Wake-Up Call

Wake-Up Call

Rev. Greg Schermerhorn

When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11/2001, God sent us a wake-up call: He showed us the consequences of our not obeying the Great Commission to take the Gospel to all peoples.

We have refused to send enough missionaries, so now we are sending thousands of troops. We have failed to send our gifts to missions, so now we will be paying billions more in taxes.

As we seek God for revival, here is what I hear God saying to His church:

Churches and Christians of America, I love you. I created you for Myself out of nothing. I made you to be a light to the nations. I established you to be a beacon to the hopeless, to give freedom to the prisoners, to lift up the oppressed.

I created you, not from one people but from many peoples, so you could bring the peoples of the world to saving faith in my Son, Jesus Christ. You were not a people and I made you a leader of nations so you could take my Gospel to the peoples of the world.

I died on the cross in your place. I have redeemed you. I reconciled you from the enemy. I gave you the power of My resurrection. I sent you as ambassadors of reconciliation to those who sit in darkness

and death.

I have seen your good works. You established the United States of America based on my precepts. You opened your arms to the peoples of the world. You proclaimed my Name. You have gone to the nations. Your influence is felt all over the world.

But I have some things against you: Your heart has turned you away from me. My plumb line shows you are not straight with Me.

• You have loved yourself more than Me.

• You have proclaimed your name more than Mine.

• You have flaunted your rugged independence more than you have depended on Me.

• You have praised the cross instead of bearing it.

• You have been more religious than righteous.

• You have been more hedonistic than holy.

• You have been more political than prayerful.

• You have been more economic than ethical.

• You have been more accommodating than evangelistic.

• You have been more materialistic than missionary.

• You have used on yourselves the resources that I gave you to use to bless the world.

• You have prostituted my purpose for creating you as My people.

I am awakening people to eternal things. Don’t you see it? Come to my altar and be set on fire. I can use you only if you repent and are cleansed.

So now, I want to send revival to America so you can join me all over the world as laborers in my harvest fields – to take the light to the one-third of the world’s people who have never heard of my Son, who have never seen a church and who do not know a Christian.

Behold, I stand at the door of your heart, your church and your home, knocking. If you will open the door, I will come in again and fellowship with you, then take you with Me to the peoples of the world. If you RETURN TO ME and are revived, you will be used as a light to the nations. Whoever has ears, let him listen. Whoever has my heart for the nations, pray to Me. Whoever has a tongue, proclaim my salvation to those for whom I died. Come to the cross, lay down your life, die that you may be sanctified, be crucified that you may be multiplied, and live that My Name be glorified by every tongue, tribe, people and nation.

– Avery T. Willis, Jr.

Mission Georgia 40 Day Prayer Devotional-2014

Just in case you don’t know who Avery T. Willis, Jr. was, this quote from him will tell you a bit more about his character and love for Jesus:

“I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and down with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need prominence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me - my banner will be clear.”

I pray that Avery’s message has resonated with you.  God starts judgment in His own house first…folks, that’s the church…that is with the Christians.  WE, that is us Christians, have to clean up our own house FIRST by humbling ourselves before God and praying in repentance before God will hear us or act to heal our land.  Avery Willis pointed out just a few of the indictments that God has against us.  There are many, many more that can be added…like the slaying of thousands of babies every day through abortion for example.  We cannot continue to be silent, immobile, and unconcerned with the sin all around us and being committed in our collective name and expect to be immune from its consequences.  We have an Old Testament and a nation named Israel to examine to see how God dealt with sin.  When God’s people dealt with sin, He blessed them.  When His people allowed sin to flourish, they paid the consequences of their sin.  This is happening to us in the United States of America today.  Brothers and Sisters, how many wake up calls do we need?  How many wake up calls will the Lord graciously send us?

The solution to the sin problem, here and abroad is the life changing message of Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)  We Christians know this, but we aren’t telling people about it.  Why not?  The glorious message of the Gospel is that it is THE GOOD NEWS!  Why aren’t we sharing the life changing message with everyone we meet?  I have to look at myself too. 

