The Seeds of Revival – Part I

Noah Webster’s Dictionary defines “Revival” as the following:  (n.) Reanimation from a state of languor or depression; — applied to the health, spirits, and the like.  (n.) Restoration of force, validity, or effect; renewal  (n.) Renewed interest in religion, after indifference and decline; a period of religious awakening; special religious interest.  v. i.) To return to life; to recover life or strength; to live anew; to become reanimated or reinvigorated  (v. i.) Hence, to recover from a state of oblivion, obscurity, neglect, or depression; as, classical learning revived in the fifteenth century. (v. i.) To raise from coma, languor, depression, or discouragement; to bring into action after a suspension.  (v. i.) Hence, to recover from a state of neglect or disuse; as, to revive letters or learning.

If you run in any religious or Christian circles long enough, you will eventually hear someone talking about “needin’ a Revival”.   I’ve heard about Revival for most of my life and never really been able to figure out exactly what they were talking about –

Me:  “Revival?  What’s that mean?”

Preacher dude:  “You know, a time when we get together as a church and get revived!”

Me: “Revived from what?  I thought Christ already revived us on the cross!”

Preacher dude: “Uhhh.  He did but now it’s time to get revived again.”

Me:  “Okay.  How do we do that?”

Preacher dude:  “Well, we set aside a special week on the church calender, hype it up to all 32 members of our esteemed congregation for months, get some “well known” preacher to come in that’ll scare the hell out of everyone so we’ll all repent from our unfaithfulness and disobedience  (with a little grace music thrown in) and set everyone straight so they’ll be good members and ease a lot of headaches on me.”

Me:  “What type of unfaithfulness and disbedience are you talking about?”

Preacher dude:  “You know…not tithing like they’re supposed too (we got salaries to upkeep round here, you know), not coming to Sunday School class regularly, not showing up on our monthly church cleaning and lawn maintenance day.  You know, heathen type living that’s unacceptable around here.”

Me:  “Does it work?  Does everyone get revived?”

Preacher dude:  “Yessir.  Works like a charm.  Lasts at least three or four months, sometimes six if we’re lucky.  You know, helps us meet the budget during that time and gets everyone fired up ’bout God.  For a few months after, I just think to myself, “This must be what it’s like in Heaven!””

Me:  “Sounds good I guess but let me ask you…Does anyone get saved?  Or healed?  Or set free of spiritual bondages?”

Preacher dude:  “What you talking about?  We don’t do that type stuff ’round here!  I hear that Penteecostal church down the street does that type crazy stuff once in a while.  Always wanted to check it out but that stuff just isn’t biblical you know.  Plus it just scares the mess outta me so I just leave it to them.”

Me:  “Well, there are actual passages of scripture that God tells us we’ll still do those type things in the name of Jesus…”

Preacher dude:  “Hold on son,  let me interrupt.  I have several fine degrees on the wall that tells me differently and if you persist in blaspheming with that craziness you talkin’ about, I may have to get my big, bronze cross I keep on the table in front of the pulpit and hit you over the head to knock some sense into ya!:

Me:  “Calm down, calm down.  No need to get violent.  I appreciate your time but I think I’ll just ask God about all this “Revival” stuff and see what He has to say.”

 

Does this sound familiar to anyone reading this?  For years, this was what I thought Revival meant… a time when we got together as a church and had a “Spiritual Pep Rally” that lasted for a week, with lots of yelling, preaching on how disobedience could send you straight to hell and when my time was severely inconvenienced.  Not only did I have to go to church seven more times that week than I cared to, no one got saved (okay…maybe one or two), no one got healed, no one got set free of their spiritual bondages and the church usually went back to the “same ol’, same ol'” after that week.  The main thing that many people gained from that week of “Revival”  was a few more pounds to carry around because all the country women in the church used the Revival as a time to show off their expertise in the kitchen.  The food was ggggooooooooddddddd, and I’d tell ya that the real Revival took place in their kitchens that week and not at church.

So what is Revival and why do we even need it?  I’ll try to tackle these questions in the Part II so come on back soon!

 

A Little Faith and Obedience Can Go a Long Way

Sometimes it’s hard to walk in faith, and be obedient to God’s prompting, particularly when it comes to praying for others that you don’t really know in an environment that doesn’t lend itself to praying healing over someone.  I often fail to do what it is that God is prompting me to do.  It’s uncomfortable and awkward.  But God isn’t concerned about our comfort and image levels when it comes to getting the work of the Kingdom done. 

So it was that I found myself visiting with some ladies that I support at their residence.  When I arrived, the support staff invited me inside, and as I followed her into the living room area to visit, I noticed that she was limping severely.  I asked what she had done to her ankle and she told me that she had injured it on some steps leading into a home.  She told me it was really bruised, swollen and very difficult to move and walk on.  She hadn’t had a chance to go to the doctor yet though.

I conducted my visit, and before leaving asked if I could pray for her ankle.  I began praying healing over her ankle.  After a moment, I stopped and asked her how her ankle was feeling.  Her eyes lit up and told me that I would think she was crazy but that she felt as if electricity was going through her ankle.  I asked her to move it in a way that she couldn’t before and she began moving her toes, which she told me that she couldn’t do before.  I thanked Jesus for what He was doing for her ankle and then prayed again, this time commanding in the name of Jesus that the pain and inflammation/swelling leave her foot.  I stopped praying and asked again how her ankle was feeling.  Her eyes grew even bigger and told me that I was really going to think she was crazy now but that when I took my hands off of her, she felt “something just leave.”  She reiterated that she felt something leave her foot adding that her ankle was still tingling, now warm and feeling as if electricity was going through it. 

