The Need for Revival!

The Church and the Nation of America!

I hear the word “Revival” very rarely these days either inside or outside of the church door.  A few people say America needs a revival because they see the severe decline in society, families, schools, law and order, government leadership, political divisions, and how far it has fallen away from the Lord.  

Some will even admit that America is dying because it has lost its way and is abandoning its foundations because of what made it a great nation. Has America’s flagrant sins and transgressions doomed America to eventually be thrown into the graveyard of nations of the past? 

Someone once said that “so goes the church the nation will follow.”  Is the nation of America truly dying because the church could be dying?  Has the church itself lost its relevance and connection to the Lord to bring about its own decline and lack of influence on the America culture?  Is America in a downward condition today because the church is slowing dying resulting in the decline of America?

If the American church is dying, does it need to be resuscitated for the nation to wake up and follow?  Can the American church even be resuscitated?  If the church cannot be resuscitated, what does that mean for America? Gradually decay and finally death?

But many have never experienced a revival or do not know how a revival even starts or what to do to bring about a revival. Where does it begin? How does it begin?  What is involved? What is the role of the born-again disciple in a revival? What is the church’s role in a revival?  How does a revival in the church impact on the culture or society?

 If there is no revival in the church, then the church is probably a dead church producing only religious wood, hay, and stubble pleasing to the people but not to the Lord Jesus.

“Hot, Lukewarm, Cold!”

With the above said, allow me to say the only way a revival can come to America is that it first starts within the church – in the individual hearts of those who attend the church. 

If hearts are cold – no revival.  If hearts are “lukewarm” – no revival.  If hearts are on “fire” for Christ and “burning hot” for Christ Jesus, then revival can take place.

 But I ask you, “How many churches are on “fire” for the Lord Jesus Christ?  How many “burn hot” to know him, serve Him, and be willing to sacrifice everything for Him?  How many are in repentance for sin as well as things in the heart a person is unwilling to put on the altar of God to be sacrificed and burned up?

How many are storming the church altar and crying out to the Lord to come and cleanse the heart, the church, and the nation of treason against a righteous and Holy God? How many have ever experienced a true visitation of heaven fostering a revival? Let me answer that – very very few.

“Lukewarm” churches do not experience revival or moving of the Holy Spirit fostering repentance and contriteness of heart and mind.  When  churches stop hungering and thirsting for Christ 24/7, repentance walks out the backdoor and “lukewarmness” enters the front door.

The Need for Repentance!

True Repentance!

We need to realize that true and broken-heart repentance precedes revival.  Unconfessed sin in the hearts of born-again people can hinder the Holy Spirit from moving in terms of His power, revelation, and fostering holiness and consecration within the hearts of the people leading to a freshness of Christ they have never experienced before. 

This is revival!  This is a visitation of heaven invading the physical reality. This is when the people awaken to the spiritual reality and their connection to it. THis is when the "fire" of the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciple of Christ.

Thus, the first order of business is to repent sin, confess sin, turn from wicked ways and return to the Lord. It means to storm the altar at the front of the church and cry out to the Lord to cleanse and purify the heart which has been kidnapped by materialism, mammon, pleasure, pride, religion, and a self-will independent of Christ and His Kingdom. 

Five Churches!

 Jesus told five of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation chapters 2-3 to repent of their sin so that He could forgive them, restore them, and once again bless them. But we are not told if they did repent.

 They were happy as most are today in the modern church in their condition of not having to answer to Christ and His written word which requires one to walk the path of the Cross life, denial of self, suffer if need be for Christ and His mission, and follow in His footstep. It requires a walk and life of true righteousness, obedience, and holiness and continually seeking the Master – the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Of course, all of this may, not may, but will require hardship, persecution, and even suffering as opposed to an easy going materialistic and pleasurable lifestyle of the American culture which is 180 degrees opposed to the Biblical lifestyle. 

Such a lifestyle has invaded the church and led it down a broad path of irrelevance and weakness to transform the American culture as well as nations of the world to the acceptance of paganism, false religions, and a false Christianity.

A culture as well as the modern church which shuns and dismisses biblical obedience, righteousness, and holiness and not living for the One who was crucified and died on the Roman Cross with three six-inch nails in His wrists and feet providing a way back to God His Father, will be the ones who will not open the door of the church to let Christ in.