Just look at what John 3 says:

John 3:16–18 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

If Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), should we not be seeking to do the same thing by sharing the Good News of the Gospel?  You don’t have to know a whole lot to share the Gospel.  You just have to know WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU!  Witnessing about Jesus to others is as easy as telling them what Jesus has done for you.  Sharing how Jesus changed your life from where you were to where you are now.  It’s trusting that the Holy Spirit will give you the words you need to share and that whatever you say will be used by God to draw someone closer to Him.  You may get an opportunity to lead someone to salvation.  You may get an opportunity to plant a seed that leads to their salvation later.  You may get an opportunity to water a seed that someone else planted, but that will lead to their eventual salvation.  Just remember, we are all workers in the Lord’s harvest field.  He is the Lord of the harvest.  He is the one who does the saving and He allows us to share in the labor with Him.  Paul put it this way to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 3:5–11 (NKJV)

⁵ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. ¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a

wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Beloved, be encouraged!  We serve a Great God!  He IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL!  He LOVES YOU GREATLY!  Be faithful in prayer, be faithful in reading the Word of God, and you will start sharing the Gospel.  You won’t be able to stop yourself from telling people what God is doing in your life.

Praying for Revival

Praying for Revival

by Rev. Greg Schermerhorn – October 24, 2013

We hear many people, both pastors, evangelists, and lay people alike, talk about revival.  But, what is revival?  In like manner, we also hear the term "spiritual awakening" used, frequently in conjunction with the word revival.  We certainly need to be praying for both revival and spiritual awakening, but we also need to know what we are asking the Lord to perform in our lives, in the life of our "church", and in the lives of people in our communities...our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.

 

Revival is the sovereign work of God among His people that draws them closer to Himself and restores, renews, and refreshes the depth and intensity of the relationship.  Revival is initiated by the Lord in the heart of the individual believer.  It has nothing to do with "revival meetings" or other external forces, save the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer as revival can only occur in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ.

Spiritual awakening is the sovereign work of God among those who do not believe in Jesus as their Savior to bring them to a point of saving faith in Him.  Spiritual awakening can be the result of many different influences, so no one factor can be cited except that the Holy Spirit was involved in the process.  Many other factors could have played a part in the spiritual awakening of a man, woman, or child.  It could have been the Scriptures themselves without any assistance from mankind.  As the Bible says in Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The seeds of spiritual awakening could have been planted by the fervent prayers of righteous people over the years.

James 5:16b (NKJV)

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

It could have been the personal testimony of a friend or loved one.  Or the testimony of the lifestyle and actions of a believer living out their life that made an impact.  The point is this, the Holy Spirit of God is the one who orchestrates the conviction of sin in the life of a sinner who must then choose how to respond to that conviction.  They can respond by hardening their heart and turning away from God, or they can respond in repentance by asking Jesus to be their Savior.  This is spiritual awakening, the realization of a person that they are hopelessly lost in sin and facing eternal damnation because they don't know Jesus Christ.  Then they can respond to Jesus and receive His gift of salvation and eternal life.

As Christians, we have failed to stand upon the truth of the Scriptures.  Just look at the moral decay in our American society!  Look at the despicable things that are considered "normal" and "acceptable" today.  Abortion is more than okay today, it is encouraged!  Adultery is more than okay today, it is encouraged!  Homosexuality is more than okay today, it is encouraged!  Lying is more than okay today, it is encouraged!  Our American society is reeling from the mantras of "If it feels good, do it!" and existential philosophies like "The ends justify the means."  These  mantras fly in the face of a holy God who said:

1 Peter 1:15–16 (NKJV)

but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Where are God's people?  Why have we allowed things to go so far in this nation of ours?  We were not called to sit idly by while America crumbles in moral decay all around us!  We have been called to stand on the TRUTH of Scripture and to oppose sin.  Why should we allow sin to be crammed down our throats?  Why should we allow Christianity to be persecuted on these shores?  Why should we allow our nation's Christian history to be rewritten?  Well folks, it's being done right now before our very eyes without hardly a whimper from the Christians of this nation.  Why?  I suspect that the Christianity of many of our countrymen has been too Americanized to allow them to act.  You see, the Americanized version of Christianity allows for any "Christian" to be "excused" from doing anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or takes up too much time.  Things like praying, attending church when it interferes with a ballgame, or when you want to sleep in because you stayed out drinking the night before is okay in Americanized Christianity.  In Americanized Christianity, we are "all inclusive", so we are willing to have a look and feel more like the world so you won't feel uncomfortable in church.  You also won't have to worry about those uncomfortable messages about sin or hell either because we will only talk (not preach) about positive and uplifting things in our services because we are here to cater to you.  In Americanized Christianity, we have forgotten about God and wouldn't know what to do if the Holy Spirit showed up in one of our services...He might disrupt our time schedule and we can't have that!

