“ The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, Give. “
Proverbs 30:15
There are two Gospels out there – one is of Faith; the other of Presumption.
The Church has long embraced a Gospel of entitlement. Our Sunday sermons are rife with messages of prosperity and blessing, while messages of sacrifice, brokenness, obedience, and the fear of God are relegated to obscure bylines. We have been taught to give, not because we want souls to be saved, but because we want to be blessed. We pray for all our ailments and needs, expecting that God is required to bless us for asking, but how often do we prostrate ourselves for hours before the Throne of God in a desperate thirst for souls? We pay lip-service to the command to witness, hoping that someone else will do it, while we tell each other how wonderful it is to be saved, but we are not cut to the heart, as it says in Amos, “for the afflictions of Joseph”.
But the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about us. It will never be about us -- it is about others. This is the essence of the Cross, the lifeblood of Charity, and the true call to revival. But the best of intentions, hopes and desires that are not coupled with subjected obedience is not charity but presumption and a form of rebellion. It is the result of uncrucified flesh. We are supposed to serve God; not the other way around.
Throughout the ages, God has called men and women to give up all that they possess to go forth into the ministry, encouraging them that although they will face incredible difficulties, He will provide for them and open paths before them to fulfill that which He has called them to do. Some go on to establish great ministries while others labor in obscurity and hardships. His plan is not always clear, and His ways are more often than not past understanding. And yet they go, expecting nothing in return, to lift up the Blood Stained Banner and declare unto a world of sin the hope of Salvation for all mankind.
But others go forth armed only with their own personal desire to enter into a ministry of their own choosing. Not waiting for the call of God, they declare themselves pastors and ministers of the Gospel and head out in their presumption. They attempt to mimic the call they see on others by quitting their job and relying upon others to support them. It is a small wonder that so many wind up with an anemic ministry that cannot pay their bills and cannot influence the society around them. Instead of becoming a strong testimony of Faith, they become an example of failed presumption.
The difference between faith and presumption has to do with our focus. One has to do with obedience to God’s Will while the other is in obedience to our own. One is focused upon others while the other is focused upon ourselves.
But many do not see it that way. They clothe their presumption by claiming to “step out by faith” and expect someone else to support them while they refuse to get a job – ostensibly because they were “called into the ministry”. But when God fails to respond and their great hopes and aspirations begin to fall flat, who is to blame? When their testimony crumbles before the unsaved and they can neither win souls nor pay their bills, do they consider that something might be wrong? No, they blame the congregation (it is always somebody else’s fault).
But that’s not what Paul believed. As Paul was leaving the Ephesians in Acts chapter 20, he admonished them that his own hands had ministered to his necessities showing them that by so laboring we ought to support the weak. We are supposed to feed the sheep, not fleece them.
No wonder so many of the sheep are wandering about as the prophet Joel predicted, “groaning for pasture”. The watering holes have been muddied and the fields trampled down by self-appointed preachers in their rush to fulfill their own personal aspirations. God does not say, “Woe to the flocks that scatter the pastors”, but “Woe to the pastors that scatter the flocks.”
The call of God is not about us, our ministry, our wants and desires – it is about obedience to God and a focus on lost souls. When we forget that in a vain attempt to build our own ministries without a broken, sacrificial surrender to the Will of God, we build our own Tower of Babel in a vain attempt to “reach unto heaven.” Without a firm foundation, the tower that we construct will not stand. Its blocks are made of spiritual pride and cemented with the sand of presumption. It will only go so high before it falls and crushes all that trust in it.
It has been said that the hardest thing for a Christian to learn is to wait upon the Lord. While we watch others rush into their predetermined course of ministry, we may fear that we have been left behind and have missed our chance to serve God, but the true heart that is crucified to obedience to the will of God must fall back into that trust that cries out as the Psalmist did, “We delight to Thy will, O God” and yield our lives to His plan.
Do we trust our own plan and bolster our presumption with a manufactured faith? Or do we trust God and yield our broken will to His plan?
This is the trust that martyrs throughout the centuries relied upon, the faith that fueled the Hall of Heroes in Hebrews 11, and the sacrificial obedience that we are called to.
That is the trust that Jesus had when He rested upon the Cross and declared, “It is finished.”
