Fresh Encounter: God's Pattern for Spiritual Awakening Chapter 7 & 8 Review

Fresh Encounter: God's Pattern for Spiritual Awakening 

By: Henry & Richard Blackaby and Cluade King 

Chapter 7 Review

On page 84 the authors challenge the readers to consider some personal questions to consider to determine if you are in need of revival: 

One of the dangers that believers face is reading the Bible is assuming it applies to others rather than themselves.  Taking time for personal reflection is important.  Psalm 139:23-24 (CSB) says:

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.

See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way. 

Throughout the OT we see God establishing festivals and feasts for personal reflection; for example: Passover Feast, Feast of First Fruits and Feast of Trumpets. On page 85 the authors explain: 

Solemn assemblies were days for God's people to gather for a sacred task. There were prescribed as times to: demonstrate obedience to God, His commands and decrees; remember God's provisions for His people; acknowledge God's ownership of all their resources; offer sacrifices; recognize God in His holiness; confess and repent of personal and corporate sin; renew fellowship and the covenant with God. 

So, how do we apply the principles found in the OT festivals today?  God has given us various opportunities to seek and know Him. To name a few avenues of growth and renewal...through the Holy Spirit we are able to (1) enjoy personal time with the Lord studying His Word and praying, (2) corporately worship the Father on the Lord's day, (3) worship through tithes and offerings and (4) live a sacrificial life as described in Romans 12:1-2.  

Submitting to God's ways is vital for the believer.  Too often we "take matters into our own hands".  It would do us well to memorize Isaiah 55:8-9. 

Isaiah 55:8-9 (CSB) says:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways." This is the Lord's declaration.

For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

On page 93 the authors state: 

And it is critical that we familiarize ourselves with the ways God revives His people, for those are the same ways He will seek to revive us and our church as well. 

God has a specific plan for His people.  We must SUBMIT to His desires.  

Chapter 8 Review 

In chapter 8 the authors focus on the goal of revival...restoring our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  All that God has, is and will do with and to us is for that aim...an intimate relationship with Him.  Throughout Scripture it appears that revival has a pattern.  The authors explain the various phases of revival on pages 97-98. 

The purpose of discipline, correction and a call to repent is center on having a right relationship with God.  On pages 98-99 the authors recap "God's Purpose for Revival".  They sum this up with two phrases: God pursues a love relationship and God calls people to work with Him (page 99).  

In conclusion on page 103 the authors write:

God is on mission to redeem a lost world. He could use any method at His disposal, but He chooses to work through a holy people consecrated to Him and for His purposes.  When God's people sin and turn away from their covenant relationship with Christ, they are no longer in a place to serve God and to bring Him glory.  God will discipline His people and draw them back to Himself.  Once God's people repent and return to Him, God forgives and cleanses them and will use them once again to accomplish His purposes. God takes our relationship with Him extremely seriously because out of that relationship our life has meaning and purpose as we relate to Him and serve Him. 

Your will be most satisficed in life when you are walking with Christ in obedience to His Word.  Our Heavenly Father is the source of all great things.  Seek Him, not the world.  Live for Him, not yourself.  Long for revival personally and corporately.  Desire an intimate relationship with Him.  

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Fresh Encounter: God's Pattern for Spiritual Awakening Chapters 5 & 6 Review

  Fresh Encounter: God's Pattern for Spiritual Awakening 

 By: Henry & Richard Blackaby with Cluade King 

Chapter 5 Review

In chapter 5 the authors spend a lot of time focusing on God's standard, which is clearly revealed in His Word.  An exert from page 60-61 sums up their thoughts:

Those who experience revival are people with a deep reverence for God's Word and a readiness to obey what it says. The Bible declares: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). While Christian churches routinely preach and teach from the Bible, Stephen Olford suggested that in times of revival, "God's word comes alive." Then the Bible is not only preached; it is proclaimed with conviction. Martin Lloyd Jones observed that revival never begins in churches or denominations where fundamental doctrines of the faith are comprised. Brian Edwards said it more plainly, "Revival never begins with the liberal wing of the church." Spiritual renewal comes when God's Word is fearlessly and faithfully preached and taught. Octavious Winslow observed: "Nothing perhaps more strongly indicates the tone of a believer's spirituality, than the light in which the scriptures are regarded by him." God expects His Scriptures to be preached, taught, and obeyed reverently and wholeheartedly. In the atmosphere of scriptural fidelity, revival is most likely to occur. Conversely, nothing is more deadening to spirituality than careless treatment of the Bible and its instruction.