 

Too many Christians, churches, and denominations have forgotten that JESUS is supposed to be the focus of our worship!  I'm an SBC pastor and I am speaking to SBC folks too.  We need to abandon this idea that Christianity is easy, that we can cater to every whim, and that we can be like the world without becoming tainted by it.  We can't be the light in the world if we are trying to be like the darkness.  The ends DO NOT justify the means.  We are lacking prayer in our churches, which is probably indicative of a lack of personal prayer time in our lives.  If we want to truly see revival in ourselves and our churches, as well as, spiritual awakening in our communities, the prayer time MUST START WITH US!  We must pray with confidence and boldness before the Lord knowing that He can and will hear us.  This is a prayer that is in accord with His will in Heaven and on Earth (Matt. 6:10).  This is a prayer that needs to be heartfelt and continual before the Lord, until He tells us to stop praying for revival and spiritual renewal or He answers our prayer.

To help us pray for revival and spiritual renewal, I have added below the FIRST day of the ARISE 30 Day Prayer Challenge from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, courtesy of Dr. Chris Schofield.  You can download a complete 30 day copy of the ARISE prayer guide, in .pdf format, directly from this link:  http://www.ncbaptist.org/index.php?id=286.

ARISE 30 Day Prayer Challenge:

DAY 1 - REPUTATION OR REALITY

REVELATION 3:1 “I KNOW YOUR WORKS, THAT YOU HAVE A NAME THAT YOU ARE ALIVE, BUT YOU ARE DEAD.”

Most rearview mirrors have a disclaimer attached that says, “Objects in this mirror are closer than they appear.” I used to have a sticky note attached to my calendar that read, “Events on this calendar are closer than you think.” A good dose of reality is always helpful to jolt us back to the real priorities and circumstances in which we live. For many centuries (700 BC-100 AD), the city of Sardis in Asia Minor had a rich history and name for being a luxurious and highly fortified city. Its location served the notion well since any approaching army would, at first glance, not welcome the opportunity to lay siege to a city with three sides being cliffs and only one side approachable. The inhabitants of Sardis also believed their city was easily defendable and impregnable. Appearance is sometimes deceiving, as was evidently true concerning Sardis. The city was conquered several times throughout its history and destroyed by an earthquake in AD 17 – so much for being impregnable.

The church at Sardis (see Revelation 3:1-6) also needed a good dose of reality. It evidently had a reputation for being a spiritually “alive” congregation. In reality, it was “dead.” The Lord knew that the church’s reputation was only an outward sign with no real evidence of a genuine inward spiritual life. How this death came about was not the real issue at hand. What mattered most was that they needed to come to grips with a true picture of their spiritual condition. In the eyes of man, it appeared that they were one way, and in God’s eyes, reality was spoken. Reputation among men led to a false sense of security; it always does, until God speaks truth into the situation. What did God say? Their reputation did not match reality. That is why it is important for us to hear from God through His Word on a regular basis. It becomes a reality check, which we all need. Reputation or reality – where are you? Where is your church? What is God saying about your spiritual life? Do you need to “wake up” and have a reality check?

 

PRAY:  Ask the Lord to search your heart for areas where you have not been “real” before Him concerning your spiritual life. Pray that you will hear God’s truth, wake up and return to Him through repentance and obedience.

God is MOST Interested in the Condition of Our Hearts

God is MOST Interested in the Condition of Our Hearts

Rev. Greg Schermerhorn – Written July 6, 2013 – Published July 18, 2013

Particularly around patriotic holidays, we tend to hear references to 2 Chronicles 7:14 tossed around in conversation.  You are likely familiar with this verse, even if you don't know the reference.  It has become quite popular in our culture among many who are seeking political change, as well as, those who are genuinely seeking God's will.  Here is what the verse says:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

 

We usually hear about prayer in the context of a change in Washington DC, but we never hear about what the verse itself actually says and we never hear about its actual Scriptural context.  For example, when is the last time you heard one of these political activist types talk about confessing their own sin and the sins of our nation before the Lord?  Or have you heard of any political group who is specifically courting Christians through their use of the Bible, to actually hold prayer rallies where they are humbling themselves before God for the purposes of seeking His will, WHATEVER His will might be, regardless of their own personal or group political agenda? 

 

This brings us to our application today.  God is not interested in our politics.  God is interested in the condition of our hearts.  The condition of our heart determines our politics.  Does this mean that God has no interest in the governmental affairs of mankind?  Absolutely not.  God has ordained government and allows those in power to be there.

The political agenda is not God's agenda.  If you have gotten sucked into to the political fray, I would encourage you to get "unsucked" so you can evaluate the truth of Scripture.  Am I telling you that there is no merit in political activism?  No.  I am telling you that there are greater and more important things at stake than a political agenda.  Please allow me to start with this thought:  God is MOST interested in our hearts.  Our hearts determine our politics.  