Brother Dale, www.Revivalfire.org
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I wonder how old these cobblestones are that I am walking on? I’m wandering down the narrow alleys of Praia, the capital of Cabo Verde, and there is an ancient feeling that hangs in the air. The cobblestones under my feet are black and slick from ages of wear. There’s no telling how old they are. Old is measured here in centuries, not years.
I can just picture Portuguese soldiers in shiny breastplates and those funny curved helmets running down these very same alleys with their pikes and habergeons to the breastworks to defend the city from another attack by French or English. Rusty old Portuguese cannons from the 17th or 18th century lay around as if they are discarded reminders of wars from times past.
The Plateau, as they call it, sits high above the harbor overlooking a deep blue ocean while a tropical breeze flows in cooling these old brick and plaster walls from the equatorial sun directly overhead. In a typical sidewalk café under an expansive orange umbrella, you can sip a cup of strong espresso and enjoy the peaceful feeling of a lazy afternoon. Old men gather to play chess around a table and argue in rapid-fire Portuguese with old friends, while young men and girls can be heard laughing at the next one. Time doesn’t really pass here – it floats away. It is almost as if there is no time, and life drifts softly into the sunset. Sorry, I don’t mean to sound maudlin, but there really is no other way to describe it.
It is in this hypnotic landscape that Christianity has had such a hard time gaining a foothold. It is as if these islands are in a dream world where there is no tomorrow, no yesterday, only the languid presence of now. No one cares about anything because they would have to work too hard to take it seriously. The prospect of pleasures today far outweighs the consternations of Hell tomorrow.
But there is a group of pastors who know better. They know they need something from God that is strong enough to shatter this dreamy illusion. Even their congregations are affected with a laissez-faire attitude toward church, sinners, and Eternity. Instead of their focus being directed to the Cross, it is directed toward them; instead of looking for ways they can serve God, they are looking for ways that God can serve them. It is the intoxication around them that has affected their outlook.
But there are pockets here of real Christians who really want revival, and it is for them that I have come. I believe that they will be the lightning rod that God will use to break the demonic spirit that has such a hold on these islands.
Last night, we ministered at such a church. Very few people showed up for the first service and I wasn’t sure if it was just another example of “African time”, or just nobody really cared. The Lord gave me a simple and a short message, so I delivered it and sat down. Oh well. That was all He gave me.
I figured that it was pretty much over and that the evening service might be a dud when a girl in the congregation said she had a question. A question? Wow. A spark of life! She wanted to know what real-life experiences I had with revival. Ah-hem. Excuse me, but how much time do we have?
For the next 45 minutes or so, the crowd came in and sat mesmerized as I described what true supernatural revival is really like. They sat with open hearts drinking it all while I painted a picture for them in vivid colors of what revival was really like. By the time I was finished, the place was packed! The pastor encouraged them to put what I had said into action and handed them Gospel tracts to hand out in the streets around them for the next thirty minutes and then come back in time for the evening service.
Needless to say, that service was a great! I don’t know how long I preached, but I know how hard. The Spirit of the Lord had taken over and we were in His presence. What a service!
And then, as I handed the microphone to the pastor to close with an altar call, a woman came forward with her two girls to get saved. She had gotten a tract during that 30 minute session between services and had come to church to hear the Gospel. What an incredible breakthrough! I felt like jumping up and down yelling, “See? See? I told you it works!”
But I didn’t have to. They were jumping up and down themselves.
Never underestimate the power of praise!
We had a service this evening at a Brazilian church in the city and, wow, did we have a service! By Brazilian, I mean that the pastor and his family have come over here as missionaries from Brazil to start a church in Cabo Verde to win souls. This family is just bursting with the joy of the Lord. It is infectious in their conversation, their praise, and their music.
Did you ever notice that some singers have a certain touch that brings life to a song and lifts your heart in praises to God? Some have it and some don’t. This pastor and his family have it. Even though all the words were in Portuguese, I could feel them lift my heart to soar in praise. I don’t know what they were saying, but I could sure feel it!
I have always been taught that music – good music – is extremely important in services, and last night was a good example of that. The music made the service like celebration. By the time I got to the pulpit, everyone had been so lifted up in the Spirit that their hearts were ready to hear whatever God had for them.
