Standing Shoulder To Shoulder Together As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith A personal letter of encouragement to You, written solely

to "lift up hands that hang down".

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"If the Church's agenda is not The Kingdom agenda, it's the wrong agenda, no matter how good it looks or how successful it appears." ---- T. Allen Robburts +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Shoulder To Shoulder #598 ---- 5/25/09 Title: "Revival ---- Part Thirteen (Pre-Requisites To Revival)

My Dear Friend and Fellow Kingdom Builder: It's hard to believe we are just one week away from June! Where has Spring gone?! Even though more and more flowers are blooming and the weather is generally very comfortable, the evidence is growing that hotter and drier weather is fast approaching. This has been another hectic week as Jo Ann and I have received special friends into our home, have worked on numerous sizeable projects, and have watched a contractor friend build a garden shed for all of our yard and gardening equipment. He finishes his work today, and I will begin moving all of our mowers, trailers, shovels, etc., out of my workshop and the garage. Once that is done and space has been freed up, more major renovation projects await us. I hope you don't mind my including various short items concerning things I feel are important, but they are things of great importance that need to be distributed to a wide audience. So, be patient with me, be sure to check these items out, and then pass them on to people you know. Much is going on in America, politically, economically, morally, and spiritually . . . and we need to be kept abreast. So, check out these items quickly before reading this final issue of "Shoulder To Shoulder" on the subject of revival. This 'n' That: + No surprise -- Religious People Make for Better Communities: Religion News Service reports that, according to Harvard University professor Robert Putnam, people "of faith" are better citizens and better neighbors. In spite of the fact that young Americans, America's future, are "vastly more secular" than the older generation. "That is a stunning development," Putnam said. "The youth are the future. Some of them are going to get religious over time, but most of them are not." Still, Putnam and University of Notre Dame scholar David Campbell argue that religion still holds communities together. Their studies found that religious people are three to four times more likely to be involved in their community, serving on volunteer organization and working on community projects. Putnam and Campbell say their data show that religious people are just "nicer," probably because of the relationships people make in their churches, mosques, synagogues and temples that draw them into community activism. + Putting Guantanamo Detainees Into Prisons In the States: Much talk has taken place about bringing Guantanamo detainees to the United States and putting them in "super maximum security" prisons. Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin wrote an interesting article on the "Jihadi virus" already infecting America's prisons. Take a look at it at http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=539508. + Swine Flu Origin: According to this website which our oldest daughter sent us from a major city in Colombia, South

America, Pigs Didn't Start The Swine Flu. Watch it if you dare ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XLlACrhLDE. + Christian Group Urges Nationwide Prayer on July 5: Christians in America already have two emphases on prayer ---the National Day of Prayer in early May, and the Global Day of Prayer coming up on May 31st as U.S. believers join others in more than 200 countries around the world. However, Religion News Service reports that the Family Research Council is spearheading a call for churches to pray for the nation on the day after Independence Day. The conservative Christian group, best known for its efforts to shape public policy, hopes the "Call 2 Fall" initiative will reach thousands of churches. "I think increasingly there's an awareness that there is a problem in America that is not political at its heart but rather it's a spiritual problem," said FRC President Tony Perkins on Tuesday (May 19). Pastor Larry Stockstill of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, La., said the movement goes beyond political issues or figures. "We know the problem lies in us and not in anyone else's issues or policies or persuasion," he said. "We are therefore bringing ourselves to God and asking for his mercy upon us." + More TEA Parties Scheduled For July 4th: Perhaps no grassroots socio-political movement has stirred more reaction and grown so rapidly in the past 50 years than has the "Taxed Enough Already!" rallies. Crossing all political, religious, and socio-economic lines, the 2,000+ April 15th rallies attracted between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people . . . all trying to tell Congress and President Obama that, like the participants in the Boston Tea Party led by evangelical Christian Samuel Adams (cousin to President John Adams), citizens are being taxed far too severely by a domineering government. Nearly 1,000 cities and towns are hosting more TEA Parties on July 4th, Independence Day. I visited the organizers' website at http://www.teapartyday.com/, and found an abundance of information, including locations. When I clicked on the Google map showing the locations, I was amazed to see that such events have already been scheduled in every state except North Dakota. Such events give us further opportunity to discern our responsibilities to be "salt and light" while we anticipate the return of the Lord. + A New Website for Witnessing to Muslims: If you're like I am, you won't have a clue what this website covers, because it's not in English. However, it is designed and serviced by friends I trust explicitly. Please check out http://khanepedar.com. Share this with others, especially those who know Muslims or have a ministry to Muslims. + Memorial Day: I'd love to be writing again about this special day in America's history, but I feel compelled to remain focused on our theme we've been following. However, that does not diminish my conviction that we should do everything within our resources to honor the men and women who have given their lives from pre-revolutionary days to this moment in defending our nation and securing our freedom, and we should use every opportunity to tell those who are alive today defending us both abroad and at home just how much we appreciate them and honor them for their service. If we ever stop being grateful, we will soon become self-absorbed, over confident, and dangerously careless.

