Pray But Do Not Demand!

Do not claim, do not demand, let your requests be made known, let them come from your heart. God will understand. We have no right to demand even revival. Some Christians are tending to do so at the present time. Pray urgently, plead, use all the arguments, use all the promises; but do not demand, do not claim. Never put yourself into the position of saying, ‘If we but do this, then that must happen.’ God is a sovereign Lord, and these things are beyond our understanding. Never let the terminology of claiming or of demanding be used.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Final Perseverance of the Saints, 155.

The Passing of Tim Keller

Tim Keller, ‘Pastor to Skeptics’, Author & Apologist, Has Died

By Tim Morgan

Tim Keller founded Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. (Photo via Facebook)

Timothy James Keller, the world-renowned advocate of reformed theology, Christian apologetics, and the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, died on Friday, May 19. Since 2020, he had been treated for pancreatic cancer. He was 72.

This morning, Redeemer informed church members by email of Keller’s death, saying “We know he is rejoicing with his Savior in heaven.”

In 1989, Keller was recruited by the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) to launch and serve as senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian. Decades later by July 2017, Keller preached his last sermon as senior pastor, and Redeemer, which at the time had 5,000 people in weekly attendance, also subdivided. There are now five congregations according to http://www.Redeemer.com. Until the split, Redeemer was among the nation’s largest megachurches, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research database. The conservative PCA has 380,00 members in 1,900 congregations.

Upon leaving the pastorate, Keller stepped into a new role as a full-time teacher with the City-to-City church planting network, a partnership between Reformed Theological Seminary and Redeemer. Three years later, in May 2020, his doctors diagnosed stage 4 pancreatic cancer, leading to a regimen of intensive immunotherapy. (In 2002, he had thyroid cancer, but treatment sent it into remission.)

Back in March, Keller disclosed on Facebook that tumors had returned, and he would undergo additional immunotherapy. Since then, Keller, wife Kathy, and son Michael have kept more than 540,000 followers on Facebook updated. On May 16, son Michael said his father had been released from a hospital on Saturday, only to be returned on Sunday for additional care. On Thursday, Michael said his father had been discharged from the hospital for home-based hospice care.

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When Revival Comes…

“When revival comes, an intense spirit of conviction will be felt immediately. Conduct that has always seemed acceptable will appear unbelievably wicked. Prejudices that have characterized professing Christians for decades will be revealed for the grievous sins they really are. Private indulgences upon which a person has looked with favor for will suddenly seem to merit all the wrath of God poured out forever. Prayerlessness, ignorance of Scripture, sins of omission, and failure in good works will not longer be defended by a myriad of excuses, but will laid open before the God ‘with whom we have to do.'”

Revival by Richard Owen Roberts, 23

A Revival of Prayer

“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation” – (Luke 3:4-6).

We are right now living in desperate days. The Church in many parts of the world needs revival, and God wants to use each one of us to prepare the way for a mighty outpouring of His Spirit. I am sure that you sense the urgency of the hour. It is not hard to see that everything is not right. God is trying to get our full attention. It is truly time to cry out to the Lord and become men and women of fervent prayer. We need God’s intervention in our cities and nations. The valleys of defeat must be filled, the mountains of disbelief must be leveled, the crooked places of dishonesty must be straightened, and the rough places of disobedience must be made smooth.  
 
It was almost 25 years ago on the mission field when I wrote the following two paragraphs in a newsletter. I find that today I must still ask myself the same questions I asked then:  

“Am I desperate enough for revival? Do I realize the desperate condition of my country?” And if I trust in religious organization, material wealth, popular preaching, shallow evangelistic crusades, there will never be revival. But when confidence in my flesh is smashed and I realize my desperate wretchedness and emptiness before God, then and only then will God break through. “Lord, make me ready for revival. Revive me.”
 

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How Hungry Are We for God?

Every revival in history seems to be the result of a few people becoming so hungry for God that they wanted Him more than oxygen. Those who have such hunger will not be denied. It’s time to seek a revival that becomes the most famous address in the world. It’s time to seek a move of God that won’t quit moving.

~ Rick Joyner

Prayer Quote By Paul Tripp, Part 1

“Prayer is about something vastly bigger and more beautiful than laying before God your personal wish list for the day, because your life is meant to be about something bigger than that as well.”

~ Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies, May 5

In the wake of “revival,” America is at a spiritual crossroads

By Lyndsey Koh

USA (MNN) — A Barna study released on February 1st reveals 77% of Generation Z teens are motivated to learn about Jesus Christ in their lifetime.

One week after this report came out, spiritual revival broke out at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky.

The revival was characterized by young college students who stayed after a chapel for continued prayer and worship. It persisted in a spontaneous outbreak of confession, worship, and prayer that lasted for several weeks and drew in people from around the world.

Revival at Asbury University (Photo courtesy of OneWay Ministries)

Regular chapel schedules resumed at Asbury yesterday. However, other universities and churches across America are opening their doors as more people — particularly youth — seek the Lord through prayer, confession, and worship. There are even stories and online videos surfacing of worship gatherings in other countries inspired by the movement at Asbury.

Stan Key, Minister at Large for OneWay Ministries, describes America at a spiritual crossroads.

