text: the Spirit is NOT YET given in revival because Jesus is NOT YET glorified in the church membership, church building, church attendance, and church activity; but all of that does not spell revival. Sometimes there is least going on when there is most going on. One won ders how much of all our bustling church work, our wheels within wheels, our countless meetings, our drives and advances and campaigns—how much of all this really glorifies our Lord? Are we doing it to exalt and magnify Him? How much of it is glorified big-business under religious auspices? Joseph and Mary lost the boy Jesus in the temple and went for a day’s journey supposing Him to be in that very religious caravan when instead He had been left behind. His presence must be more than a supposition. I am told that W ill Rogers once had to make a forced landing near the city where he was to speak. His pilot and he stood by the highway thumbing their way into town. Hundreds of people on their way to hear W ill Rogers did not recognize him by the roadside and so left him stranded far behind. Sometimes we have a feeling that multitudes of church-goers hurrying to meeting may be ahead of the Lord Himself. Revival in the church is NOT YET. The Spirit is NOT YET given because Jesus is NOT YET glorified. The secret of the early church is simply that both chrono logically and experientially they were glorifying Jesus and the Spirit had been given. They were not out pro moting anything. They were not setting records and rais ing quotas, and one group was not trying to outdo another. They had statistics, numbers were converted, but the statistics were a result and not a goal. They were in love with Somebody, a crucified, risen, ascended, and returning Lord. He had not left them. He appeared off and on for forty days not to take leave of them but to assure them that He was still with them. Then the Spirit came to make Him real in their lives though not visible to their eyes. Though now they saw Him not, yet believing, they rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Somehow one misses that in a lot of our religious activity today. We insist that we are doing it in His name. We think we are. There is a lot of effort. Sincere earnest people toil at “ church work.” Weary preachers beg indifferent church-members to do what they should do gladly without persuasion simply because they love the Lord. It takes all kinds of tricks and rewards and picnics and promotion to keep things going. I used to hear of an oil company that never exported any oil because it took all the oil they made to oil their own machinery. I suppose there never was such a company but there have been such religious enterprises. Somehow one comes away sadly from such feverish business so far removed from the first company of believers whose entire lives were simply the spontaneous expression of their love for Christ. They glorified Jesus, and the Spirit was given. What we call revival in the church is simply a return to that, call it what you will. Let me narrow my question now to your own church? Is your church experiencing revival? Thank God, there are exceptions, but I am afraid that generally you must say, “ NOT YET.” And the reason is, “ The Spirit is NOT YET in revival in my church because Jesus is NOT YET glorified.” You may resent that. You may feel like asking, “Who do you think we are? We have big buildings, many members, meetings galore.” Now, of course, such a church could be a true New Testament fellowship but remember that Sardis had a name to be alive but was dead. It is possible to build an enormous thing that looks like a church without the Holy Spirit being anywhere near the place. I used to hear of the man who tried to join a church
and was refused. He said later that he prayed about it and the Lord said, “ Don’t worry, I "haven’t been able to get in that church myself.” The business of a church is to glorify Jesus Christ. We are “ a peculiar people” but what for? “ That we should shew forth the praises of Him Who hath called us out uf darkness into His marvelous light.” Sometimes we never get any further than being “ peculiar” in a sense quite different from what Peter had in mind. We are not to be conformed to the world, but we are not to stop with that. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It is certainly the will of God that we glorify our Lord. If the Spirit is not moving in your church, you should take stock and ask, “ In what does my church glory?” Some churches glory in their building. Some glory in their preacher, their prestige, their history, their social life, their wealth. Some glory even in their religious activities and program without glorifying the Lord Him self. Sometime ago a church advertised a religious movie with this announcement: “ Showing at the church tonight, The Life of Christ.” The life of Christ ought to be show ing at church all the time! If anything else is more evi dent than He Himself, it is too evident! Rut the church is not an abstraction, it is an organiza tion made of people like you and me—so this question comes and sits on our own doorsteps. Is the Spirit moving in power and blessing in your own personal life? Must you answer if you would be truthful, “NOT YET” ? If so, the trouble is the same as with your church. The Spirit is NOT YET given because Jesus is NOT YET glorified in your life. You are indeed indwelt by the Spirit if you are a Christian, but not all Christians are Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered. And the trouble is that while Christ may be present and even prominent in such lives He is not everything. Let us never forget that Paul did not say, “ To me to live is Christ first.” He said, “ To me to live is Christ.” . . . period. Christ was the first and last, author and finisher, the beginning and the end, He was everything. Sometimes we think we are putting Christ first by giving Him an hour of our time on Sunday and a dime of our dollar, when actually we are only getting rid of Him. He is not only Alpha and Omega; He must be the whole alphabet. Our text puts us ministers on the spot. May I ask you, my fellow-preacher, “ Is the Spirit moving in His fulness in your life? Must your honest answer be, ‘NOT YET’ ?” If so, then Jesus is not being glorified. Alas, so little is said today about a minister being Spirit-filled. Churches looking for pastors do not ask, “ How well does he know God?” They ask about his education, his appearance, his family, his social graces, his executive and administrative abilities, but little about his spiritual experience. And hosts of church-members really care little whether he can preach or not. They are content if he can make a short, sweet talk that lets them out in plenty of time for Sunday dinner. All of this being the case, the temptation is to fall in line and give the people what they want. Rut ministers are not called to please men but God, and God wants a Spirit-filled preacher. How often we try to substitute something else . . . a postgraduate course, maybe, when perhaps we already have more degrees than temperature! It is good for a minister to back himself into a comer once in a while and ask himself, “What are you preaching- for? Why are you doing all this? What are your motives and your goal? Are you out to make good, to advance yourself, to please people, to be a big preacher, to make (continued on next page)
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