So, You Want A Revival? A Third Biblical Look At The Evangelical 'Back To God' Movement

So, You Want A
Revival?

A Third
Biblical look at the
Evangelical ‘Back to God’
Movement

So you want a revival?
Many Evangelicals today are hoping that revival occurs during their lifetime. And recent efforts to get
‘Back to God’, by such organizations as the Christian Coalition, Promise Keepers, and others, is adding fuel
to that hope. A recent Evangelical publication even stated that: "Hope is rising, and men are praying, for a
river of revival in America. And believers from all streams of the church are responding."
However, the key to having revival is a REPENTANT ATTITUDE, and that means a resolve to do things
God's way, according to His Word. And if evangelicals want a revival, they're going to have to repent of
many of their present methods, and steer their ‘Back to God’ movement in the right direction. For one
thing, they have to. . . .

. . .change priorities!
In Matthew 28:19-20, we find Jesus, on the verge of ascending into heaven, telling His church: "Go ye
therefore, and TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost: TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: and,
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." These ‘marching orders’ are commonly
known as the Great Commission because Jesus, in essence, commissioned His church to:
"...TEACH ALL NATIONS..." Which means to teach people the gospel - evangelize them.
"...BAPTIZING THEM..." Means to, once saved, make them a member of a local church (1 Cor. 12:13)
"...TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS..." Means to disciple them in Biblical doctrine.
The Great Commission is the primary goal of the local church, and therefore every Christian. As you
read through the first six chapters of Acts you don't find Christians involved in a political reformation or a
conservative revolution. We find them doing their best to carry out the Great Commission as they were
instructed to do by Jesus Christ. Organizations such as the Christian Coalition, Promise Keepers, and the
Lambs of Christ are spending millions of dollars and countless hours trying to fix societal problems. These
are noble things to strive for in themselves, but not at the expense of preaching the gospel and getting
lost, hell-bound sinners saved. After all, Jesus said:
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
For example: whenever you hear or read about the Christian Coalition, is the Gospel message
somewhere in the mix? Imagine the opportunities they have to try to "PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY
CREATURE" (Mark 16:15). Think of all the money they raise to lobby in Congress or mail out their annual
Christian Coalition Congressional Scorecard. How many Bibles could that money buy? How much gospel
literature could it print? How many missionaries could it support? The same can be said about Operation
Rescue. Think of all the times they have received national exposure, yet you hear no gospel preached. (The
sad truth is, with the negative image they have generated, few would listen anyway).
Look back in the Book of Acts and you'll find the early disciples united in one common objective. The
Bible says of those days: "And ALL THAT BELIEVED WERE TOGETHER, and had ALL THINGS COMMON; And
sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they,
continuing daily WITH ONE ACCORD in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat
their meat with gladness and SINGLENESS OF HEART, praising God, and having favour with all the
people. And THE LORD ADDED TO THE CHURCH DAILY SUCH AS SHOULD BE SAVED" (Acts 2:44-47).

This verse tells us that, "ALL THAT BELIEVED WERE TOGETHER." We don't find them divided into
separate groups. There were no anti-abortion groups, no political groups, no ‘men only’ promise group or
any other specialized group like we find today. Instead, they continued daily, WITH ONE ACCORD. They
had ALL THINGS COMMON, especially when it came to carrying out the Great Commission.
You see, there was no time to waste trying to fix the world. As far as they were concerned, Jesus was
coming back at any time. They knew the urgency behind their cause because, when previously asked by His
disciples: "Lord, are there few that be saved?" (Luke 13:23) Jesus answered: "Strive to enter in at the
strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When ONCE THE
MASTER OF THE HOUSE IS RISEN UP, AND HATH SHUT TO THE DOOR, and ye begin to stand without, and
to knock at the door, saying, LORD, LORD, OPEN UNTO US; and he shall answer and say unto you, I
KNOW YOU NOT WHENCE YE ARE" (Luke 13:24-25).
Jesus taught them that NOW was the time to get people saved and grounded in the truth. He said: "SAY
NOT YE, THERE ARE YET FOUR MONTHS, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your
eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white ALREADY TO HARVEST" (John 4:35).
With the fields of lost, hell-bound souls ready to harvest, Jesus wants Christians to concentrate on
carrying out the Great Commission. In fact, He said "unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous,
BUT THE LABOURERS ARE FEW; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that HE WILL SEND FORTH
LABOURERS INTO HIS HARVEST" (Mat. 9:37-38). How sad that many laborers of this modern day ‘Back to
God’ movement are NOT concentrating their energies on what Christ said to do-They need to REPENT.
A common rationale used by Evangelicals is: "If we don't do something about the problems we face
today, the world will go to pot!" Human reasoning says that if Christians just sit around and don't
get actively involved, sin and wickedness will take over. Therefore, they must mobilize and fight the forces
of evil, making sure righteousness presides throughout the land. This sounds good, but the Bible says:
"FRET NOT thyself because of evil men." (Prov. 24:19) "Rest in the LORD, and WAIT PATIENTLY for him:
FRET NOT THYSELF because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked
devices to pass" (Psa. 37:7).
It makes no sense to fret over the condition of this world because the Biblical fact is: The world IS going
to pot! It's escalating toward God's wrathful judgment and there is NOTHING anyone can do about it!
Jesus described the ‘signs of the end times’: "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye
BE NOT TROUBLED: FOR ALL THESE THINGS MUST COME TO PASS, but the end is not yet. For nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places. ALL THESE ARE THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS" (Mat. 24:6-8). He even told
us what to compare these last days with: "But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be. For as in the days that were BEFORE THE FLOOD...so shall also THE COMING OF
THE SON OF MAN BE" (Mat. 24:37-39). When the Bible describes the days before the flood, we definitely
see no revival taking place, instead, "God saw that the wickedness of man was GREAT IN THE EARTH, and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only EVIL CONTINUALLY" (Gen. 6:5). God's wrath
is coming upon this world AGAIN and Christ said, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Mat. 24:21).
To try to turn this world around is to ignore what God has already predicted. The best we can do is get
as many people saved and trained to go out and save others as we possibly can. Look at it this way: we are
ALL on a sinking ship, saved and unsaved alike. The unsaved are unaware that the ship is sinking, and God
wants His people to concentrate on getting as many people on the lifeboats as possible. Yet many
evangelicals are wasting time trying to fix the hole in the ship. Remember: "The harvest truly is plenteous,
BUT THE LABOURERS ARE FEW." Unfortunately, many evangelical ‘laborers’ have a habit of getting side-
tracked into trying to solve social problems.