 Christ sacrificed His life so that salvation (deliverance and healing of the spirit, soul, and body) could be offered to sinful man by accepting Him not only as Savior but also as Lord of their lives and living for Him until the last day of their lives. 

Church at Laodicea!

The last church Christ rebuked of the five was the Church at Laodicea.  They were so consumed with materialism, wealth, and individualism and their own religious laws that when Christ knocked on the door of the church to let Him in, the door remained shut. Big mistake!

He was locked out – not wanted – not needed as they were secure in their own ways apart from the Master.  Accountability to Christ was not on their spiritual radar. 

They preferred their own way of living while relegating Christ to the backseat of their lives. They even removed the doorknob on the church door in the picture above so Christ could not enter in after knocking!

They were so full of sin, self, and unbelief that Christ described the people as “neither cold nor hot” but “lukewarm” leading Him to wanting to spit (vomit) them out of His mouth. 

Would Christ say this to the modern church in America today? O’ don’t think I am being hard on the American church for I am only describing what I believe is the current state of affairs in the church of today.

Many will not admit this while they sit in their soft pews, listen to milk-toast and non-convicting sermons, and support religious institutions which have lost their “fire” and “sacrifice” for the One who gave His life for them.  

The church today is not so much a biblical church but reflects more of a dry bone’s institution running on business principles and a “seeker-sensitivity” philosophy to attract people and make them feel comfortable and fulfilled with self-enhancement and self-promoting sermons and teachings.

Christ Speaks!

Christ said to the Laodicean church:

So, because you are

lukewarm 

and

neither cold nor hot, 

I will spew you out of My mouth!

For you say, I am rich; I have

prospered and grown wealthy, 

and I am in

need of nothing; 

and

you do not realize

and 

understand that you are

wretched, poor, [miserable] blind,  

 and naked.

            Revelation 3:16–17 (AMP)

     The Laodiceans became blind to their own condition leading them into a severe “backslidden” and declining state.  They were neck deep in their own pool of rationality, riches, self-security, arrogance, and religious humanism.  The Message Bible put it this way:

You’re stale.

You’re stagnant.

You make me want to vomit.

You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made,

 I need nothing from anyone,’

oblivious that in fact you’re

a pitiful, blind beggar,

 threadbare and homeless.

Revelation 3:16–17 (MSG)

     Here is a church swimming in great sin of abandonment of Christ not seeing a need for heart revival – individually and corporately. 

    Sadly, and regrettably, they were far from Christ and following in His footsteps that they felt no need to go to the door and let Him in. And as pictured above, there was no knob on the door for Him to let Himself in as mentioned above.

    They knew who was knocking on the church door.  But they were too worldly and consumed with religious activities, routines, and traditions that they were able to deceive themselves thanking that everything was a O.K. Well, everything was not O.K!

    They need not face the Master for they were happy and content in their pseudo-Christianity with the name of the Church – “Church of the Savior” on the sign outside but with no true spiritual substance inside.

They were dead to Christ and His ways.  They were neither “cold nor hot” but “lukewarm” which made Christ sick to the point they He wanted to vomit them out of His mouth.  Quite an indictment for the Laodicean Church down through the ages up to and including the present time.

    Does all this describe the modern church in America today?

Shut up and Locked Out!

    Therefore, the church door remained shut and locked.  They also added to the first sign – “A

Preaching Church for All People.” 

The truth was that their faith was rock bottom, their love and devotion for Christ non- existent, and their minds taken captive by worldly and Satanic deceptions so powerful they gave up on what they once knew as the Truth, the Light, and the Way.

     When the Truth of the Word of God is mixed with worldly philosophy and worldly lifestyles, the Light in the church becomes darkness and the true biblical way becomes compromised with religious routines, programs, and worldly psychology, Sociology, philosophy, the power of

positive thinking, self-improvement, wrong or unsound theology, etc. 

    The Laodicean adopted the ways of the world and its false lifestyle. Revival leading back to God and His Christ was far from their minds and hearts. 

