A Good Revival or A God Revival?

  By Esther Dummer - October 10, 2001  

Some things are okay if they are good, like "A good turkey dinner, good ice-cream, good kids, good weather, good vacations...etc.   But, when you get into the things of God, our good is not good enough.  "...All of our righteousness are as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6" 

It has probably always been a problem for mankind to distinguish the good ideas and things that surround our lives, churches and ministries, from God.  The Word itself expresses this when we are told to, "Cast down imaginations, and EVERY thing, (the good and the bad) that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity EVERY THOUGHT to the obedience to Christ. II Corinthians 10:5" 

It seems to me that the "good" always precedes "God."  Exactly when "good" ends and "God" begins is a mystery to many, unless you know how to distinguish one from the other, by knowing the God of "The God Revival.". 

"Good" comes quickly to try to preempt "God."  "Good", in many cases, is deceitful because of the "God-Mask" that it wears.  It masquerades "As God." 

Many have made the mistake of buying into the "front" that "good" presents.

It is not just a matter of being committed to the revival and the Church.  It has to be a whole lot more personal than that.  It is being committed to "The God of The Revival" and "The God of The Church." 

So, what's the difference?

It is the difference between "Our Goodness" and "God's Righteousness." 

Here are some interesting parallels to consider:

A Good Revival will try to keep everybody happy. 

A God Revival can be assured to agitate and anger many.

A Good Revival will be neat and clean. 

A God Revival will get messy.

A Good Revival has simple lines of predictability. 

A God Revival is full of sudden turns with complicated twists.

A Good Revival is easily run. 

A God Revival is one of great endurance and plenty of stressful moments.

A Good Revival is full of man's ideas and plans. 

A God Revival is pregnant with God's visions, dreams and purpose.

A Good Revival is easily navigated, as the waters are fairly smooth. 

A God Revival faces many storms and navigation can be difficult.

A Good Revival has fair weather predicted, with bright and sunny skies forecasted for every day. 

A God Revival has times of fog that must be worked through, trusting the eyes of the Holy Spirit of God to light the way for us.

A Good Revival is guided by "rules of order." 

A God Revival yields to the Holy Spirit's Divine Disorder.  (This occurs because Holy Spirit destroys "man's order" so that He may implement "God's Order."  He moves like a mighty rushing wind, a great wave, and levels us so that He may begin to build God's House.)

A Good Revival is full of human spirit at work. 

A God Revival is full of the Holy Spirit at work in the spirit of mankind.

A Good Revival will cause one to look upon the work of his own hands and be pleased with what he has accomplished. 

A God Revival will cause one to look upon the Works of God's Hands and be humbled at His greatness.

A Good Revival will promote us to search the books for the latest formula. 

A God Revival will cause one to search THE BOOK for His Heart for the Church.

A Good Revival will encourage self-satisfaction. 

A God Revival will burn into our hearts a Holy Dissatisfaction urging us forward and deeper into the Move of God, always crying out for MORE.

A Good Revival will allow you to keep your respectability and continue to be accepted.

A God Revival will no doubt increase persecution from the religious world.

A Good Revival is easy to have, just make a few adjustments here and there, without really messing with the pattern you have.  Add a few new songs, give the "intercessors" a little room in the back to do "their stuff" and use the word revival in you vocabulary.

A God Revival doesn't follow any set pattern and may show up at any time in any service, Sunday morning, evening or in a prayer meeting. It doesn't really matter if visitors are present or not and what anyone may feel about how He does it. He just does it, His way, in His time. He totally and literally blows everyone off their course, leaving them staggering and reeling under the awesome presence of God Almighty. He reduces the mighty men to a broken pile of flesh seeking God in repentance.  He moves through the worship, the classes, the sermons, the children's ministries, and touches every age in the place.  He is THE WIND in the sails of the Church that desires a GOD REVIVAL!!!!

If God is Sovereign on Sunday night and can do the "evangelistic thing..." then God is the same on Sunday morning.  We cannot try to relegate God to some prayer room, to a particular service, to a certain way that we feel is proper for Him to move.  God is able to define Himself to us, His Church. 

(I am, in no way, talking about human flesh going unchecked and having someone call it "revival."  God forbid that we should be that undiscerning so as to allow a few to control the church through such foolishness.  Our flesh is where God will call for order and it must submit to Him.  What I am talking about is this:  We cannot control God.  When He moves and we try to bring Him in check because He is offending our visitors, our tithe-paying people, our traditional group, those who are not quite ready for these type of manifestations, then we are certain to have a tidy, little neat and clean "good revival," one in which God will be shut out.)

God is not interested in hearing us tell Him "our plans and purposes" for His Church.  He has a Spokesman on the job who speaks for Him - Holy Spirit. 

When man ceases his business and gets still enough to listen, then Holy Spirit will speak the plans and purposes of the Father, for His Church. 

The Church is not a "hands on project" that we do.  It is a "hands off" living, breathing, life-giving force that God directs.  The old saying, "Let Go and Let God," still rings true in the Church today. Folks, let's Let Go of the reins of our control and allow Holy Spirit to have His way and just trust Him.  He does know what He is doing and He does know where He is going and He is taking us someplace.  This is not without His direction, even though things may get messy, foggy and uncertain for us.  He is still on board because He feels honored and received into our lives, without being stiff-armed and held at arms length from the Church that He died for.

PRAISE GOD!!!!  

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