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by Meri Ford
 John 16 "7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart I will send Him unto you. 8. And when He is come, he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. 9. Of sin because they believe not on Me. (The world’s sin is unbelief in Me NLT) 10. Of righteousness because I GO TO MY FATHER AND YE SEE Me no more (Righteous is available because I go to the Father) 11. Of judgment because the prince of this world is judged.(Judgment will come because the prince of this world has already been judged.)"
Over the years I have been in several churches where the power of God began to move and the presence of God increased over a period of time. In each of those situations we watched God begin to work in people’s lives and people got saved and delivered. We saw attendance in congregations grow with people coming from all around to experience what God was doing. In everyone of these congregations and in many others where I have heard testimony of the Lord Jesus beginning to have a new and fresh place in people’s lives as they sought Him and His presence increased among the people I saw a similarity. Recently an old friend from 10 years ago that was active in a congregation that I was in mentioned the “move of God” in that congregation and said, “And then the devil got in.” So often have I heard this when a “revival” turns sour. Just blame the devil and preach against the devil! Have heard it in different pulpits over the last 25 years. And each time my spirit resounds with, “O that isn’t what happened!”
When my old friend said this during this past week about the church we’d been in, again the Spirit of the Lord raised up with me a clarification. “It wasn’t the devil, it was His cleansing work!”
We talk of being baptized with the Holy Spirit and with Fire. In the above scriptures it talks about conviction of sin. As I watch over the past I see one of the first things that happens in a “revival” is that there is conviction of sin. And that usually means that “sin comes to the surface.” Sins in marriages, in businesses, in personal finances, in all kinds of relationships and personal inner sins are often brought to the surface for people to be washed and set free. How else can Holy Spirit bring forth Righteousness if sin and all that we trust in to make ourselves feel good isn’t dealt with so we can receive His life to fill up our inner man with His Peace, Joy, thanksgiving, Praise, holiness, hope, etc?
In one congregation I was in, as the power of the Holy Spirit increased and the Presence of God begin to grow in services it was like marriages started to fall apart all over the congregation. I was thrilled because I knew these marriages had been in trouble for a long time and as the spirit of the Lord began to work, things began to surface so that sin could be repented of and healing power (righteousness) could be ministered and then they would be able to stand in the victory! But those in the pulpit in those congregations didn’t understand the process and gave the devil the glory for causing problems in the church!
Wake up folks! The problems are there in our children, in our homes, in our businesses, in our TV programming, in our city, county, state and national political maneuverings. As God is given more and more freedom in our lives, He will come to claim that which we have said was His. Now there is power to deliver, to heal, to change as the purifying power of God increases in a congregation and wisdom and knowledge is released in ministry.
Over and over again I saw weaknesses in moral fiber in the pastorate be exposed. Instead of seeing the work of the Lord in this “conviction of sin” and the restoration to righteousness in face of the victory over satan, people kicked out the pastor and killed the revival thinking one was the result of the other. In another case, revival couldn’t ever quite get its hold as no one was willing to address the sin in the congregation, namely idolatry called Grange. In another congregation, marriages in trouble fell to pieces and instead of ministering to those failed marriages in the name of the Lord, and with the power of the Holy Spirit that was beginning to flow, people were ostracized. No one saw that these things came forth so that healing and restoration could happen now that there was Power in God available in the congregation.
God will not share His Glory with another. When the Holy Spirit begins to move in a congregation, it means He is up to three things. The first is conviction of sin. I heard a teacher tell her class recently that when the Lord begins to move in the congregation that they needed to be willing to minister to “those God brings in.” My heart hurt as a result. For however true that might be, I also knew that these were the ones upon whom the Fire of God was coming to burn and purify even as it burns and purifies me and brings forth the revelation of the Right relationship with God we have through Jesus Christ.
Once we get “burned” and “restored” then we are free to minister victory to others when we walk in Him ourselves. So often we think “revival” is an evangelistic move to bring in “new converts.” When in reality, it is often God’s tool to clean up His own church so there is a people that can be sent out in holiness to extend the tabernacle of His love over those in sin, in need of righteousness and in need of the assurance of the victory He has secured in Himself.
Today, God is cleaning up His people so he can send them out and extend the Kingdom over others. He may send people into a given location as He purposes and sometimes some of those who come in, get healed and delivered and go out to serve Him when the people in the local congregation remain uncleansed and unhealed and without the victory.
I don’t speak this as one who hasn’t been through this. In the early 80’s I was in a congregation in which God was beginning to pour out His Spirit. The Word one night to that congregation was something like, “Your houses need to be cleaned up or they will fall.” There was no ministration to “houses” and “families” and among others my house fell for there was no ministration to houses with poor foundations. Every family of the board of that church suffered major loss in some way over the next few years as sin was revealed in the foundations of the families. That “revival” died out and my marriage died also as sin in families manifested itself and I found myself captive of it. No one understood that God was coming to cleanse the house (including me), to send His fire to burn out the dross so that His Righteousness might be revealed. In the late 90’s I saw families in dire need of ministry accused of letting the devil into their marriages instead of those marriages being ministered to by the power of the Holy Spirit and brought to restoration. I saw churches split and divide over issues and accusations that GOD brought to light for healing and restoration to administered.
What will WE do when the Lord sends His Spirit to US? Will we receive Him as the one who comes to cleanse or will we receive Him has one who comes to “make me spiritually feel good” and dismiss the power of the Fire of God to change us into His image? Will we do what many did in another season and “play in the river” or will we allow the power of that river to wash and cleanse us as a fullers brush or a refiner’s fire? Are we willing to be “thrashed” with the threshing tool so that the chaff is removed from the bread grain so that it is made edible for the people?
We have the promise that He will not so damage the grain that it is unusable. Some of us are really stiff necked people and it seems like the horses’ hoofs keep coming and coming and the carts roll over us and roll over us. And yet, the finest of bread grains must be well ground and then mixed. We sometimes tolerate grinding but then are we willing for our precious “flour” to be mixed with other ingredients? And then, the worst of all things, to be subjected to the FIRE so the very nature of our flour and other ingredients is forever changed into bread? I love bread dough but if I eat a lot it makes me burp. I have never eaten a loaf of bread that every made me burp up yeast; for the leaven in it, like all the rest of the ingredients, is changed when it is kneaded and then baked! What a process to become “bread” for the people and not just dough that raises, and then falls flat and is useless if it isn’t subjected to the fire of the oven!
Are we sure we want “revival?” or do we just want our spiritual addiction met with “more stimulating spiritual experience?”
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Session 2 Seven Signs in John.mp3
Session 2 Seven Signs in John.ppt