 Their spiritual life was dead, dried up, and now they were in a wilderness of sin and transgression against God and His Christ unable to recognize their pitiful and spiritual condition - falling away from the Master.

        As Christ said of the Church at Laodicea – they were “wretched, poor, miserable, blind, and naked.”  Does this describe the modern church today!

The Great Falling Away!

    Apostle Paul said in the last days which we are now in, there will come a great falling away

- a great rebellion.  He warned the church not to be fooled or deceived by the world and its ways and religion counterfeits.      

     The five churches in the Book of Revelation, He rebuked and described is a warning to us about this falling away and the lack of the church heeding the call to revival as showing by Christ knocking on the door of the church then and now.

     He wanted to bring revival to them, but they were too secure in their own independence, wealth, materialism, and unconfessed sin that they ignored His knock.

      Let me ask you, has the American church become the Laodicean church at the end of this age where it does not hear Christ knock on its door or if it did it would not open the door to Him to hear His rebuke for their waywardness and abandonment of Him? 

    Is the modern church so satisfied with its pseudo-Christianity that it has become blind to the reality of the Biblical mandates? There seems to be a shallowness of Christianity in the American church, or could it be described as a false type of Christianity which does not reflect true Biblical Christianity.

Is the American church so settle in its “lukewarmness” and “deadness” that it feels it does not need a revival?  A cleansing of sin? A repentance of sin? A confessing of sin? A change of

lifestyle of worldliness to a lifestyle of following Christ, no manner what the costs?

      Will revival come to the American church?  If it does, there will probably be a great falling away first to clean out the backslidden, carnal, false preachers/teachers, religious fakes, and professing individuals leaving only those left who will be the remnant possibly opening the door

and inviting in the Christ of the Cross to hear Him, obey Him, and serve Him in the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit?

    It will not be a hybrid church of believers and unbelievers, but a pure, undefiled, and consecrated remnant waiting at the door and unlocking and opening the door to welcome the Christ of the Cross into their presence.

My People!

    Finally, the Message Bible paraphrases the Lord’s word:

If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies

 or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people,

 and

 my people, my God-defined people,

(My comment: “other translation (NASB95) - “called by My Name”)

respond by humbling themselves,

(My comment: “other translation (NASB95 – “repent”)

 praying, seeking my presence,

and

turning their backs on their wicked lives,

 I’ll be there ready for you:

I’ll listen from heaven,

forgive their sins,

and

 restore their land to health.

2 Chronicles 7:13–14 (MSG)

Well, here in this simple but most profound two verses presenting the path to revival in the lives of God’s born-again people and the last day church of this age before the coming of Christ as outlined in the Book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testment penned by Apostle John.

Wake-Up Call!

Is God calling twice-born Christians to “wake-up” and get things in order by (1) opening the church door wide and allow Him to come in; (2) finding true and broken humility by confession of waywardness; (3) repenting from sin; (4) praying and asking for forgiveness; (5) seeking God’s presence at the altar; (6) moving away from worldliness and toward holiness, and (7) following in the footsteps of Christ no matter what the costs. There is no other way to awaken the church. Let me say that again,

There is no other way to awaken the church.

God will respond by (1) preparing himself to intervene; (2) listening to His people,

(3) forgiving his people, and (4) restoring (healing) the land and the hearts of the people; and (5) granting His wonderful grace and mercy to the purified remnant ones who open the door and ask Him to come in and listen and heed Him with consecrated hearts and minds who are ready to pick up His mantle and mission – the only mission of the true church of the Master as described in Luke 4:18:

  The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me,

because He has anointed Me

 [the Anointed One, the Messiah]

to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor.

He has sent Me to announce release to the captives.

 and

recovery of sight to the blind,

 to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed.

 [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],

 To proclaim the accepted

and

 acceptable year of the Lord

[the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.]

 Luke 4:18, 19 (AMP)

The five things noted above before Luke 4:18 are what His Word says that He will commit to and do. This is the key to resuscitation of the church and the nation of America. 

But will the church open the door to Christ to bring these things in the above verses to a backsliding church so they can move in the His mission in Luke 4:18-19? Therefore, true restoration of the nation of America starts with a true revival in the church in America.  Without a revival in the individual lives of those sitting in the pews and pulpit, there will be no revival or reformation of the culture from sin to salvation or from bondage to liberty in Christ.

