Steps to Personal Revival — Bill McLeod

Steps to Personal Revival — Bill McLeod

Did you know that the kings of Israel were instructed in the law of God. To write to handwrite a copy of the Word of God. Did you know that? Do you know why they were supposed to do it? It says that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren.

Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that exposure to the Word of God. Proper exposure to the Word of God. Will do something to the self problem in my life. My heart will not be lifted up above my brethren.

Renewal as a Biblical Teaching

I've been asked to speak tonight on steps to personal revival or to personal renewal. And that's my subject. I'm not suggesting a text. I would think the first step towards a personal revival or renewal is just for me to see that this is really a biblical teaching.

Because there are many Christians who do not really honestly believe That the concept of renewal in a Christian's life is valid. They say they don't really see it in the Word of God. And I know that many Christians feel this way because some of them have been honest enough to come and tell me how they felt.

Does the Bible really support this? Does the Bible really teach it? Well, my answer is yes. Now I'm going to give you two New Testament examples and we'll move on to something else. First of all in Romans chapter 12 a portion of scripture that most Christians know very very well.

I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God and to understand that phrase you have to go back into chapter 11. Where Paul tells us how God has had mercy on the Gentiles and non-jewish world now.

Through the gospel and that's the mercy of God because for hundreds of years the Word of God was confined almost exclusively to one nation, but that's being changed. I Beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice and The next word is the word holy which tells me I have to deal with my sin.

When I present my body to my God. Acceptable unto God. Which is your reasonable or as one translation? I think says your spiritual service and then notice this and Do not be conformed to this world. There are powerful pressures at work to make the Christian conform to the devil's world system.

He says be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind and There is a renewing of the mind that results in a Transformation of the Christian because remember Paul of course is addressing believers here.

And he's telling there's a transformation. That's possible by a renewing of your mind. Now I think it's impossible to deny them that here in Romans chapter 12. We have clear biblical teaching concerning necessity and need and possibility of renewal.

Timothy and the Rekindling of Spiritual Gift

Personal revival. Personal renewal. Second forcedness scripture. 2nd Timothy chapter 1 you may remember that in 1st Timothy 1 5 the Word of God says the goal of our instruction or the end of the Commandment is love of the pure heart and a good conscience and a genuine faith.

Now Paul picks part of this up in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 and he tells Timothy this preacher to whom he's writing. He says Timothy. I'm persuaded that you've got a genuine faith like your mother had like your grandmother had.

But Timothy there's something wrong in your life. I Don't know where Paul got this information that he sensed it in his spirit and somebody told him that Timothy had cooled off. Did God reveal this to Paul directly?

We don't really know. But there's no doubt at all the power wrote 2nd Timothy to Timothy and began By urging Timothy to seek a personal renewal. He said Well in verse 9 be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me his prisoners but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God and There's a hint there that Timothy Was becoming somewhat ashamed of the gospel and of his association with Paul Who is perhaps the least popular person in the entire Roman Empire and so he says to this young preacher?

Stir up the gift of God. Which is in you? By the putting on of my hand. What is this gift of God. The next verse tells us it's the Holy Spirit God has not given us he says for God has not given us a spirit of fear.

But of power and of love and of a sound or a disciplined mind. Stir up the gift of God. Timothy a preacher. One translation says rekindle the fire. Another translation says Stir in the flame. I Was preaching down in Argentina my interpreter said.

In our Bible in the Spanish Bible, it says Revive the gift of God. I Was interested to discover that Revive the gift of God Timothy the Holy Spirit living in your heart. It's not a spirit of fear, but a power of love and of a disciplined mind.

But something had happened in Timothy's life and he needed this appeal for personal revival or renewal. And I think this along with the other scripts we gave and others we might adduce Gives a strong biblical basis for the doctrine of renewal.

Call it what you want to call it. I remember being so blessed. I think was a year ago that Ralph or Lou Suggested to me I read or I listened to that tape by Jack Hiles. I think the title was Anointed with fresh oil from the text in the Psalms.

