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There are seasons whereby the Revivalist will stay in obscurity and seek the face of God. However in God appointed time, the revivalist comes out of obscurity and began to proclaim the Word of God.
We see this in the life of Elijah.NAS 1 Kings 18:1 Now it came about after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth."
Elijah came out of obscurity and began to proclaimed the Word of the Lord. He gathered the people at Mount Carmel together with the false prophets of Baal and proclaimed to the people "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.(1Kings 18:21)John the Baptist spent many years in the dessert, praying, seeking the face of God and at the appointed moment and began to proclaim the Word of God."the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;"(Luke 3:2-3)The Revivalist is one who will proclaim the Word of God at the appropriate time. The message of the revivalist
1. A message of repentance. The message of the revivalist can be largely unpopular to the masses. He does not preach to please man or to tinkle the ears of the people."Repent and be baptize!" was the hallmark of John's preaching. Peter proclaimed a strong message on the day of pentecost. Many today will accuse him of not being seeker sensitive!
Acts 2:
22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know--
23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
2. A message that brings conviction. While some may get offended by the message of the revivalist, many will be convicted by it. During times of revival, masses of people would run to the altar with loud weeping and cries of repentance.
In 1741, Johnathan Edward preached a message entitled "Sinners in the hands of an angry God." After its initial presentation, the audience was so moved that many attendees were found openly weeping. There were also a number of reports of swooning, outcries and convulsions from audience members.In 1994 shortly after I was married, Lillian and I decided to go to the interior of Sabah. We were there for about three months before God led us back to Singapore to be enrolled in a bible college. The three months which we spent in Sabah was one of the most memorable times of our lives. There, we travelled from village to village to preach the word of God. The message which the Spirit planted in my heart was the message of repentance. From village to village we proclaimed the message of repentance and in many of the villages the whole congregation was gripped with conviction. In one particular village we visited, while I was preaching, the children were sleeping every where. When I gave the altar call, suddenly all of them woke up and they responded. Soon the whole church was weeping and crying including the children. We asked the children why are they crying. They replied that they were convicted of stealing, lying and other sins. It was truly amazing.The message of the revivalist brings conviction.
3. A message of authority and boldness. The revivalist proclaims his message with boldness.
Matthew 7:
28 The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching;
29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Jesus spoke with authority.
Acts 13:9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him,10 and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?11 "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time." And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
Paul spoke with authority.
The revivalist understands the delegated authority given unto him. Carlos Annacondia is of the vessels whom God used in the Argentina revival. One notable characteristics of his ministry is the authority he exhibit as he proclaims the Word of God. Demons manifested and were cast out as he preached or prayed. He rebuked sicknesses and commanded tumor to shrink in the name of Jesus.
I pray that that God will raise up more revivalist who will take on the posture of proclamation. Revivalists who are not men pleaser but God fearers who dares to proclaim the truth even when it offends. Let us walk the trails of Elijah, John the Baptist, Jonathan Edwards, Smith Wigglesworth, John Sung, Leonard Ravenhill, all who proclaimed the truth with conviction. Let us not be satisfied with tickling the ears of the congregation....Let us call th church back in repentance
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