Knowing that the healing power of Christ had fallen on her, I prayed once again.  After finishing, she was moving her ankle, walking and putting pressure on it.  She was praising and thanking Jesus for the dramatic difference in her ankle.  I wanted to continue praying for her but she had to get back to caring for the residents in the home.  She hugged me excitedly, claiming her healing and thanked me for praying for her.

It was an awesome experience to see the power of the Holy Spirit in action.  I know that Jesus still heals today.  I’ve been personally touched twice but being used as a living instrument to bring the healing power of Jesus Christ himself to this hurting world is a humbling realization and confirmation that when Jesus said that we’d still heal in His name….He meant it!  Praise the Lord.  Thank you Jesus for being exactly who the Bible tells us you are – The Great Healer.

So, who have you prayed healing over this week?  Want to get in on the action?  Then just walk in a little faith and obedience and pray for someone needing healing this week.  No telling how God will move through a little faith and obedience from His followers.

Jesus – The Great Healer

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He went about healing the sick, the lame, the blind, the deaf and those with broken lives.  The New Testament is full of  amazing and awesome testimonies of the healing power of Jesus.  For those of us that profess Christ as Savior, we believe in these healings recorded in the Bible.  After all, it was Jesus right?  But what about today?  Do these same healings still take place?  Do the blind still see, the deaf still hear and the lame still walk? 

Unfortunately, I guess it depends on what denominational doctrine you cling too!  There are many that hold to an erroneous doctrine that healings (along with the Gifts of the Spirit) ended when the apostles died off, and barring a Sovereign touch from God, you’re just outta luck if you are needing a healing, while others believe (and KNOW) that God still heals today just as He did in Jesus’ time.  But instead of it being through Christ, He heals through His body of believers who are crazy enough to actually believe the Bible when Jesus said we’d do all the things that He did but in an even greater way.  We belong to the “crazy enough” group.

Let me give some examples why:

1.)  Simply, I was healed of allergies three years ago in Brazil when the Holy Spirit healed me through Audrey laying hands on me.  Haven’t taken an allergy medication since.  The night I was healed, I put down my prescription and haven’t looked back. 

2.)  This past week at a Healing and Impartation Ministry School, a  lady that was in her last days and ready to have Hospice called in was totatally healed.  Her intestines burst a year ago and she was in septic shock for 45 mins. before the medical team got to her.  She shouldn’t have made it but she did.  Since, it’s been constant diarrhea, medications, pain and her autonomic system (controls all the involuntary stuff like breathing) was fried and on the verge of shutting down.  It took her hours in the morning to get going because her body didn’t want to work and only the medications would start them up.  Rodney Hogue and a team of ‘crazy enoughs” laid hands on her and she is now free of her sickness.  She could eat foods she hasn’t been able to eat in a long time.  She gets right up from bed and is actually constipated now.  And no more medications. 

3.)  A lady came for healing that has been suffering from depression for years with suicidal thoughts.  She could feel the darkness over her.  A  team of “crazy enoughs”  laid hands on her and  that darkness was released and she was filled with the Love and Peace that comes only from God and His precious Son, Jesus Christ.  She said he felt the darkness leave and a beautiful white light came and moved from one side of her head to the other.  She was healed and touched by the Love of God.

4.)  A lady that has major issues with her lower vertebrae that extend down into her behind was in constant pain.  It hurt to stand up, sit down and just sit.  She was touched and healed.  It was beautiful to see her jumping about in the Spirit.

5.)  People with metal screws and rods in their bodies were able to move and do things they hadn’t been able to do in years, free of pain.  No one laid hands on them.  Just a simple man that understands who He is in Christ had the faith to speak healing over them.

6.)  A guy that has had issues with a hernia in his abdominal area and stomach issues came to learn more about healing and to be touched by God.  The hernia would get sore and tender and give him problems.  The stomach issues weren’t even diagnosed but  was getting worse and affecting what he could eat because he didn’t want his stomach getting upset and hurting.  He was being touched by the Spirit when a healing rain feel on his stomach area.  It got soothingly warm, like a heating pad had been placed on it.  He was standing, just being touched.  No one was touching him and he wasn’t touching his stomach area or talking about the wonderful sensation he was feeling when the  young man speaking, who is hungry for God and has traveled the world reaching lost souls, spoke up and told Patrick Loyd that he was being touched and healed in that exact spot where the soothing warmth was.    It was a sovereign touch from God.  What an awesome experience.  Not only has God healed me once but twice.  What an awesome daddy I have that stands over all creation as the Almighty I Am.

I can’t make you believe any of these testimonies.  I don’t think even Jesus can because He’s already told us that this would happen, and many still don’t believe.  You either believe or you don’t.  But Truth is Truth.  Yea, it’s still hard for my simple mind to conceive but my mind doesn’t need to conceive because my spirit does.  I know what I know and it’s the Truth because not only has Jesus told me so, He’s shown Himself faithful to His Word. 

It’s time for the church to awake, and to embrace who we are in Christ and the authority and power we have been given to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ.  Healings are still for today and God wants to use each of us to heal the sick, the broken, the addicted, the depressed and the mentally ill.  It’s time to let go of your tired (and just plain wrong) doctrines and walk in authority.  There’s too many people needing the healing rain of God to shower them in healing blessings.