The importance of God's Word in the life of a believer cannot be overstated.  Two words that impact ones ability to know God and live out the Scriptures are (1) theology and (2) doctrine. 

Simply put, theology is the study of God.  Therefore, every believer is to be a theologian.  We should desperately seek to know God as He has revealed Himself in His Word.  The Bible is not only the primary source of information about God, it is the only source.  We are to test every claim about God and life to the truth found in the Scriptures.  Yes, we can learn from others but we must always make sure what we are hearing is rooted in a faithful understanding of the Scriptures.  God has given us His Word, so that, we may know Him.  Conclusion: believers should be theologians. 

Doctrine is the set of beliefs that is a direct result of sound theology.  As you study to know God (theology) you are able to understand what God teaches about a particular topic (doctrine).  Ultimately, your doctrine will impact how you relate to God and the world. True and faithful doctrine will cause you to have a right view of God that leads you to glory God with your actions.  False doctrine will cause you to have a wrong view of God that leads to disobedient actions against God.  Conclusion: believers should embrace and practice true and faithful doctrine rooted in the whole counsel of Scripture. 

Chapter 6 Review

In chapter 6 the authors review several examples of revival in the Old Testament.  On page 67 the authors say:

Revival is a biblical phenomenon mentioned throughout the Old and New Testaments. Scripture records numerous instances when individuals repented of their sin and were restored in their relationship with God. The Bible also testifies to the many times when God's people repented corporately and committed themselves afresh to the Lord. While Scripture records a wide diversity of revival experiences, there are also some common threads woven throughout each one.

Throughout the Bible two main characteristics of revival are (1) repentance and (2) God's Word read and applied.  

What is repentance?  Repentance is a heartfelt sorrow of sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and seek Christ while giving your all to walk in obedience.  Repentance is much more than just saying "I'm sorry".  It is a call to leave sin and to faithfully adore and follow the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Too often believers think they are living a life of repentance but they aren't actually living out a biblical view of repentance.  Unless you fully turn to God in complete surrender, you have not repented. Repentance will cause us to change our actions.  Jesus even tells us to go to extreme lengths to weed sin our of our lives in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7).  Conclusion: true repentance will ALWAYS produce a lifestyle change leading us to live out the commands of God found in the Bible.  

God's Word read and applied seems pretty simple and straight forward.  Yet, it seems to allude much of the church today.  People are opting for touchy feely pep talks over sound biblical teaching and preaching in droves.  Even in devotional life we see many only digesting devotional books that take one scripture and then tell stories.  Reading through books of the Bible is the best method of studying the Scriptures.  Why?  Because that is how the Bible is given to us and it helps us understand the context of particular verses. One of the great dangers of the believer is taking a verse out of context that results in an error in theology and/or doctrine.  But we can't just read the Bible, we MUST do what it says.  You could memorize the entire Bible but if you never apply it...you have achieved nothing.  Conclusion: believers must be faithfully reading the entire Bible in context while applying to to their daily lives. 

Fresh Encounter: God's Pattern for Spiritual Awakening Chapter 4 review

 Fresh Encounter: God's Pattern for Spiritual Awakening 

 By: Henry & Richard Blackaby with Cluade King 

Chapter 4 Review

Chapter 4 explores the reality that believers are prone to wonder.  We will explore this subject through varies subheadings.  

Loss of Focus leads to Self-centeredness

The authors begin by sharing a brief overview of the life and story of Jonathan Edwards.  God used Edwards in a mighty way during the First Great Awakening and the church he was pastoring.  And even after the great awakening had passed God was generous to send revival once again to their church.  Yet the people loss focus of what really matters and fired Edwards as pastor soon after.  

Quoted from page 42: "Here was a congregation at the epicenter of a great awakening. Yet some people in the church were disoriented to God to the point of ousting their pastor and quenching the Holy Spirit's work." 

We can quickly become discontent with God when we take our eyes off of His glory and will and place our focus on ourselves.  Our personal desires are not naturally in alignment with God's desires.  Sin has caused us to become disobedient, self-centered creatures constantly challenging and rebelling against the Creator.  Throughout Scripture we are called to have our hearts and desires changed through the gospel and conformed to God's desires.  Romans 12:1-2.  "Be transformed."  

The Temptation of Good Works

Through His word God has clearly given us guidelines for life: commands, rules, tasks, missions...for example.  In Deuteronomy 30 we are asked to do three things: (1) love Him; (2) walk in His ways; and (3) keep His commands (page 43).  Often we desire a list of dos and don'ts.  We have convinced ourselves that we are naturally good and, therefore, can be good in our deeds under our own power.  The authors remind us that this is not the case on page 43: His ways are contrary to our own self-destructive inclinations and foreign to the world's dangerous temptations.

