THE DOCTRINE OF REVIVAL (3)/ THIS IS HOLY GROUND

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The Doctrine of Revival (3)/ This is Holy Ground (Ex 3:5). Her main text was taken from the Book of Psalms, Isaiah and Habakkuk. “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps 46:10). “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:11). “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence—as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil— to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, the mountains shook at Your presence. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64:1-4). “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).

REVIVAL DEFINED

Revival is a miracle; it is a phenomenon! Revival is a visitation of God’s Spirit to the Church. It affects even the unbelievers. Revival is defined as the unique, sovereign move of God, the Holy Spirit, coming down to earth in a dramatic way, changing people and nations. It manifests as a heartfelt return to God and His commandments. Only God can produce revival. The Holy Spirit does two types of works: the regular work (convicting people of sins, the process of sanctification, helping people to understand the Word of God…) and the extraordinary work, which is called ‘Revival’. From time to time, in the history of the Church, the Holy Spirit manifested His power among the believers in a most unusual way. The believers became filled with the Holy Spirit, signs and wonders multiplied among them. The overflow of this move of God affected all people. Many surrendered their lives to Christ and the Church became stronger. During revival the Holy Spirit recovers the basic doctrines of salvation, especially the justification by faith, by Grace, thru Christ alone.  Revival can happen to an individual believer, to a family, to a church, or to a geographical area. True revival changes the history of a city or a nation. Great social changes start to happen. Righteous laws are given and the nation changes for the better. God does more in one day of Revival than in hundred years or ‘regular’ church work! Selah! 

THE ATMOSPHERE OF REVIVAL

The greatest manifestation during revival is the Presence of God with the people. In Isaiah 64:4 it is a prayer for revival. The word ‘presence’ appears three times. In Hebrew, this word also means ‘the Face of God’. During Revival the presence of God seems like a holy blanket over the people. God’s Face comes so close to men. People not only believe that the spiritual realm is true, but they feel God’s presence in a clear way. The believers are aware especially of the Holiness, Majesty, and Glory of God. The Holy Fear of God is real. The religious unbelievers and the backsliders feel guilty of sin. This guilt makes them restless. They cannot find peace until they repent to God and to man. This atmosphere of revival is different than an evangelistic outreach when people work for God without feeling a sense of guilt for their sins. As they prepare the venue for the crusade, they pray and joke at the same time. During revival, the atmosphere is always sober and holy. In their spirit, men see Jesus on the Cross. Salvation becomes personal. They say: “Jesus died for ME, for ME!!!” During church services, the people enjoy the presence of God so much that they forget the passing of time. In the past, they may grumble saying: ‘The church service is too long’. Now, they feel different. They feel bad when the service ends. They want it to continue. They go home with the anointing received. They see the value of Church. They think about the Word of God they heard during the preaching. They make effort to apply it practically. The Holy Spirit enlightens the mind and the understanding. The believers love to hear the Word of God preached to them. They feel the power of God’s Word working in them. In other words, revival is like days of heaven on earth! It is said that the exclamation “Oh…” is a sound of revival (Is 64:1; Hab 3:2).

Simply said, revival means ‘to wake up from sleep and live’! That is why, the word revival applies to the believers who are backsliding. The overflow touches the unbelievers too, but primarily, revival is the touch of God to His children. To be revived is to be refilled with the power of the Holy Spirit, to allow Him to rekindle the slow-dying fire of passion for Jesus. Revival is returning to the purpose for which we were saved. It brings us into the center of the purpose of salvation found in Christ alone. Revival brings glory to God alone! During revival, men testify that “God is everywhere”. The presence of God was felt not only in the church, but on the streets, in the schools, in the hospitals. For example, the alcoholics will go to the bar, order a drink, suddenly they turn back and leave the drink untouched. Prostitutes would dress seductively to go to the streets. Suddenly, they feel cold, they run home, unable to continue with their sinful work. Armed robbers would suddenly change and stop doing crimes. Thieves will return stolen property. People reconcile with one another. The gambling casinos were shut down because none came there again. Revival changes people. The change is radical, genuine, and permanent. I read that during the Welsh revival, the political meetings were canceled or abandoned. They seemed completely out of question since no one was interested. Political leaders even from the parliament of London went to the revival meetings. It was all because of the personal transformation in people’s lives. Let the fire fall! When revival comes, the whole society feels the impact. You cannot have a touch from above and not touch those around you. People will notice you and me, that we have been with Jesus. They will be attracted to Christ in us. Remember that Christ is the most attractive and lovely Person in the universe. “He is altogether lovely” (SS 5:16).  Because Christ is seen and heard in us, people believe that He is alive! They will believe the true Gospel, Christ crucified and resurrected. Men see now that power does not belong to them, but to God! Men are not worshipped anymore. Jesus alone is worshipped for who He is! Glory!