Without this revival, a reformation or restoration of the culture from insanity to sanity will not be forth coming and it will be overrun with secular humanism and hedonism leading to further decline and fall of America.  Sadly, the result will be that all will be lost.

If you found this biblical assessment strong in its presentation, feel free to delete.  If not, then bend your knee and pray for the church and the nation of America.

The last day call is before the church.  It is seconds before the midnight hour of His coming. Will the church come to a full repentance and return to the Christ of the Cross by leaving its Laodicean lifestyle or will it continue to languish in what Christ described as “rich or wealthy” meaning full of the worldly things of secular and religious; “need of nothing” causing it to be “miserable” meaning unable to recognize its own condition of spiritual poverty; “poor” meaning poor in spirit and neglecting the Holy Spirit; “blind” meaning to be destitute of Truth; and “naked” meaning without faith and great faith as well as possessing the last day revelations of Christ.

On the following pages are two prophetic words I have received from the Lord at two separate times while in fellowship with other believers.

Prophesy #1

“Wake Up!”

Before I received this word, this Scripture came to me and I included here.

Wake up,

and

strengthen the things that remain,

 which were about to die;

 for

I have not found your deeds

completed in the sight of My God……

So, remember what you have received

and

heard;

and

keep it, and repent.

Therefore,

if you do not

wake up, 

I will come as a thief,

 and

you will not know at

what hour I will come.

                                     (Revelation 3:2-3)

I believe the Lord is saying to His Church today:

“Wake up My people

from your mind-sleep

 of doing things your way

 and

 not following what I have told you in

My Word.

  I have laid things out

clearly in My Word for you

 to observe

 and

do very carefully but you

 have chosen to go down

 a path which I have not chosen

for you to walk on.

The path

you have chosen is a

path of potholes,

delays,

and

dangers which can trip

 you up

and

cause you to miss your

appointed destination

 which I have called you to.

The destination

I have appointed for you

 requires your attention

not so much in your

reasoning power

 and

trying to figure out on

 how to get there,

but more from your presenting

 to me your complete self

 and

 allowing me to guide you

through your submission

 to My Holy Spirit

 and

trusting in Him rather than

 your own mental abilities,

self-efforts,

and

 self-understanding.

Your ways of doing things

are not

My ways for My ways

 are accompanied with the

 power of My Spirit

for you to walk

 in and get to where

 I want you to go.

 Many are going their own way,

in their own direction,

 and

without My Spirit

accompanying them.

Let My Spirit

 take you by the hand

and

lead you instead of you trying

 to lead yourself

for when you lead yourself,

you veer off the holy highway

 and

will end up on a dead-end road.

A few months later while in a different church setting, I received another word concerning this call to “Wake-Up.

                         Wake Up #2

Have I not called

 My church to wake up,

 to be on guard,

 to be sober,

 and

 to be ready.

 I will strengthen My Church

 and

purify My Church with holy fire. 

Are you ready for the holy fire?

My Church sleeps

when it should be awake,

 it compromises

 when it should be separate,

 it mixes

 the true with the false.

I call the Church to account –

I am visiting the Church

 in this day

and

 hour

 and

I am calling forth a people

who will love me

and

will go beyond their own

 interests and pleasures.

 I tell you that I will purify

 and

call

and

 come and say,

 “Will you not open the door,

 will you not invite me in

 and

 listen to what the Spirit is

 saying?”

The time is short,

the enemy is at the gate,

 awake my Church,

 speak forth My Name,

 equip yourself to march

and

prepare for victory.

I stand at your side,

 I walk in your midst,

 I wait,

 I watch,

I call.

Time is short,

 get ready,

 put things in order –

tell of the things

 I have put in your heart

 and

in your mind.

It is at this point I felt the Lord speak to me personally about my call.

Don’t shrink back

from the call you have –

 now speak to the sleeping Church

 the Word

 I will put in your mouth.

The anointing you have.

 The power you possess.

Now go and tell.

Rich Arnold

311 Adelaide Ave SW

Hartville, Ohio 44632

330-704-9306

richarnold3@gmail.com