Revival

God reveals Himself through yielded vessels. To say it again in another way, without the Christian-eeze, God puts men and women to work who empty themselves, and surrender to His will allowing His Spirit to work through them. God used an ordinary cupbearer to the king of Persia to rally the Israelites and finish both the building of the Jewish Temple and the wall surrounding Jerusalem. Nehemiah allowed God to work through him becoming a great leader who successfully led God’s people to restore the walls of protection one stone at a time.

Today, God is doing a new work. Instead of building walls of protection around a city, He is intent on having His people tear down denominational walls of separation. Since the very first Sunday service in Jerusalem, the church has continued to grow. With its growth the truths that Jesus left us with have been continually re-interpreted, qualified, quantified and changed. With these new rules and regulations, the people of God slowly developed their own dogma and interpretation of what the Messiah came to say and do.

I love Jesus. He is Master to all who believe in Him. He was the embodiment of “true love” and held that compass point right to His death on the cross. Jesus would walk over to a person covered in leprous sores, putting His hands on them, and would tell them how much God loved them. Jesus never turned away from anyone who truly was interested in who He was. He would sit down to eat with tax-collectors, harlots and thieves, people the world saw as lost and unredeemable.

Friends, we need to begin working together. Putting aside all minor, doctrinal differences that separate us and begin to work together shining the true light of Jesus Christ! We are all ministers for Christ, living stones being built up together hand in hand into the kingdom of God. There is only one mediator between man and God and that person is Christ Jesus. So let’s put aside our pride and begin to worship the Creator together in unity!

Listen to what Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament letters, as he compassionately tries to exhort and encourage all in all new churches that were beginning to sprout up all around the Mediterranean world.

 “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:1-6.

There is only one god. And there is only one mediator between God and His creation who is Jesus Christ. The church, men and women who have put their trust into Jesus Christ, is really a living organism. It is definitely not defined by building walls, church membership or denominational rules and regulations. Jesus commanded us to go into the entire world preaching the “Good news of salvation” to all people. Then we are to teach the ones who believe all the things that Jesus commanded us while He was here walking on the earth.

A 19^th century preacher, once speaking to a crowd on church revival, stooped down to draw an 18” circle in the dirt. He then told everyone interested in revival to step into that circle. The preacher stepped into the circle demonstrating that true revival begins with a single human heart. One person at a time must hear the Master’s call for revival and step into that circle.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  Let your light shine, in other words take time to get to know your neighbors and strangers that you cross paths with during the course of your day. Don’t be shy to offer a meal, kind words or even a hug to another human being.

It’s all about the relationships we make here on earth. In fact these relationships are the only thing we will take to heaven with us. Our bank accounts and all the monuments we leave here on earth will stay here on earth after we are gone but we will remember each other and the way we were treated. So just as Nehemiah rallied the people of Jerusalem to build up the walls, let us work to tear down walls of separation and reach out to one another in unity of Spirit to minister to everyone we are privileged to help.