I took out Leonard Ravenhill's "Revival God's Way" to read when I go to work these few weeks. Everytime I read it, spiritual sweat kept pouring down my brows. My eyes literally will well up in tears as I reflect on how dead my spiritual life sometimes is in the midst of our busy schedule. What's worse is when I think about how dead our churches really are.
Ravenhill is really a man ahead of his times. The book that I mentioned was written published in 1983 and he foresaw the kind of institution the church will become 20 years later. It's scary when u realise the depravity of our condition. One thing that he constantly laments is the lack of biblical preaching and the lack of prayer. It makes me wonder how angry the worship team members become when the bassist or drummer arrives late for rehearsal or the frustration of not finding a replacement on weekend, but the pastors get elated when the 2nd level hall gets half-filled for a prayer meeting! I rejoice in those few but I wonder how it would have been if everyone is hot in their faith.
Alas, I am one that never attends the prayer meeting these days since I started working as a freelancer. But how different it was back in the days when time was more forgiving and life was less complicated. Prayer meeting was a weekly Thursday night affair back then. Our faith were young, our fervour were raw and not body stopped us from. Buit rather we spurred each other to go for it. There were such flavour to taste as we savour the goodness of our Saviour. The Prayer and Power nights are always held once a month. As if the energy garnered over those sessions will be enough to last the whole month before it gets refueled. The attitude of the church reflect the attitude of it's leaders. And we who are being led will become less like Jesus but more of our leaders whether we like it or not.
I was so appalled when they announced over the pulput that prayer meeting (whatever that's left til the new year) will be cancelled due to the busy schedule the church will be having. Why don't we cancel all the rehearsals and replace them with a prayer meeting or a revival meeting (but revival won't happen unless we start praying!)?
Guys and gals, I look at u and wonder where have u been. I always told you that serve the Lord while you are young and have all the time in the World to serve him before the busy-ness of life sets in and you hardly find your faith brighter than a flicker on a candle stick. If you are blessed with a 8 to 5 job, rejoice! Because though you are tired at the end of the day, you have time to have Christian fellowship to spur each other up! Make those fellowship part of your life just as watching the movies, going shopping are part of yours.
Watch out! Watch and prayer is the cry of the heart. Our church buildings is so beautiful, but it can be made so much more alive by prayer. O how I wish that we would be known my our prayer than our activities! Now do we see why revival doesn't tarry in our lives? Because there is a lack of prayer. Prayerlessness is the begining of a long process that leads so spiritual deadness. I have not reached there yet so I am praying and I hope you're praying with me too.
"Awake my soul when sin is nigh and keep it still awake!" - Charles Wesley
I don't believe in church when the church acts like the world
I want to find my fellow sheep but all I see is a blur
