Revival Forum 89 - Part 7 — Leonard Ravenhill

The Thermostat of God-Controlled Living

For instance this, the thermometer outside goes up and down with the changing of the world. The thermostat taps into some power and it doesn't say, it doesn't say I'm going to go up and down, I'm going to, I'm going to control the atmosphere.

The atmosphere doesn't control me, I control the atmosphere. Well listen, either the world, the flesh and the devil control you or God, the Holy Ghost controls you. We don't go up and down, we're God-controlled, we're God-inspired, we're God-energized, we're not serving a denomination, we're serving the living God.

Accountability Before the Judgment Seat

And brethren listen, every one of us here this morning, we're on probation, we're cramming for our finals. I'll tell you a thought on the judgment seat when I preach on Paul that absolutely floored me when a brother wrote it to me recently.

But you see, you start preaching. Every time you make this sermon, put your notes down or whatever you have and say, Lord I'm just going to preach this in the light of the judgment and I answer for every word before a billion or 50 billion people have to answer for this message.

Prayerful Stewardship of Time and Entertainment

Keep a record of your prayer life and at the end of the week say, Lord this is it. If you can't control your TV, every time you go to the TV put a chair at the side and invite the Lord to sit there and you make a note of how many minutes you spend, how many hours, and at the end of the week keep a list on your praying and see how much time.

I know the football season coming and all the other crazy things. Do you know what? I've, in my mind, entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord, the less entertainment you need.

Holiness, Zeal, and the Cost of Discipleship

When you can say, thou O Christ art all I want. But listen, be careful, he may strip you of everything else you have. You may lose some of your best friends that think you're fanatical. They don't mind you being kind and good, but you become holy and zealous and immediately.

Have you got friends think you're crazy? Good, well I've got some too, maybe they're the same friends. If you were to recommend.

Books for Revivalist Ministers

To these young revivalists and pastors two books that they were to read within the next year that would make the greatest contribution to their ministry, what would they be?

Well, I guess some of you could guess. Number one would be The Christian Incomplete Armor by Gurmul, G-U-R-N-A-L-L. It's 1130 pages. Wilkerson told me it turned his life around. There's another book called, what's it in?

Looking Unto Jesus, that's a secret. The whole Christian life is in three words in Hebrews 12 .2. Looking Unto Jesus, it's written by Isaac Ambrose, in the same bracket, 16. Have you got that too? Good, and then the other I would, a paperback which is published by Band of Truth called Fair Sunshine, talking about these young martyr preachers.

I had a fellow in my office the other day, he's just upgraded the ten volumes of Philly. You'll find them, Phinney Parker's, Bethany's done them. He's taken every book that Phinney had and he hasn't done any drastic surgery on them, he's just chatted some vocabulary, made it easier.

But there are ten volumes, there are two more still to come, and they're very, very precious. And then the other I would, a paperback, it's called The Soul of Prayer, it's by P .T. Forsythe. There's one phrase in that book which is worth the book, and he says, you say, you have to pray to maintain your Christian life.

Revival Through Humiliation, Brokenness, and Purity

He says, you have to maintain your Christian life to pray. And that makes all the difference. Revival is based on Psalm 24. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Either our clean hands, our relationship with the world, and a pure heart, our relationship with God.

And it's as simple as that. And then it's humiliation, and brokenness, and tears, and fasting. And be willing to be considered, even by spiritual people. Do you think that Hannah didn't feel it when the priest, the so-called elect of God, says this woman's drunk?

She never said a word.

Preaching and Revival as the Church’s Calling

Brother Avonhill, I know you've got to go and prepare for tonight. And on behalf of all of our participants here, I want to thank you for giving so much of yourself, and what God has taught you.

This afternoon. Well, it's been lovely to meet you brothers. And there's nothing on God's earth secondary to preaching. The job in the White House is peanuts, compared to being a man of God in God's house.

God's house is going to change America, not the White House. It's full of corruption. It's like Washington. It's like Wall Street. It's down the drain. And the church is in the same condition. There's going to be revival.

I'm looking tonight for some men, that maybe there's one man in that meeting tonight. I kept saying to myself, and I've got a word from God, I know that. Maybe there's one man who's going to be transformed tonight.

And only 10 years from now, we'll know what God did. I've seen that happen more than once. And that's my desire. I love you all. I love you, dear brother. Pray for every day.