the thumb points to God as witness that I am three times worse than the man I'm criticising.

We have got to get to the place where we forget about the next person, forget about their nations, forget for a while your wife or your children, the difficulties and take that crayon spiritually, draw a circle around yourself and say, God, please come, come down and work and start right here.

Humility Precedes Congregational Revival

Well, that minister calmed down and humbled himself. When he arrived home, he did what he had been advised to do. He sat on the floor, drew a circle and beseeched the Lord to begin working in his own life.

The following Sunday, when he preached, he saw people weeping under his preaching. After the service, they came in tears and said that their lives were not right with God. They repented and that was the beginning.

The fire of God was ignited in that place. These four walls can't contain the Spirit of God and if God is in your life and God has free swing, there is nothing to stop Him from moving across the borders.

Praying for God to Rend the Heavens and Revive His Church

And now in conclusion, may God grant that the prayer of the prophet Isaiah will be our prayer. Say, God, rent everything that has got to be rent in my life. Come down and work according to your will in a way that is well pleasing to you.

Let each one pray, O God, come, grant us your power that once again we will be a church, a flame and ministers, a flame full of the power of the Holy Spirit being truly your witnesses in Jerusalem right where we are and then in Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

May we then experience what Jesus has said, Lo, I will be with you always that He will be with us in His resurrection power. He has said so. All power is given to me in heaven and on earth and that is the reason why He has commissioned His disciples therefore go to all the world.

Becoming Doers of God’s Word

Let us pray once again. Lord, may we not be only hearers but doers of your word. May this what we have heard be true in our lives and bring forth much fruit that we all may experience that it is not by power but by your Spirit, Lord and that the Holy Spirit is the one who can convict us of our sin of judgment and righteousness and God grant that we will not only be hearers but doers of your word and that we realize it's not by might nor by power but by your Spirit and grant that we won't just be hearers but doers of your word and that the Holy Spirit will be able to convict us of sin.

We pray, Lord, that you you would work now grant that we won't just be hearers but doers of your holy word. Amen.