I shall be anointed with fresh oil. I Was wonderfully moved as I as I listened to that tape. Some of you have heard it most of you probably have not. But very briefly he tells I was a preacher in Texas and nothing was going on.

Nobody ever got converted nothing ever happened in the church and his father who was an alcoholic used to attend the church and Jack said the only preacher that his father ever heard was himself and. Then one day his father dropped dead unconverted and Jack house became so concerned about his own lack of spiritual power.

Here's what he did. He went to his father's grave and he threw himself across his father's grave and he told God. He said God, I'll not leave this place to eat to drink or do anything until you give me power to preach the gospel.

And I believe it was three days or so later that God touched his life. He went from that place preached the gospel. 18 people were converted in the first meeting. Now Jack house didn't try to put a name on it.

He said call it what you want to call it. I simply say that God anointed me with fresh oil. It was a renewal. Then it tells how many times in his life subsequent to that initial experience the same thing has happened again.

Moody is to say remember that we are leaky vessels and we need to stay under the fountain all the time. So here's Paul saying to a preacher preacher Timothy. You need a renewal stir up rekindle. Revive the gift of God that is in you.

Turning to God for Personal Revival

I often think we think too much a church revival and not enough of personal revival and Even if we happen to think of personal revival, we don't think in terms of me really having anything to do with it.

We say well, that's all in the hands of God. That's not the way the Bible presents it think of Proverbs 1 23 God said you turn at my reproof behold. I will pour out my spirit unto you. I'll make known my words unto you and that's personal revival if God pours out his spirit on me.

That will result certainly in a personal revival, but God doesn't do that until I turn when God reproves me. I think of something here that Billy Sunday once said you may have heard it. People used to accuse them of preaching too hard and they said, you know, Billy you preach too hard and you rub the fur the wrong Way, he said I don't just let the cats turn around.

Well, you know really that's Proverbs 1 23 God says you turn and if you turn when I reprove you from my word. When I pour off my spirit on your life and my word will come alive in your heart. Oh, listen, how often Christians say the Bible really doesn't do anything for me.

I read it. I fall asleep really I get nothing out of it. I don't understand it. It doesn't speak to my heart. What's wrong? I Don't know how often Christians have said that to me when they got honest.

And I don't doubt in this crowd tonight. There are many people that would have to say if they were honest that that's their own experience. The Word of God does nothing for them. If that's so then you need a renewal you need a revival in your heart and If you turn to God when God reproves you through his word, then God has promised he'll pour out his spirit unto you and You'll make known his word unto you.

Stir up. Revive the gift of God. I can't revive myself. That's not what he's saying. But I can work with the agent of revival. Remember in that song that Edwin Orr wrote Oh Holy Ghost revival comes from thee and the Spirit of God be the agent of revival lives in every Christians heart.

So if I want a renewal then the Holy Spirit wants that renewal and as we work together. It won't happen in your life it'll happen in mine. So I would think the first step to a genuine renewal is just to realize this is a biblical doctrine.

It's taught in the Word of God. I Would think then the second step to renewal would be this that I see my personal need of renewal. Do you see that in your life? I Remember hearing a schoolteacher say one time on an afterglow meeting I Sing the song he said my Jesus, I love thee.

I know thou art mine, but I don't guess I love him because I never talk about him. Would you people pray for me and We prayed with him and he was counseled with and God touched his life. He sat down and another schoolteacher got up and said I'm a schoolteacher also like this other man.

He said and my life's exactly the same as his. I guess I don't love Jesus because I never talk about him to other people. Would you pray for me and his wife shot up beside him and she said and I'm just like my husband.

Would you pray for me? Are you like that? Have you ever witnessed to your unconverted neighbor? Do you have a concern for unconverted people with whom you work. A Concern that leads you to pray for them a concern that leads you to share Christ with them when opportunities present themselves.

