Bring Back the Glory — Manley Beasley

It is my friend. It's certainly a joy and a privilege to be able to come to you this month by way of tape. It's always a unique blessing to come and share my heart with you. And I usually just share my heart with you.

I Just enjoy doing it and and many of you I can remember real well. You know by memory and of course many of you can but it's always a joy to come and I I trust That this tape will mean as much to you as it meant to me.

Bringing Back the Glory Through Revival

As I was able to share it this particular morning even I Was able to preach at a church and bring this message and not really I have a title bring back the glory. It is something of a message that's coming out of my experiences right now about revival and I Don't know if I say anything new.

You Know I'm not ever trying to really just say something new but I try not to repeat old messages but When you've been going at it as long as I have you you forget a lot of things that you've said in the past.

But I phrased I've trusted to be a freshness liveness glory on this message. I guess if I had a title for it, I would call it bring back the glory. And so I trust that you'll enjoy and while I'm sending this message out I might just say that last night I Was able to bring a message that involved a thought on worship.

Now, I'll tell you I got carried away. And I have a friend with me at this times leading the singing that I have been knowing for over 20 years. And this is what he said. He said I've never heard you preach like that in all my life.

Subjectivism and Worship in Baptist Churches

Now Be very I'm very seriously, I'm just not trying to sell you a tape but If you're a serious person about what's going on in the church today. Like the issue with mr. Swaggart and things like that. Especially about this objectivism, it's quite prevalent in our Baptist churches.

You would probably be interested in hearing this tape. And I would have sent it out on the tape club intended to but it's so long and It would take a great deal of Expense to send it out on a tape long enough to the whole tape club.

So We're just going to offer to you By me mentioning it on this introduction because the tape is extremely long. So be sure in order if you if you'd like to hear what I had to say about worship. Also pray with us by the time you get this tape.

We possibly will not have made a final decision, but we will be closer to a decision of whether our son John Will come and work with us. I Underlies that a lot of families, you know, that's their heights of their ambition.

Just get their children to work with them and I realize that I'm making a statement here that you will have to just simply trust me with but My ambition that's not the heights of my ambition for my kids the height of my ambition for my kids is that they know and do the perfect will of God and I'd rather have my kids in the heart of some foreign country.

That's what God wants then with me and A lot of people say boy, it's just so easy to work with your kids. I'll tell you it's more difficult to work with your children than it is other people. Because you take liberties that you do not take with other people.

And you have responsibilities that you do not have with other people. So I am really not self-centered about this but God has brought my children along and I'm excited that they can be involved in the ministry.

It's a compliment to the grace of God that they even have a heart to walk with God and Be with him. I Martha and I do not take credit for their lives. We just give it all to Jesus and we thank him but do pray with us about this because if we allow Jonathan to come on Because of taking on the fires of revival and that responsibility, it's gonna be very difficult for us to take on another Responsibility as big as another staff person where we have to meet.

Oh, you know a big payroll and I don't mean paying him on Astronomical salary, but I'm talking about just a reasonable salary so do pray that God will show us exactly how this is to be done and so on and I appreciate it so much you'd be a Blessing to me for you to enter into a spirit of intercession on our behalf of that and I thank you so much for it.

Well, I trust this tape will be a real blessing to you that God use it for his glory. And I'll see you again next month if not before may God bless you. And I want to read a passage that we're all familiar with and I I Again I'm not Wanting to address the passage in the sense of its literal interpretation as much as I am wanting to use it as A basis that will suggest some proof to us.

That is so applicable for us in this day the third fifth chapter the 13th verse. Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Any Mary let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you let him call for the elder little church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins They shall be forgiven him.

Confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail it much. Alas was a man subject to like passion as we are and he prayed earnestly.

That it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again and the heavens gave rain and the earth brought forth our fruit. Now you folk that's really familiar with the Word of God Will understand what I'm about to say.

Because it is the very heart of this message. It says here the Prophet prayed and God gave rain. Prophet prayed and God shut up heaven. And at a new at a glance of this passage it seems like that the Prophet decided that the way to solve the problem was to get God to send a draft.

They prayed and God stopped heaven. And then after a while he prayed again and God opened up heaven. Some people have the idea that you can just at your will. Are something more than a whim just your idea?

