"Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

and you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in."

                                                                                                                               ~ Isaiah 58:12

THINK ABOUT IT RADIO PROGRAM #423

"Revival & Reformation"

by: Don Pinson

aired on: 1/3/08

            There are a number of people across our region who are realizing that we need a move from God in order to correct the moral decay in our land that is leading us to destruction.  A church in Corbin has been meeting for 3 years on Thursday evenings to pray for revival.  This is the only purpose of this meeting:  To pray for heaven-sent, repentance and revival to come to the people of God here and across our nation.  Other churches are coming together to pray for revival.  One group of believers from different churches all across Kentucky have been doing this once a month in different parts of the state for several years now.   One denomination recently sponsored prayer meetings in cities around the perimeter of Kentucky as part of their general program during the course of ’06.  Churches in Manchester have been coming together once a week for over three years to pray for revival in Clay County; and as part of revival, to see the drug traffic stopped in their area.  God has moved dramatically; saving former drug dealers and community leaders, as well as removing corrupt politicians.  The very educational and governmental structure is beginning to be rebuilt in Clay Co.

            All of this is encouraging and could be the beginnings of both revival and reformation in this region.  And we must have both!  The word revival means “new life from God”.  Reformation speaks of the reshaping of the structure of education, government, and economy in a region, or even on a national level.  Reformation is the natural outflow of revival, provided that the Bible is allowed to speak to the institutions of the culture, and not just the personal life.  Revival without reformation will bring great person blessing and the return to order in homes touched by revival; but without reformation in the cultural institutions, the right to share the Gospel will eventually be restricted to the point that the flow of revival will be greatly hindered, if not nearly lost altogether.  To try to reform the cultural institutions without individual minds being changed by revival fire, will result in failure for lack of knowledge among the general population.  This, in turn, pits liberal thinkers against conservative thinkers and results in the deepening of sectional strife.  If carried to it fullest destructive work, this strife results in civil war.

            We simply must pray for revival until God brings His people to repentance.  Once that happens, then we must commit to work for reformation in the institutions of the culture, so the structure of society encourages---instead of hinders--- that revival.

            This is exactly what happened in the founding of America.  Revival is what brought the Pilgrims and Puritans to America.  They created the institutions of the culture is such a way so as to encourage the teaching of the Bible in all of the culture.  However, by the early 1700’s, the fervor of earlier generations was dying.  But, in answer to the intense prayer of a few, God sent a mighty revival in the mid 1730’s.  It was called the Great Awakening because believers in Christ were freshly awakened to the power of Jesus Christ residing in them.

            Our Founding Fathers who birthed the American Republic were born during this Great Awakening.  They grew up in an educational system influenced by it.  They reasoned educational, economic and governmental principles from the Biblical understanding the Awakening had restored to them.  Indeed, America was birthed and formed by the life of Jesus Christ flowing in that great revival.    

            Will you pray earnestly for revival?  Will you believe for reformation to follow?  Will you pray as the Psalmist prayed when he wrote,  “Wilt Thou not revive us again, that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?”

(Psalms 85:6)

Think about it; because if you don’t, someone else will do your thinking for you---

and  for your children!  And you won’t like what that brings to you.  I’m Don Pinson this has been Think About It.