REVIVAL TALK

  Leviticus 27:30 – “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.” The tithe is holy to the Lord.  This is the portion of our income God requires us to return to Him.  Some would argue the tithe was only under the law of Moses.  In Genesis 14:20 Abraham tithes to Melchizedek some six-hundred years before God gave the law to Moses.  We must be careful not to mishandle holy things.             In Genesis 28:10-22 Jacob stops in Luz and sleeps on his journey.  He dreams of a ladder with its top reaching into heaven.  There are angels ascending and descending the latter.  At the top of this ladder was the Lord. He identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, and Isaac. He identifies Himself as the Covenant God of Jacob’s f...

Malachi 3:6 – “For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”             We serve a God who does not change. When everything around us is changing, He does not change. James the half-brother of Jesus writes in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Note the words, “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” The New Living Translation says, “He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”                     The governments of men rise and fall. The economies of the world experience increases and decreases, but the God we serve never changes. People may fail you, but God will never fail you. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He is an ...

Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”             Jesus is a powerful Savior. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that He would be called “the Mighty God.” He is not just powerful, but He is all-powerful. All powerful means He is a force of unlimited authority and influence, unrestrained and infinite in power. Mighty means, valiant, powerful, strong prevailing, champion, and unmatched.  Bill Bright writes, “God uses His power purposefully. God has unlimited power within Himself and does what He wants with it. God is not a tyrant or a monster God. He is a Father God, a wise God. He uses His power to fulfill His purpose in us and in the world.” The woman with the issue of blood experienced His power when she touched the hem of His garment. Mark...

  Ephesians 2:1-3 – “ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”              Salvation is the pathway of life. Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. When we experience salvation, we are born again. In John 3:3 Jesus reveals, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”              When we are saved, we experience a resurrection. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “Bu...

  Acts 16:25-30 – “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.’ Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved’?” Paul and Silas were beaten, unjustly imprisoned, and locked in the inner chamber of the prison. What was their response? At midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God. They were not murmuring and complaining but giving praise to God. I Thessalonians 5:18 ...

  Psalms 26:7  - “That I may publish (proclaim) with voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.” We are entering into a season of praise and thanksgiving.  In the coming days we will gather with our families and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving.  People will travel great distances to gather around the table and share a meal of thanksgiving.  This is a wonderful holiday and we should enjoy our time with family and friends.   Worship involves a number of elements.  Two elements that are closely related are thanksgiving and praise. Though they are similar there are differences.  Praise is a powerful weapon to be used against the enemy of our soul in spiritual warfare.  Praise nourishes the soul, prepares the heart to become pure, and builds us up in faith.  The twin sister of praise is thanksgiving.  These two elements of prayer look alike, perform alike and come from the sa...

  I Corinthians 14:1-3 – “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. We are in the decade of declaration. Our words are important. God has given His church a prophetic voice. As the body of Christ, we are to infuse the world around us with salt and light. Matthew 5:13 says, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” We believe in the fivefold ministry. Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, or the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the b...

Matthew 16:18 – “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”             Jesus assures us in Matthew 16:18 that we are part of an unshakable church. Francis Dixon writes, “In this amazing statement the Savior was assuring His disciples that the Church is built on the solid foundation of His person and His work. There is no other foundation.” I Corinthians 3:11 says, “for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” [I]             The church is not a denomination nor is it a building. Dutch Sheets writes, “When Jesus used the word church (Greek: ekklesia), the disciples weren’t hindered by our contemporary preconceived ideas as to what it meant. To us today it is (1) a worship service; (2) a building used by Christians; or (3) a local cong...

  In the Twenty-third chapter of Leviticus the Lord spoke to Moses about establishing seven major feasts.    Leviticus 23:1-2 reads, “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘ Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them:    ‘the feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim  to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.’” The first of these seven feasts is Passover. Passover always comes in the first month of the year on the Hebrew religious calendar.    The seventh and last of the feasts comes in the fall of the year in the seventh month.    It is the Feast of Tabernacles. Although there is a total of seven feasts (the divine number for perfection or completeness in the Bible), God divided the seven festivals into three major festival seasons. Every male was to present themselves before the Lord three times in a year in each festival group.    The Jewish male would travel to Jerusalem for Passover in the spring, Pentecost at ...

  Revelation 4:2-11 – “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a ca...

  Proverbs 21:21 – “He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness and honor.”             When we pray to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we enter a better life, and all things become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” People are pursuing wealth, believing money is the answer to all their problems. People pursue wealth, believing money will make them happy. People pursue relationships believing that it will fill a void only the Lord can fill. We must pursue the Lord if we are going to experience a better life. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”             A better life will be a peaceful life. This peace is different than just a momentary ...

          When we come to Christ we enter into a victorious life. We don’t have to obtain victory, but we already have everything we need to live a victorious life. Victories come at great costs. Jesus paid for our victory on the cross. Colossians 2:14-15 says, “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”              I love the words of I Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Provision was made at Calvary for our complete victory. Jesus went to the cross to make a way for us to live in complete victory over sin. Romans 5:6 says, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”      ...

  John 10:10 – “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”             In our study of the Scriptures, we learn that God desires to bless His children. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” A blessed life will be an abundant life. To be blessed “speaks of our inner state of well-being, the prosperity of our souls in Christ. Blessedness comes from unhindered fellowship with God the Father through our Lord Jesus. To be blessed is to experience the full impact of God’s presence in our lives now and for all eternity.” [1] John 10:10 from the Message Bible reads, “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” The New Living Translation says, “The thief’s purpose is to...