Fresh Encounter: God's Plan for Spiritual Awakening
Chapter 9 & 10 Review
By: Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King
Chapter 9 Review
In chapter 9 the authors focus on the concept of discipline. On page 105 they write:
Modern Christians have lost the fear of God. People no longer believe God rebukes His people. Many think the God of judgement and wrath is found only in the ancient pages of the Old Testament. They believe the God of the New Testament is characterized by love and grace. Such thinking reveals a skewed and limited knowledge of what Scripture reveals about God.
For God said, "For I am the Lord, I do not change" (Mal. 3:6). "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). The God we discover in the New Testament is the same God revealed in the pages of the Old Testament. The Lord is one. He doesn't change.
There are two specific places in Scripture that I think of when considering God's discipline of His people. Of course there are many more but we'll just quickly review (1) Acts 5:1-11 and (2) 1 Corinthians 11:27-32.
In Acts 5:1-11 we read the story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They lied about money given to the church and God struck them dead. This story reminds us that in the NT God still takes sin seriously. While God is full of grace and love, He is also full of wrath and justice. We see a couple who didn't take the commands of God seriously and it cost them their lives.
In 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 we see people are getting sick and dying because they are partaking of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. Paul explains to the church of Corinth that glorifying God is a serious calling. Too often we approach worship half-hearted.
Discipline maybe difficult at the time, but it is necessary for our sanctification. While living in a broken, fallen world it can be difficult to discern what is discipline from the Lord or spiritual warfare. On page 120 the authors encourage us to ask three different questions when we face hardship.
When hardship comes, always ask: (1) Is this an ordinary life experience that comes to every person who lives in a decaying body and a sin-filled world? (2) Is God using these events in my life as a means of pruning me so I become more like Christ? (3) Or is my condition an expression of spiritual warfare since I am a Christian who serves God in an evil and spiritually darkened world?
Whether your hardship is discipline, spiritual warfare or just a typical day living in a fallen world...remember the James 1:2-4 (CSB):
Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Chapter 10 Review
In chapter 10 the authors focus more on repentance. On page 127 the authors write:
The word repent indicates a turning away from sin and a wholehearted return to our love relationship with God. Henry Scougal noted: "Repentance is a delightful exercise when it floweth from the principle of love." Remorse is inadequate. Behavior modification is ineffectual. Returning to religious activity is futile. Confession is part of repentance in that we acknowledge our wrongdoing, but repentance involves a broken heart and a decisive return to God. Repentance without absolute humility is not repentance at all; it is at best rededication. "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Cor. 7:10).
On page 128 they continue:
Three fold process of change: (1) an adjustment of attitude, (2) a change of heart and (3) transformed desires and actions.
Repentance is a word that seems to be missing from too many believers' lives. Yes, repentance plays a vital role in one's justification but it also plays a vital role in our sanctification process. A sign of maturity is a believer who's life is marked by repentance.
On page 137 the authors conclude chapter 10 with this statement:
As long as Christians are content with their sin and the present level of their spiritual vitality, they will remain as they are, or they will continue to decline. However, the Holy Spirit is always working to open people's spiritual eyes to the reality of their spiritual condition. When they recognize their woeful condition, they must confess it and fervently turn from it. When God's people renounce their sin, the Holy Spirit's power is unleashed among them. Most of the great revival movements in history began when God's people grew weary of their sin and repented of it.
Such profound movements of God among His people compel us to ask the same question the saintly Robert Murray McCheyene regularly asked: "Is the desire of my heart to be made altogether holy?"
How we respond to our sin will determine the health of our relationship with our heavenly Father. May we all seek repentance.
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