From: allan-sv@algonet.se   
      
                                Jesus comes! Wake up!   
      
   Many Christians are praying, dear God, send revival! But Jesus has   
   said that everyone who asks receives. Matt. 7:8. Let us take it as it is   
   written. We shall not only pray for revival, but now shall we wake up!   
      
   We get the revival when we want. From God's point of view   
   everything is clear. If we are willing to wake up, God is willing to   
   wake up us. The Spirit of grace wants to disturb your sleeping,   
   blessed are you if you wake.   
      
   It is not at all a matter of that join a so-called revival movement.   
   It is a matter of a wake up from our spiritual bluntness so that we   
   are ready to meet Jesus when he comes. We do not get revival   
   through to join a revival movement. But when we examine   
   ourselves before God's word, 2 Cor. 13:5. And pray like David,   
   "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my   
   thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me   
   in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24. Then we get revival.   
      
   A revival is in the first hand a personal and an individual   
   experience. And when many persons do experience a personal   
   revival, it can convert whole communities. Revival is something   
   that we experience, not only on a certain occasion, but it is a   
   constant continuing work of the Holy Spirit. - A normally   
   Christian life in constant revival and constant renew.   
      
   The prerequisite to receive revival is that we are willing to obey   
   God's word and reject all our preconceived meanings. If you wish   
   revival and renew only for the purpose to enjoy and have a good   
   time, then you become disappointed. Do you want revival? Then   
   you also may calculate the costs and prepare yourself to take up   
   the struggle against the spiritual powers of evil. Eph. 6:10-18.   
   The devil has never liked revival, and neither the Pharisees.   
   Yet, when we submit ourselves to God, and resist the devil he   
   will flee from us. James 4:7. Then it is glorious.   
      
   Jesus' parable of the ten virgins, in Matt. 25:1-13, shows that the   
   last Revivals before Jesus' coming, be valid the confessing   
   Christians. Those who have gone out to meet the Bridegroom.   
   "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom   
   cometh; go ye out to meet him." God's purpose with the revival   
   on the last days, is that those who are Christian confessors and   
   have attended Christian meetings for many years, may be   
   prepared and do not perish.   
      
   In Rev. 3:14-22 can we read the Lord's message to the Assembly   
   in Laodicea. What Jesus says here is also his message to the   
   lukewarm Christendom today. They have it so pleasant in their   
   beautiful churches. They have music and trained singers, and   
   kind preachers who tell the members that they are good   
   Christians, and that everything in the Church is all right. They   
   are saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Jer. 6:14.   
   Please, also read 1 Thess. 5:1-6.   
      
   They have gathered around them a great number of teachers to   
   say what their itching ears want to hear. They turn their ears away   
   from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Tim. 4:3-4. This crowds   
   of teachers are in the churches. There are thousands of teachers   
   and preachers. Consider, if all those were speaking God's word.   
   Instead of obeying God's word, they have compromised and   
   avoid the truths of the Bible, in the purpose not to give offence.   
   Their sermons have lost its saltiness. They have been so   
   lukewarm and tolerant so they put the people to sleep instead   
   of waking them up. When the salt is away then the community   
   become rotten. And when the criminality increases in the   
   community, then they lay the blame on the community. They   
   mean we must have better laws to stop the dechristianization.   
      
   Here in Sweden, in the 1960s, they established a new political   
   party, KDS. With a so-called Christian party they would stop the   
   dechristianization. But this was an entirely misdirected action.   
   For the community was not dechristianized, but those preachers   
   and other Christians who had deserted the Lord. They had let   
   themselves be seduced of the churches and had been faithless.   
   Those who had been dechristianized were within the churches   
   and the churches had executed the dechristianization. These   
   dechristianized preachers and church members established   
   the new political party KDS.   
      
   When the preachers and Christian leaders desert the Lord and   
   ally themselves with the religious harlot-being, and their sermons   
   lost its saltiness, is it a mistake of the community? The people   
   need clear instructions of what God's word says.   
      
   God has not called us to give the people any religious   
   entertainment that they can enjoy of. Jesus wants to have disciples   
   who have saltness. Mark 9:50. Luke 14:34-35. You who want to   
   be faithful to Jesus and preach his gospel, do not be afraid to   
   give offence. Jesus and his apostles always gave offence. And   
   God's word has not been changed. If we compromise for being   
   people to pleasure and do not obey God's word, then we lose   
   the saltness and be trampled down of the people. Matt. 5:13.   
      
   If we want to come to heaven, then we may contend for the faith   
   which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude v. 3. 1 Tim. 6:12.   
   The Sword of the Spirit that we will use is God's word.   
      
   But shall we not be humble? Does not the Bible say that we may   
   live at peace with everyone? Rom. 12:18. Oh yes, but humbleness   
   is not the same as be kind and keep in with everyone. Friendship   
   with the world is hatred towards God. "... 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.   
   We cannot be humble both before God and before his enemies at   
   the same time.   
      
   Allan Svensson   
   Do you want to read the continuation of this article   
   or if you have any questions   
   Please, visit my Web Site   
      
   http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/CONTENTS.HTM   
   (Article 43)   
      
      
   What will happen before Jesus comes?   
   http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/BEFORE.HTM   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)