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Words Of Warning For Times Of Blessings

(1) Don’t get hung up on the blessing, but the Blesser. Let’s not seek the GIFTS BUT THE GIVER. Don’t seek an “experience” but CHRIST HIMSELF. Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord; Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word. Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own; Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.

(2) God has greater blessings in store. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” God is merely getting us ready for greater displays of his glory.

(3) The key is “Praise to the Lord.” In every case where our people have entered into this attitude of the Lordship of Christ, their immediate reaction has been “praise” and “thanksgiving”. Their prayer life undergoes a revolution–it is mostly praising God for His goodness.

(4) Don’t talk about the church. Talk about Jesus. It isn’t our church or the denominational program that’s bringing this about, it is God. When people ask you about it, don’t tell them how great our church is. Tell them what Christ has done in your life. The only thing the Holy Spirit is interested in is GLORIFYING JESUS.

(5) Don’t try to help the revival along–don’t try to force it or make it happen. Just get out of the way and let God do what He pleases.

(6) Let the revival overflow the banks of your life and spill over on others. Nothing kills this kind of revival quicker than the attitude that God is blessing us just to be blessing us. That’s the big mistake Israel made. Every day make yourself available to God and He will use you to witness to others of Christ. You’ll find you won’t have to go looking for people to witness to. Just make yourself available, then go about your daily routine and watch what God does.

(7) Expect the Devil to work. He will prey especially upon weaker Christians. Thank God that the devil is working. This means that he fears what God is doing. An army never attacks a defeated fort. A thief never robs an empty bank.

(8) Expect criticism and misunderstanding. Many Christians will feel like a “stranger at a family reunion” when you tell them that Jesus is real and Lord in your life. Because some will resist any spiritual upheaval in their lives, they may be critical of what God is doing. We are certain to be misunderstood, and much of it will come from church members. But every such incident is an opportunity to show that Christ really is Lord of our lives.

(9) Just because this is happening to others doesn’t mean it will automatically happen to you. You don’t experience revival by osmosis. Unless you are willing to come to grips with your own sin and the Lordship of Christ in your own life, the revival will pass you by.

Revival is happening. I want to be a part of it, don’t you?

©2002 Ron Dunn. Used by permission of LifeStyle Ministries. This article is copyrighted and is for your individual use. Reproduction for any other purpose is governed by copyright laws and is strictly prohibited. This material originally appeared in the MacArthur Blvd. Baptist Church newsletter.

A Place Shaken

On the last Sunday in April 1970, God moved into our midst with a power that can only be described as EARTHQUAKE POWER, a power that transformed the countenance and composure of our church.

SHAKEN WITH AN OVERWHELMING AWARENESS OF GOD’S PRESENCE. Without a doubt the greatest thing that’s happened is this: JESUS HAS BECOME REAL. God is no longer something we pray AT, but a FATHER we pray TO. The actuality of the INDWELLING SPIRIT has become a REALITY. MILKSHAKE RELIGION has become an EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE.

SHAKEN WITH UNBROKEN UNITY AND HARMONY. “One heart and one soul.” The fiery heart of the Holy Spirit melted differences and welded hearts together in a loving fellowship that grows sweeter each time we meet to worship.

SHAKEN WITH SUPERNATURAL POWER FOR LIVING AND WITNESSING. God has consistently done “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” We’ve seen things happen that two years ago we would have never believed. People who never witnessed before (never had the course!) found themselves gossiping about Jesus wherever they went. Sinful habits and attitudes have been conquered through the power of the Holy Spirit. We’ve come to know that IF IT ISN’T SUPERNATURAL, IT’S SUPERFICIAL.

SHAKEN WITH OVERFLOWING LIBERALITY. Until Revival came, our church had never met a budget in it’s history! Then the Holy Spirit revealed a FIXED LAW OF HEAVEN! WHEN A MAN’S LORDSHIP IS RIGHT HIS STEWARDSHIP WILL BE RIGHT! The issue isn’t “Will you tithe?” but “Is Jesus Lord?”. With no budget drives or pledge campaigns of any sort we have met our budget and finished the year with no unpaid bills–and have tripled our giving to WORLD MISSIONS.

SHAKEN WITH A KNOWLEDGE THAT IT IS GOD’S DOING. What has happened in the past two years, the increased growth in every single area of church life, is not, I repeat, is not, the result of hard work, clever programs, keen administration, intelligent leadership, etc. It is the result of God’s Spirit breathing new life into these old bones. And nobody knows this better than this pastor. God forbid that we should ever glory in any of these things.

“To God be the glory, great things HE hath done.”

God Gave Us Real Revival In Aurora, Colorado

From the very first day I felt God was going to do a deeper work than ever before. Every evening service was packed out, with extra chairs in the aisle and people sitting in the foyer. In the morning services (where most of the women work, etc., you know, all those reasons “we can’t have morning services”) we averaged about two hundred. Friday morning we had 250 and Saturday morning over 300.

