| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net The Chicken or the Egg? Acts 12:1-5 = " Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. Mary Queen of Scotts said of the Scottish reformer: “I FEAR THE PRAYERS OF JOHN KNOX MORE THAN I FEAR ALL THE ARMIES ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH”. The world no longer fears the Church. It has become a “yes man” to the worlds systems and values. Many say it is worse now than it ever was, but that isn’t so. Every Great Revival in history came about when the Church was weak, powerless, and in total conformity to the world. Why? And what brought about the revivals? Well of course, the Sovereignty of God, but Common Denominator = Corporate Prayer. A few Churches, or often a few individuals became desperate over the condition of their country or their people, and began to pray - long and hard. Then others joined in. Every recorded Great Revival/Awakening was preceded by Corporate Prayer. Ex. In 1857 America, the economy was booming. Everyone was doing well. ( Deut. 6:11-12 ) "And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage." Morals slid. Prostitution and Whiskey was the norm. The Church was anemic. Spirituality became unnecessary. Ring a bell? Dutch Reformer in New York City named Jeremiah Lamphere felt this burden. Advertised all over town that a prayer meeting was to take place from noon to 6pm. The first day, six folks showed up — late. Day 2? 20 then 40, until hundreds met daily. What happened? What great move did God do in the midst of His people to bring about Spiritual Awakening? The economy collapsed. Ring a bell? (911 anyone?) Confusion and fear reigned until folks hearts began to return to Godly things. In 6 months, over 50,000 were meeting for prayer Daily. By 1858, One Million of the thirty million population Came To Christ. Much the same thing happened in 1927 China, in what is called the Shantuay Revival, only as many as 1,000,000 were saved. It’s happening all over the world today, except here. Instead, we have New Novel Programs = growth = publishing = marketing = seminars = many thousands of Churches participating and Fading Away. Nugget: God has a 2,000 yr old methodology. It is His Word, leading to directional praying for enablement to do what? To reach a lost and dying world. How does that look now, and how did it look then? Let's turn the Spiritual Switch: The word Herod means Trouble. There were six of them. This was Agrippa. Walked a fine line to keep peace and thus not be replaced. The new “sect” (Christianity) was causing quite a stir, so he thought to appease by killing a leader - James. The Jews loved it so much he thought to kill the big guy, Peter. He had to delay due to the Passover. Peter was placed in Maximum Security under the watch of 16 guards; four at a time on four hour shifts. Two chained to Peter, and two watching. It seemed hopeless But vs 5. Nugget: Prayer Is the battle. Whenever there is something good happening, Satan plants a seed in an evil person (Herod) who seeks to wreck everything. So what was the reaction? Nugget: The prayer of the Church did not twist God’s arm, change God’s mind, influence His decision. It was God’s will to release Peter, but God chose to use Prayer, to accomplish His will. These saints were not deterred by reality. What about you? Do you walk by sight or by Faith? God bless. |
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