That becomes a idea that's consistently you can talk God into doing something. Now people get that idea, but if you are familiar with this Word of God You'll realize That this prophet prayed and it was according to the Word of God.

So it is obvious from a this passage and In its context of the whole story in the Old Testament that he was praying a prayer that God had initiated. God had initiated and he was simply cooperating with God not in what he alone wanted but what God wanted and So it was getting done and this passage needs to be looked at in that level because Understanding the prayer of faith stemmed out of Understanding that now he repeats that statement where he says the effectual fervent prayer Of a righteous man in that word Effectual is used again when Paul said pray that there may be an effectual door Open to me and you know what that means.

That means a God Initiated door and so when he says a factual prayer, he is talking about a God Initiated prayer and that really give defined Part of them bring some understanding to this idea of the prayer of faith.

Because we're talking this morning about the prayer of faith now he says if someone sick among you bring him to the elders anoint him with all and Pray the prayer of faith. So obviously there can be some praying that is not in faith but you can't pray for a person unless There is the faith to pray for a person.

Which simply brings it back to the fact you do not dictate to God when to heal and not to heal. You simply cooperate with God when to heal and not to heal now. The prayer of faith then is a prayer That is initiated by God.

It is a prayer that is sustained by God it is a prayer That Positionalizes man. In other words man has the faith and man has to pray in that faith, so it positionalizes and the prayer of faith then Releases God and Makes it possible for God to work.

Anyone will tell you that real prayer does not change God it simply makes it possible for him to do what he has already planned to do and Prayer doesn't the prayer of faith does it now? We're going to talk about the prayer of faith.

Full Assurance and the Meaning of Faith

Now the prayer of faith can be defined very simply. It means praying in faith. Now I'm going to put it in a way you can't misunderstand it it's gonna upset some of you. The prayer of faith is praying in such a way That you have the answer for which you pray in your hand are in your heart.

And when you walk away, you can say it's done. That's it. It's done and You have not prayed the prayer of faith until you Have come to full assurance in your heart that it's answered. Our God has literally so answered it that you can see it with your eyes and you know, it's done.

Now you put it in that light and most people very seldom ever pray the prayer of faith. But that's what the prayer of faith is. And you know why we are not having revival tonight is because no one Is praying you don't have the faith.

But Jesus said according to thy faith. So be it. You know what that means? It means I am at work According to your faith your faith is never the basis of your experience. Your experiences is the evidence of your faith.

I believe God can do this. I believe God can do that. Is he doing? Well, no, well, you don't have faith. You have a belief that he can do something. But you don't have faith because when you have faith he is either doing it and there's two ways he answers.

The Church's Sickness and Need for Revival

He answers with such full assurance in your heart. It's as subtle as good as if it's done or you have the answer in your hand of where you see it now. I Want to talk to you about the one need Today more than any other need I Don't think you Would have to stretch your imagination to realize that the church and The world either way you want to look at it.

I don't know how many people Realize how sick we are. But only sick folk can really identify themselves and they have to admit it and The first thing to be in health anytime you're sick is realizing you're sick.

And our big problem is we do not realize we're sick. Really? We aren't real sure. We're sick. Larry Lewis The head of the whole mission board said to me in Dallas, Texas about two months ago three months ago, maybe now.

He said brother manly We as Baptists are bankrupt. I got so excited. He almost had to catch me he noticed I was so excited he said what what in the world did I say. I Said you're the only man I've ever heard in 30-something years as a preacher That has had any idea and said What the problem is and Admitted it that I've heard.

I Said you really believe that he said I don't believe it. I know we're bankrupt you see folks. You got you've got to face the truth and Know it's when you're sick and admit it now the world the church is sick today and She needs an anointing and it's called the glory of God Honor and she can't help herself and the world can't help itself.

So there's a few people that That obviously still have access To God and God has access to and we've got to find those few people the elders Figuratively speaking and we've got to find them. But then my dear friend They have got to pray the prayer of faith.

It's not enough for them to see the case and diagnose the case in a and try to apply the oil. They have got to do more than that. They have got to pray the prayer of faith. They have got to pray the prayer of faith.