Renewal, Gospel Witness, and the Global Mission

If you do not have this burden in your heart. Then you certainly definitely need a personal renewal because in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 this was all connected. Remember be not out there for a shame of the testimony of our Lord nor of me as prisoner.

But be thou partakers partners in partakers of the afflictions of the gospel and you can never do away with that. There are afflictions connected with the preaching of the gospel and we have to become partakers.

Partners in those afflictions if we're ever going to amount to anything for the glory of God. Partakers of the afflictions of the gospel. According to the power of God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works.

But according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began a well-known Christian author. Some while ago he and his wife got concerned they had so many unconverted relatives.

So here's what they did. They made a list and it came up with a list. I think was 38 names of close relatives who are not Christians. What can we do? They decided they would pray Believingly for each of those people every day and when they could they would present the gospel to them.

Six years later 27 of them were Christians. Bernard Palmer is the man I'm talking about now, that's very interesting. Supposing they hadn't bothered. What would have happened? I Very much doubt that 27 of them would have been converted six years later.

Somebody has to have a burden. You share God's burden for the world or is your world the United States or Canada or maybe North America? Or maybe South America. What is your burden? God's is the world.

There are people in many countries of the world today that are hanging on to life by the skin of their teeth. They've never heard the story of Jesus Christ and there may be never hear it until the Church of God is revived.

That is until you and I are renewed in our spirit by the power of God's Spirit and we begin to share and the circles of blessing begin to move out. Three percent of the Indian nation 640 million people three percent only profess the Christian faith and that includes Catholic Protestant.

Everything and there are no dot scores of millions of people in that land that have never ever heard the gospel of Jesus Christ after 1900 years of the church on earth. Are you concerned ever awakened in the middle of the night with a burden on your heart for China a country?

They say there's probably 1 billion Chinese in the world, including those outside of China. Ever have a burden for those people. Never waken up in the middle of the night. The tears coursing down your cheeks and your heart deeply deeply burdened for China.

Maybe for Russia. If you do not have experiences of this kind, you probably need a revival in your heart. Because revival has to do with a program of God and God's program has to do with the entire world.

Jesus Christ said in the gospel of Luke. They shall come from the east the west and north and the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. So a lot of Christians, you know, God is just a cozy thought the gospel is just a fire escape out of hell.

Jesus Christ is just a name in a book. It's like a dream and There's no reality there and Sad to say. Like the chairman of a certain evangelical church said one time told me about it after God straightened out his life a Month before we began the meetings.

He said to his wife. I'm carnal and I know it and I enjoy it and I'm not changing. Well by the grace of God he did change. But there are thousands of Christians that don't change don't want to change their carnal.

They may be knowledge. But they enjoy it and they have no intention of changing. And while here in North America We dollar ourselves to death. Do you realize there's over 2 ,000 languages into which no part of the Bible has yet been translated?

How many Bibles do you have in your home? How many translations do we have in English? Is it a hundred and fifty. I heard that figure I think somewhere. And yet there are over 2 ,000 languages that have no part of the Word of God, whatever.

Because we spend our money basically on ourselves. And our interest seemingly runs only about as far as the circumference of our own family or church. People we need heaven to wake us up to see things as God sees them.

Jabez and the Prayer for Renewal

Oh Yes, we need a renewal whether we know it or not. I want to give you an example from the Bible from the Old Testament if you please. Of a man who sought and found a renewal. His name was Jabez. J-a-b-e-z.

His biography not like Joseph's Joseph biography occupies 13 chapters in the Word of God and there are other references to him as well. This man's biography takes exactly two verses in 1st Chronicles verses 9 and 10.

But oh, it's just loaded. The spiritual truth. I Don't want to share it with you for a few moments. It begins by saying Jabez was more honorable than his brethren. That was his character. We'll come back to that in a moment or two.

Then it says his mother called his name Jabez which meant sorrowful because she said I bore him with sorrow. It was a difficult birth when Jabez was born. But as his character developed and he and his mother saw this.

