REVIVAL  IN  LIEU  OF  REPENTANCE?

By Rene V. Parault

 We experienced a move of God in the services in Lawrenceville, Georgia a couple of weeks ago.  In one service we preached the revealing of God’s heart on how He feels concerning abortion of millions of babies. You could have heard a pin drop.  As the preaching was going on, many women came up to the front of the church sobbing and weeping and crying before the Lord for their part in the abortion of those innocents. Some had previously repented to the Lord, but now was an open acknowledgment before the church. What a move of God as the anointing came down in our midst.  Repentance and then comes revival. This is where you come to know the truth (of the Word) and the truth will set you free.

Today in many of the churches we notice very little repentance if any.  The churches have become apathetic lacking knowledge of the word and a true relationship with Jesus Christ. What does the Word of God tell us to do?  In order for us to come up to Mt. Zion (a high spiritual place) with clean hands and a pure heart, we have to know that we must have godly sorrow and repentance in the heart. For godly sorrow worketh repentance. (II Cor. 7:10) None of us can ever say that we do not need to repent, for surely that would mean that we are walking in such holiness that we are now sitting in the throne of God. We read a popular prophet of today prophecy to his many followers, “You don’t need to repent, and God will bless you”! This is a lie. His admirers continue to pour in finances into words that do not line up with the Word of God; words not from God. These are the “pillow prophets” of today, that tickle the ears of the hearers, as the word said there would be in the latter days. Of course we need to repent- sometimes daily. But unfortunately, what we have seen in many ministries is the lack of any repentance. People rush forward for their healing, their deliverances and their needs, but where is their repentance?

The grieving of the lord is that they come for their quick healing “fix” with unforgiveness, anger, depression, over the counter drug addiction, lack of prayer, laziness, lust, television addiction, pornography and all sorts of vises in their lives; but no repentance. Many come up for prayer of one sort of another never having addressed nor confessed their living in adultery, gossip and jealously. They then turn and go home, no change; nor awareness that much of their sickness and bondage is from their lifestyle and the condition of their hearts. God in His mercy has touched many lives in the midst of this, but He is looking for those that love and desire Him above everything else; a holy people who are living holy lives by faith and grace. God will have His remnant.

The church is crying for revival, and their advertisements in newspapers and bulletins state the same, but where is the power of the Holy Spirit that changes men and women’s lives? Where is the ushering in of the Holy Spirit to such a degree that folks cry out; weeping as they rush to the altar under great conviction?  Where is the preaching that will bring forth such conviction? The preaching today is showing an easy way which brings no change in a mans’ soul. It is the hearing of the Word of God bringing soul searching into ultimate cleansing. Where are men likened of old that preached in such fervor that it brought men and women to their knees?

{There was George Willet, (1700’s) from England who called mourners to the altar.  On one occasion 500 went forward, smitten with the preaching of the Word; William Grimshaw of Haworth (1714) who preached 30 times is some weeks, and rebuked sin in private or public – many coming to the altars and were saved. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) preached such powerful words as a spiritual hurricane that crowds collapsed; some fell to the earth as pole-axed.  Others with heads bowed clung to the posts of the temple as if afraid of falling into the nethermost depths of hell. There was Francis Ashbury (1771) who gave such a discourse under the anointing of the Spirit, the whole audience rose to its feet. He called men to repent of their sins. He called men to holiness of life. And we could go on the on with George Whitfield, Gideon Ousely, Billy Nicholson, John Wesley, Savonarola and others.}  (Some info. here taken from Leonard Ravenhill’s book – “Sodom had no Bible”)

These men preached conviction, repentance and then revival began. (The word revival means to be revived)

We live in this season of time where many Christians want revival, without repentance. They want God to bless them in their sins. And what is called revival is not revival at all, but a beckoning to other spirits to deceive the congregation by their disguise. Many ministers lack the leading of the Holy Spirit, and lull the congregation to sleep while they themselves walk in deception.

But, Praise God, the change is about to take place. Once again, God will raise up fire brands in the midst of the complacent church and turn her around as in the days of John the Baptist, and the true revival will be after the true repentance. Even so, come Lord Jesus Come!