 

It is my contention that America's greatest problem is truly not political in nature, but spiritual.  We will never return to the political structure of our founding if we don't first return to our spiritual roots with the Lord.  America was never great because of its politics.  She was great because of her faith and trust in Almighty God!  The Bible talks about the importance of guarding our hearts.

Proverbs 4:23 (AMP)

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

What you allow into your heart, in other words, what you allow into the center of your being, will flow out into the rest of your life!  We know this is true.  We become like the things we surround ourselves with.  We take on the traits of the people we associate with on a regular basis.  We become like the books, magazines, blogs, and other things we read.  Why do you suppose David wrote:

Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

We are no different than a computer:  GIGO – Garbage In, Garbage Out!  We must guard our hearts and minds to prevent trash from being deposited there.

A strong America patterned after the plan our founders used is a good thing, right?  I would agree.  But is that the best thing...the way God would have it now???  That is an interesting question.  One for which I have no answer to give you today.  I ask it for this specific reason:  Are you willing to seek God's face?  Literally to seek out His will above all other considerations and accept it regardless of any preconceived ideas you may have?  Do you really want to see the Lord's Prayer enacted literally?  Remember, what it says:

Matthew 6:9b–13 (NKJV)

^9b Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

This is not a trick question.  Are you willing to sacrifice your idea of America to have God's will for America?  It's a VALID question that, I think, far too few of us have actually considered. 

Please allow me to put this into an easier context to grasp.  Let's talk about the the refining process and the refiner's fire.  What is the purpose of the refining process?  Its purpose is to remove impurities from metals.  How is it done?  Usually through a process of adding heat, pressure, and a catalyst to separate the material being purified from the impurities imbedded within the material.  

Let's look at gold as an example of the refining process.  Do you know what the number one impurity removed from gold would be?  It is silver.  A mineral that is also very precious, but not nearly as precious as the gold.  In the refiner's fire, God often removes precious things from us to leave us with what is most precious and most important.  Who wouldn't keep silver if given the opportunity?  But will you sacrifice some silver to have more pure gold?  Can we trust God enough to desire His will over our own will?  Can we trust Him enough to refine out the things that may be good to leave us with His best?

I want you to read 2 Chronicles 7:14 in the Amplified Translation:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMP)

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

When it comes to living out 2 Chronicles 7:14, are we willing to humble ourselves before God and pray to confess our own sins, as well as, the sins of our nation, so that we can be clean before the Lord?  Do we have a broken heart and contrite spirit before God's throne? 

Psalm 51:17 (NKJV)

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—

These, O God, You will not despise.

Do we seek God's will with a true craving, a true desire to know it and fulfill it?

Matthew 7:7–8 (NKJV)

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

When we humble ourselves before God and pray to Him seeking His face and His will, the Lord promises to hear us from Heaven.  As it says in Psalm 40:1:

Psalm 40:1 (NKJV)

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.

As the rest of 2 Chronicles 7:14 goes, so goes Psalm 40:2:

Psalm 40:2 (NKJV)

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

 

If God weren't interested in our hearts, He would not have sent Jesus to save the souls of mankind.  There would be no John 3:16:

John 3:16 (NKJV)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Let's look at 2 Chronicles 7:14 again:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMP)

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Now that the Lord has addressed His concern for our heart's condition in the first half of 2 Chronicles 7:14, He is now willing to hear us from Heaven, to forgive our sins, and heal our land.  This is a tremendous verse, but it is a single verse that is part of a much larger context.  I would encourage you to read the context surrounding the Lord's words to Solomon so that you can grasp the impact and importance of why God said the things that He said.  You can gain a good perspective of the context by starting your reading at 2 Chronicles 5:11 and reading through 7:22.  This is the story of the dedication of the Temple Solomon built for the Lord in Jerusalem, Solomon's prayer to the Lord before the people, and God's response to Solomon.  God wants a personal relationship with you and with me.  All that is required is a heart relationship with Him by receiving salvation though the finished work of Jesus!

 

God's paramount concern for you and for me is the condition of our heart.  Do we, in our hearts know His Son, Jesus, as our Savior?  All of history has been focused upon that question.  All of the Bible has pointed toward God's supreme interest in each of our hearts.  Don't you think we should also be interested in them too?  That is why Jesus' last words before He ascended into Heaven concerned telling others about the Gospel...looking out for their heart condition!

Matthew 28:19–20 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Knowing Jesus as YOUR Savior is as easy as A-B-C!

A-Admit you are a sinner.  Repent and turn away from your sin.

Acts 3:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

B-Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and receive God’s gift of forgiveness from sin.

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

C-Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Romans 10:9–10, 13 (NKJV)

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”