The Pastors Pen

New Life Apostolic Pentecostal Church
1208 South Main St.
Benton, Illinois 62812
Telephone: (618)-435-2468
The Pastor's Pen

A Balm That Brings Revival
Jeremiah 8:22

To say that things were not going well would have been an understatement. The children were all grown and gone from home. Finances had never been worse for Jim and Mary. They were “swimming” in debt, just trying to stay afloat as creditors hounded them daily. Jim was out of work and restless beyond endurance. To top it all off, Mary had just left Jim and had filed for divorce.

Unfortunate though it may be, the above scenario has become all too common. Many traditional homes throughout the world are facing these same similar circumstances. Struggles, problems and tragedies have invaded the family unit and are leaving paths of destruction and devastation behind them. Equally sobering is the realization that many of these same struggles and problems facing families are facing the church as well.

Pastors and congregations are divorcing and separating because problems have arisen, pressures are heavy, and revival simply does not exist. Just as divorce is not the answer for troubled marriages, neither is separation between the church and the pastor the solution for revival. There is spiritual healing available for any church that suffers from spiritual sickness.

When we as Christians sincerely examine ourselves and our roles in the body of Christ, then there can and will come spiritual renewal.

Symptoms of Spiritual Sickness

More than ever before, many physicians are beginning to practice “preventative health care.” In other words, rather than wait until their patients are sick and need immediate, emergency treatment, doctors are diagnosing possible health problems before they develop. They can spare the patient much of the trauma and anguish experienced through illness, and possible even death.

A church needs revival when divisions exist among the members. The word revival primarily means “the act of returning or restoring to consciousness of life.” To the church, revival means a return to the living patterns of the original apostolic church that Christ set in order. This means a return to unity.

When God breathed life into His church at Pentecost, He established a body of believers who were closely knitted together in unity. Unit has been a significant characteristic of the children of God since the birthing of the church.
Divisions within a church are signs of spiritual decay. When a person’s spirituality begins to wane, he gets out of step with others in the church and division results.

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 1:10 – “that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Even though this has become a problem in the church as a whole, as you can tell by what is happening in apostolic churches in our area, we need to stop looking around and realize that these problems have arisen right here in our own assembly.

A symptom of spiritual sickness is that people are carnal and worldly. When people become carnal, they lose sight of spiritual goals and become critical and sensitive.

Paul recognized carnality in the Corinthian church by the divisions, strife and envy that existed among them. Carnal people have a tendency to gossip about the problems of others rather than discuss the good news of Jesus Christ. When we become carnal, we seek after worldly fashions, develop rebellious attitudes, and resent and hold grudges against those who try to help them. Carnality must be purged from the church lest the sincere Christian becomes infected and destroyed.

When a church congregation is not seeing lost people experience salvation, it needs spiritual healing. If we as a church are not seeing lost people experience salvation, we need a spiritual healing.

The church exists as an “ark of safety” to redeem the lost from sin. The church stands with its spiritual arms open to those who need salvation and shelter.

Jesus came to seek and to save that which is lost and this still should remain the mission of the church. Jesus healed many people and did a lot of miracles but none of which exhibited the purpose for which he came. These things were just benefits of His compassion and love for mankind. He only came to restore to men spiritual life, which was lost because of sin.

For this church to exist for any reason other than the salvation of the lost would be completely contrary to the purpose of it’s creation.

A lack of burden for the lost.

When a church is not seeing souls being born again, it is generally due to a lack of burden for the lost.

We cannot be soul winners if we show a lack of concern about the spiritual condition of our neighbors.

The Bible tells us that “they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them”. They possessed such a burning compassion to win the lost that it was said that they “turned the world upside down” and had filled Jerusalem with their doctrine.

In the church today sometimes the problem is not that people aren’t willing to do things in our community, the problem is that everyone wants to be in charge or that everyone wants their way in doing it.

We have active evangelism in order to keep the love of Christ for lost men coursing through the spiritual arteries of the church.

It is true that where there is no vision, the people perish. They who are lost perish and those who have no vision will perish.

The lack of giving

It is holy and natural for a Christian to give of his finances to the work of God. God is a giving God. He will withhold no good gift from those who walk uprightly. Every good gift from comes from Him and since man is created in the image of God and since God left him an example of giving, he should give also when the Spirit dwell within him.