That this son of hers was a better son more concerned about the things of God than her other children were. I'm sure she didn't mind the fact that she had a particularly difficult time with his birth.

Abraham had to wait a hundred years. At least he was a hundred years all before Isaac was born. Do you think he minded? After Isaac was born. When he discovered if he did not know it before that in Isaac shall I see be called.

Then I think of Isaac married to this girl Rebecca and She had twins. Jacob and Esau did not know she was carrying twins and. So she did the right thing when you don't know what's going on asked God she did that she asked God and God said two Nations are in your womb.

Now it says prior to that to the children struggle together within her and Listen when there's a great struggle in the Christians life. There's a double blessing coming. That's the spiritual teaching.

I find in that particular story a Double blessing is on the way. And I'm sure later on when she saw what God did. Well through Jacob not so much through Esau and yet he had a certain place with God as well as the scripture clearly indicates.

I'm sure she forgot all about the times when the children struggled together within her. Then I think of Jacob and Rachel. They were childless and Rachel said to Jacob give me children or else I die and he said oh my god.

She might have said give me children and I will die because that's what finally happened. She died in childbirth. But the child they waited so long for years on end do you remember his name it was Joseph.

Do you think they minded waiting all those years when they saw who Joseph was what God did through him? The clearest picture of Jesus Christ that we have anywhere in the Bible. I would think. Next to the actual historical records of the Savior and who is the child that took her life?

She called him as she was dying, but no not the son of my soul. But her husband called him Benjamin. You think she minded when the centuries rolled by and all of a sudden a man called Saul of Tarsus of the tribe of Benjamin became the greatest apostle and missionary that the world had ever seen.

It was worth dying for Benjamin past Saul of Tarsus later on people we don't know what God is doing. We're children of eternity need to live that way. Hannah had no children. She waited for years and the other wife in the home to Nina.

She had a number of children and her adversary that is Hannah's adversary provoked her soul. And then finally God gave her Samuel. Do you think she minded waiting all those years to have one of the greatest prophets?

What about John and Zach or Zacharias and Elizabeth in Luke's gospel chapter 1? Why they were old and well stick in the years and had no children and God gave them John the Baptist. Do you think they minded waiting all those years to get the kind of child that God gave them?

There may be many difficulties in life. If they're not due to my sin. Maybe I'm really walking with God and the difficulties are bound on every hand. Listen. God is allowing it for your good and mine.

Jabez’s Character and the Call to Genuine Faith

Not to get back to Jabez again. It says that he was more honorable than his brothers. You know, sometimes this may be a sort of a cultural thing in his case. It was not for example in Crete as we find in the book of Titus.

The Apostle Paul said the Cretans are always liars. Evil beasts lazy glutton. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith when Cretans became Christians in those days.

They carried some of these cultural problems along with them. My wife and I were in a certain country one of the missionaries said. People from this country can stand and look you in the eyes and tell you three big lies in a row.

Sometimes even Christians will do it. It was a cultural thing. That does not mean they were not guilty. Rebuke them sharply is the Word of God that they may be sound in the faith. But not so they had the same parents.

I mean Jabez brethren had the same parents as he. He was a better person because he wanted to be for the glory of God. I think is the story unfold. Remember the Bereans they were more noble and those in Thessalonica.

Was that a cultural thing? I don't know. What we find are more open to the Word of God than the people in Thessalonica were. Therefore many of them believe. You know what happened to Jabez people listen.

He got sick and tired of a whole hum hum drum type of Christianity. Trotting off to church every Sunday with a Bible or whatever. Nothing ever happening in the church nothing happening in his own life or family.

He just couldn't live that way. Some Christians are very happy that way and so it says he called on the God of Israel. He wanted something to happen in his life. He didn't want to stay the way that he was.

He wanted life to count. And I have no doubt the Spirit of God have been working in his heart. Maybe making him aware of the brevity of life and the sureness of a fast approaching eternity. Or maybe God has been speaking to him about the glory of God and he could see his life was not glorifying God and so he prayed and His prayer begins thusly.

