Revive Us Again- Part 2
Dave Andrews • April 6, 2021
Revival and Repentance
As we continue on in the month of April, and our Spring Friendraiser Month, we have already started talking about Revival, which is a part-and-parcel to our chosen theme this year “Revive Us Again: Overcome in ’21.” Previously we have covered “why” revival, but what does revival look like? It looks a whole like
repentance. God’s Word sheds light on this; and I can’t think of a better set of instructions on revival than
2 Chronicles 7:14.
We know what we want…we want His healing of our lives and land in our lifetime. One might presume that it starts with calling out the unsaved. But in this passage, at the very start, we find that revival starts with “my people”...that is God’s people. God’s people are called to go before the Throne in humble repentance…doing a 180 turn away from wickedness.
Revivalist Vance Havner said “We will do anything and everything else in our churches today but repent. Yet a fresh confrontation with God and an outpouring of His Spirit would dispel error and worldliness, meet social issues and produce real unity as no effort in the flesh could do.”
As I broach that subject of repentance, I want you to know I am trying to tread carefully. There are two extremes. One side says…I’m saved, I’ve been a Christian a long time…I’m in good shape. Repentance is easily dismissed. Then on the other hand, another may go too far calling fire and brimstone down on the lowly heathen, lacking mercy and humility, and acting ineffectively a whole like the Pharisees or worse. So as I ask every one of us to repentance, please know that I have more than my hands full with that myself.
As Christians, repentance started on our journey with Christ. However, in the church today, where great Biblical education has occurred, many of the problems we have with sin are found in secret or sins of omission, rather than public in your face types of sin. But even that is changing too. So I would love to ask you to ask the Lord (big step I know) to show you where you are falling short of His calling as a servant of the King.
As a lifelong resident and attendee of the church in the Western Slope, and as someone who hears and knows way more than I would like about churches and ministries locally-- I want to mention a few things to consider as possible topics for repentance.
Idolatry.
It has always been a problem for God’s people…since Moses led the Israelites out of the promised land. This sin of worshipping things which distract us from the true God seems removed from us in this day of “enlightened minds.” But just because we don’t give “worth-ship” to statues of gold and silver doesn’t mean we don’t worship gold and silver. Honestly, our biggest form of idolatry in this day and age comes in the form of plastic. Credit cards, cell phones, TVs, computers…stuff. We can’t get enough. We look to “stuff” and others for our fulfillment. It’s a distraction from the heart of God. Even the beautiful things He has blessed us with can play distractions from our King at times…our families, food, church functions, jobs, and more. But the story of the Rich Young Ruler rings true…we are to give God greatest priority, above everything.
“Lord, show me where I am distracted and help me to focus on you at all times.”
Conformity. We know that we are not to be confirmed to the pattern of this world, and rather “transformed.” Unfortunately, sometimes it’s the world that does the transforming. It can be really hard in our cancel culture. Nobody likes to be viewed as a relic of the past, a “hater,” or “Bible thumper,” or “fundie.” As a matter of fact it has always been a challenge for God’s people to not pick up the sins of the nations around them. Yet we have adopted the social gospel for the actual Gospel (as if the world needs a museum for our good deeds), the popular view vs God’s view (homosexuality, abortion, sexual immorality, evolution, the list goes on), and refuse to take a stand because we “don’t want to come off wrong” (yet the world will hate us either way). Many times, we have good intentions in setting ourselves apart, but because of apathy or business elsewhere, we fail in actual real practice of our faith.
“Lord help me to live as you have called me and to bear the strips you too bore.”
Dissention. I love to joke that my spiritual gift is dissention in the church. In reality, this is a serious problem and is no laughing matter. Scripturally, the Body of Christ is called to be unified. Yet we are not. It’s a problem from leadership down. We isolate ourselves from one another because we are not big enough to let the non-essentials slide. Instead of bickering, we opt for peace by surrounding ourselves with only those of like-mind, or those we just would rather be around, dividing our efforts and effectiveness for the Kingdom. Church leadership and ministry leaders become defensive and jealous of other churches and ministries. Churches become delusional that what we are doing is the only thing going on. It should rather be all about Christ, the head of the body. The body should not be severing limbs, but rather working closely in conjunction with one another. Wouldn’t it be great to see churches and ministries start praying for one another and selflessly and constantly working together simply for the benefit of one another…and all for the purpose of lifting up the Kingdom of God and Christ the head of the body?
“Forgive us Lord for fighting with our brothers and sisters.
Bring us together that you may be glorified for your sake alone.”
Self-centeredness.
We humans tend to think that we are the cause of the world’s problems and also the only solution. In a grander sense, yes, we caused sin to come into this world and continue to perpetuate the problem. But only Christ is the solution. He had to come because we are insufficient. He alone paid for our sins on a cross, he alone rose from the dead, and He alone is glorified above all in Heaven; the Kingdom of God is about Him. Sometimes we forget that this world is not our home, nor what we live for. We handed the reigns over to Him when we were saved. So we are to live not for ourselves, but for Him…and for the life to come in His Kingdom.
“Lord, forgive us for selfishness. Help us to live and die unto you.”
Our list of sins are just as unique as we are. Whatever your sin is, and we all have at least one…let’s pray in humble repentance of sin today…for ourselves and on behalf of one another. Then we change and walk away from those. We are to live as true disciples. Keep it up, for we know Christ will present us to the Father one day…and we shall finally really be changed! But let’s start the process now. Let’s seek His face with faith-filled expectation that when we repent, He will truly and most certainly hear us and heal us.