Revival is the sovereign act of God, the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon a person, a church, or an area. Revival is a miracle. A miracle is defined as the direct, sovereign, immediate, supernatural action of God. There are three essential truths about a miracle: 1-It is of God and not of man! 2-It cannot be duplicated, controlled, or explained by man! 3- God always takes the glory for it! God is sovereign when and where He grants revival. He is also sovereign about the person He chooses as His vessel to ignite revival. Men can organize church programs. They can organize evangelistic crusades to preach the Word. All these are good! But no man can ‘organize’ a revival. ‘We cannot organize revival, but we can set our sails to catch the wind of heaven’ (G. Campbell Morgan). We study the past revivals to learn something from them. But there are no human methods to organize a revival. It has been observed that God uses humble people and grants revival to faithful genuinely needy people. Revival always humbles people! That is the general observation. Revival starts and ends as God pleases. Once revival ends, man cannot control it to prolong its work. But the good effects in society last longer. Just as on the Day of Pentecost, when revival happens, men ask: ‘What is this?’ Revival is hard to explain. It comes like a spiritual flood that changes all in its path. May revival come to Nigeria! “Even so, Come Lord Jesus!”      

THE CONGO REVIVAL (1953-1955)

This is the story of the revival that happened in the Belgian Congo, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  The revival began in the WEC mission station at Lubutu on Saturday night, February 7, 1953. WEC is a missionary organization Worldwide Evangelization for Christ that did ministry in Congo at that time. It was during a scheduled worker’s conference, with the national pastors, evangelists, and wives from the area present. Things were good with the ministry, but something was missing. The passion for Jesus was not there as in the past. The believers were more legalistic. They felt that they lost their first love. They were praying for revival. That evening the European missionaries were holding a prayer meeting in their home, while the African believers were having one of their own at the school. It was then that the missionaries heard the noise of wailing and crying coming from the school. They went to investigate, and they found many overcome and prostrate on the ground, shaking violently. Many were standing with their hands raised, worshiping, some confessing secret sins. After a while the missionaries attempted to close the meeting, but it continued for twenty-four hours. The conviction of sin was at times so intense that people would be in deep agony. Those who resisted confessing their sins were grievously tormented until they yielded. One woman went insane under conviction until she confessed her sin. An evangelist went into a coma for three days, and his healing came after he came to and confessed his sins. Following confession of sin, their hearts were filled with overwhelming joy. From the surface it appeared as though it was all chaos and confusion. “God, send us a season of glorious disorder!” (C H Spurgeon). But the fruits were clearly of the Holy Spirit!

From Lubutu, the Revival spread to other places. The Missionaries in Lubutu began writing letters to the other mission stations throughout the region, explaining what happened. Initially there was opposition and criticism, but that all soon gave way as the Holy Spirit began to fall on other mission stations as He did at Lubutu. Almost all the churches throughout the region were affected. It was like a Spiritual Tornado. The people were literally flung to the floor or over the benches, yet no one was hurt. News of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit quickly spread throughout the area, and people were walking upwards of 100 miles to come to witness and participate in the move of the Holy Spirit.

“We have longed, prayed, cried, agonized for revival, and when it came, it was beyond anything we had imagined. The conversions have been marvelous: the whole compound is a new place: from missionaries to workmen and their wives, to schoolteachers and their wives, to houseboys, schoolboys, and schoolgirls—even among those in kindergarten classes” (Missionary at the Ibambi station, Congo).

