Sunday, December 2, 2012

Revival?


About ten years ago at church, I was talking to Abba about the early church and asked why we are not like that today and He said "Intimacy with me" I had a puzzled look on my face and said thinking to myself "I'm intimate with Abba?" What I didn't understand was, I wasn't mature enough to get what He was saying. I look back now and see the difference of how much I still need to grow.
If you tell a 4 year old child where a baby comes from, it would be a very basic answer but if you ask a 14 year old child where a baby comes from, it would be same but with a lot more understanding and maturity behind it.
When the early church and the catholic church started to divide apart, the gifts, intimacy, & knowledge of the Spirit left with the early church. Today there are pockets here and there but with no real communication. The catholic church became dominate religion and many different sects & religions came from it but unfortunately all of them did not know Abba and quench the Holy Spirit. We need to be intimate with Abba and grow in the Spirit. Abba gave us an outpouring of the Spirit in the 1970's, intimacy & moving of the Holy Spirit came back. Remember the dove? Once again, history repeating itself, it was later replaced by religious theories on God, not intimacy. It became an organized religion. They had to bring in the people, controlling what they think, regurgitating the same religious notions from people still stuck in the past teachings of preachers instead of seeking Abba and hearing His Spirit. Modern born again, church going people today, have no clue who He is or what it takes to be intimate. Most people are still stuck at a infant level. We as individuals are the "Church" and it is inside us, not a building. We are responsible for our walk with Abba - not our pastors. Yeshua made this clear in Matthew 23:8-12 "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."
Fortunately, Abba will still bless those who seek Him at church or any where else, at any level, as long as we seek Him and become intimate and grow. We are all equal in Christ, all having different gifts at different levels of understanding.
When we truly understand something we become responsible for that understanding. When I hear churches cry out for revival, I cringe. If people really understood what they are asking Abba for they would cringe too. Abba and His mercy knows we could never handle that much knowledge without intimacy and maturity level. "To whom much is given, much is required." There would be so many Ananias and Sapphira lying dead because of the lack of maturity. Once you have that understanding you become responsible for it but if you don't have that maturity level, it's like giving a baby a stick with fire. The baby will do what it wants, not what the parent wants.
We need to seek Abba and hear His Spirit and mature. Lord revive our hearts and help us grow. Start the revival in me.

This is my favorite song from Paul Wilbur's album "Holy Fire"



"He binds the broken hearted"

You bind the broken hearted
You heal the wounded soul
Father of all heaven
We give You full control
Come have Your way in us, O Lord
Come set our spirits free
O Father send revival
And start the work in me

Lord, I hunger, thirst for Your righteousness
Father come and fill me once again
Lord, I hunger, thirst for Your righteousness
Fill me with Your oil and Your wine

Fill me with Your Spirit
I want to see Your face
To live in Your presence
Know Your glory and Your grace
It's not my will but Yours I choose
To follow to the end
So mold me, yes, and make me
Let a new day begin

Lord, I hunger, thirst for Your righteousness
Spirit come and fill me once again
Lord, I hunger, thirst for Your righteousness
Fill me with Your oil and Your wine

Lord, I hunger, thirst for Your righteousness
Jesus come and fill me once again
Lord, I hunger, thirst for Your righteousness
Fill me with Your oil and Your wine

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