America Will Never See Revival...Unless...

This morning I was moved to tears as I watched the short Open Doors video below. The video tells the story of the Chinese revival. The brother in the video shares how the Chinese church started praying for a movement of God. A movement of God that was set in the midst of persecution.

https://youtu.be/tDfZDMwu7UM

As I reflected on the video. It dawned on me that the Chinese believers were at a point of desperation. For they were in the midst of communism. They were in the midst of oppression. Because of this they cried out to God who heard their prayers and sent His Holy Spirit.

Do we honestly think that we are going to see a movement such as occurred in China occur in the United States? Do we really think that a revival conference held in southern, sunny California is going to bring about a movement of God?

Where are the heartfelt prayers? Where are the tears that are being shed? Twelve preachers are scheduled to preach? Has anybody scheduled the Holy Spirit to show up?

America, particularly the American evangelical church, will never see revival. We will never see revival until we have reached a point of desperation that will drive us to our faces before God and to cry out to him.

As far as I can see we are not at that point desperation. We are at a point where we can hold revival conferences. But we are not at a point where we are on our faces before God. Where we are in our prayer closets before him.

Our persecuted brothers and sisters pray that we will see persecution. They pray we will see persecution to deliver us from our materialism. They pray we will see persecution so that we will seek him in desperation. May their prayers not be in vain.

Blaine

/// It’s funny- they pray for us to be persecuted and we pray for them to be delivered from their persecutions. ///

Often time the persecuted ask that they be delivered "through" their persecutions and not "from" their persecutions.

Blaine

There is a refining ekement of persecution. The New Testament bears witness of this. Our brethren in China and Iran understand this. They see that persecution has refined their faith walk in Jesus. The tribulations they endure has conformed them as unto Jesus. They have embraced the cross so that Jesus would live in them.

They see that the American or the western church is trapped and in love with the world. We will never see revival under these conditions. Only when we are brought to a state of desperation will we cry out to God.

This is what the persecuted pray for us. That we go through suffering that will conform us into Christ. That, as they. we will see Jesus in the midst of our sufferings. Por we are surely not going to see Jesus on the midst of our material prosperity.

Believe it or not the persecuted do pray for us out of hearts of love. Their desire is to see the American church purified as the Chinese or Iranian church is.

Blaine

Marvin I'm simply posting observations as seen from a global perspective. This is not about my calling or my passion for the pereecuted. All one has to do is Google the history of the revivals in China and Iran. Or even watch the posted video in the OP if one takes the time to do so.

Prior to 1949 Christianity had a nominal growth in China. After the Communist takeover under Mao Tse Tung the Western missionaries were kicked out. The pundits were saying that Communism had triumphed and that Christianity was irrelevant.

Yet God always has the final word. Because of the emptiness of Marxism and the ensuing persecution of the Cinese church. The believers came to a point of desperation. As such they cried out to God. God heard their prayers and sent a movement of the Holy Spirit into China which still carries on to this day.

The Chinese believers were desperate. In their desperation they cried out to God. God answered their prayers. We in America have not gotten to such a point of desperation. Thus we will not see revival until we are brought on our face before God as the Chinese believers were.

By the way when Nixon normalized our relations with China in the 1970s. The Chinese house church movement was in the tens of millions. It's estimated now that there are more than 80 million believers in China.The Cinese church is growing. That in the midst of renewed persecution of our brothers and sisters in the shadow of the cross.

It is the same story in Iran. But time what not allow me to give an account of what is occurring there.

Suffice to say we in America are not at the point of desperation cry out to God to see him move. Only until we are brought on our faces before him can we hope to see any type of a move up the Spirit in our midst.

Blaine

Suffering will either drive us to Christ or drive us away from Christ. Our persecuted brothers and sisters understand this. We in American evangelicalism do not understand this. We see that suffering is a curse of the devil. And that God's hand upon us is a life of ease.

God's desire for us is ultimately an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. This will require us to lay down everything to follow him. This is something that is not taught in our American churches today. But the cross is taught and willingly embraced in those nations where the church is persecuted.

It was Corrie Ten Boom who said you never know that Jesus is all you need until you discover that Jesus is all you have. Right now we have Jesus in the midst of our materialistic desires. We can have Jesus in the midst of our sin. When Jesus is saying I need you completely and holy.I want you to be apart from your sin.

As things now stand in the American church I don't think we will ever seek Christ apart from our worldly, carnal desires. If God decides to bring a remnant out of America and I'm sure he does. It will be through a calamity or persecution or an economic downfall or all of the above. That will put us on our faces before God. Only then will we hope to see a moving of his Holy Spirit.

Blaine

This morning I was moved to tears as I watched the video below.  Even now tears are streaming down my face.  The short Ooen Doirs video tells the story of the Chineese revival that was birthed in prayer.  A revival set against the back drop of persecution.  

https://youtu.be/tDfZDMwu7UM

We want to see a movement of God in our own nation. But are we willing to pay the price in prayer. May it be that we might have to enter into the shadow of the cross?  May it be that we might have to undergo persecution to see what China has seen?  For sure the Chinese believers would say that persecution is a blessing. 

I have read accounts where the persecuted will pray for us that we will undergo persecution to see the blessings of revival. Are we willing to pray such if we desire to see revival.

The brother in the video says let us pray. Let us pray...... 