This is another testimony: the people were gathered in a prayer meeting. They were 95 Africans and 5 whites. Suddenly everyone heard the roar of what seemed to be a hurricane. The windows shutters throughout the hall were quickly closed to prevent the wind from damaging anything. But as they waited, the wind didn’t come, they only heard the sound. When they looked outside, they saw a clear sky, with no movement in the trees. Yet at the same time the lanterns throughout the hall were shaking wildly, and the building seemed to rock. It was like the account in Acts 2:2: “a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting”.  The hall was filled with people lying flat on the ground, being hurled there by an unseen force. Nobody was conscious of anyone next to them. It was just the individual and God standing face-to-face. Many began crying out to God for mercy. Others were shaking violently. Some were on their feet with arms outstretched to heaven giving praise to God. Conviction of sin had fallen upon all present. People with tears streaming down their faces confessed to theft, jealousies, anger, coldness of heart, and having a religious spirit. After the confession it was as if there was a flood of joy that gushed in through the person who had confessed, and their weeping and groaning transformed into songs of praise to God. Glory!

There was an overwhelming conviction of sin accompanied with trembling, shaking, writhing, prostration, wailing, crying, groaning, and indescribable grief. There was a powerful awareness of the reality of heaven, as well of hell. This torment caused by conviction of sin was said to be “the whip of the Holy Spirit.” Confession of those sins was made. Forgiveness of sins was experienced. Indescribable joy and the infilling of the Holy Spirit was obvious. Restitution was made for things stolen and relationships were restored.

The preaching of the Word of God, which was carried out consistently before the Holy Spirit’s outpouring, now came forth with much greater power. The understanding of the sermons preached seemed as though it was the first time they were heard, as they were so fresh and life-giving. Conviction of sins was so powerful that people had to confess them before they could be free from the burden of their sin. Physical healings were common. Many were often so overcome by God’s presence that they were said to be “drunk with the Spirit” (Acts 2:13). There were those who attempted to resist the Holy Spirit’s power, but always failed. The torment from the shaking and trembling drove them to confess their sins, as that was the only way relief could be obtained. The gift of discernment was granted to enable the leaders to detect what was of God, what was of Satan, or what was just people pretending. Worship songs were written, some of them given directly by God. Ecstasy of joy was experienced following confession of sin and being filled with the Holy Spirit. This was often accompanied with laughter, dancing, praise, and thanksgiving. Satan did attempt to infiltrate and disrupt. This came in the form of some who tried to gain attention for themselves by going to extremes. Others gave false prophecies. But it was clear that the false believers failed to control the meetings.

RESULTS OF REVIVAL

People freely preached about and testified of Jesus’ love wherever they went. People were saved by the hundreds and thousands. The people were so caught up in the presence of God that they didn’t take time for meals, and they would often sleep only a few hours each night, yet they were not tired. Prayers were no longer mechanical, they were heartfelt, and there was an intense desire to intercede for the lost. The singing was filled with passion. Marriages were restored. Many young families (husband and wife) felt the call to attend the Bible School and prepare to be pastors of evangelists. People did not arrive late for the services like they did before–they ran to them. Newcomers were at almost every meeting. Believers were not ashamed to carry their Bibles in public, as they previously were. Numerous owners of wine palm trees cut down their orchards and were no longer producing alcoholic wine. Restitution of stolen items was made, and payment of debts was common. The Africans changed their pagan-associated names to New Testament names. The revival affected the children, the teens as much as the adults.

This revival ran across the Belgian Congo from 1953 to 1955.  During that time the churches doubled, and then tripled in their numbers. Twelve years later, when civil war tore the country apart, the revived Church had been prepared by God to withstand the onslaught of unbelievable horror and evil. Since then, the leaders of the churches were those African believers who were blessed by the revival. As it was with the Businessmen revival in New York (1857-1858), just before the American Civil war, we see a pattern here. God knows that there will be war ahead. He grants revival to prepare and strengthen the church before or after conflict. We are amazed at the grace and mercy of God concerning His people. Glory to God!   

THE BURNING BUSH – THIS IS HOLY GROUND

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So, he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed” (Ex 3:1,2).

This is the story of the amazing encounter between Jehovah God and Moses. God reveals Himself to Moses and declares His name: I AM THAT I AM. God calls Moses to work for Him. Father’s House Bible Church has been declared prophetically to be ‘a burning bush’ in this area. What is the meaning of that? We try to find out as we study this miraculous encounter. There are many lessons for us here, even as we pray for revival.