Tithes and offerings are both types of biblical giving that a man owes to God.

Not only is it required by God that men give to His kingdom, but He also promised He would pour out a blessing that a person could not even contain.

Balm in Gilead

Because one or maybe all of these symptoms happen to exist in our church, we are not without hope. God has provided healing for the sick.

Jeremiah wrote, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?”

Gilead had become quite renowned for its medicinal balms, excellent for healing of the body. Israel’s lack of healing was not to be blamed on the lack of healing power (spiritual) nor the lack of a physician (Jehovah) to apply it. Any lack of healing they experienced was due to their failure to apply the cure prescribed by the prophet of God.

God has also provided for spiritual healing for the church today. The cures for sickness in the church are prescribed in the Word of God and must be applied with faith.

The shedding of blood on Calvary not only purchased physical healing for our bodies but also purchased spiritual healing for our souls.

Revival Is The Answer

The therapy and prescription are the same for every symptom of spiritual disease – REVIVAL.

When we as Christians are awakened to our spiritual prowess and motivated to a spiritual renewal of life, spiritual growth and Christian maturity will result. Every symptom will disappear and new spiritual vitality will reign.

Revival cleanses the heart

The carnal nature is purged out.

The old dead roots and branches of sin are once again clipped away from a Christian’s heart.

The spiritual heart of a man is renewed and given room to grow when revival comes.

Revival changes attitudes.

When a man’s attitudes become sour and diseased, his entire life is effected. Wrong attitudes produce wrong actions; right attitudes produce right actions.

A revival atmosphere in the church will cause Christians to respond with healthy, positive attitudes toward God, church leaders, sinners and themselves. Positive attitudes toward the things of God cause positive actions and involvement in church activities, which in turn can produce more revival. Revival motivates spiritual growth As the heart is continually cleansed and attitudes strengthened by revival, spiritual growth will result.

Growth is sometimes a slow and tedious process. Some things require years of slow, continual growth before reaching maturity. Mature Christians are not made over night because it takes time. In order for plants to grow, the right combination of light, food and water are necessary. Revival contains all the necessary ingredients to motivate spiritual growth.

The Way Of Revival

A prescription designed to cure spiritual disease is only valuable if it is applied in the actual therapy. We cannot only assess our spiritual deficiencies but we must also determine a course of action and apply it to the hurting part of the church body.

I know I have a problem and I know that I need a revival, but how do I bring it about?

Prayer and fasting.

Even though Jesus was God wrapped in flesh, He still prayed.

Fasting is an essential key to self-discipline of the flesh and natural man in order to be fully submitted to the spirit. Fasting does not change God because God does not change but fasting changes the participant. According to Jesus, prayer and fasting were the only elements that could bind the power of the enemy and bring deliverance.

Faithfulness

Each member being faithful to the house of God will help prepare a church for revival. God will only entrust revival to those He can depend on. Revival is available to those who will faithfully and diligently seek it.

Giving

God will bless those who give to His cause. He will give in direct proportion to a person’s willingness to give.

Witnessing

If we want revival to come, we must busy ourselves with sharing the gospel with others.

An active program of evangelism in a congregation of believers will create excitement and a spirit of revival. As we witness to lost souls, we will see others come to Jesus and that will keep a flame of renewal and revival burning in the church.

Busy people

Busy people don’t have time to gossip and spread rumors concerning others.

Busy people are totally immersed in the purpose of the church - reaching the world with true salvation.

People who are not busy are that way by choice.

One of the keys to a healthy, spiritual relationship with God is staying involved with his work. If an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, then a busy mind must be the hub of activity in Christian involvement.

Worship

A church must maintain a continual program of true worship of God. The more a church worships, the better prepared our hearts will be to receive total spiritual renewal. True worship is alive and it spreads that spiritual life to all who contact it. A church can worship its way through every trial, problem and battle.

Revival will come to those who know how to worship God as true worshippers. Spiritual renewal on a daily basis is the key to obtaining spiritual healing and experiencing growth and maturity within the body of Christ.

Is there healing balm for the church today?

Yes and there is an ample supply for those who are willing to seek a diagnosis, receive the prescription of God’s Word, and “take the medicine.”
The Great Physician is alive and well and ready to minister to every need of His growing church.

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New Life Apostolic Pentecostal Church
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