BUT, THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH SOCIAL PROBLEMS IS TO SIMPLY OBEY GOD,
CONCENTRATE ON SAVING THE LOST, AND GET THEM GROUNDED IN GOD'S WORD.
This preoccupation with social issues reveals an unchristian-like desire. It's almost as if evangelicals want
to make themselves at home by making this world a better place to live. You get the feeling sometimes
that they're trying to simulate heaven on earth. Yet God says: "Set your affection on things above, NOT
ON THINGS ON THE EARTH" (Col. 3:2). A Christian's eyes are supposed to be on, "the things which are not
seen: for the things WHICH ARE SEEN ARE TEMPORAL; but the things which are not seen are eternal"
(2 Cor. 4:18). The Christian's self-image should be that of a homesick tourist, waiting for his Lord to come
back and, literally, pick him up. The Bible refers to Christians as . . .STRANGERS and PILGRIMS. . . (1 Pet.
2:11). It tells them to: "...be NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD..." (Rom. 12:2). This is not their home,
nor should they try to make it one.
Jesus, while praying to God the Father, said: "I have given them [Christians] thy word; and the world
hath HATED THEM, because THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, even as I am not of the world" (John
17:14). Not only will the world hate a true Christian, but a true Christian will not love the world. God says:
"LOVE NOT THE WORLD, neither the things that are in the world. IF ANY MAN LOVE THE WORLD, THE
LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM" (1 John 2:15). How does one love the world? By spending more
time with it than with the things of God. And when evangelicals spend so much time trying to conform this
world to their liking, one has to wonder who they love more. God wonders also and says: "Ye adulterers
and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore
will be A FRIEND OF THE WORLD IS THE ENEMY OF GOD" (James 4:4).
Sometimes, in trying to justify their worldly battles, evangelicals will use the excuse that God wants all
Christians to be soldiers for Christ. But the Bible says: "No man that warreth ENTANGLETH HIMSELF WITH
THE AFFAIRS OF THIS LIFE; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (2 Tim. 2:4).
The Christian soldier's battle is against "spiritual wickedness in high places.," whose primary objective is to
take as many souls to Hell as possible. The battle is not against humanistic social problems, "For we
WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD" (Eph. 6:12).
Let's say for a moment, that Jesus was walking on the face of the Earth today, observing and accessing
the present ‘Back to God’ movement. What would He say to evangelicals? Would He enquire about the
many causes they have taken up when He expressly said to concentrate on one? Would He wonder why
they are wasting time fixing this wrath-doomed world when He told His disciples not to make themselves at
home? Would He ask evangelicals: "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
(Luke 6:46) Would He ask them if they were even saved?
Perhaps He'd remind them of this sobering prediction: "NOT EVERY ONE THAT SAITH UNTO ME, LORD,
LORD, SHALL ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto
them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY" (Mat. 7:21-23).
Friend, take a good hard look at that verse and, "EXAMINE YOURSELVES, WHETHER YE BE IN THE
FAITH..." (2 Cor. 13:5). Are you sure you won't be part of that group that will cry out to Jesus "Lord,
Lord, have we not...in thy name done many wonderful works?" Perhaps some of these "many wonderful
works" were performed through the Christian Coalition, or the Lambs of Christ or any number of social
reform organizations. Yet Christ will say: "I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Please read the plan of salvation located on the back [below].
And if you have any questions, contact the address indicated.

IF You were to die today, are you 100% SURE
you would go to Heaven? The Bible says
YOU CAN BE SURE (1 John 5:13).
BUT FIRST, you must realize that what keeps you
from going to Heaven are your sins, because:
"...your iniquities [sins] have separated
between you and your God," Isa. 59:2.
In fact, in God's eyes YOU ARE A SINNER: "For
all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God;" Rom. 3:23.
And Jesus, referring to sinners, said that He: "shall
send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of
his kingdom all things that offend, and them
which do iniquity [sinners];
And shall cast them into
a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth." Mat. 13:41-42
SECONDLY, you must realize that there is
NOTHING you can do to save yourself and earn
Heaven: "For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast." Eph. 2:8-9 Baptism, good deeds, church
membership, self-righteousness are all examples of
good works that cannot save you, because: "Not
by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to
his mercy he [Christ] saved
us," Titus 3:5.
THE ONLY WAY you can get saved
is through Jesus Christ. He said: "I am the way,
the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me."
(John 14:6) THAT'S WHY: "...while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(Rom. 5:8-9) THEREFORE: You must REPENT
(change your mind); admit that you are a Hell
deserving sinner and can't save yourself. And
call upon Christ, and Him alone, to save you.
"if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus [REPENT], and shalt believe in thine
heart [TRUST] that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Rom. 10:9
SEND THE LIGHT
P.O. Box 815 Fargo, ND 58107

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