HOPE IS ALIVE –
ALWAYS
EMBRACE THE POSITIVE
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Do you believe in the effectiveness of prayer? Do you believe God is capable of indwelling His Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of men and women? Do you believe God can reveal Himself in the young and the old? Do you believe God can save America?
If we answered “yes” to those questions, we have to be super-excited about the revival that is taking place at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky and appears to be spreading all across America and very likely to other parts of the world.
Christians have been praying for revival in America for years. In the eighties, I remember thinking, “Things in America can’t get any worse!” But they did and situations will continue to escalate without a return to God.
That statement sounds old-fashioned and ridiculous to the promoters of division and evil. For those that love God and America, the current Asbury movement is a great step forward in the right direction.
Pillarisation in America began in the 1970’s and 1980’s. That is the politico-denominational segregation of a society into groups by religion and political beliefs. This was likely the beginning of the extreme division we are witnessing in our society today.
Asbury is not a rock concert, it is not a festival; it is not a party. It is a sincere embracing of the Holy Spirit of God which has been among us all along.
Skeptics are asking, “Is this real?” How can anyone place themselves in a position to ask such a question? The question in itself reeks of a judgmental attitude. What exists between any individual and God is between them and God.
Matthew 7: 1-3 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
Oftentimes the effect of revival in churches is thought to be minimal. It is rare to see a manifesting of the Spirit of God in such services except within the hearts and minds of a few. But, what a blessing when that does happen!
For the uprising of so many, especially the young, into the Gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutely amazing. We have heard for several years now, our youth are being directed away from the tenants of American freedom and the concept of having faith in anything but themselves.
Freedom is a fantastic blessing. America was founded on freedom. I fully understand I am able to write and share my thoughts because of freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I thank God and our founding fathers for these freedoms.
We also have a freedom from sin provided by our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. This is an eternal freedom that releases us from the bondage of sin and eternal separation from our Creator God.
Many non-believers are critical of the Christian belief of this release from the burden of sin which the Apostle Paul referred to as a “yoke of bondage” (Acts 15: 10).
Some interpret Christianity as an excuse to sin and be forgiven. A bumper sticker we saw several years ago stated, “Christians are not perfect, but forgiven.” Many took offense at this, once again offering the belief that believers use their faith as an excuse. A part of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the aversion to sin and an authentic desire to avoid sin.
For a generation to realize the human need for a spiritual connection to our Creator is uplifting to mature and new Christians alike.
2 Chronicles 7: 14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
When God makes a promise, we can count on that promise being kept. 2 Chronicles 7: 14 is a promise from God and we can take that very seriously.
In the leading scripture, Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock.” To quote a missionary friend in reference to this verse, “If we open our door to Jesus, we must move out of the doorway and allow Him to come in.”
We must move our materialism, our greed, out selfishness and all our worldly desires from the doorway. Those “stand in His way” when standing “at the door.” The blocks in the doorway that our human nature finds difficult to overcome are ever present.
The events at Asbury give many of us a hope we haven’t felt this strongly in a many years. Has this crashing of America into evil found a foe that is stronger than the evil?
Keep praying for revival and the continuing of the Asbury phenomenon. Tell anyone and everyone you meet, salvation is by a faith based belief in Christ Jesus crucified for the remission of sin and resurrected.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary, from Fredonia, Kentucky.