Been thinking about the revival happening in Asbury seminary in KY since February 8, 2023. Also now happening at Cedarville and other universities around the country.
Spiritually speaking, I think what we are calling revivals are Jesus Christ within his people breaking free from the chains of sin and religious tradition.
They are almost always spontaneous, unplanned, begun and sustained by young, enthusiastic Christians. Accompanied by much prayer, repentance of sin, and free worship. And rarely have sermons or clergy control. When those things settle in they typically end.
The Type of Revival I’m Praying For
I think the ultimate revival to work toward, the revival that I am praying for, the ‘revival’ that makes me want to explode with excitement. And which keeps me writing, praying, seeking the Lord and sometimes speaking.
Will be the revival of the gospel of the Kingdom that was preached by Jesus and his apostles. I believe we only hear fragments of that one. And I’m not talking about how people fervently preach salvation or miracles, I’m talking about what exactly is preached.
When that revival occurs I believe it’ll cause all we see in Asbury and more, with widespread turmoil and persecution. And not just in seminaries and mega-churches, but among all ages and everywhere.
On Sunday 11/20/2022 I shared a message about the Irresistible Glory of Jesus Christ.
This message is foundational to the gospel of the kingdom. Getting a sight of the glory of God transforms regular lost humans into children of God, followers of Jesus Christ hopelessly in love with and obsessed with Jesus Christ. I was able to share about 3/4 of my notes before my time ran out.
There have been times that I’ve been anxious about such trivial things that I stopped taking the anxiety serious. It doesn’t torment me anymore. Anxiety is almost like an emotion, it comes and I ignore it, hand it to Jesus in prayer then get busy.
Arrogance and Anxiety I think are two sides of one same coin. They are self-centered emotions, they are emotional reactions to a self-centeredness that should not continue to exist within the mind of the Christian. To daily seek Jesus Christ, as he commanded us to do, we must lay that self-confidence down daily.
I know people who are anxious about their anxiety. And anxious about their physical anxiety symptoms. Its like a never-ending cycle. There is a physical component, a mental component and I believe most importnatly a spiritual component to having anxiety and to finding freedom from anxiety.
Physically magnesium and potassium deficiency can result in anxiety. Mentally a lack of human interaction and love can cause anxiety. But spiritually an overconfidence in self, a lack of understanding in Jesus Christ and or a lack of belief in Jesus Christ results in anxiety.
Anxiety (especially about getting money) is one of the default states of mankind without God. (Matt 6:31)
In thinking and praying about anxiety recently I remembered several things that Jesus said early in his ministry. So many things that I can’t help but notice that, in speaking to his followers and potential followers.
Jesus Christ seems to repeatedly go out of his way, to ask for and to remove the anxieties of his followers.
–Adam Collier
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink? or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Jesus Christ
Matthew 6:31-33
Come to me (not church not religion, not bible, he said “come to ME”) all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, (implies that as we learn from him we too become gentle and lowly in heart) and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. – Jesus Christ
Matthew 11:28-30
Special Anxiety Instructions to Those He Sent
He charged them to “take nothing for their journey except a staff-no bread, no bag, no money in their belts- but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics” – Jesus Christ in Mark 6:8
Jesus Christ personally is the cure to anxiety, life apart from him and life apart from daily seeking him is synonymous with anxiety. Jesus pinned himself to the solution for our anxiety. Jesus Christ himself was what Jesus exchanged for the anxieties of his followers. His person, his essence, take my yoke upon you because my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
I don’t know what may be troubling you. Lack of money, lack of home, lack of health, anxiety about symptoms of anxiety? All of the above?
That is the situation of mankind away from Jesus Christ back when Jesus was speaking and even today. Jesus is still alive, Jesus is still a real and living person, Jesus still has a yoke and a burden for us in exchange for our yokes and burdens. And that yoke and burden is “learning of me”, that is all it is. It is simple and easy. My yoke is too much self confidence in fixing things, in understanidng things and in making good things happen.
He gets my anxiety and troubles, and I get Him. I get to learn of him.
I get more knowing of him, he gets my lack, he gets my neediness, he gets my insecurity. He gets my inability to control our future. In exchange I get to know our creator, I get to learn why he created all this. I get to learn his eternal purpose, I get to unlock the key to understanding God and the universe.