On Saturday night (you know, the night no one will come) the building overflowed and so did the Holy Spirit. It was one of the greatest outpourings of God’s Spirit I’ve ever witnessed. But the best was yet to come!

Saturday night I’d preached on “The Spirit-Filled Life.” Sunday night I followed with “The Spirit-Filled Home” and the fire fell on that service in a way I’ve rarely seen. Even before the invitation was given people were jamming the aisles. What a sight to see husbands leaving the choir and going to find their wives in the congregation, married couples kneeling at the altar and experiencing for the first time spiritual victory in the home, people being saved, Christians repenting. It was an evening of DIVINE DISORDER AND HOLY HILARITY!

Monday morning I preached to the Denver Pastor’s Conference on “The Filling of the Spirit,” and the power of God was again indisputably present.

I FELT YOUR PRAYERS AS NEVER BEFORE. The special prayer groups that met every night, the Wednesday night prayer service, the 24 hour chain of Intercessory Prayer at the church–all of this reached the throne of God and He answered!

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW…and flow and flow and flow.

The Drama Of Redemption

Taken from the Pastor’s Corner in MBBC church paper September 3, 1971

THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION…

is more exciting than anything on TV. Last Sunday night, as you know, I baptized Mr. and Mrs. Teny Barnes. After Mrs. Barnes was baptized she stood on the steps beside Joanne to watch her husband. As I buried Mr. Barnes beneath the water, Mrs. Barnes said, “Thank you, Jesus.” And I want to say the same, ”Thank you Jesus” for making all things new, for bringing joy unspeakable and full of glory into human life. As Jack Schoeppey said after the service, “it’s great to be in a church where things are happening.”

SUMMER ENDS ON A GLORIOUS NOTE

With extra chairs brought in and people still unable to find a seat, last Sunday brought to a close a great summer. Among the notable things God did was in the area of finances. We ended the summer with ALL bills paid, mission giving up to par and a little left over. That’s never happened before in the history of our church.

And what’s even more interesting–at the same time the economic situation on the individual level has been lousy. Many of our people have been out of work, we’ve lost several families because they could no longer find employment in the Dallas -Ft. Worth area and yet–our church finances have never been better.

The only explanation is God. All this shows that WHEN YOU HAVE A LORDSHIP CAMPAIGN YOU DON’T NEED A STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN.

At the beginning of this fiscal year we decided that God has unmistakably demonstrated to MBBC that HE will meet our needs by grace through faith. We rejected the idea of a Stewardship campaign and trusted in God alone through believing prayer. Praise His Holy Name! It’s not a miracle, it’s God simply doing what He said He would.

PRAYER GROUPS CONTINUE TO GROW

One of the most blessed results of Revival has been the spontaneous springing up of prayer groups within our fellowship. One grew to such proportions they had to split into three more prayer groups! I believe this is the secret to continuing revival in our church.

“From the day of Pentecost, there has been not one great spiritual awakening in any land which has not begun in a union of prayer, though only among two or three; no such outward, upward movement has continued after such prayer meetings have declined.” A.T.Pierson

“‘THE LORD MADE ME DO IT”

That’s the testimony of more and more each week as they share with me their FIRST Witnessing experience. Of course, this is only the normal result of the fullness of the Spirit. Continue to pray that the Lord of the Harvest will thrust laborers into His harvest, It’s happening.

Mass Funeral And Wedding At MBBC

Taken from the Pastor’s Corner of MBBC church paper June 25, 1971

MASS FUNERAL AND WEDDING AT MBBC

I’ve never been in a service such as the one last Sunday night. For the past year God has been doing the “amazing” in our church–last night He did the “AWESOME.” All day we felt God was up to something; during the afternoon, families all over Irving knelt together to pray for the evening service. The people came in great anticipation and God didn’t disappoint us!

I’ve never witnessed a more beautiful sight than that of couples and families kneeling together at the altar for a “Divine Wedding.” That’s the only way I know to describe it. One husband said to me, “I wish someone had told me this 15 years ago.” Another said, “You’ve touched on the problem of 90% of our homes.” Another father testified, “God gave me back my family.”

If I live to be a hundred I’ll never forget the sight of ridiculously happy families, weeping and laughing and loving, as they left the church after the hour and a half invitation.

‘YOUR LOOKING AT A DEAD PERSON’ was the public testimony of one of many who came to deal with his sins and die to self. The whole building was saturated with VICTORY.

Since REVIVAL came to our church over a year ago, God has demonstrated again and again His mighty power–but last Sunday night–well, the only word to describe it is, AWESOME. We trembled and rejoiced in the unveiled presence of God.

VICTORY IN THE AFTER-MEETING

An hour after we dismissed the service, more couples came to meet the pastor at the church to “get things settled with the Lord.” One couple who were visitors in the evening service returned at 11:00 PM and were saved!

THANK YOU LORD JESUS, FOR YOUR FULFILLED PROMISE: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst.” Praise God!