For forty years, Moses lives in the desert with the family of Jethro, a priest of Midian. He got married to one of his daughters. They have two sons together. He works for Jethro. He takes care of sheep that are not his. These forty years, his life was simple, and possibly boring. Every day is the same. There is the routine of simple life in the desert. Forty years ago, Moses was a Prince of Egypt. He was trained to be an Egyptian royalty. “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds” (Ac 7:22). He could speak well, and he could fight like a warrior. But now, what is the purpose of his life, living as a shepherd in the desert? Moses lost the Egyptian, worldly skills. God humbles him in preparation for a new work. God carries Moses in the desert to unlearn the Egyptian ways. Suddenly, God appears in a new way, in the burning bush that is not consumed. The bush was at ‘the back of the desert’.

What does the Burning Bush teach us? That God is eternal, Sovereign over all, self-sufficient and self-existent. Everything about God is eternal and indestructible. We also learn that God speaks to men and calls them to His work. We pray for revival. We need to know the God that saved us and calls us to work for Him! Please note, that the way you see God determines your Christian life. It determines what you do, say, pray, the decisions you make, your relationship with your family and others. As you pray for revival, remember who the God of Revival is!  

*God is self-existent! God is sovereign and independent! His name is Jehovah, I AM THAT I AM. This name appears 6519 times in the Bible, It is used more than any other name of God. This is God’s Covenant keeping name! What God says will come to pass! God is faithful to all His promises! God is to be trusted and obeyed!   God told Moses: “Tell them that I AM sent you!” I AM means I EXIST FOREVER! What does it mean to be ‘self-existent’? It means that God is independent from His creation. He is God all by Himself! God is the only self-existent Being in the universe. He created everything that exists, spiritual and physical. Nobody created God. The difference between God and His Creation is immense. It is like a drop of water from the ocean and the ocean itself.  God is different than all of us. God is the Creator, and we are His creation. God has no beginning and no end. God IS the Beginning, and He IS the end. We have a beginning and an end. We are created to worship God!

*God is self-sufficient! God has no needs! God ‘takes care’ of Himself. He does not need His creation to provide anything to Him. He is perfect. But we are wholly depended on God. If there is no Oxygen, we all die. We need food and water. But God needs nobody and nothing. We need God but God does not need us for anything. He appreciates our worship, but He does not need it. We cannot contribute anything to God, to make Him happier. He is happiness Himself. He is perfect by Himself. But in His eternal Wisdom, He had chosen us to become His children. That is why we should always be humble. That is why we should always trust and obey God! That is why we should live for His glory alone! God is not accountable to nobody! We are accountable to others and finally, to God. But God is free from accountability. To be accountable it means that you must take responsibility for your words and actions. You must answer the questions of others. God does not need to answer any question from nobody. Whatever He does is right. Just because God says a word, it is right! Sinful men tried to find fault with Jesus especially in the words He spoke. Eventually, they gave up. Jesus is God. He is not accountable to men for the words He speaks. “But after that they dared not question Him (Jesus) anymore” (Lk 20:40). “I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him” (Ecc 3:14). “Everything God does is right” (Ps 145:17, TM).

*God spoke thru the burning bush. The bush was an ordinary bush that God chose to dwell in it at that time. It was in fire, but it was not consumed. The Burning Bush stands for the Eternal God dwelling among men. It is a symbol of The Lord Jesus Christ, of the Eternal Word of God, and of the Eternal Kingdom of God, including all God’s Children. The burning Bush is also a symbol of the Church of Christ in revival!  

God’s Son is like the burning Bush. He is our Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again! Death could not hold Him. The fire is the hatred of the devil and the world. On that Cross, the fire of the wrath of God against sin ‘burned’ Him but did not destroy Him. It is not the fire that consumed the Lamb. It was the Lamb that consumed the Fire! Glory!

God’s Word is like the burning bush. Men tried to destroy it, but they failed. God still speaks thru the Bible. The Bible cannot be destroyed. It will always remain the number one ‘best-seller’ among all printed books in the world. Not only that the Word of God cannot be destroyed, but it will also be the Judge at the last day. Jesus said: “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (Jn 12:48).

God’s Kingdom is like the burning bush. It is eternal. Daniel saw the vision of a mighty statue representing the kingdoms of men. Then a stone not cut with human hands came and destroyed them all. The stone became a kingdom that can never be destroyed. “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).

God’s Church is like a burning bush. The gates of hell cannot prevail against the Living Church. It is a light in the darkness! “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Mt 5:14). As workers for God, we need to build with silver, gold, and precious stones. These are material that resist the fire of God. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Cor 3:11-17)

God’s children are preserved when passing thru fire. “The LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day” (Deut 4:20). The three Hebrews young men did not die in the furnace fire. They became free, they got promoted in their offices and God was glorified (Daniel 3:24-30). This is God’s promise coming from the burning bush: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Is 43:1-3).

