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The First Steps to Revival {Ezra 7-10}

8:00 PM


We hear a lot about the need for revival among God’s people today, but do most of us truly know what revival looks like? Found in the Book of Ezra is one of the greatest revivals recorded in the Old Testament and Ezra was very instrumental in helping to bring it about.

The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah document the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. First, Ezra was sent to restore the worship among the Israelites. As worship was restored, Zerubbabel arrived to rebuild the temple, the place of worship, and finally Nehemiah arrives and rebuilds the walls and gates of Jerusalem. The wall acted as a barrier against attack and protected those living within the city, but it’s not enough to fortify the walls and build a place of worship. That’s not really “revival”? Revival begins in the hearts of each individual (you and me), before the community can be strengthened. And only God’s Spirit is able to do the work in the hearts of each person, but He does use people like Ezra along the way.

 “And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. For we were slaves…” – Ezra 9:8-9

The first step to revival is recognizing that we’re in bondage.

 It isn’t hard to find others in bondage around us. There are those who are in bondage to addictions such as drugs, alcohol, sexual perversions, etc. But there are other bondages that are less recognizable, especially when it comes to ourselves, unless we begin looking within and asking, “Am I in any kind of bondage and in need of revival?”
So let me ask you:
·         Do you have a sense of incredible joy? If not, then you could very well be under the bondage of sorrow, depression, disillusionment, or even unconfessed sin?
·         Do you have indescribable peace within? If you don’t have peace then are under the bondage of dread, or anxiety?
·         Are you filled with faith? Or are you wrestling with the bondage of doubts.
·         Are you filled with incredible hope? If not, are you wrestling against despair? Is your glass suddenly half empty?
·         Do you have assurance? Or are you fearful and worried?
·         Do you possess a strong sense of self-worth? Or are you struggling with the bondage of shame?
Do you love digging into God's Word? How's your prayer life? Are you seeing God answer your prayers? Has God been speaking to you personally lately, or has He seemed distant?
Any of these symptoms may be signs that we're not free to live the way God has called us and created us to live!

Once we recognize that we are dealing with some form(s) of bondage, the next step to revival is to begin to cry out asking God to deliver us, for there has never been freedom without first a cry to be free!

We can see why God chose Ezra to rebuild Israel’s worship in Ezra 7:10, For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to practice it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” (Emphasis mine)  Ezra had set his heart to

1) Seek the Law of the Lord,
2) do it (live according to God’s Word), and
3) teach others to do the same.

Let me ask you, would you like to be used by God? Would you like to have the faith that stands firm and is commited to helping build God's Kingdom? Then, we too, must do exactly as Ezra "set his heart" to do. Anything that falls short of this simple formula would never work. Did you know that many theologians today credit Ezra with writing Psalm 119?
Here’s just a few quick verses, but I'd encourage you to prayerfully read the rest for yourself:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
With my whole heart I seek you;
    let me not wander from your commandments!
 I have stored up your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.” – Psalm 119: 1-2, 10-11

Is this your heart's cry as well?

Also consider  the words of Jesus:
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not DO the things which I say? Whoever COMES TO ME, and HEARS My sayings and DOES them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.” Luke 6:46–48 (emphasis added)

Don’t we all want to build our faith on an unshakable foundation? The great news is that God doesn’t leave us solely with the task of seeking, doing, and teaching completely up to us. All of us, at the moment we placed our faith in Him, were given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us, by revealing the truth of God’s Word to us, helping us to live it out, and to teach others to do the same!

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

And this amazing journey begins simply by looking within!

Ezra

Scripture Saturday ~ Study, Practice, Teach

12:00 AM

Saturday, April 14, 2018


Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

This coming week's memory verse is Ezra 7:10...

 Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. (NIV)

 Have a blessed and precious day and week everyone!

2 Timothy

A Case for Discipleship {2Timothy 2}

12:00 AM

If you knew you were at the end of your life; with perhaps a matter of days or weeks left to live, what would you want to say to those you love most in a letter?

I’ve always approached the Book of 2 Timothy a bit differently knowing that this is the last of Paul’s letters; written to the one he considered to be his spiritual son (1Tim 1:2). I seem to open it with a bit of sadness (not really sure why) and a desire to dig to discover the weightiness of his last words. Paul writes his second letter to Timothy sometime after his second arrest in 67AD. This prison was much more severe than his house arrest we studied earlier, and somehow Paul knows he’s going to be martyred, rather than released this time. (2 Tim 4:6) Which is why I tend to think these words carry a bit more weight, for wouldn’t your words as well, if you knew this might be your last chance to share them?

There is so much here to write on, that I’ve struggled for several days trying to decide on what I should write about until I was finally given the “go-ahead” from the Lord to write on what I’m most passionate about. And you’ll see this is one area where Paul and I each share the same heart!! He starts right off with it here in chapter 2 with, “So you, my son, be strong and empowered in the grace that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard me teach in the presence of many witnesses, entrust [as a treasure] to reliable and faithful men who will also be capable and qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

Did you catch it? This was Paul’s plan to grow the church! I have always liken verse 2  to a chain-linked fence with each member of the body connected to a more mature believer as he/she also connects and teaches a younger one(s), in order that they too will be able to teach others. Have you ever tried to break a chain-linked fence before!? If every church followed Paul’s plan no one would be left out and everyone would be ministering to others while they were being ministering to! Just imagine how God’s church would grow and mature! It would be a force to be reckoned with for sure! Can you see why Paul and I are so passionate about what is known as discipleship today!?