Our good works are ONLY as a result of a life submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, the source of good works is always God alone.  That is why we are called to die to self (Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20).  When we begin taking credit for the work of God in our own lives and in the life of the church...pride has taken us into a place of self-exaltation.  Which will lead us to believe that we can accomplish the work of God on our own terms void of His guidance or will. This is when our heart begins the shift from being submitting to God to becoming self-focused.  When we are self-focused we begin looking to the world for answers and wisdom.  We begin placing our hope in programs and plans devised by man.  And we will find ourselves stepping out in action and then praying for God to bless "our" work...rather than first praying and asking God to bless "His" work.  

The authors explain the dangerous shift from God-focused living to self-focused living on page 45.

Apostasy does not begin with wrong activity.  It originates from a change of heart. Alienation from God follows a downward course. It commences as a distraction. Your focus is diverted from God to your circumstances, to people, or to worldly enticements. People seldom realize what is happening until they have drifted far from Him. They begin struggling to obey Him. They make ungodly choices, rationalizing their neglect to follow what God says. They grow comfortable in their worldly living so their hearts are impervious to the Holy Spirit's call to return.  Eventually they turn to substitutes for God. Idols do not condemn their sin or convict them of their ungodly behavior. Substitutes do not hold them accountable or ask them to do things they do not want to do. Eventually, like the Israelites of old, they "worship other gods and serve them" (Deut. 30:17). This is how a person, a family, a church, a denomination, or even a nation departs from God.

 

Backsliding

The process known as "backsliding" is gradual. It is much like a marriage that degenerates from devotion, to inattention, to apathy, to neglect, to enmity, and finally to rejection. Forsaking a loved one does not normally occur instantly or with a solitary act. It is a process that, if left unchecked, leads to enormous pain. (page 46)

As odd as it may sound I believe the Christian that is backsliding rarely notices their backsliding until something devastating has happened in their lives.  In John 14 Jesus clearly teaches that our love for Him should cause us to keep His commands.  Therefore, I believe our number one weapon against backsliding is developing and strengthening our love for Christ.  How do we do this?  We seek Him with our whole being.  Not a portion of our life, thoughts or actions...with all of ourselves.  We read the Bible, pray and by faith follow all His commands in Scripture.  You cannot love someone you never spend time with.  We must find time to have a personal relationship with our heavenly Father.  There is no substitute for spending time alone with your heavenly Father. 

I understand this is a lot easier said than done.  But it doesn't change the reality of the situation.  We must desperately seek to love God.  And out of that love obedience will be produced.  Too often we reverse the formula.  We somehow think that our obedience will produce love.  In Galatians 5 we are told to walk in the Spirit and when we do this we will produce the fruit of the Spirit.  We are not told to produce the fruit leading to walking in the Spirit.  The relationship comes first...then the fruit. 

On page 47 the authors put it this way...

Jesus announced that it is spiritually impossible to love Him and not to obey Him. The symptom is disobedience; the malady is lovelessness. Love will obey. We may strongly protest and say, "Lord, it's not that I don't love You; it's just that I'm having trouble obeying You." God would say, "If you are struggling to follow Me, it is because you do not love Me." If you misunderstand this truth, you will always be frustrated in your attempts to get right with God. You will vainly attempt to reform your behavior, and you will inevitably fail. Do you know how to solve a disobedience problem? Return to your love relationship with God. Then you will resolve the obedience problems in your life. "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16). 

God Alone Satisfies 

Today large numbers of people are turning to sexual relationships or to other forms of human relationship to satisfy needs only God can meet. No human can fulfill the spiritual longing that is present in every person. God reserves the right to that deep, personal place in our hearts. Yet we seek to comfort ourselves in relationships, passions, pleasure, academia, sports, or various other pursuits. None of these satisfies our spiritual thirst for living water. That is a need only Jesus can meet. (Page 50)

I have no doubt that the average Christian would boldly proclaim that God alone satisfies, but their actions rarely support this proclamation. Despite saying we believe that God is all satisfying...whenever we find ourselves "feeling" discontent with our lives or an aspect of our life we quickly turn to the things of the world.  Whether it's jobs, sports, family, drugs, alcohol, hobbies, relationships, marriages, kids, school...these things are not all satisfying in themselves, yet too often our actions tell a different story.  Yes, these things may temporarily satisfy...but that is a false satisfaction meant to deceive you.  True satisfaction is everlasting.  Jesus explains this to the woman at the well.  She was seeking temporary satisfaction in water from a well...but Jesus was offering eternal satisfaction through Himself (the living water).  Don't be fooled...there is nothing that can satisfy your soul outside of Christ Himself.