FINAL REVIEW: It's hard to believe that I've been writing on the subject each week now for almost four months! That's one of the longest periods of time I've spent on one subject since I began writing these letters in December, 1997. So far, I've written fifteen consecutive letters and now this last one on the subject in which we've looked at . . . 1. The Urgency of Revival ---- stating that our own bankrupt condition demands it, the Great Commission cannot otherwise be fulfilled, the conditions of the world will swallow us up if we don't experience revival, we cannot survive what is ahead, and finally the return of the Lord must be hastened and revival is a key to that. 2. Evidences We Need Revival ---- I used four letters to identify certain evidences that revival is needed, namely that, in addition to obvious theological evidences, certain historical evidences pointed to the need for revival in the Body of Christ . . . Institutionalization of the Church, Intellectualization of the Bible, Credalization of our Doctrines, Humanization of God, Deification of Man, Minimization of Sin, Culturalization of our Approaches, Rationalization of the Supernatural, Compartmentalization of God's Activity, and Minimization of Holiness and Obedience. Following that, I also addressed the evidences found in society, and the trap we've fallen into concerning measurements of success, concluding that, based on God's agenda, we're not nearly as successful as we think. 3. Defining Revival ---- In both my first and sixth letters, I wrote . . . "The Hebrew word for revival is 'Khaw-yaw', usually translated 'quicken' in the King James Version of the Bible, and meaning 'to cause to live, to make alive again, to keep alive, to give life, to preserve life, to recover life, to restore life, and to make whole.' It seems that it can be used to describe five fundamental conditions . . . . to restore life to something gone dead, to increase life where it has become weak, to preserve life where death tries to invade, to give life where there was never life before, and to bring healing and

wholeness where life has waned." By its very nature, then, revival is the supernatural act of God in which He restores, refreshes, increases, and preserves spiritual vitality in a way that more life is given and the fruit of healing and wholeness is produced. 4. Reviving What? ---- When we talk about revival, we must be clear on what it is we need revived. It is certainly not our own futile efforts, our own idea of what God is like, our personal agenda, the expansion of our own little kingdoms, or any such thing. When God revives and refreshes us the Biblical way, we will see the Ways of God, the Word of God, the Works of God, the Wisdom of God, the yielded Will of the Believer, and the Weapons of Warfare, all exhibited in an undeniable clarity that points directly back to the Giver and Sharer of life, and not anything that even hints of human ingenuity, expertise, achievements, or aspiration. 5. Revival -- Unnecessary? ---- I addressed this issue because there is always the question as to whether revival as we understand it should be a normal and periodic phenomenon. Ideally, revival should never be necessary because we should never go through periods of spiritual decline, loss of motivation, and decrease of harvest. However, because this treasure is in "earthen vessels" as Paul indicated, we unfortunately need those times. In that letter I indicated that revival is unnecessary when . . . the very Person of Christ has His rightful place of sovereignty in your life, the absolute Purpose of Christ has become yours without limits or restrictions, the unlimited life and Power of Christ is unrestrained and free from your control, the very Ministry of Christ has become your sole ministry, and the Kingdom Agenda of Christ has become your sole agenda. When that happens, your living within the very Life of Christ Himself. In that His life can never be diminished, revival in you becomes unnecessary. 6. Revival -- Historical Indicators ---- In this letter, we examined the ancient Roman Empire and compared it to our culture today, finding that the same patters that led to Rome's downfall then are clearly evident and in process in our society today . . . a highly dangerous thing to be happening. 7. Spurgeon On Revival ---- In this letter I shared the great article by Charles H. Spurgeon in the December, 1866 issue of "Sword and Trowel" in which he laments the need for revival to even be necessary, declares that the need for revival itself is evidence of "much sin" leading to a progressive decline of spiritual power and vitality, and that if and when revival comes it is an indication of the condition which should have always been present. 8. Distinctives of Revival ---- Here, we looked at two aspects. First, we examined to conditions that foster revival . . . a time of material prosperity and extravagant squandering, a time of pride, arrogance, and self dependence, a time of great moral decline and an increased rejection of moral values, a time of social and scientific advances that lead to godless secularization, a time of complacency and shallow superficiality in the Church, a time of dissatisfaction leading to desperation in a few hearts, and the re-emergency of passionate prayer and intercession among hungry believers. I then listed the Distinctive Features of Revival that the great Arthur Wallis wrote in his classic, "in The Day Of Thy Power" . . . God's divine sovereignty, the presence of spiritual preparation, unexpected "Suddenly-ness", Holy Spontaneity, an unexplainable consciousness of God's presence, useable and anointed human vessels, the presence of supernatural manifestations, an unexplainable divine magnetism, strong apostolic preaching, bold and compassionate evangelizing, superabundant blessings and results, and a divine simplicity apart from complicated man-made systems and programs. 9. The Flaw and Fraud of Revival ---- this was a study in which I tried to explain how easy it is to contaminate, corrupt, or artificially copy real revival, reminding us that when man touches with human hands what God is doing, it does great harm to God's activity, and many are led astray into playing with "strange fire". 10. Jonathan Edwards ---- In this study, we simply looked at the script of Jonathan Edwards' famous "Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God" in which we saw evidence of a man consumed by the fires of personal revival . . . a consuming that would not allow him to remain silent or soft in what he proclaimed. 11. A Contemporary Example ---- Then, the past two letters I wrote about the 1970 Asbury Revival that so radically changed the lives of tens of thousands of lives across North America.