You must listen to the voice of God that speaks from heaven, even thru the burning bush. When God speaks, men must listen and obey! When God speaks, people and things shake. During revival, God’s voice is heard like a trumpet. Men cannot hide from its blast. The fear of God comes upon men who hear God. The way God called Moses; men are called to work for God.  Religion is a joker when God speaks. “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:25-29).

This is quote from the Book of Deuteronomy. It is a warning against idolatry, showing that God is a jealous God. “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deut 4:24). God’s fire shakes and destroys all idols and purifies, shines your faith the more!

THE EXCUSES OF MOSES

At the burning bush Moses Is called to ministry. Face to face with the eternal God, Moses brings excuses not to work for God. What are these?

1-Who am I? This is inferiority complex. Moses said: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain” (Ex 3:11, 12). When Moses was a ruler in Egypt, he had confidence to speak to Pharoah. But now, Moses thinks that he is a nobody. In the desert, he has lost his proud self-confidence. He did not know that it was God’s plan for him. God’s answer to inferiority complex is His presence with you. God’s presence is success guaranteed. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). When you pray for revival, His Grace is your confidence of victory! “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor 12:9).

2-What shall I say? I cannot speak, pray, or preach! “Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’ ” (Ex 3:13, 14). Moses used to talk fluently in the Egyptian Language. Now, after forty years of speaking the Midian language, he is not sure that he can communicate well. In the desert, the work of the shepherd is mostly silent. Moses has lost the confidence of speech. God’s answer is His name! The revelation of His personal name! God tells Moses to speak His name to all people. The name of Jesus is stronger than all. You use it when you pray, when you preach, and when you praise! Jesus is the Word of God! Preach the Word! Preach the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation! That should be your confidence!

3-What if nobody will believe me? “Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’.  So, the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” (Ex 4:1, 2). Moses was afraid that men will not believe him. That includes His people, the Hebrews, and the Egyptians. God answers that signs and wonders will accompany the preaching of His Word.  The resurrected Christ told the believers: “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen” (Mk 16:17-20). The Word of God comes with power. In revival, signs and wonders are multiplied.

4-I am not eloquent in speaking! 10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say” (Ex 4:10-12). God rebuked Moses by reminding him that He made Moses’ mouth. Words will be supplied at the right time. The Lord Jesus Christ gave this promise to all believers: “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say“ (Lk 12:11, 12).

5-Send another man! This was Moses’ final objection. Moses said: “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” So, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs” (Ex 4:13-17). God has been patient with Moses and his excuses. But now, for the first time, God gets angry. He did not disqualify Moses, but He was angry. This is a great lesson for us. If God calls you, just surrender to Him! He will use you in a great way! Glory!

The burning bush is the first place in the Bible where the only Living God choses to dwell. Other places are the Tabernacle in the wilderness, The Temple of Solomon, The Church, and the true Spirit filled believers. During revival, His glory in us is revealed more than other times. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are like the burning bush. Our testimony must be pure! We are to be on fire, not on and off, but all the time! If you throw water on the burning bush, it will not quench it. It will become vapor. If anybody says bad words to you, it will not affect you!

Forty years later, Moses remembers his encounter with God at the burning bush. He prophesies that Joseph will know the “favor (goodwill, acceptance) of Him who dwelt in the bush” (Deut 33:16). What is this favor? It is favor with the enemies. It is total victory and deliverance from the oppressors. It is the freedom we have in Christ! “And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So, you shall plunder the Egyptians” (Ex 3:21, 22).

To lead God’s people like Moses you must become like the burning bush. If you are on fire, no virus can live in your body. The demons run away from you. But the same fire, will not destroy you. Your personality is preserved. Your testimony will become brighter. This is the Baptism of Fire. As Moses stopped to see the sight, so people will come close to you, to listen to your words. Then they will hear the voice of Christ thru your words. This bush did not need fuel to burn. In the same way, you will not need human encouragement anymore. That is for baby Christians. The fire in your bones is your continuous encouragement. Men may criticize you, but they will never forget you. This is what we need too!  This is the road to revival, to the glory of God! Oh, Lord, may revival come to Nigeria! Worship the Lord!