Heartfelt Prayer and Persistent Seeking

Oh. There's not enough. Oh in our praying I Mean we say our prayers we rattle it off. But there's no heart in it no tears on the floor and Many times after we're through praying we can't even remember what we prayed about.

Not so here I Know there's a thing called conversational praying and I have no particular argument with that. I think there's a big element of truth here. But at the same time If I understand that particular teaching, right, they're overlooking something else in the Word of God.

That's extremely important. They tell us for example You should not use the name of God over and over again when you're praying. Just use the name of God once and he'll be listening. You don't have to call him God twice in one prayer.

If that is true, then why did David in 1st Chronicles 17 in that short prayer of his use the name of God 17 times? Why did Daniel in Daniel chapter 9 In that very short prayer of his why did he use the name of God and Lord 18 times?

Oh God here. Oh Lord hearken. Oh Lord forgive. This is how he was praying. That wasn't some little peanut prayer that was a watermelon prayer. Oh God I can't live this way. God I want to change. I'd rather die than go on this way without power in my life without joy or blessing.

You remember what Paul said? But they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. But that's what goes on in the average evangelical church. We look around and say well, everybody's the same as me.

Is that good? Would you want everybody to be the same as you are? In most cases, I think the answer would have to be no. Don't measure yourself by somebody else measure yourself by the Word of God. I think with Sam Jones that used to say he was a famous Southern Methodist evangelist.

He said when a Christian wants to justify living at a low level. He finds a Christian that's colder than himself lays him on the floor lays alongside says hey you guys look I'm just as tall as he is. That's what we do.

Prayer for Spiritual Strength and Blessing

I Remember the Word of God has something to say about it. Oh God oh. That's vow. We might say if God doesn't do it. It'll never happen. Remember Paul's prayer in Ephesians chapter 3 14 to the end for this cause I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole family in heaven and earth his name that he Would grant you.

God has to do it to be strengthened with power by his spirit in the inner man. Isn't that a prayer for revival? I think it is. If I am empowered or strengthened by the power of the Spirit in the inner man certain that some kind of a renewal.

And Paul was praying for that. Ephesians chapter 3. All that thou Would have blessed me. Is it wrong to pray for personal blessing? Not if you're stumbling and falling. Not if you have no victory over sin.

For work, but the wisdom that is from above you have it the wisdom that is from above us was pure then peaceable. Gentle easy to be entreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality without hypocrisy and the fruit of righteousness.

Is so in peace of them that make peace. Do you have that kind of peace in your soul? It isn't wrong to pray for God to bless me if my life isn't right. After all why is this story in the scripture, whatever things were written a four-time Paul said we're looking for our learning.

What did we learn from the story of Jesus? We learned in one thing among other things. It's right to pray for myself when my life is not right when Simon the Sorcerer you know asked. To have this gift offered money to get the gift of the Holy Ghost so that on whomsoever He laid hands others might receive the Spirit.

What did Peter say your money pairs with you? To destruction you and your money. I think one translation says then he asked for prayer. But Peter said to him pray to the Lord. Pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven.

There's times people when we need to pray for ourselves. Oh God that you'd bless me. You know what the next word is. It's that word indeed. And God is trying to lead us Christian people to that place.

Where we have this kind of burden in our soul, I can't live this way any longer. I Must have a vital walk with God. I Must have strength enough to lead other people to Jesus Christ. I Must have the reality of Jesus Christ in my life.

The Word of God must live to my soul. Prayer must be meaningful. I Can't go on this way. God I'd rather die. Bless me indeed ever notice in Genesis chapter 32 the story of Jacob a Jabbok. When he heard that Esau was coming with 400 armed men Jacob got a phrase he could see that the following day he might lose his life and.