1.  Let us pray for the persecuted.

2.  Let us pray for people who share our faith, but not our freedom.

3.  Let us pray for the people who constantly live in fear for simply following Jesus.

4.  Let us pray that we might be inspired to make a difference in our own country.  Let us pray for revival in our own nation and around the world.

No prison, no border, no door is closed to us who are praying.

Let us pray.  

Blaine

In 1949 prior to the Communist takeover of China there was about a million believers in China. In 1979 there were 10 million believers. With that number doubling ever so often. It was through the prayers of the saints that the church in China grew. Again The emptiness of the atheistic doctrine of Marxism and the persecution of believers caused the Chinese church to grow by keaps and bounds.

But it must be remembered that the Chinese saints were desperate. So desperate that they were willing to pay the price in their prayers. Their prayers to see God move and souls converted.

Prayer was their lifeline to God. Prayer was their breath to God. It was through the prayers of the saints that revival came to China.

The Chinese had no revival conferences. They had no revival preachers. They had no Sermonindex with a treasure trove of sermons to encourage them. All they had was the Lord Jesus Christ. All they could do was cry out to him.

We have not reached that point of desperation to where we are crying out to God and God alone. Crying out to God and God alone to see a revival in the American Church. We have not reached that point of desperation where we are on our faces before him.

I believe our idea of revival is that God spare the status quo and not bring judgment upon America. In other words leave the bride in her carnal sin.

But God is desiring a holy bride. A holy remnant even out of America. And it may very well be through the fires of affliction and suffering that bride will be purged. And that bride will be refined. That bride will be the remnant that comes out of evangelicalism. That Remnant that comes out of sin and depravity. In their suffering they will be made like Christ.

Dare we pray that God make us desperate for him? Dare we pray that God make us desperate for him alone. Do we need to hear more revival preaching? Or do we need to do more revival praying? Praying that our desperation will be for Christ and Christ alone. Are we willing to pay the price in prayer to see God move across the church and across this nation.

Only a few will. Will we be the few.

Blaine

I hope brother Mike doesn't mind. But I am posting his OP on this Thread. the article below nails it dead on. It confirms the Open Doors video posted earlier.

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PROPHETIC WORD TO THE EKKLESIA ”“ By Dan Hubbell

The Lord has ministered into my spirit a prophetic word for believers around the world and He has PROPHETIC WORD TO THE EKKLESIA.

There are two distinct things happening prophetically at this moment in history around the world:

The borders of many nations around the world are being closed to outside Christian influence. This is in preparation for internal persecution of national believers. This persecution by governments is meant, from their viewpoint, to limit and ultimately eliminate outside Christian ministries.
Governments are going to continue to persecute, arrest and imprison national believers with their goal being to totally eliminate all Christian work in their nations.

National believers will be shut off from international connections and communications so much so that believers of each nation will be totally dependent upon the Lord for His provision and empowerment for the persecution and purifying that is coming.

This is the primary reason that the believers of these persecuted nations must begin now to completely trust the Lord for His provision as their resource, rather than depending upon believers of other nations to provide for their needs.

God is going to show Himself strong, on behalf of His remnant people who are the true and faithful believers. And as the persecution intensifies, God will miraculously make provision for His children. As the early New Testament Ekklesia was persecuted and purified, all true believers today in these nations will go through persecution and experience the same cleansing and purifying.
This purifying and cleansing will result in a miraculous spreading of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God within these nations and unto the ends of the earth. And instead of true believers decreasing in numbers, as is now believed by the opposing governments, there will be an increased growth in the numbers of His remnant people who will be prepared and empowered by the Holy Spirit to take the Gospel of His Kingdom to the uttermost part of the earth.

Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and THEN SHALL THE END COME!”

"Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

Revelation 22:20

Humbly submitted, by Dan Hubbell, His servant

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In 1949, Mao Tse Tung kicked out the Western missionaries in China. China was closed to outside influence. Western missionary agencies could not penetrate China after the Communist takeover.

It was at this point that the Chinese believers had no choice but to seek God and cry out to him. In essence they were closed in. God had boxed them in. He and he alone was the only recourse for the Chinese church. Because of this the Chinese sought him with diligent prayer. And God answered!!! And how he answered!!!

Even to this day the prayers of the Chinese believers are being answered and the Holy Spirit is going forth. But only when all was closed off. The Chinese believers had to look up nd cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many Chinese believe have said that the best thing that Mao had ever done was to kick out the Western missionaries. Because by so doing the Chinese church had to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And trust in him and him alone to bring forth the revival that we are now seeing today.

I don't know when the brother above gave his prophetic word. But I would say that what is occurring in China is fulfilling what he is prophesying.

Blaine

/// National believers will be shut off from international connections and communications so much so that believers of each nation will be totally dependent upon the Lord for His provision and empowerment for the persecution and purifying that is coming.

This is the primary reason that the believers of these persecuted nations must begin now to completely trust the Lord for His provision as their resource, rather than depending upon believers of other nations to provide for their needs. ///

The brother is spot on. Will there be a few of us who will hear the call of Jesus? That is to close ourselves in our prayer closets and cry out to him. To cry out to him for his power and strength to endure the persecutions that will come. The persecutions that will come upon this nation. To cry out to him for power and strength to reach the lost during such times. To cry out to him to be the first century Acts church.

I feel only a few of us will heed the call. Are we going to be the few???

Blaine