Even though I preach a hard message that repentance must come before revival, they were ready to receive it. They understood that the call that is placed upon us is to bring forth fruit unto God -- which means winning souls -- and that we have not done that. But the encouraging hope of this message is that the path to revival – true revival – lies through that same repentance for our church, our community, our country. Just like Nehemiah, when we cry out to God for forgiveness, then we have the firm hope that He will hear and answer. There is no revival without repentance.
The carnal mind cannot receive these things because they are spiritually discerned. That’s why a church that is not crucified will be more focused on Prosperity messages, “feel-good” sermons without judgment, and a Pollyanna mindset of love, peace and blessings. But that is not the Gospel that nailed Jesus on the Cross, and it is not the message that will bring a division from this sinful world to ignite a true revival. Only hearts that are broken for God, that have spurned the things of this world and are burdened for the Truth can truly understand and embrace that kind of message. It is what separates the sheep from the goats.
This church had a crucified heart. I’m not sure if the music is what lifted them to that level, or their hearts are what lifted the music to that level. Whichever it was, the Spirit of the Lord was free to move amongst us and deal with hearts. It was a service they will never forget.
I can feel the tide beginning to turn in Cabo Verde. If you hammer at a rock long enough, it will finally break. God says that His Word is that hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. I believe I am finally beginning to see a crack in that rock.
Patience and dedication go hand in hand with determination and faith. If we believe God and are faithful to keep His Word, we will see the glory of God revealed.
It’s just a matter of time.
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11
“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
And ...
<< MORE >>I have never been a place where English was so scarce. I am inundated with Portuguese. You hear it everywhere running in a rapid staccato like a fast rushing stream tumbling over rocks. But nobody speaks English.
Well, hardly anyone. Every once in a while someone will try to squeeze out a few lilting words with a heavy Mediterranean accent, but for the most part, I'm on my own. Even my host here in Cape Verde is from Nigeria and speaks with that ...
<< MORE >>I have always been a “results-oriented” guy. I understand results – it’s patience that I have a hard time with. And patience is what is needed here in Cabo Verde.
I feel like I’ve gotten off to a slow start here. It’s not that everyone isn’t excited to have me here – they are more than excited – it’s just that I feel like I am not making any breakthroughs. I have preached my heart out morning and evening every day, but I haven’t shattered any glass ceilings over anyone’s faith nor have I felt that snap when a congregation really breaks before God. They’re on their feet shouting Hallelujah, clapping their hands in excitement, and rejoicing in God for the message … but they aren’t broken. They are excited about the message of revival, but they have not quite yet understood the price that they will have to pay to get it.
While that may sound a bit morbid, for any true revival to take root, there has to be a strong repentance that snaps the hard shell of flesh and cracks open the hearts that have been polished to a hard shine with “church”. I have not seen that yet. They’re excited by the messages; they believe, they want it, they’re glad I have come … but we are not where we need to be. Not yet.
They hang on every word as I tell them what revival is really like. When I describe what it is like to feel the electricity in the air, the nearness of the presence of God, and the other-worldly Shekinah Glory that fills the church, you can see the hope in their faces that God will please, please send it here to Cabo Verde. They know it is not just hanging a sign outside their church and coming every Sunday to hear the preacher. They know there is much more. And they want it. They just don’t know how to do what it takes to get it.
This is new stuff for these people. Cabo Verde is so laid back and easy that the very air lulls you to sleep. Everything rolls along at an easy pace … including church. But they know that they want revival and that what they have right now is definitely not revival. As a matter of fact, they have never had a revival.
But they haven’t gotten to that place of repentance where that hard shell has been cracked wide open. Not yet. But it must be coming. I can feel it; they can sense it. Something palpable is in the air. God is moving on their hearts. We are breaking ground that has lain fallow for generations, and it is going to take some time to break it up so that the seed can be sown and take root.
I took them witnessing on the streets this morning. When they saw how easy it was, they took off in every direction handing out tracts to everyone on the streets. It was like a light bulb went off in their heads. All of a sudden, they understood – go out and get the sinners, bring in the souls and you will have revival. Sit and wait for something to happen and nothing will ever happen. It’s just that simple.
This is faith in action. Believe God, do what He tells us to do, and God will do what He has promised. It’s just that simple.
But sometimes it just takes time.