So he was at one of us at a place called in one of the Psalms with ten corners. Then are they at their wits end. The Hebrew language says all their wisdom is swallowed up. They don't have another trick in the bag.

They have nowhere else to go. They've got nothing else to try if God doesn't come through their song and that happened to Jacob. First of all, they prayed a little prayer standing on the promises Lord.

You made promises to Abraham and Isaac our fathers and he prayed on you know standing on the promises. Didn't do anything for him. After he finished that little purse standing in the promises. He was just as shaky afterwards as he was before.

He tried to appease his brother by sending presents ahead. He tried three or four strategies not one satisfied his heart. And finally it says he ran out of ideas. Jacob was left alone. He didn't have another idea.

He didn't have another dollar in the bank. He didn't know what to do. So he began to pray and he never prayed like this in his life. He wrestled with an angel of God for the whole night and even when the angel of God touched his thigh and his hip was out of joy and The angel said let me go because the day is breaking as if God was not interested just as if God wasn't going to answer.

He said Jacob said I will not let you go except you bless me. It's like a Siamese woman when she said have mercy my daughter has a demon. Jesus answered her not a word. She kept on crying. The disciple said it's embarrassing.

Send her away. And Jesus Christ said it isn't right to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. Isn't that a no? No, not really. It's just a trial of faith and She said truth Lord. Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters table.

And Jesus Christ that old woman. Great is your faith be it unto you even as you will. And her daughter was healed in that exact hour. Jacob wrestled with that angel of God all night long. And it comes to a point of absolute desperation.

God bless me. I won't let you go until you bless me. You can call that what you want to. It's biblical. And we need to come to the end of our own resources and sometimes God orders things in our life so we get to that place and Then we look up.

No Way Off but Up

I Remember I led a man to the Lord one time. I said, what's the problem? He was sitting on the floor. The night before he decided to take his life. So he got his dear gun. Went up on the attic of his house intending to blow his brains out and found himself sleeping in bed the next morning to this Day, he doesn't know what happened.

He's a full-time Christian worker today. But when I talked to him said what's the problem? He said the problem is this that there's no way off but up. And I had the joy of leading him to Christ but that happens also in Christians lives.

No way off but up. No way, but God's way left the way of the Lord is strength to the upright. Did you know that walking in God's will give you power. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright? But destruction to the workers of iniquity they can't walk in God's way.

We Christians may. We should and so then the angel said to Jacob Jacob You know meant that word meant supplanter or deceiver. That's the kind of character being a real right scheming Christian. Oh, he knew how to make money.

He made it I guess by the thousands. Ran up against a fellow called Laban that was trickier than he. And they had a battle of wits for maybe 20 years. But that night none of this helped him. The angel said your name is no more Jacob, it'll be called Israel and that word means Prince of God.

He said as the Prince you have power with God and with men you've prevailed and next day when Esau saw Jacob his heart melted the murder went out of his soul and he ran to meet him and fell on his neck and kissed him because the power Of God touched his life.

Influence, Security, and Sanctification

What a beautiful story. Oh God that you'd bless me indeed. And enlarge my coast. Did he want more property more money. No, he wanted more influences people as in 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 where Paul said What is our hope?

What is our joy? What is our crown of rejoicing. Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? You all are glory and joy. Invest your life in people because people listen people are forever and Things are only for a very very short time.

And a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses. But in a true and genuine walk of God Enlarge my coastal God. I want to have more influence with other people. God's interest in that kind of a prayer and Enlarge my coast and that your hand might be with me.

That can speak of a number of things can speak of security if you're worried about that. In John chapter 10 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life.

And they shall never perish neither. So any man plucked him out of my hand. My father who gave to me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one.

All right, security. Let's go on from there. I Won God said Sanctification. I will turn my hand upon you and purely purge away your dross and take away all your kids. God is able to purge out of your life and my life those areas of sin and self that are wrong.

God can do it. God is just waiting to do it waiting for your yes to his will and word and. And they speak a blessing in service the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believe and turn unto the Lord.