REVIVALTALK

EXCEPT WE BE AS CHILDREN In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew the disciples asked an interesting question of Jesus. “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”   Many in the Body of Christ are still asking that same question today.   In our culture we tend to measure greatness in the Body of Christ by large numbers, beautiful buildings, and expensive budgets.   We tend to think that the greatest are the biggest and best.    Our society measures success and greatness by achievement and skill.   Although this is the method of our culture, it is not the method of measurement of the Word of God. In Matthew 18:3-4, The Lord shares His definition of greatness.   “… Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven."   Verse 4 continues, "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heav...

The Sixth Month The Month of Access and Favor   To understand how God has created and orchestrates time we must understand how He measures time.   The Bible gives insight into how God works in time. He established the Hebrew Calendar in Exodus 12:2. “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.”  This calendar is on a different time cycle than the calendar of the western world, the Gregorian calendar.   The Hebrew Calendar is both a religious and a civil calendar. The Religious year begins at Passover in Nissan (March/April) and the civil year begins at Rosh Ha Shana in Tishri (September/October).   The Bible refers to Elul as the “sixth” month. Historically the following things took place during Elul: ·       God begins to work through Haggai the prophet –Haggai 1:1. ·       Ezekiel is given a vision from God, sees several ab...

The Miracle Worker Hebrews 13:8     The Bible teaches that we serve an unchanging God.  Malachi the prophet wrote these words in Malachi 3:6.  “For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”  When everything around us is changing at an accelerated pace the Lord we love and serve does not change.     The news today is filled with rapid changes.  The rise and fall of regimes, economic and political changes.  The economy is good and then it is bad, but the God we serve never changes, and He never fails.  Man may fail you!  But God will never fail you.     Hebrews 13:8 offers these encouraging words, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  We serve an unchanging God.  His love, His mercy, and His purpose have never changed.  The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth for a purpose.  That purpose is found throughout the pages of th...

A Divine Interruption Luke 7:11-18     In this passage of Scripture there is a wonderful miracle that took place in the life of a lonely widow in the city of Nain.  Nain was located about ten miles southeast of Nazareth, just south of Mt. Tabor. It is about a day’s journey southwest of Capernaum, where Jesus had healed the Centurion’s servant.     This story is a story of conquest and compassion!  It is a demonstration of God’s miraculous power on behalf of a lonely widow who had lost her only son.  Verse 12 gives record of this widow’s plight, “A dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.”      In our culture when we are passed by a funeral procession we pull over to the side of the road as a sign of respect.  In the Jewish culture of this time when people would meet a funeral session they would join with the mourners in the procession.  Jesus does more than just join with...

--> Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Psalms 122             This Psalm is a Psalm of David.   In these scriptures he writes about the joy of going to the House of the Lord.   Verse 1 reads, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”   He continues in verse 6 with this admonition.   “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you.’” Why does the Bible encourage us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem?”   Jerusalem was the one place among the twelve tribes of Israel that God chose to place His name.   Deuteronomy 12:5 reads, “But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.” The Lord promises blessing to those who are a blessing to His covenant people.   God spoke these words to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you,...

--> The Fifth Month – Av The Month to Hear For a number of years I have been studying and praying for insight into how the Lord moves and works in time. We learn in 1 Chronicles 12:32 that the Sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do.  They were masters of the Hebrew calendar.   In Exodus 12:2 the Lord established the Hebrew calendar. “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” The Hebrew calendar begins at Passover in the month of Nissan.  This calendar was God ordained and introduced in the Bible.   To better understand how God moves in times you can study the Hebrew calendar and the patterns that have been established in the Word of God.  Our Gregorian calendar is on a different time cycle than the Word of God. The Bible refers to the month of Av as the fifth month counting from Passover.  It corresponds to the months of ...

Developing the Discipline of Listening Part Three – Discerning the Voice of God In the previous lessons we studied the discipline of listening to God.  We learned from Hebrews 3:7 that the Lord is speaking to those who are in covenant relationship with Him. Verse 7 reads,  “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit saith: Today, if you will hear His voice.”   As believers one of our most important priorities is to spend time in prayer receiving inspiration and direction for our lives.  Fifteen times the Word of God directs us to “hear what the Spirit is saying.”   With all the voices and noises competing for our attention today how do we discern the voice of God?  How do we know that God is speaking to our hearts?  There are a number of ways that God will speak to us.  In this study I want to focus on three: First, the voice of the Lord will be corrective.  You can be assured that voices from our own flesh will prove ...