Revival Lectures Eight — E.A. Johnston

The Church’s Loss of Power Through Neglect of the Holy Spirit

There can only be one answer to the question why has the church lost her power? The answer lies in the reality that the church has forsaken the third person of the Trinity replacing him with programs money and man-centered methodologies.

Or Reliance is upon self rather than a reliance upon the Holy Spirit. To empower us to pray preach and witness with an endowment from on high. We have grieved his presence from our sanctuaries by laughter and entertainment and by a Cerebral ministry that fills the head but fails to touch the heart.

Isaiah’s Call to Humility and Contrition

We must have revival friends to get back in touch with God. But how in the world do we get there. Our Bible holds the answer. In the book of Isaiah in chapter 57 in verse 15 we read for thus say it the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity.

Whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place. With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the Spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. This text speaks of the rare individual who can access and experience a thrice Holy God.

Two words stand out in our text. Those two words are humble and contrite and both of these words reflect brokenness. Humble means bruised crushed and contrite means smashed and broken. A contrite has the Imagery of glass being ground to powder and we are in this state of brokenness.

Brokenness as the Pathway to God’s Use

That's when God can mold us into the person. He wants us to be the person he knows we can be. Alan Redpath used to say before God can use a man. He must first smash him. We get the same sense from Psalm 51 where David is pouring his heart out to God completely broken over his sins.

And in verse 17 he writes. The sacrifice is a God or a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart. Oh God, thou will not despise. The mention of broken and contrite speak of utter brokenness before God.

God's eyes are Continually searching the earth for those rare individuals of whom the world was not worthy. Men like Moses and John the Baptist Lutheran Knox Whitfield and Wesley Finney and Moody. Men who live in a different atmosphere than other mortals.

Men who have Annihilated self with the cross and whose lives are broken alabaster boxes from which fragrances rise to the heavens from the broken pieces of Selflessness and self-sacrifice. Listen friends.

Desperate Prayer and the Search for Broken Men

God is always on the lookout for broken men. There is a story friends I'd like to share with you at this time for it best illustrates our subject today. Which is brokenness. I believe if you want to see revival friends It's going to come when it comes through the desperate prayers of broken hoarded Individuals with a burden for souls and for revival.

Sam Jones and the Cowboys’ Love Offering

The following true story is one of the most powerful ones. I've ever heard and I want to share it with you now. It's about the famous evangelist Sam Jones. Sam Jones was at his home in Cortisville, Georgia When he received a telegram from Texas Inviting him to go preach to the Cowboys of Southwest, Texas.

Well, he prayed about it and he got on a train and went to Texas and for two weeks He preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Cowboys of Texas. When it was over as they came to the end of the campaign the Cowboys Wanted to give Sam Jones a love offering.

They felt the laborer was worthy of his hire and they had received Wonderful blessings from his time among them, but there was a problem. They had no money not a single dollar in any of their pockets.

And they didn't know what to do and they allowed Sam Jones to return to Cortisville, Georgia with no Compensation or love offering of any kind whatever. Well, Sam Jones went back home and a number of weeks passed by then suddenly one day He received a telegram.

It was from the Cowboys of Texas. It read like this. We are sending you a love offering and we are shipping you a carload of Broncos and Sam Jones scratched his head as he looked in amazement at that telegram.

Oh, what am I gonna do? He said with a carload of wild horses in the small town of Cortisville. His friend was standing beside him and he said why it's very easy. Hold an auction sale sell the Broncos and you'll get your money.

You can get your love offering then and put it in your pocket. Well, Sam Jones thought it was a good suggestion. So he held an auction sale. He sold the Broncos all except one. He kept the finest-looking Bronco for his son.

The Bronco Broken on Both Sides

He wanted to give that Bronco to his son as a gift and that's what he did. But the son had never in his life been on the back of a Unbroken Bronco and Sam Jones wondered what he could do. He called the cowboy to him who had brought the carload of Broncos to Cortisville.

He said will you take this Bronco? Will you break him so that my son can ride him? Yes, sir. Said the cowboy. I'll be glad to how much will you charge? $15 said the cowboy. All right said Sam take him away.

The cowboy disappeared with the Bronco two weeks later. He came back. Is he broken said Sam? Yes, sir. He's broken. Can my son ride him in perfect safety? Yes, sir. Your son can ride him in Perfect safety.

All right. Here's your $15. The father thought that before allowing his son to ride the Bronco. He better mount himself and make sure that the cowboy had broken the Bronco. He started toward the Bronco.

The cowboy came running up waving his hands and alarm. Why said Sam what's wrong? What's the matter? Oh Said the cowboy he's only broken on one side and you're mounting from the wrong side. Oh said Sam that will never do.

My son might make a mistake. He might mount from the wrong side. How much will you charge me to break him on the other side? $15 said the cowboy. All right said Sam take him away and break him on the other side.

Well another two weeks passed by and again the cowboy came back leading the Bronco. Is he broken said Sam? Yes, sir. He's broken both sides. Yes, sir, both sides. Your son can mount him with perfect safety from either side.

All right said Sam. Here's your $15. $15. Well, I like that story friends because it's so true. You know, the average Christian is only broken on one side. He'll do this, but he won't do that. He'll go here, but he won't go there.

He'll give God just so much of himself, but he still holds something back. He's like the Bronco. He's only broken on one side and he wonders why God doesn't use him more. He doesn't realize he's only broken on one side and God can't trust him.

God cannot rely upon him. The man God uses is the man who's been broken on both sides. A Person who knows brokenness is a person who knows God intimately and God will use them greatly. For his glory. Oh, let us pray.

Prayer for Absolute Surrender and Revival Power

Oh Great God. How I want to know you more Lord. Oh how I want to be used of you more Great God, I want more your spirit Lord. But to get that you have to have more of me. Oh great God bring me to a place of absolute surrender where I can be Greatly used of you in a mightier way.

Take me gently into your hands. I pray and place me on your potter's wheel mold me reshape me. Into the person, you know, I can be. I pray for a deeper touch of your mighty power. In an anointing of that spirit I pray for your power to flow through me as a means of blessings to others.

Let me see revival Lord. Let me see you bring revival in a powerful way To your people and I pray these things in the strong name of Jesus Amen.