Michael's Blog

Revival is coming???

As I always say… These are my personal notes for teaching, so they are rough, but they are put here for your use in personal Bible Study.

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REVIVAL????

—–In 1867, an evangelist challenged a young man with the words,

“The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in
a man (or woman) who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.”

The man who heard these words and responded to them was Dwight L Moody

John 17

20I’m praying not only for them

But also for those who will believe in me

Because of them and their witness about me.

21The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—

Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

So they might be one heart and mind with us.

Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.

22The same glory you gave me, I gave them,

So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—

23 I in them and you in me.

Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,

And give the godless world evidence

That you’ve sent me and loved them

In the same way you’ve loved me.

§

24Father, I want those you gave me

To be with me, right where I am,

So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,

Having loved me

Long before there ever was a world.

25Righteous Father, the world has never known you,

But I have known you, and these disciples know

That you sent me on this mission.

26I have made your very being known to them—

Who you are and what you do—

And continue to make it known,

So that your love for me

Might be in them

Exactly as I am in them.

Revival can be best evidenced in a man named josiah

He had a personal revival take place in His life that led to kingdom-wide revival.

Let’s first look at who josiah was when he became king and what had taken place before he became king.

2 Kings 21

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 3He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” 5In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6He sacrificed his own son in ◙ the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

19Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. 21He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them. 22He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.

YOU SEE THE EVIL RULERS HAD BROUGHT INTO THE KINGDOM OF HTE LORD AND THIS EVEIL SPREAD ACROSS THE LAND!

2 Kings 22

1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

Then when Josiah was 26 years old he sent people to rebuild and restore the temple of the Lord and something incredible happens.

***Know the TRUTH … Realize your sin … REPENT!

8Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” 10Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

11When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.

You see the response to the word… He was grieved beyond anything words could describe.  He was moved to the core of his heart and soul.  Are we ever so grieved over our sin?  Lying, cheating, sexual sin, drinking, disfellowship, all of these sins.  Do they really grieve us.  Josiah saw great sin in his life and his nation and was committed to restoration

***Inquire of the Lord – Ask Hiim what he thinks of us.  What he thinks about you?

12He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 13“Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

14Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.

15She said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. 17Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, ◙ my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’

18Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 19Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. 20Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

You will see that God does not mess around with sin.  He is patient, but even God’s patience has limits.  He will not let his creation run rampant.  He does not want a bunch of people called by His name acting like the world.  He will purify.

You also see his forgiveness.  You see what happens when even the most sinful of believers repent and come back to him which brings us to our next point.

***Commit yourself wholeheartedly to God

2 Kings 23

1Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2He went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD. 3The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

He did not just say.  Please dear Lord send us revival.  We need revival.  Why can’t we have revival.  He understood that a true spiritual awakening requires a commitment to God.  A vow to God.  A pledge of a whole heart to God.  This was not done 1/2 way liek we do today.  We will commit to something, but our commitment is usually good to make it out the door.  He read them the rules up front and they committed.  the result of this commitment are seen next…

***GET THE SIN OUT!

2 Kings 23

4The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. 5He did away with the pagan priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. 6He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. 7He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes, which were in the temple of the LORD and where women did weaving for Asherah.

8Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines ◙ at the gates—at the entrance to the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which is on the left of the city gate. 9Although the priests of the high places did not serve at the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.

10He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in ◙ the fire to Molech. 11He removed from the entrance to the temple of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melech. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.

12He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the LORD. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley. 13The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech ◙ the detestable god of the people of Ammon. 14Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.

Josiah knew that a soft approach would lead to soft results.  He understood the seriousness of the situation and realized that this had to end and had to end now.  He understood that any sin left un-confronted would rise to additional sin.  A cleansing was needed in order to help the land be fruitful once again.

We can beg and plead for revival, but it begins personally.  God is waiting to pour out his spirit much like 2 Chronicles 7:14 indicates, but it takes personal commitment.

“if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

What does this healing look like?

Isaiah 44

3   For I will pour water on the thirsty land,

and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,

and my blessing on your descendants.

4      They will spring up like grass in a meadow,

like poplar trees by flowing streams.

5      One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’;

another will call himself by the name of Jacob;

still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’

and will take the name Israel.

Health Care Reform

I am so stinkin mad about this health care debate I could scream.  The american political system is broken and corrupt.  The politicians stink on both sides of the aisle and none of them are listening to us!  This whole mess of health care could be fixed in 3 simple steps, but instead they have to write bills that are thousands of pages long, impose tons of taxes and penalties and fix non of the problems.  All we need is this:

1) Fix the courts… Stop allowing frivolous lawsuits that hurt good doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical companies and other places.   Too often these cases are caused by ambulance chasing lawyers and are not even helping a single patient.  IF a person has a real problem, sure they shoud be able to sue, but get the lawyers off tv, billboards, and stop allowing all of these commercials where they say “Have you or a loved one been hurt by______, then call ______, you may be entitled to compensation.”  If a person has real problems, they can find a lawyer, lawyers do not need to be able to knowck on our tv screens.

2) Allow people to form health insurance groups like businesses.

3) Allow people to buy health insurance across state lines.

4) Remove the stupid govt. restrictions put on health insurance companies about things that people have to buy in their plans.  Let us shop for insurance  al-la-carte.  Buy what we want to buy and not get what we do not want.

SIMPLE, HUH?

Stop making it so complicated!

