Will You Not Revive Us Again Lord?

THE HOUSE WITHOUT HIS PRESENCE

Do we really experience the presence of God in His house?. Do we meet the Lord in His house? Can a sinner experience the electrifying presence of awesome God in our congregation?. Today’s believers seem to be satisfied about their churches even without the presence of God. In Old Testament ,we see that many Israelites worshipped God with out the ark of Covenant. (ark of Covenant represents the presence of God) During the days of prophet Jeremiah, they left God who is the cistern of living water and made a cistern of their own as a substitute for God’s presence. Today’s dare Christians do the same thing inside the temple of God—Don’t we have man-made cisterns inside our churches? Let us hear the cry of our God. “They have forsaken me”(Jer 2:13)

God’s house without his presence is a decorated tomb. Where is the presence of God? Behold He stands at the door as a rejected and wounded lamb! Brethren, His house without Him has become a social club—where people gather for the sake of gathering.

We have become experts in singing, praising, praying, worshipping and preaching inside His house without His presence. What a wretched condition is this? Many sacrifices are being offered in His house—but where is the high priest? The most important and urgent need of today’s churches is the presence of jehovah—the consuming fire—the Lord of hosts. Brethren! Nothing can satisfy the seeking Christian except the presence of God.

“I do not need anything” is the confession of Laodicean Church. It is the same Laodicean spirit which has taken over today’s churches. It has lost the sensitivity to the presence of Lord and it could boast and say “I lack nothing” even after the departure of the Lord. Samson did not know the departure of Lord from him and he went against his enemies without His presence and he was defeated. Our condition is same today.

“ The Lord has rejected his altar and abandoned his sanctuary” Lam 2:7.

We have spiritual gifts and spectacular sings instead of His presence. We are satisfied with this Christless pentecost. We cry for power not for His presence.

Most of our churches resemble the Laodicean church. It was a church of self-satisfaction. “I am alright and I have everything” was her attitude. She was enticed by a lying spirit and had a false sense of spiritual satisfaction. She has lost her spiritual garments, her eyesight, and her spiritual riches. Perhaps, it was a wretched church—naked, blind and poor. Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee is burned up with fire, and all our pleasant things are laid waste.”(Isaiah 64:11) We have lost so many spiritual things—yet we are in comfortable zones. We have lost former glory of the Lord and become Icahboth churches.

Inside the church the chillness of the world got mixed with the holy fire—some are chill and few are already frozen. The furnace has become freezer. The new born babies die sooner or later after coming inside the wordliness-crippled churches. The leaders who are strongly influenced by the Laodicean spirit are quenching the spirit of the believers by their cold-dead-empty sermons.

Their lifeless, soft-touch man-pleasing and soul-empowered preaching produce mere death in the congregation. These Band-aid preachers give soothing words to the sick and dying churches—instead of dealing with the root causes.

“Is not my word like a fire?” saith the Lord(Jer 23:29) where is the word of fire? We have lost the true fire of God. Men bring the strange fire inside His tabernacle without any fear. How long the Lord would tolerate the strange fire inside His house? Have we forgotten the fact that the judgement of God would begin in His house? Behold the judge stands at the door of His house.(1 Pet 5:17)

Has the house of God become Den of Thieves? Spiritual things are commercializes in His house. We hear money-oriented sermons; Money-milking schemes are abounding in their minds. Pulpit is being used to sell the prosperity techniques. The subject of Eternity is dropped and materialism is being followed. They preach never on cross of Christ—but on money. Their mind is set on earthly things, and now they are enemies of the Christ. Where is the message of repentance? Is there a serious message on sin and judgement in these days? Preachers call people unto luxury and comfort—while the Lord is calling us unto repentance”. “You have a reputation of being alive but you dead” says the Lord in the book of Revelation. (Rev 2:1) We can see the dead condition of so called spiritual churches. If any sinner comes to a dead church, an angel may meet him on the way to say, “ Why do you seek the living on among the dead?”

Rightly said Leonard Ravenhill, “ Too many dead preachers are preaching too many dead sermons to too many dead congregations”.

The mount Zion lies desolate, with jackles plowing over it. (Lam 5:22) Churches of Living God have become the valley of dry bones! They are now monuments of yesterday’s great spiritual experiences.

Although we are dead, we manage to stand in the spiritual warfare to face the power of darkness. Are they not laughing at us? We have so much music inside the house—yet no joy of the Lord. We have so many sermons in His house—yet no spiritual food for the inner man. We have lost the fresh flow of the divine life inside His house. We need a fresh breath of God.

God’s house is related to His government—He wants to rule His house. If we don’t have the presence of God, how we can experience His government? Now we have human government—with cunning craftiness and management skills, Men have turned the house into human Organization---yet they preach Body of Christ is not an organization. Instead of the Lamb of God , the ego of men rules and ruins the churches. We have lost the Lordship of Christ over our churches. We prefer Quantity to Quality, so we cry for more people instead of more of Christ. To attain more quantity we are ready to make any kind of compromise. Standard of today’s churches is not holiness—but bigness. Their goal is not fullness of Christ—but the fullness of the buildings. The end result is , that, the spiritual churches have become the daughters of Babylon—Christless churches are now the organization of the Great Babylon.

Presence of God is the present need of our churches. We are saved primarily to be the dwelling place of God. Christless church is the salt without savour and it is fit only to be trampled under the feet of unsaved men. Presence of Christ alone can savour this salt again. Behold the great restorer stands at the door. We need the fire of God, which will consume our dead, dry and defiled human system in the house of God. We live in the days of evil, in which there is no fear of God among God’s people--the things of God are lightly esteemed.

We are desperately in the need of divine intervention. Unless God intervenes we will become the worst. Restoration of God's presence is the major part of the revival.Wherever God causes a revival,people enjoy His manifest presence .Surely He would come as refiner’s fire to His house—To cleanse His temple. Who can endure the day of his coming? (Mal 3:2)

“This is what the Lord Almighty says, and I will return to you’ says the Lord almighty”. Zech1:3

“Restore us to yourself, O ’Lord that we may return; renew our days of old” Lam 5:21.