Charles Grayson Finney, what a man of prayer, the great revivalist in New York where 1200 were converted to Christianity for 8 consecutive weeks. His book Lectures on Revival were dictation from this meeting. It was Jonathan Goforth who read the Lectures on Revival and said if this is true I will go to china and do it. A revival under Goforth took place and even spread into Korea. Finney’s said “A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.”O, how few have ever heard of Finney or even understand revival. I see now more than every that revival is the only way. People are saying, look at our turn out!, look at our meetings!, we are well! Yet, look at our prayer meetings, how people loath to be there. Ravenhill said that the prayer meeting is the barometer of the church. And if you look in the prayer meeting, if there be a meeting at all, what will you fine. The heart felt Cry is unwelcome or if you stay to long are you not ushered out. Everyone is asking for little petty thing but who stands up and cries O, God I am thirsty, pour thy waters on me. Ravenhill said he is ashamed to be associated with the Christian institution. Our churches have become social gatherings with spiritual over tones. They should be spiritual gathering with social overtone. We need men of God, real men, willing to be pored out waiting on God.This day no one is willing to wait on God. No one is stirred, no one is moved and if so someone will ask what are you getting so excited about. It was Jesus who went into the temple and cried out repent, the kingdom of God is at hand. O, how we need men who can cry out to God in true repentance of there sin. O, how Satan has tempted the Christian to defile his relationship to God. ”Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;” 9 1 John 3. We know the saint will sin, but the sin, the Christian is refusing to repent of and turn away this is our trouble. As I said before “we love our sin”, but this sin is between God and the revival that he so wants to engage in. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? Joshua 5O, that God would call up men like Joshua able to see the Captain who stands a mighty warrior with his sword draw. Men ready to pore out their hearts in repentance until they are delivered from that which hinders them. Men ready to make their hearts a clean sanctuary for the Holy Ghost to dell in. Men willing to pay the price and in solitude wait on God. Willing to spend hours, daily on their knees until the visions of revival come to being. When will men say “What saith my Lord”!
