Ironworks Pike Community Church - Pastor's Blog

A Spontaneous Work of God at Asbury College.

2/15/2023

You might have seen news about a revival happening now at Asbury College, which is located only a 40 minutes drive from our church. A normal midweek chapel service blossomed into an on-going prayer and worship meeting, which at this time is still going on. Their chapel is full, and God seems to be doing something special.

These are just some thoughts about revival.

One interesting fact is that the Asbury leaders shepherding this event have made it clear they are not calling this a "revival." It appears this is because that word is loaded with connotations which are unsuited to what is actually happening. The word "revival" has become identified in the public mind with screamy preaching, manipulative music, cheap theatrics, crass publicity, and lots of fake "conversions."

I am not yet planning on going down to Asbury, because I don't want to go "see something." It's a spiritual event, not a show or a performance, and I don't want to gawk. This is similar to why I ordinarily would not attend an evangelistic rally, unless I was bringing a non-Christian. The space I would take up could be more profitably filled by somebody else.

Where the Gospel is presented clearly and truly, faith is solicited, and the responses are repentance, renewed devotion to Christ, and personal reformation and re-direction, then a real spiritual movement is happening. This contrasts with mass meetings, in person and on TV, I have seen where there is nothing but furious music, emotion-whipping, and mass hysterics, driven by bombastic preachers. Those are false revivals.

The presence of strong feeling does not discredit a meeting. In fact, the absence of warmth and feeling toward Christ is a sign that revival is needed. Christ criticized the Ephesian church for no longer loving Him as they once did. Some Christians are far too stoic and intellectualized in their faith, maybe as an overreaction to charismania.

If there's some emotionalism or shallow responses, those in themselves don't prove ta revival isn't real. Christ Himself had those types of reactions from His crowds! Satan put demon-possessed people into Christ's audiences, shouting out, "You are the Son of God" in order to discredit him. The test of a revival is the integrity of the messenger, the message, and the spirit in which the meeting is run. In many senses Jesus Christ was a true revivalist, and we know He had all kinds of reactions from His attendees.

Christians should live in a perpetually revived condition. We should be filled with God's Spirit every day, and renew our love for the Lord Jesus on a regular basis. We should respond to God's Word, not just know it. Sometimes the Lord stirs up a powerful spirit of renewal, blow on cooling embers of faith, and good sparks will come flying out of it. Let us hope that is the case at Asbury.

No Place For Race Hatred In the Kingdom of God.

1/12/2023

There is no place for racial hatred in the kingdom of God.

Christians are creationists. We believe that God wrote through His prophet Moses. Moses revealed that God created one original man, named Adam. From that one man all other human beings descended, from every tribe, language, and nation. We are all of one blood. This is why in reality there are not multiple races. There is only one race -- the human race.

Christians also believe in redemption. As the apostle Paul wrote, there is in Christ neither Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female, but all are one in Christ Jesus. Everyone is a sinner, any who become saved are saved by the shed blood of Christ, and by grace through faith all become equally the children of God. There are no inferior or superior bloodlines, in Christ.

Blacks are not Black because of the curse of Ham (Genesis 9:20-27). God cursed Canaan, identifying him with his father Ham. This had nothing to do with skin color, but for Ham and his son looking upon Noah's unconscious nakedness and then dishonoring him in the streets. The seed of Canaan were the Canaanites, not Black people. The Bible also doesn't say that Noah's curse extended to anyone beyond Canaan himself.

God requires equal treatment under the law. God hates unequal measures (Deuteronomy 25:13-16). Prejudicial treatment of others based on their skin color or nationality, is sin.

It takes work to overcome prejudice. Americans are not the only people in the world with this problem. Africa is torn by tribal conflicts. Native tribesmen kidnapped and sold other Black Africans to the Dutch as slaves. Japan treats mixed-race children badly. Spanish-descended Mestizo Latins look down on the native Amerindians. Tribalism is a universal human problem.

Christians ought to do better, and set a better example. The issue isn't whether or not a person from a different tribe is our neighbor, but how can we be a good neighbor to everyone? (Luke 10:25-37).