Featured Revival

It is my own personal belief that the RCC tried real hard to mitigate & limit the power of the HS by this Mary & Saintly Worship. Now, instead of the holy spirit active, they would claim Mary & her approbations. But your correct, if God wills it, it will certainly happen.

 

Totally agree, called and convicted + repentance= Supernatural

 

Bretheren.....you will need to allocate 20 minutes for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ETRkJlRqGA

 

I'm not sure we can. I wasn't sure I'd even participate in this thread, because the answers to the questions look (to me) so "slam dunk" obvious: God brings about revival, but yes (I thought initially) we can hinder revival. But then, God is God, and if He has ordained it, how is a mere man going to slow or stop it? He can't. We might refuse to try, but I believe that just means God will use someone else to accomplish His will. As was written ...

Habakkuk 3, NASB
2 LORD, I have heard the report about You and I fear.
O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy.​

God has absolutely insisted some men serve Him, even when reluctant to do so. Moses. Jonah. Paul. But in this day and age, if I refuse to answer a call, will the work be demanded of me? Or will God simply "find" another to do the work? In this hypothetical case, He knew before He called me I would refuse. Why wouldn't He "insist" as He did with those men of the Bible? I believe it is because there are so many hands today, so many available, seeking to serve, that the "reluctant prophet" is easily replaceable.

By the same token, if God calls me, how am I going to resist that call? I think the answer lies in how well I am listening. Perhaps I don't even hear God, being too wrapped up in my own life, my own troubles, and my own fears. That was Moses as well, but he had "burning evidence" before him that he could not ignore.

I don't believe God is going to call me with a burning bush. Nonetheless, the call will be unmistakeable, if I am listening. That of course raises the question, if God calls, how could you not hear? I know that, in the past, I have "missed" God's signs and messages. Looking back, I can see clearly that I was warned by the Holy Spirit in me to avoid a situation, or told by Him to "take that road," and I did not. Clearly it is possible to ignore God. If I do, He already has someone else ready to replace me, knowing beforehand that I will not respond. He wants me to respond, for my own benefit, my growth, my service, for the health of my relationship with Him. But I can refuse, and God is ready for that, too. His will cannot be thwarted.

 

yes good solid post!..God works in every situation for his Glory.Sometimes our worst efforts humanly speaking are used and when we think we have done really well it was not as effective....salvation is all of the Lord despite our weak and feeble efforts;
2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, :wavey:

 

Would you agree that even if we chose to not be doing the assigned task the Lord purposed for us, He will have another take up" the slack" and will see His plans accomplished?

 

When I was in Arminianizm we had revivals usually in the summer months. The sermons were always about Christian duty. At the end of the revival if someone made a confession, church members would stand up and testify to the glory of the church that the Lord heard THEIR prayers, or language like when Christians do this or that only then will the Lord do something. If no one made a profession the blame game began, like if all the members would have come we could have had revival. Now, each service when I here the gospel of Gods Sovereign grace, I am revived.

 

Thank God, Thank God, Thank HIM for whom all blessings flow!

How did you ever get involved with Arminians.....were you born to it? Im glad you were not SLAVE to it & the Lord brought you to a more perfect understanding....sincerely happy you have deeper understanding now! PRAISE GOD!!!
:godisgood:

 

Well, I was in Assemblies of God church, so had arminian and pentacostal theologies to wade through after God saved me...

thankfully, NEVER got into things like word of faith, positive confession, being gods etc...

Would say that most of those Christians that I fellowshipped with at that Church would agreewith much of what calvinism teaches regarding salvation,but would not use same terminology!

Think many would be shockedthat while we cals/Arms havve differences, NOT as far apart as some indicate!
That would be classic Arms, NOTso called non cals!

 

Yeshua, it is simply that their a priori presupposition does not include a sovereign God. In that, I can only come to one conclusion -- they are yet in rebellion against holy God. We see a similar a priori presupposition in the case of atheistic naturalists concerning creation -- it just cannot be, for there is no First Cause that supernaturally spoke the cosmos into being by fiat, ex nihilo. Here, their presupposition is that God ALWAYS gives humans the final word in their own fate -- and in a sense He does, for left to our own devices, we will ALWAYS choose to spend eternity in hell! It is into that presupposition that God breaks, giving us (John 3:16-20) LIFE and more so, graciously and mercifully, ABUNDANT life!

My own experience is similar to yours. I was a RC. What do you think about that group?

 

No matter which human opinion of God we choose to identify with (generally C or A) personally we often see a different biblical view of God especially with His dealings with humanity face to face which seem not to fit into either box we try to contain Him within, even from the very beginning:

Genesis 3

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?​

Here God is asking questions: Why? Is there anything anywhere at anytime that He doesn't know for which He needs (or requires) an answer?​

Of course not.​

Even His dealings with the unregenerate show a free discourse:​

Genesis 4
6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.​

Jonah 3
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.​

Even Jesus the perfect human being - God come in the flesh:​

Mark 14
35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.​

So, it would appear that Jesus Himself had the thought (notice I said "had the thought") that it might indeed be possible for the cup to pass or why even express the thought especially in prayer to His father.​

No, I'm not of the open theology camp and I'm not asking anyone to burn their Systematic Theology books.​

But personally, I don't like to force God and my prayers into the theological conceptions of men but be guided by the scripture and those who had power with God.​

e.g. Here is Moses, his dealings with God as well as his argument trying to convince God not to destroy His people (and was successful).​

Exodus 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.​

Exodus 32
11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.​

Or the account of Ninevah:​

Jonah 3
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.​

And the Lord's prayer:

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.​

The assumption being that God's will is not being done in earth or why make the statement "as it is in heaven"?

So, I agree with Yeshua1 - when it comes to revival (or even an awakening) why not both:​

Isaiah 1
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.​

Incoming!?

HankD​

 

This is going off track.....Its supposed to be about revival.

 

Arminians refine sovereignty of God in a fashion that allows for real free will to operate, so would hold to that doctrine, just on a different understanding of what that really means!

And would see God saving sinners among the RCC, but NOT due to their hereitical doctrines, but due to His sovereign mercy and Grace, and once saved, need to forsake that group!

 

It is.

I made a background case of God and man (both godly and evil men) relationships then applied it to revival.

It's a joint venture although I believe God always takes the intiative either directly or through His authorized oracle.

HankD

 

Oh easier said than done for some people who are deeply, DEEPLY entrenched. & I mean DEEP!

 

Saved Catholics need to stay right where they are. In the church. Preaching the truth. Where else are the rest going to hear it?

 

I think that is a great idea.