They have got to get to the place and pray that prayer. In other words pray until they come to that place. They have full assurance Faith in their heart. Are they literally see the answer in their hand?

They've got to come to that place and We've got to have these people To get involved. We've got to have them this past year In June at the Southern Baptist Convention. I Brought a message. Or about 19 minutes, I guess.

And God Answered my prayer. Very few people know the cost of those minutes to me very few people. Jerry can probably tell you he might tell you for the weekend. Some of the cost of that day. Folk you can have the glory.

But you have to pay a price. Paul talked about fasting. A greatest price that fasting contribution that fasting makes to faith and this is not a contradiction of what he said, it's a compliment and it's a Support word is my dear friends you renounce Let die.

Even that body to become subject to the spirit. See where bodies told in spirit and most of the time we're walking on the level of letting the soul dictate to the spirit and The body even dictates to the spirit and people are constantly asking me in my health condition.

How do you feel? It doesn't make any difference how I? My body does not dictate to my spirit this purpose. Smith said one day someone asked her How do you feel she said? I don't know. I hadn't failed to myself.

And I realized that is sort of a cliche type saying and you know, and it's sort of funny. But there's an issue here folks and that fasting see denounced that that part and allows the spirit to be whitened and Enlarged and now that's that's a great part.

You enlarge the soul by most the music you hear. Build your soul. The black people even call it soul music enlargement of the soul. Not the spirit, but the soul. Well We got to have people. Well, I coming out of that experience lost my kidneys.

I'm on dialysis. I went to a little church, honey a path, South Carolina one out there preach. And God Begin to stir my heart. With faith. Vision and the burden of faith because all my life. I knew the only answer for Sick world sick church is revival.

It's the only answer folk. It's the only answer. There's no other answer. It's not so winning. I guarantee it's not so. It's revival every time God made a correction our made an advancement in the Old Testament and New Testament there had to be an experience of Revival.

Every time brother you can't show me one time in the Bible that it wasn't so that's right. It was always through that method even in the New Testament. It was that way even in Acts 2. Wow, what are the Holy Spirit.

And that was when he came but even that crowd a few chapters later said we Lord. We've got to help. Right. So, I mean God's always used it may or revive some. Teller gets up and says you preachers don't need to have revival.

How stupid can you be? Amen. Build your church through this and that the other quit having Holy Ghost revival. I'll tell you what you do when you quit you quitting that setting up an opportunity for a supernatural environment.

That's conducive for God to get right. People get right with God and people have. So we'll say that's the reason you're getting so many people in these churches and won't laugh. Because they've been birthed without the new birth.

Yeah, you said well Adrian Rogers doesn't have revival. You go ask him. He'll tell you he's sinning against God. He just doesn't know how to handle it. Amen. These boys I'm not sure. I'm all what all these boys are getting without revival anyway.

Bunch of liquor drinking cigarette sucking. God robbing. Big shot members. Yeah, I can live like the devil. One deacon in one Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia on eight hotel. I stayed in one of them one night.

$560 a night room. More liquor in that room and I can haul out in the wash tub. He's a deacon in the Baptist Church. I'm not sure we want anything you're getting anyway without Bombing this thing sick folks.

And we need revival. We need revival that will do one thing and that's bring back the glory. Bring back the glory. Bring back the glory. I was out there in that little church and I've had a kidney problem for 17 years blood pressure.

Unbelievable type of blood pressure medication I have been on through these years. And I was out there. When they went on dialysis, they said well. You know, you still need blood pressure medication because your blood pressure is caused from damaged kidneys.

That's one thing but you have a high rent on output and that's the other reason why you have blood pressure. You'll still have to have blood pressure medication cause that rent on output. And now if you understand stuff like that a little bit you can see exactly right and I got out there in that meeting folk.

Revival, Fasting, and the Price of Glory

God God began to give me a new vision. I've an old vision I had. They can disturb my heart and burn me. I pulled out one of those old messages. Just one of them out there in a country church. Lord 20 miles out there.

Little old country church, they had plenty money. Don't know no money or bills got got a big church plant. Four or five miles down the road has another plant just for ballplay. Yeah. Got a building big as your building out there just to put their equipment in for playing ball.