First let me share how I believe this plan is laid out and then I’d like to share a more personal testimony:
-- First, Christians need to abide/rely in the power of Christ. (v.2:1) Paul has already reminded Timothy in 2 Tim 1:7 that God has not given him a spirit of fear, but power, love and self-control.
Paul is assuring Timothy and us that we need to rely on the abiding power of Christ in us to bring this all about! None of us would ever be fully adequate for the task on our own, but all God needs is a yielded vessel.
-- Second, We all must remember that Jesus, Himself commanded ALL of us to, “Go and make disciples in Mt 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” These were some of Jesus’ last words to his disciples and now Paul is charging Timothy with the same command.
-- Third, Our goal is to reproduce faithful men and women. We need to be investing in other believers with the mindset that they will soon be investing & teaching others.

I believe disciple-making happens best through intentional, intimate relationships with other believers.  Jesus’ command to love one another (Jn 13:34) is carried out through our relationships with others. Here are a few more commands along the same line and most given by Paul:
  • Be in agreement with one another (Rom. 12:16).
  • Accept one another (Rom. 15:7).
  • Instruct one another (Rom. 15:14).
  • Greet one another (Rom. 16:16).
  • Serve one another (Gal. 5:13).
  • Be kind and compassionate to one another (Eph. 4:32).
  • Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:21).
  • Admonish one another with all wisdom (Col. 3:16).
  • Encourage one another, and build each other up (1 Thess. 5:11).
  • Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another (James 5:16).

It all boils down to, “doing life together!” Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best: “Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him.” Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” and I believe this was Paul’s intent here. Together we’re going to grow closer to one another as we grow closer to our Lord.

About this time last year, I became convicted by Jesus’ command in Mt 28:18-20. Suddenly I, as the “clay”, could no longer tell the “Potter” that I was too busy and not interested in making disciples, so I surrendered my time and will to Him and sent out an invitation to “friends” on Facebook. I committed to investing in as many as He would send, and six women accepted the invitation, making a group of seven. We started out as an eclectic group of strangers; some single, some married, some with children, some without! Most of us are living in the same town, but one lives thousands of miles away and joins us through the internet each time we meet. (She has also made a few trips down to join us in person as well)
First Photo of All of Us Except Ginger. (Sandra's On the iPad)

As soon as our group was set and even before our first meeting, I set up a group text as our main form of communications during the week. This way everyone receives the information all at the same time. The group started off quiet, but it wasn't long before we were texting throughout the day; some serious needs and some craziness. I think this has been one of the best means to draw us together as one.
Women's Conference We Attended Together

 I feel I must reiterate however, this has been The Lord's group! From the very beginning, He brought us all together, and He has blessed us incredibly since!! I liken my role as leader as throwing a tiny atom into the mix and watching the whole thing mushroom! I think the neatest part as a leader is being able to watch the Lord work in each life, and collectively as a group! From the very first night, the level of sharing dropped down into such a level of intimacy that you don't often reach in other groups.
Our Whole Group Together Again Sept '17
We started out in January of this year as strangers and now we are forever sisters! Only God can make that happen in such a short time! Our faith has grown tremendously over these months as we've each leaned on the Lord and one another to help us step out of our comfort zones in order to grow! We've each given and received unconditional support that has helped us all to move further along on this journey!

 I have loved this journey and have been so incredibly blessed this year by all the Lord has done and continues to do!! Nothing would please me more than to encourage all of you to take this step of faith and begin to form your own groups for next year!! I've listed a bit of the dynamics below to get you started, and I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have! This is truly of the Lord, for only the enemy would hate for you to be blessed as we've been, therefore the first step is always one of surrender and looking to Him to fulfill the desire now planted in your heart! <3


Group Dynamics:
    • Find a time that works for all
    • Each commit to meeting together every week for one year unless providentially hindered.
  • Commit to keeping everything shared in the group confidential.
  • Begin a group text so that all of you can keep in touch throughout the week.
  • Supply 3-ring binders for everyone divided into sections with pockets (prayer, evangelism, Scripture memory, journalling, etc.)
  • Each person commits to a daily Bible time including prayer and journalling what God is saying to you each day (You can use the study on WitW as a guideline. This way you’re all studying the same chapters)
  • At some point write out and share a 3 minute testimony as to how you came to faith in Christ.
  • Each person has the same verse(s) of Scripture to memorize each week.
  • Each read one chapter from a book selected to be discussed during your meeting.
  • Books should include one on discipleship, one on prayer, one on evangelism - different areas of our walk as Christians. Two, I’d recommend: Growing Up- by, Robby Galenty and Reclaiming Surrendered Ground- by, Jim Logan

Weekly Meetings: (1 ½ hours long)
  1. Reciting memory verse to one another.
  2. Share how God has been speaking to you this week.
  3. Share any prayer requests
  4. Book discussion
  5. Close in prayer
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Hi Everyone!
If you enjoyed this post I'd like to personally invite you to join me and an awesome, eclectic group of women from all over the world on a Facebook site we call, Women in the Word . We are currently traveling through the entire New Testament - one chapter a day! It has been such an incredibly journey which we want to share with you! So, if you've ever wanted to know more of what God's Word has to say about everything, and meet and make new friends from all over the world, come join us by clicking on this link . 
There will always be someone there to welcome you! Oh! And please feel free to invite others!
God bless you,
sue