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The American Church Needs Spiritual Restoration & Renewal
Summary: The American
Church today is not healthy. Biblical illiteracy is widespread. Too many churches imitate the
trends of secular society. One respected researcher declares that Christians in America are hardly distinguishable from unbelievers. But there is much room for hope of a spiritual awakening. God’s Word reveals His plans for the
spiritual restoration of the Church.
Isaiah 58:11-12 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Acts 3:19-21 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you — even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
•• These Scriptures clearly show that God’s heart for His people and His church is spiritual renewal. Notice the key words that God uses, indicating His heart to bring His followers to a place of newness and recovery:
•
rebuilding the ancient ruins
•
raising up the age-old foundations
•
repairing that which is broken
•
refreshing
•
restoring the church!
•• If you have fallen into the trap of seeing a bleak future for the Lord’s Church in our time, I want to cure you of that erroneous thinking today and fill your heart with
optimism.
• God has promised both times of
refreshing and heaven-sent
restoration (Acts 3:19, 21).
• God intends that His
people participate in His plans for rebuilding and raising up the
age-old foundations, for repairing the things that are broken down.
•
“Your people will rebuild ... and will raise up...” (Isaiah 58:12).
•
“You will be called Repairer ... Restorer” (vs. 12).
• If you think that the Church in materialistic America lies in ruins in the early 21st century, then know this — God intends to
“rebuild the ancient ruins and ... raise up the age-old foundations” (vs. 12).
•• I believe that
spiritual restoration of the Church is coming! Let’s look at some biblical things that are likely to be seen in God’s times of refreshing and restoration.
1. Widespread, heartfelt repentance and a hungering and thirsting for righteousness and personal holiness.
Acts 2:37-38 “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent!...”
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
•• Expect the
Spirit of God to move in the hearts of multitudes to
repent of their sins and to begin to pursue lives of
holiness before God.
• In many
revivals in time past, virtually entire cities turned to the Lord in repentance and faith. Bars closed down. The police found their work to be easy. Why? Because in times of heaven-sent spiritual awakening, people’s hearts had
turned to the Lord, and they were
pursuing His righteousness.
• Expect to see these things in
our day!
2. A renewed, mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with multitudes baptized in the Spirit, speaking in tongues, and moving mightily in God’s power.
Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
•• Don’t let the Church be
robbed of this blessing. It is for the Church today, just as in the first century.
• Jesus Christ,
the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11), is
“the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He poured out His Spirit on the early Church; He does the same today! Expect it, believe it, look for it.
3. Expect to see the manifestation of the glory of God in the church.
Ephesians 3:21 To Him be glory in the church...
•• Expect and believe God for dramatic manifestations of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and the almost tangible sense of the Presence of God.
•• The early church of the Book of Acts was indeed a glorious church. Believe for the same in
our day — Habakkuk 3:2
LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known...
•• The
gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today! Don't relegate them to "time past" or only to the
Pentecost recorded in Acts 2.
4. I anticipate a renewed hunger for the word of God, the Bible.
Acts 17:11 These [Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
•• In the remarkable charismatic move that peaked in the decade of the 1970s, millions of young people carried their
bibles with them — to church, to coffeehouses, wherever they went. They joined bible studies. Many attended
bible schools. They
hungered for God’s word.
• I expect to see in our day a restoration of that spiritual hunger for God’s holy word. Among the youth, among the elderly, in every segment of society.
• Expect a new generation of “Bereans”, who
“receive the word will all readiness of mind and search the Scriptures daily...”
5. I visualize a generation arising who will honor once again the absolute preeminence of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.
•• Picture a nation in which
Jesus is honored,
His Name is heard in reverence rather than in cursing, and the Church bought by His blood is once again the most influential institution in the land.
• These things
have happened in time past. Can you believe God to see these things
again?
6. Expect to see widespread acceptance of, and many moving into, the full “fivefold” ministry, as well as biblically qualified elders and deacons.
Ephesians 4:11-12 It was he [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
•• The Church has been handicapped for too long by the
rejection of contemporary apostles and prophets. It will take
all five of the listed ministries to
“prepare God’s people for the works of service” that He desires that we do.
•• Are there
false apostles out there today? False prophets? Certainly. There were such in the early church as well. But
don’t let that
dissuade you from embracing all these needed ministries that Jesus has placed in His church for the duration of the Church Age.
•• For further examination of this topic, I recommend our detailed bible study entitled "
Are There Modern Day Apostles and Christian Prophets Today?"