Well country church. Yeah, got it all. Didn't have the glory. I mean they even have a recreation building right there by the church. That's the biggest thing you got out here. Man, you still have that thing off out there seven miles away and uh, just play ball.

Yeah, that's right. Got a whole bunch. There's something I appreciate one little message home drifters. Lord Son Lord showed up. They started breaking and falling and squalling my son 23 years old he was there and got caught up in the glory and 55 year old Preachers daughter came down out.

Oh god. I'm lost. He was he's the only one to lead her to Jesus. And I mean he told me after though he said I've never led. I'm a adult woman to Jesus before but it's easy when the glory's around. But uh, well the glory hit that place.

And my dear friends after that glory that night just that one night. The next night I went to the pulpit and had to hold on and I couldn't preach and I just went to the floor. And I took me to a room and I said check my blood pressure.

And my blood pressure was about a hundred and ten over sixty and I said call my doctor. She's in England. So I called Jack right a friend. It's been with me through the years their friend. He said manly.

He said you know much about yourself as I do. He said I don't know what. So I called my druggist. He said manly. You know more about yourself than anybody. He said I don't know what to tell you. I said well tell me I'm taking this medication this medication this medication.

He said well You might off. Let's let's try this. Chuck called. Dr. Rice see what he thinks. So I got dr. Rice and They said okay, let's do this. So I had to start off a medication and when it ended up I Wasn't on any.

And I said Lord what's going on. He said son, there's peace and assurance. Cuz you got back to faith In what I call you. Hey, and he said I said Lord, I know you're doing folk. You may not believe it, but he is sending the glory.

He is sending. You say brother manly I can't see I you get you get on that altar right and you'll see that realm folk. Glory, yes, sir. The realm is there the glory. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Are you folks?

I'm still not on any. I'm taking one pill that affects it some way for cardio, but that's really if a heart medication for circulation you even on that pill. But I'm not take far as blood pressure medication.

I'm not taking they can't understand it. I can't understand it. I don't know even Jack great Christian. He is he said yes, I Told my son I know I said boy, there's peace sweet. Wonderful peace. Boy, yes, sir held by the acre the peace.

Wonderful thing full assurance folks and I'll tell you what. I don't only have the assurance in my heart. But I'm seeing some things in my hands. God's doing it. I mean man This paper he raised up this paper.

You can't believe you know, we sent this to 61 ,000 people it cost $7 ,000. Unbelievable. What God is doing he said son, I'm doing it. I'm doing it. I'm doing it. You said by the man. I don't understand what you're trying to say to us.

Moses and the Glory of God

I'll tell you what I'm saying to you back over in the book of Exodus. Exodus Moses had been up on the mountain in the presence of God. And my dear friend when they started down obviously Joshua had gone part of the way up.

But somehow they had gotten back together. And Joshua said Hey, I can hear some noise and in essence the whole story is it doesn't sound good. And I mean God had already told Moses that bunch stiff-necked people and he had taught God out of just flat wiping them out and Then he got down there and they was worshiping that gold and cash and then Moses got mad.

And he dropped those stones Wall and broke them all to pieces he got mad. I'm gonna tell you something folks. What had happened? They had sinned they were sick and the glory had departed. Now watch it Brother Moses had had, you know been given a tabernacle.

And that tabernacle Had been a symbol of the living Christ and that glory was Over that group of people. In fact, it was a cloud by day and a fire by night and that glory was there. But folks they had sinned and it had departed and so that symbol of Christ.

That tabernacle the center of worship the center of a meeting place of people with God. You know what Moses did? He tore the tabernacle down. He tore it down. He tore it down. And he drug it out. He decided to count and put it up.

Folks he went in. He went in and when he did The glory Came back and stood at the door and in there my dear friends through the process He had said God You blot my name out. I forgive you. In the process of this whole process He became an intercessor.

He said you blot me out. And it finally got to the place. God said I'll go with you he said no no. That's not gonna do. He first said I'll send an angel before you. He said that's not gonna do. Then he said I'll go with you.

Moses said oh, no, that is even not gonna do. I gotta see you. I mean I have got. He said I've got. I've got you've got to fix it so we can't be separated he said I gotta see you. And then God said well Moses I Can't really let you see me face to face, but I said I'll tell you what I will do.

