Dan Phillips over at Pyromaniacs devoted a couple of blog posts to thoughts concerning the latest Florida ‘Revival’. In the second blog post I found this morning, concerning the path of a Christian’s growth to maturity:
We start out wrong about everything important. We have an innate sense of God, but we suppress and pervert it (Romans 1:1-32). We’re dead and blind (Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19). In this condition, even if we hear the Word of God, nothing savingly significant happens (Matthew 13:4-7, 18-22).
- God sovereignly gives us life (Ephesians 2:5), causes His word to be life to us (1 Peter 1:23-25), enables us to see what we had been unable to see (2 Corinthians 4:3-6), and saves us by grace through faith as a gift (Ephesians 2:8-10).
- Thus awakened and made alive, we respond to God’s word in faith (Romans 10:17), yoke ourselves to Christ in repentant faith (Matthew 11:28-30; Acts 11:18; 17:31), in witness to which we are baptized and committed to a lifelong process of learning His word (Matthew 28:18-20; John 8:31-32).
- Our goal then becomes to grow to maturity in and unto Christ (Ephesians 4:15-16; 2 Peter 3:18).
- Specifically, what this maturity looks like involves (among other things) a grounded stability in God’s revealed truth that is resistant to the gusty winds of fad and fashion (Ephesians 4:13-14), and a well-practiced adeptness in the Word of God that enables us to assess, discern, and judge right from wrong, good from evil, and truth from falsehood (Hebrews 4:12; 5:14).
On conversion, the new believer lays down as a basic premise the Lordship of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:3b). This is the controlling consideration for all that follows (Colossians 2:6-7). Insofar as he is true to his birthright and call as a Christian, he begins building a framework of truth, and continues building all his life (Proverbs 1:2-6). His goal is to be able to test all things, internal and external, in the light of God’s Word (Psalm 119:9, 11; Hebrews 4:12).
His hero isn’t Indiana Jones, so his motto isn’t “I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go.” His hero is Jesus Christ, whose life was a symphony of pursuit of His Father’s will (John 4:34).
And so he doesn’t drop his Bible and dance the Headless Chicken Jig every time —
- someone tells a hair-raising barn-burner of a story; or
- some World-Class Scholar (or mega-church pastor) writes a Newest, Greatest, Everything-Must-Change book; or
- popular opinion turns against a truth he’s convinced of from Scripture; or
- everyone who’s anyone is embracing a teaching he’s not convinced of from Scripture; or
- the secular media’s fitful fascination lights briefly on some new religious entertainment.
The disciple’s goal is not conformity to the fickle fads of the world, secular or religious. Rather, it is (to coin a word) transformity, into the likeness of the mind, will, and character of God (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
NOTE: Dan Phillips initial blog about the Florida revival is here.
The Battle Cry 
I agree with the points he made, but he never mentions if the revival was in line with Gods word. I believe in the Spiritual gifts, and I also believe that there is no supernatural miracles amongst believers. They should be the natural, the norm for a believer. People tend to freak out about “revivals”, and think “God can do this anytime…” but acutally if the truth were told, people don’t really believe that. We had some pastors come back to Medford from this and hold a “revival” here. There were over 15 churches represented there from our valley and so many people needing and wanting to be ministered to that hadn’t been for a very long time in their own church. So if the word “revival” gets people to where God wants them, and if God chooses to move in that setting, who are we to say no and discourage people from going? There is something seriously wrong in the “churches” today, if it does take something like this to allow the Spirit to move as He chooses without time constraints etc., which could most likely turn into another blog topic… 🙂 There were so many people here that needed a touch from the Lord that they continued the next week, oh, and they never asked for a dime. It makes me more leary to say God’s NOT doing a work in Florida, than He is. Who are we to say such a thing? Just another perspective…. 😉
LikeLike
Good perspective. Concerning miracles, I certainly won’t put God in a box! He will do whatever He wants, anytime and anyplace He wants for His glory. In the original post he made some good scriptural points concerning evaluating revivals of any sort. I have a tendency to refer to revivals in history and have noted there was always a significant consciousness of personal sin during the revival in the hearts of those made professions of faith, along with any supernatural manifestations of God’s power that might have been evident.
LikeLike
You’ve inpired my Monday post! LOL I’ll have to look into the history of revivals you’ve peaked my interest 😉 I think people have distorted this kind of thing so much that it does need evaluation (like anything else from God, test the spirits), but like you, I will never put him in a box!!! Thank you for this! 🙂
LikeLike
Deb,
🙂
LikeLike
Keswick’s Authentic Voice-have you ever read any of the sermons in this book..it is out of print but I got mine on ebay…awesome book. It is a collection of the sermons given during the keswick convention revival that set NJ and some of the east coast on fire..awesome!
LikeLike
I’ll have to check out that one, Darla
LikeLike