FINAL CHAPTER: There are other matters about revival that could easily be addressed, but other subjects are weighing heavy on my heart, and I'm anxious to share my thoughts with you about them. So, today, I want to conclude the study by addressing four very important aspects that I believe pertain to revival in a direct way. Obviously, I could write an entire letter on each one, but I really believe we've extended this subject enough.

With that in mind, I'll try to share these thoughts in abbreviated and outlined form as much as possible.

+ Key To Revival -- Godly Sorrow Leading To Repentance: It seems to me that there is a great deal of misunderstanding on the subject of repentance. Many people assume it is deep remorse that admits wrong doing, while others take it more literally to the word's meaning in which there is a change of mind. However, repentance itself is more than a change of attitude, and likewise it cannot take place without a sorrow over a non-repentant attitude. It is both a change of direction and action. Likewise, true repentance can only arise from a heart that has been impacted by an awareness of gross negligence or misconduct. While sorrow itself is not repentance and repentance is not the same as godly sorrow, they are inseparably linked. Like a coin stamped on only one side, one cannot exist without the other. Raymond Erdmans defines repentance as "a consciousness of spiritual poverty dethroning pride, a sense of personal unworthiness producing grief, a willingness to surrender to God in genuine humility, and a strong spiritual desire developing into hunger and thirst, entering into the experience of one who wholly abandons sin and heartily turns to Him Who grants repentance unto life." Key words in that definition seem to be "dethroning pride", "producing grief", "genuine humility", "hunger and thirst", "wholly abandons sin", and "heartily turns to Him". That's very powerful stuff that leads me to conclude that many who claim to have repented, really haven't. Until there is a conviction that brings a sense of remorse and sorrow, repentance will be neither legitimate nor lasting. Likewise, until there is genuine repentance, revival will not come. There is a direct link between repentance and revival. Revival cannot happen without it impacting with life-changing power. Therefore, a godly sorrow leading to repentance is key to real revival. Sometimes repentance brings revival into present reality, and sometimes it is the spirit of revival that draws people to repentance . . . but either way, revival and repentance are inseparable.

+ Key To Revival -- Making It Personal: It has been my personal observation that too many people think of revival in either corporate or territorial terms, and seldom if ever see it as a personal encounter with God. To the degree that they treat it in such a manner, they will remain an observer or bystander. They will bask in the light of revival's presence, but will have little if any lasting changes in their own lives. As a result, once the newness and warmth wears off, they will go back to their own ways of living. Speaking from personal experience, when one truly experiences genuine revival, your life will never be the same. When you walk in revival, everything changes . . . values, attitude, your view of sin and righteousness, everything in every area of life. If you should ever walk away from that change, you suffer an emptiness that either draws you back, or you drive yourself away into a dry desert of disillusionment and desertion from the Lord. Either way, life is never the same. Finally, as far as I can tell from scripture and from history, revival is always personal . . . otherwise it is not revival. Likewise, it appears that before revival becomes corporate or territorial, it first is personal. I've mentioned this before, but it is true. Almost every account of territorial revival I've read about has begun with one person, or a small handful of people.