Satan is a Punk

So last night I get a call from Mary at about 8 pm telling me that security paged her over the intercom to come to their office.  As a co-worker was leaving last night they discovered that he window had been smashed in her car and looked liek the car had been ransacked.  Their goal, our GPS.  So Mary is upset and I leave to take a shop-vac to vacuum out her car and then trade vehicles so that she does not have to drive home in the cold (no window).  After getting her squared away and scoring some hot krispy kreme, I begin the journey home by myself.  I am listening to the radio and just begin praising God.  Yes, I seriously had a time of worship in my car as I headed down the highway at 55 mph with no window in the cold.   God made it abundantly clear in the moment, that no matter what trials I go through, HE IS STILL GOD.  He is still in control and no matter what Satan attempts to cause me to stumble and fall, he can and does bless me more than Satan can harm me.

We have been through alot over the last 6 months and this kind of stuff can drive people crazy, but I am madly in love with God and my family.   Satan is working he stinkin tail off to drive a wedge between us and God, but what he is really doing is driving me into the arms of my heavenly father.

A friend e-mailed me a few minutes ago and wrote me a letter of encouragement and the words are very true.  Satan’s time is getting short on this earth and the end is drawing near.  He is cranking up the heat and trying to discourage believers and render us useless.  He is desperate, but our God is still on HIS throne!   Well, that is all today, but in closing, let me share with you some verses that my friend shared with me this morning…

God Bless,  Michael

1 Peter 4:12-19 (New International Version)  ”12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And,    “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,  what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”  19So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

1 Peter 5:6-11 (New International Version) “6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Forgot to post … Sorry … Mel singing “At Last”

Sorry that it took so long to post this.  Here is Melanie Dickerson singing At Last at Chris and Whitney’s Wedding.

At Last

A Blessed Man and a Fantastic Church

So I have been serving in the ministry for 13 years now.  God has taught me many things on this journey.  We have met many great people and developed many friendships over the years.  We have been through good times and bad times.  We have been through days where we wondered how we were gonna make ends meet, but god has all along been faithful to provide for all of our needs and take care of us.

The past few months have been very rough financially and has taxed our faith, but we have been leaning on God and trusting that He had a purpose for all of this.  We knew that when we made it to the other side that God would be praised and we would grow.  Little did we know what God had in store for us.  He has once again proven His faithfulness in providing above and beyond anything we could hope for, expect, or imagine.  Wednesday night our church loved on us in a big way.  They approved a bonus that will help us through this rough time in our life and help us to the other side.  God is so great!

God demonstated Epheisans 3:20-21 on Wednesday Night… “²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

God also used this to emphasize a fact that I was already learning and felt, but solidified it in my heart.  Shiloh Baptist Church is my home and I love these people!  These people are not just another church, but my family.  They have expressed, shown, and proven their love for me and my family in these past 2 1/2 years.   They have not just told us that they love us, but have shown it in their actions.

I hope to be part of the Shiloh Family for many years to come.  I have had the opportunity during this time to make friends and serve with a great staff.  To any members of the Shiloh Family reading this today I say, THANK YOU!

Obedience in the Faith

About 2 minutes of dead time in this video at the beginning… Sorry!  If video does not render, watch it at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5168176

Christian obedience…

Upon salvation, there are some acts of obedience that should start following in a believers life that help you progress in your faith.

These are outlined in scripture and you are probably familiar with them, but are you being obedient?

Obedience can come in 2 ways…

1. Obedience in the form of legalism (bad)
   1. Matthew 23
   2. 13“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. ◙15“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.16“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.23“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.25“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean 27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 29“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! 33“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation. 37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ◙ ”
2. Obedience of a true heart (sincere heart)
   1. The lord insteads those who practice the matters of the faith with a trueness of heart and enthusiasm of faith
   2. Hebrews 10
   3. 18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. 19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Let me give you an example of how God wants us to approach him and the responsibilities that He has given us…

Example 1 – (legalism) Your parents tell you some chores they want you to do.  You know that you have to do them in order to borrow the car, go out this weekend, or whatever you want to do.  So you sigh, roll your eyes, get bad, and begrudgingly do these task.  You are not happy, but you do them out of legalistic loyalty to your parents.

Example 2 – (pure heart) Your mom and dad have had a terrible week.  You have sympathy on them and decide to clean the house and cook dinner.  You do this happily in hopes that it shows your love for them and your dedication to them as part of the family and you expect nothing in return.  This is what God wants from us.  Pure dedication.

The Lord has given us a list of responsibilities or obligations that we have as followers of his.  These must be done with a right heart (sincere heart) and these are things that true believers should not only do, but desire to do.

1. Profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior Publicly – christ does not want us to be ashamed of our decision to accept him
   1. Matthew 10:32-33
   2. 32“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
2. Be Baptized into a local fellowship of believers
   1. Matt 3 – JESUS DID IT!
      1. 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”15Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.
   2. Romans 6:4 – Baptized into his death
      1. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
3. Practice Regular Church attendance and be students of God’s word both corporately and privately
   1. SEE ABOVE – Hebrew 10:25
   2. 2 Tim 2:15
      1. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
   3. Mat 4:4
      1. Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
4. Take care of the less fortunate
   1. Matthew 25
   2. 34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
5. Be givers (not just tithers)
   1. Mark 12
   2. 41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, ◙ worth only a fraction of a penny. ◙43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
6. Be missionaries and Faith Sharers
   1. One of the great tragedies of the church today is the lack of movement at the time of the invitation.  So many times we go through the routine of singing a song and being content that no one went forward because we can hit the buffet before the other churches when in all reality an empty alter means a dead and dying church.