Y Safle

“Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

Joel 3:9-13

When God revived Judah it became a militant force, a force to be reckoned with. Surrounding nations could no longer sit idly around, content with having desolated Judah and carried her children captive. No longer were they able to attend to the mundane matters of living, such as farming.

When God revived Judah she became a mighty nation, able to conquer her enemies and free her captives. Revived Judah was a fearsome force for she had God fighting on her side.

In the same way, the revived church is a mighty force within the nation. No longer will people be able to ignore her. No longer can they attend to their worship of their four legged square idols which glow in the corners of their living rooms. No longer will they be able to go about their daily business without a thought for the God who created them and loved them enough to send his only son to die for them.

The revived church will be a church which matters, a church which makes a difference within the life of our nation.

In the world of today, so many of us seek to bring moral change to our countries through the legal system. We campaign for stricter laws on the control of sale of alcohol, and for less advertising. We campaign to outlaw abortion, and so many other causes (which are noble in their intent).

I am not saying that such campaigning is wrong, but I can say with a certainty that the moral problems within our nations will not go away if we are successful in these campaigns. If abortion is outlawed then people will find other ways to commit murder, for the hearts of the people are still desperately evil. If we tighten up on drink even to the level of prohibition then drunkenness will still occur (look at America’s last experiment with prohibition).

Let us not hide behind our pro-life banners, thinking we are doing all we can to prevent this wholesale baby-murder, we are NOT.

When was the last time you wept before God because your nation had killed a million people without a passing thought? When was the last time you spent hours in an agony of prayer, wrestling with God that he might revive his church, for then the church militant could effect a moral change upon the people of your nation which would at last bring this travesty to an end.

Look at the life work of sir William Wilberforce. Here was a man who laboured to bring slavery to an end in all British colonies. Shortly after his death slavery was indeed abolished, but why? was it only because this man fought his battle in parliament? No. This man fought his battle in prayer, wrestling before the Lord, and many others fought it with him because at that time the church was in an awakened state.

In 1904 in Glamorgan, a county of Wales, there were 11,282 convictions for drunkenness, and similar figures for years prior to that, but then revival erupted through the ministry of Evan Roberts, and this significantly affected the moral climate, for these drunkards were turning now to Christ and not to drink. In 1905 convictions for drunkenness were down to 8,164 and by 1906, when the revival had run its course, convictions stood at 5,490.

You see, the church militant will affect the world. The revived church will lead the world where the declined church has followed. This is the way it has always been. This is the way it will always be.

Next time you hear of an abortion, or a death by drink-driving then pray with me that God will send revival.