“Oh, my goodness, the world we live in. I think I’ve despaired for our nation. The nation that you’re going to grow up in, your generation, and particularly your children, it’s not going to be a pleasant place to be. So this gives me hope,” Key says. “Lord, can you revive our nation? Can you revive the Church?”

Many Christians have been greatly encouraged by testimonies of repentance and humility out of Asbury University and other related worship gatherings. But other believers are cautious to get excited about the so-called revival. Responses range from curious and questioning to skeptical and even outright critical.

Biblical discernment is important in all things, and especially in any movement that would claim the name of Jesus.

Key says this desire for biblical wisdom in the wake of the Asbury revival is important!

“In terms of discerning what is going on,…I don’t think we should just criticize all those who want to be cautious. I’m a skeptic at heart myself. I need some proof.”

(Photo courtesy of OneWay Ministries)

Was this emotional sensationalism? A bandwagon effect? Did lack of one centralized leader mean it was a spiritually-hyped free-for-all?

Many of the critics simply are curious to see what kind of lasting spiritual effect this revival could have on individual lives and American culture. “I think there’s two kinds of critiques of a move of the Spirit like this,” Key says. “One is the legitimate sort. ‘What is going on? And how should I respond?’…. Most of the critique is quite respectful. It’s like, ‘Well, we’ll see.’ Okay, that’s fair.”

However, Key cautions, “There is a critique in which I sense arrogance and condescension.’”

So what is the spiritual fruit that has come out of Asbury?

Key’s father-in-law, Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, was the president of Asbury College (now Asbury University) during the 1970 revival on campus.

As someone who is familiar with conversations surrounding faithful Christian revivals, Key says, “The word that, to me, always marks the authentic presence of the sanctifying Spirit is the word humility. Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they get the Kingdom.’”

Another litmus test is the five characteristics of a work of the Holy Spirit, as outlined by Jonathan Edwards in the First Great Awakening.

Key explains, “If it’s those marks that Jonathan Edwards said — if Jesus is exalted, sin is exposed, the Bible is lifted up, sound doctrine is preached, and it’s about love — where’s my can of gasoline? That’s about as good as it gets.

“If this is of God,…all I want to do is bring my can of gasoline and pour gas on what God is doing.”

(Photo courtesy of Jon Tyson via Unsplash)

More and more stories have come out of Asbury about students and young people repenting of sin, coming to the altar broken and crying out for Jesus, praying for one another and restoring relationships with one another.

Far from sensationalist reports, those who were there speak of peaceful worship and biblical conviction.

“I did hear the president of Asbury and his team in a prayer meeting with about 500 alumni last weekend,” Key says. “They were responding to questions. But he said something to the effect of they’ve had quite a number of Christian celebrities show up and…a number of them said, ‘If you like, I’ll address the crowd or I’ll be a part of this in some way.’ To a number of them, they’ve said no.”

Students and young people, travelers and townies were not there to see celebrities and political pundits.

This generation is open to — and even hungry for — spiritual truth. Truth that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

The Asbury revival may be over, at the official campus capacity level. But if the Holy Spirit has kindled a fire for the Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts of young people in America, may our prayers fan the flames.

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The Power of a Praying and Loving Grandfather

Thoughts on Finishing Well

DARRYL DASH  |  APRIL 19, 2023

I’m 55, which is old enough to have seen some of my friends not finish well. I used to struggle to understand how someone could fail God in a public way. Now I marvel that God’s grace has kept me so long. The older I get, the more I see my sin.

I see three options before us:

• Coast — No new challenges. No risk. No discomfort. This option hardly seems like a good one, but it’s probably our default.
• Crash — I see this far too often. Commit a serious sin against God, one that brings dishonor to his glory, and that harms others. We’re all closer to this than we think. The more we think we’re not in danger, the greater the danger (1 Corinthians 10:14).
• Finish well — This option aims to echo Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4:7-8: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

Finishing well means that we remember that we have an enemy who’s a murderer and a liar (John 8:44). It means that we take John Owen’s words seriously: “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” We must realize how dangerous sin is — not just sin in general, but the particular sins that we’re tempted to commit. We must recognize them, confess them, and drag them into the open. In general, if I’m so embarrassed by a sin or temptation that nobody knows about it, I’m in dangerous territory.

But finishing well also has a positive side. It means treasuring God, beholding Christ, and being filled with the Spirit — all deeply satisfying. Growth in godliness is growth in joy.

Finishing well simply means that we keep doing these two things — killing sin and treasuring God — for a long time, recognizing that we’re never far from danger. It means anticipating the day when all of this struggle will have been worth it for the glory that will be revealed.

It also helps to follow others who are finishing well. I spoke to a man, a bit older than me, last week. He’s been faithfully serving in his church for 29 years. I can’t detect an ounce of artifice in his life. The harder things get, his wife comments, the more he’s in.

As we spoke, I asked how he’d stayed faithful this long. His one-word answer: abiding. He can’t imagine a day when he doesn’t depend on Christ’s power for all that he needs. “I wither so fast,” he said. Me too.

It made me think of Robertson McQuilkin, a seminary president who died in 2016. He wrote these words before he died:

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Praying for Revival in Lincoln, Nebraska

Today at Heartland Converge Pastor’s retreat, we prayed that God will send revival to our nation!