+ Key To Revival -- Seeking God: Perhaps one of the most familiar passages of scripture used to emphasize revival is the seventh chapter of II Chronicles. Verse fourteen is inevitably the verse receiving the most attention. However, to truly understand the depths of this conditional promise God made to Solomon, we must examine chapters two through seven. Otherwise, we see verse fourteen as a simple formula that will gain us God's blessing. In chapter two Solomon announces his intent to build a house for the Lord that will exceed anything ever built thus far, while at the same time acknowledging that to do such a thing for the God of all creation is almost an unthinkable task for which he is totally unworthy and unqualified. Chapters three and four detail the construction of the temple in great deal; it must have been a splendorous structure. To cap it off, Solomon has the Ark of the Covenant brought into the new temple, and God's glory fills the temple with such intensity that the priests themselves collapsed onto the floor under God's manifest presence. Chapter six records Solomon's dedication of the temple; it is saturated with indescribable truth concerning God's righteousness and glory, His power over all of creation, His majesty, and His absolute rule over friend and foe.

At the conclusion of the prayer, the glory of God intensified like a roaring fire upon which a fresh blast of oxygen had been directed, and all the burnt offerings and sacrifices were consumed. This shekinah glory of God remained in and above the temple as the people worshipped and offered sacrifices for seven solid days, twenty-four hours a day, crowning the event on the eighth day with a Solemn Assembly attended by people as far north as Hamath all the way south to the River of Egypt. After the dedicatory celebration, the people returned to their homes, radically changed and rejoicing in the awareness of their holy and righteous God. And, at this point, . . . God speaks. His words are both assuring and terrifying at the same time. He begins in verse thirteen by giving His people assurance during times of divine judgment. He, in essence, says, "Whether I withhold what I have, destroy what you have, or send adversity on those you love, you must seek My face." (13-14). The key to it all, however, is the idea of seeking the face of God, . . . no matter what, when, or where. Seeking His face requires acknowledging His ownership and Lordship, humbling ourselves before Him, praying, and repenting (turning). His response is equally assuring as His conditions were frightening ---- "I'll hear, I'll forgive, I'll heal, I'll see, and I'll listen." (14-15). He goes on to describe His promised response to our seeking His face (14c-18), our responsibility in seeking His face (17-18), His royal affirmation to our obedience (18), and the consequences if we fail to seek His face (19-22). But, the bottom line is that a key to revival is to seek the face of the Lord.

+ Key To Revival -- Kingdom Living: Early in these letters I mentioned that a friend of mine had indicated that revival was not necessary of we were truly living our lives in a way to seek and build the Kingdom of God. I've never gotten away from that statement even though I've only focused on the kingdom issue a few times. Even though I'm still sorting that out in my mind, of one thing I am convinced . . . genuine revival is clearly the expression of daily, consistent, focused kingdom living. It is consciously . . . and I mean Consciously . . . seeking His Kingdom, worshipping the King, honoring the King, following the King, submitting to the King, obeying the King, building His Kingdom, fighting for His Kingdom, advancing the Kingdom, expanding the Kingdom, . . . If one is truly experiencing revival, he is experiencing Kingdom life. If one is exclusively Kingdom focused, he is walking in what we traditionally call revival. Revival is the Kingdom World. The Kingdom expressed is revived, restored, renewed, replenished, rejuvenating life . . . the very life of Christ.

FINALLY: So, my friend, . . . what should I pray for you? Is it for revival in your heart? Is it for a revision of the course you have set for yourself? Is it for loads and burdens to be lifted? Is it for a renewed freshness and vitality of service? Just what is it? Perhaps all I can do as pray that God will give you new revelation of Him . . . for when you see Him as He truly is, you'll see yourself as He sees you, you'll begin to see what He sees around you, you'll hear what He hears, you'll feel what He feels, . . . and revival will be a moot issue. You don't need "it" when you have "Him". Here's to life with The King! In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom, Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11 Copyright May, 2009 Life Unlimited Ministries lifeunlimited@centurytel.net If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish. Please do NOT hit reply to this letter. This is an automated unmanned system. If you want to write Bob, send directly to lifeunlimited@centurytel.net. Replying to "Shoulder To Shoulder" mailer gets you nowhere.

REMEMBER ---- "Service before the Cross is what man can do for God; service after the Cross is what God can do through a man" ---- T. Allen Robburts It's our desire to provide you links to helpful resources. However, the contents of these sites do not necessarily represent the views we personally hold. These are sites we have found helpful in the past for various topics, and want you to know about them. Use at your own discretion. Websites Crucial For Today:
Consider these special websites that are particularly important in light of world conditions.

Resources and News from balanced and Family Friendly Perspectives:

www.onenewsnow.com -- an excellent news website giving you more thorough news reporting. www.cnsnews.com for daily world news without a liberal, godless bias. http://www.leadershipletters.com/ -- an outstanding resource for anyone wanting to become or help raise up a great leader. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page -- excellent on-line encyclopedia on almost every topic, usually unbiased. http://prayercentral.net/baghdad/today -- to pray for troops in Iraq. www.wallbuilders.org -- Tools for understanding and responding to America's moral decay.

