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.
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