NOTE: The following is an extract from a
wonderful book, 'The Heavenly Man' by Brother Yun - one of the
House-church leaders from China who has been imprisoned and tortured
for his faith. He is speaking here of what it will take for the Western
church to see Revival:
CHINESE
LEADER SPEAKS OUT
Re: "Revival in the West"
- Brother Yun.
Many pastors in Europe and America have told me they want to see great
revival. I'm frequently asked why China is experiencing revival but
most places in the West are not. This is a big question to answer, but
some reasons are very apparent to me.
When I'm in the West, I see all the mighty church buildings and all the
expensive equipment, plush carpets, and state-of-the-art sound systems.
I can assure the Western church with absolute certainty that you don't
need any more church buildings. Church buildings will never bring the
revival you seek. The pursuit of more possessions will never bring
revival. Jesus truly stated, "A man's life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions." -Lk 12:15.
The first thing needed for revival to return to your churches is the
Word of the Lord. God's Word is missing. Sure, there are many preachers
and thousands of tapes and videos of Bible teaching, but so little
contains the sharp truth of God's Word. It's the truth that will set
you free.
Not only is knowledge of God's Word missing, but obedience to that
Word. There's not much action taking place.
When revival came to believers in China, the result was thousands of
evangelists being sent out to all corners of the nation, carrying fire
from the altar of God with them. When God moves in the West, it seems
you want to stop and enjoy His presence and blessings too long, and
build an altar to your experiences.
You can never really know the Scriptures until you're willing to be
changed by them.
All genuine revivals of the Lord result in believers responding with
action and soul winning. When God truly moves in your heart you cannot
remain silent. There will be a fire in your bones, like Jeremiah, who
said, "His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." Jeremiah 20:9.
Furthermore, it's only when we step out in obedience and share the
gospel with people that we come to know God's blessing in every area of
our lives. That is why the Apostle Paul wrote to his co-worker
Philemon, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that
you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in
Christ." -Philemon v.6.
I've seen people in Western Churches worshiping as if they're already
in heaven. Then someone invariably brings a comforting message, like,
"My children, I love you. Don't be afraid, I'm with you." I'm not
opposed to such words, but why is it that nobody seems to hear a Word
from the Lord like, "My child, I want to send you to the slums of Asia
or the darkness of Africa to be my messenger to people dying in their
sin."?
-From 'The Heavenly Man' - pg 296-297. Book available from Christian
bookstores, 'Amazon.com' and other outlets.
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