Resources on Middle East, Israel, Bible Prophecy:

http://www.aish.com/search/article_search_results.asp?article_author=Rabbi+Ken+Spiro&title_text=&date_amount=&date_option=year -- one of the most COMPREHENSIVE HISTORIES of Israel I've ever seen, written from a Jewish Perspective. A Profound resource for those interested. www.bible411.com/nationofmiracles/index.htm -- excellent website on Israel http://favorminded.com/pray/3300israel.html -- excellent website on Israel www.sidroth.org -- excellent website on Israel, especially evidences of God's supernatural intervention www.hallindsey.org -- current events as relating to Bible prophecy www.christiantrumpetsounding.com -- excellent source of articles on Israel and Bible prophecy and other topics www.levitt.com -- strategic newsletter, reports, resources, particularly on Bible Prophecy www.jewishsoftware.com excellent Jewish sources on Hebrew language, Jewish history, beliefs, practices. http://www.4922trust.org/ -- an excellent site on Christian relationship to Israel. http://www.ajhs.org/ American Jewish historical society. www.israeltoday.co.il Israel today news and resources. www.jpost.com Jerusalem Post newspaper. www.jewishvoice.com Jonathan Burness ministry with excellent info and resources www.jerusalemconnection.org good Jewish culture/beliefs source www.favorminded.com good source for those supporting Israel www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org exceptional sour of information on Israel, ancient and modern www.aish.com comprehensive site on Jewish history including famed "Crash Course In Jewish History" www.israelimages.com hundreds of excellent photos, old and new, of Israel and her people. www.jerusalemshots.com/en another great source of pictures. www.technorati.com/tag/antisemitism a sobering source of anti-Semitic photos. www.yadvashem.org martyrs and heroes of the Holocaust www.favorminded.org excellent historic and contemporary information on Israel

Helpful General Resources

www.biblos.com -- EXCELLENT Bible study tools and resources. www.bibletraining.com -- EXCELLENT pastoral training global opportunity source. www.dota.net -- AMAZING Bible training materials via PDF downloads and radio programs in several languages. http://www.impactapologetics.com/default.asp?cookiecheck=yes& -- Great source for information on Christian apologetics. www.sermonindex.net for access to over 3900 downloadable audio sermons. Exceptional site. www.bible.christianity.com an excellent general source for quality Bible study tools and other things. Links to other great sites. www.illustramedia.com a great site for video on creation and evolution. www.livinit.org a super source for Christian extreme sports witness to youth www.creationscience.net an excellent source for dealing with evolution and creation www.crosstv.com a great site for video on creation, evolution, and apologetics www.onechurchsource.com a good site with links for many resources. www.biblemaster.com for great Bible resources and downloads. Exceptional site. www.e-sword.net ---- one of the best free download Bible study sites I've ever seen! http://www.discipleshipdirect.com/ for new and fresh evangelism & discipleship materials. www.multilanguage.com -- a great source for resources for language ministries. http://www.answersingenesis.org/ ---- one of the best Creation websites I've ever seen. http://frangipane.org ---- for excellent brief words of encouragement from one of America's premier evangelical writers/thinkers. www.worldprayerteam.org ---- A world-wide network for praying together. www.watchword.org ---- excellent resources on revival, prayer, missions. www.waymakers.org ---- resources on prayer, evangelism, etc. www.missionvisionnetwork.org ---- resources on prayer & missions www.global-prayer-digest.org ---- resources on world-wide prayer http://www.nppn.org ---- "National Pastors' Prayer Network" newsletter. ~ email: phil@nppn.org. Register your PPG: http://www.nppn.org/ppg/ . www.LifeAction.org ---- "Life Action Outreach".

Valuable Resources on Islam: http://khanepedar.com ---- a NEW evangelistic website for Muslims. Please share this with others, especially those who know Muslims or have a ministry to Muslims.
www.muslimjourneytohope.org filled with testimonies and resources.

http://bibleprobe.com/islamapostates.htm ---- fantastic website on ISLAM (amazing testimonies and excellent resources) www.johnankerburg.org ---- excellent resources of facts, testimonies, and tools http://cbw.strang.com/c.cgi?ProdID=8847&Source=CNSITE www.elam.com ---- source of testimonies and resources www.ethnicharvest.org ---- resources www.answeringislam.de/main/farsi ---- resources www.persianchristianity.com ---www.farsibible.org ---- Bibles

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