See he wouldn't give up. He said I'll tell you what I will do. I'll put you in a clip. I sort of put my hand over and let you just see the shadow Of my glory. It was so wonderful. It was so unbelievable that they couldn't stand to see his face.

They couldn't stand they couldn't stand to look up on for the glory on his life. Listen beloved country of churches. Those that are still have contact with God. Those two who still have access to God.

Those who God has access to beloved must go in. And pay the price and say God. And stay with God not only till he has forgiven and make correction. Not only till he says I'll send some angels before you, but just stay on.

Till he said I'll go before you stay on. I mean stay on folk until the glory. Stay till the glory comes. And in such a way. Now when you walk out of that hilltop I've worshiped my friend. Regardless of who it is where you are.

They can't stand to look on your face. Because there's the glory. You say what if they don't get it then it's their problem, but you'll have full assurance That my dear friend it is happening. You'll have the faith.

You'll have the faith and when you have that faith I'll guarantee you. You will be able to see the glory. That's what we need this morning. We need men That are boys to become men. We need to grow up.

Love Demonstrated Through Obedience

We need to get down to business. Your love for Jesus has never been determined By you singing to him. I love you. It has always been determined by Your obedience to him. Love is not emotion. Love is expressed by obedience.

Never never never do you find love apart from action. And we say we love it. We say we love them. The depth of our love is Identified by the degree of our commitment to God and man. You might say brother manly.

Persevering in Ministry Through Love

You are here because you're a big preacher they tell me I am. I don't know about that. My son goes to girl school with a girl and He had this movie star girl that's supposed to be saved up there and he ran the deal and had her up.

And put it on did the public relations work on it. She when she was up there she introduced John to this young lady that's in the same university then he didn't know her and. But he knew she was some big whale daughter because of the situation and they had a little fellowship and She asked John who are you so to speak she didn't ask him he said well I'm John Deacon.

She said we live to you she's she's why I saw you play football and she knew a little bit about him. And he said my dad mother lived her dad lived there and on five bank. And I don't know and. So that night the little girl I date with John she called her mama.

She called her mama. And mother. I dated a boy named John Deacon said his daddy lived down there somewhere. That's most of I never heard of. So she got off phone. She obviously was interested and about who her daughter was dating.

So she called her pastor and Pastor out there somewhere. I don't know who he is. She asked him said who is the man? He said to her he said he's one of these he said he preached to the Southern Baptist.

He's a big. She called her daughter back. She said honey that boy is a big preacher. John called me. He said dad. Did you know you're a big preacher? I said no son. I didn't know it. But listen in 1971.

They would have gladly retired me, but I said oh, I can't go out there and sit on the porch somewhere. I could have done it financially. I could have called ten businessmen. They'd have paid me the rest of my life just to sit on the porch.

Amen, I mean seriously I mean Paul knows that yeah, but I couldn't do it. I had to be propped up. Jerry wasn't lying when he said I was propped up to preach. You said preacher. Why would you do something like that?

It wasn't for the money. It's called L-O-V-E. For him. I'd rather please just please him. That's nothing to do with feeling brother Jerry. This last June When at the convention they took me to the University Hospital in St. Louis pumped seven and a half pounds of blood on my body.

They thought my heart was affected. It's okay. Get me on down to Dallas. Put them on dialysis. And they said you can retire. They said take 21 days learn how to do this. Some people can learn in 14. I said well give me five.

Five days my wife and I walked took a test walked out of there made it missed two points. Went Friday Saturday morning caught a plane Canada they said boy, I don't you're going up there. Nothing you need a doctor take care of you.

They didn't know if God had the doctor that invented this dialysis as my doctor. Went up there and preached whole week. Hope. Never day and I'm not in pain. Look at those nuts. They're all over my body.

But let me tell you. Don't you require written five books every one of them bestsellers. Don't you retire? It's called L-O-V-E. I'm gonna pay the price. I Have seen the glory. And he said I've got all grace.

All ways all sufficiency. Under every good work and I intend to finish that course. I don't know if you want to get in on it or not. But I plan to stay in it. God bless.