-Dave Andrews
KJOL Station Manager
Recently I played a KJOL classic, “ Almighty ” by Wayne Watson . For those who don’t remember Watson, he had a string of hits during the 80s and 90s, including: Celebrate Friend of a Wounded Heart For Such A Time as This Home Free Another Time, Another Place (with Sandi Patti) Touch of the Master’s Hand As for “Almighty,” I found an article that explains the back story. In 1990, when Wayne was 36, a close family friend became ill and died, leaving behind her four young daughters. As Wayne struggled to understand how God could allow this tragedy, he sat at his piano and began to write a song that reaffirmed the sovereignty of God. Well time marches on, with the innocence gone, And a darkness has covered the earth But His Spirit still dwells, He speaks, "it is well, " And the hopeless still offered new birth He will break the leash of death, it will have no sting Let the prisoner go free, join the dance and sing Almighty (almighty) Most holy God Faithful through the ages Almighty, Most holy Lord Glorious, Almighty... When his friends heard the song, they told him he should record it. Wayne was reluctant, thinking it didn’t really match his typical style. Eventually he started singing it in his concerts, and the response was so strong, he included it on “ Home Free ” in 1991 and it became a No. 1 hit.
CeCe Winans was a guest at NPR (National Public Radio) this week, and took them to church. She performed a half-hour concert, called a “ Tiny Desk Concert , ” before a small friendly audience in the NPR building. Between the songs, she shared her faith: “God is faithful, and what I love about him, he stays the same. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been, I just want everybody to know that God loves you with an everlasting love. And because He never changes, we can always run to Him. Just know that if God be for you, who can be against you!” She also appeared in an 8 minute interview on the NPR news program. The host said she had listened to Cece’s song “Alone In His Presence” when the host was a child. CeCe said, “Yep, his presence is definitely my hiding place, being in the spirit of God. And I live a life to please him, and that has brought me good success, you know?” She added, “I don't have to fear about what's going to happen because I serve a God who knows the end from the beginning. So I can actually experience true peace of mind and heart because of that relationship. So my hope is in him. You can hear CeCe’s latest song, “ Come Jesus Come ,” on KJOL right now. It was written and originally recorded by Stephen McWhirter in 2023. CeCe performed it for the American Idol Easter special in April.
The Newsboys were supposed to be touring Canada starting May 31. But the tour was abruptly canceled last week. Both the Newsboys and the promoter are claiming the other side is at fault. The Canadian promoter said it canceled the tour because there were too many unanswered questions about why Michael Tait abruptly left the band in January, just days before the Newsboys started their world tour. The Newsboys said the promoter breached the contract so the band canceled the tour. Neither Tait nor the Newsboys have given a clear explanation for Tait’s sudden departure . Band member Adam Agee took over as lead singer and the band quickly re-recorded their new single with Agee on lead vocals instead of Tait. The concert promoter said fans in Canada were confused about who the new lead singer was, wondering if this was the same Newsboys band they were expecting. Then on May 26, the promoter announced that Sanctus Real had agreed to be the last-minute replacement for the Newsboys. Sanctus Real had to hurry, because their first concert was just six days later in Canada! The timing works well for Sanctus Real, which just released their new single, The Difference , on May 29. Listen for it on KJOL in the coming days and weeks.
Every week, an estimated 30 million worshippers sing the most popular worship song of our generation, “Shout To The Lord” by Darlene Zschech and Hillsongs Australia. You’ve probably heard (and sung) it. But do you know the story behind the song ? Darlene Zschech wrote “ Shout to the Lord ” 30 years ago. She says the song was born out of a low point in her life. She had married at age 19 and moved to Sydney, where she began singing at the Hills Christian Centre. But at home her husband’s business was failing and times were tough One day she sat down at her daughter’s piano and started singing some words she’d been thinking about. She turned it into a song but was too shy to tell anyone. Finally she sang it for the worship director (but she made him turn around and not look at her!). He convinced her to sing it at church. By the end of the first chorus, people were standing to their feet and singing along! In 1994, the Hills Christian Centre recorded it, and in 1996, Hosanna Music released “Shout to the Lord” in the U.S. under the name Hillsongs Australia. It went straight to the top of the praise & worship charts. It has had more than 160 million views on YouTube just in the last 10 years.
We like to say around here that our Secretary Martha is the most famous person at KJOL. We mean it too! With a naturally likable personality, and an active disposition, a lot of people know her.
Tenth Avenue North is back with a new album Back in 2019, Tenth Avenue North announced they were retiring. They had formed in 2000 in Florida. Founder Mike Donehey said the name came “Tenth Avenue North” was supposed to be temporary. They had been scheduled to play at a conference and could not agree on a name for their band. So they chose the name of the street where they lived in West Palm Beach. And the name stuck for 25 years! In 2019, they released “ Greater Than All My Regrets .” And then they announced plans to retire, with a farewell tour in 2020. However, COVID interrupted that. In 2021, they finally played two farewell concerts. But four years after the break “sharpened the band’s focus and God used what they thought was an end to create room for them to experience Him in a new way.” So in 2024 they started recording new music , and the full-length album is being released on May 30. The Archers return! Fifty years after the Archers (siblings Tim, Steve, and Janice) made their debut in contemporary Christian music, they are back with a new album called “Legacy Medley.” It contains new versions of five of their previous hits: Give Us This Day 1980 It Won’t Be Long (Andrae Crouch) 1972 Make Me An Instrument 1977 I Never Knew Love 1991 (from their hit album “Spreadin’ Like Wildfire”) Pickin’ Up The Pieces 1979 The Archers debuted at Jesus festivals during the height of the Jesus Movement in 1971. They came to the attention of Andrae Crouch, Ralph Carmichael, and Pat Boone among others. (They were the first to record Crouch’s “Jesus Is The Answer.”) In 1975, they released their first major label album on Light Records. In 1994, they disbanded.