Why is it so dangerous to seek satisfaction in the world?  Because those things in which we believe satisfy our soul will become objects of worship.  Developing idols of the heart is a constant, dangerous temptation for the believer.  On page 50 the authors put it this way: 

The Bible is filled with examples of people who chose alternates for God. Throughout history God's people have continually rejected God to pursue the favored idols of their day. We are as vulnerable to this temptation as any generation before us. Anytime we turn to anyone or anything when we should be turning to God, we reveal the idol in our lives. 

Substitutes for God

A major tragedy of the Christian community is that individuals and churches often exchange work, ritual, religious activity, advertising, buildings, and programs for a love relationship with God. Where we once turned to Him, we now look to someone or something else. (page 52)

The authors close out chapter 4 by outlining substitutes for God on pages 53-54 as shown in the outlines below: 

 

Conclusion

The Bible teaches that God is jealous of our love. He created us and deserves our devotion. As a result God is the relentless enemy of any thing that challenges His rightful place in our lives. (page 54)

Fresh Encounter: God's Pattern for Spiritual Awakening Chapter 1 & 2 Review

Fresh Encounter: God's Pattern for Spiritual Awakening 

 By: Henry & Richard Blackaby with Cluade King 

Chapters 1 & 2 of the book Fresh Encounter explores the biblical expectations of a normal Christian, a normal church and what is revival.  

What does it mean to be a "normal" Christian?  On page 3 they list 8 basic characteristics that should describe the normal Christian.  

It seems we have come to the point where a biblical Christian is seen as a "superstar" Christian.  How could that be?  I believe the lack of strong accountability has led us to this point.  We rarely hold one another to a standard of holiness.  Have you placed people in your life to challenge and encourage you in your faith journey?  

What does is mean to be a "normal" church?  On page 7 they list 7 characteristics of a "normal" church.

It seems that churches are easily distracted these days.  We get focused on things that are trivial and ultimately have no eternal value.  Churches are splitting over carpet color, buildings, music styles, programs...and all the while doctrine and theology are of little value. How are you using your giftedness to strengthen and encourage the church?  

Then that leads us to ask the question; what is revival?  

On page 15 they define revival as; a divinely initiated work in which God's people pray, repent of their sin, and return to a holy, Spirit-filled, obedient, love relationship with God.  

We need revival when we have fallen into unrepented sin and strayed from "normal" Christianity and being a "normal" church.  When we find ourselves in need of revival we must pray and ask God to send revival.  We can experience revival as individuals and/or as a church body.  

If you are in need of personal revival you can turn to Psalm 51 to see an example of an individual (King David) crying out for revival.  If you want an example of a people calling out for revival you can turn to 2 Kings 22-23 (King Josiah).  

As we walk the "normal" Christian life we are encouraged to walk/live in the Spirit.  How do we know we are walking in the Spirit?  In Galatians 5:16-26 Paul explains that a person walking/living in the Spirit will produce the fruit of the Spirit (v. 22-23).  So, a simple test is to ask yourself if your daily life is marked by: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

When we fall into sin or find that our walk has become stagnant...we cry out to God to move in a unique, extraordinary way to bring revival.  Throughout human history God has been faithful to pour out His Spirit in extraordinary ways to revive His people.  Moments of revival are glorious and overwhelmingly anointed by the Holy Spirit.  But revivals and the extra anointing are meant to come to an end.  Once a person or church has been revived...we should return to our "normal" walking/living in the Spirit.  Producing fruit while seeking to glorify God in every aspect of our lives.  On page 22 Brian Edwards is quoted as saying: Revival is not normal any more than spiritual decline and backsliding are normal.  These are opposite ends of the normal life of the church.  Revival is supernormal and backsliding is subnormal.  

On page 23 they explain; Revival is restorative not normative. Revival brings people back into the intimate, consecrated walk with God they had previously forsaken. This comes through brokenness and repentance. A revival might last many weeks where people confess grievous sins night after night. But eventually God's people have been purified and forgiven, and they must then move on to their calling of daily living for Him. Sometimes revival comes to a close because God has accomplished the work He set out to do.  

As Galatians 5:16 says; walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.