Repentance & Revival

Repentance and revival are directly connected. Repentance leads to revival and revival causes repentance.

Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore and be converted, that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…”

“Times of refreshing from the Presence of the Lord” sounds like something we all would want. Times of refreshing means revival.

Repentance is to turn from our wicked ways. It means to stop willingly doing the things that God has asked us to stop, and to earnestly turn to Him with all our heart. This happens both corporately and individually.

When Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal, and the fire fell on the altar of the Lord, all the people fell on their faces and said, “The Lord He is God!” At that moment, they turned from following other Gods, and began to follow the Lord. Then, the rain came to the land after a three-year drought.

This “rain after repentance” was connected to Solomon’s prayer in II Chronicles 6 and I Kings 8, and God’s answer in II Chronicles 7 & I Kings 9. God said if the people repented and turned back to Him. He would release the rain.

Rain and refreshing will come in a time when the people of God turn back to Him in repentance.

Changing of National Boundary Lines - “That they might grope for Him”

Solomon prayed in II Chronicles 6 and I Kings 8 that if God released war on the people because of their sin, that when they repented, He would hear and answer. Throughout the Bible, wars and judgments were released on a people who were walking in disobedience against God and not turning to Him.

Acts 15:26-27 says that God “has determined the pre-appointed times and boundaries of their dwellings, that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”

What does it mean when the boundary lines of a nation are changed? The changing of boundary lines of nations typically means war. And changing boundary lines means that God is giving an opportunity for men to grope for Him and find Him.

God answered Solomon’s prayer in II Chronicles and said, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, turn from the wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, and heal their land…”

The answer to war and the changing of boundary lines is not a political solution or a solution derived from man. The answer is for men to grope for God and find Him. The answer is for men to call on His name and He will answer them, and heal their land.

Solomon's Prayer - Lord, Hear from Heaven

As Solomon dedicated the temple of the Lord that he had built in I Kings 8, he prayed that God would hear His people when they were caught in various circumstances because of sin (see parallel account of the prayer in II Chron. 6). These circumstances would be hardships that had come about because of the sin of the people. However, Solomon petitioned the Lord to hear the prayers of the people when they cried out in repentance and turned their hearts back to Him.

There were several types of circumstances that would come upon the people because of their sin—wrongs done against a neighbor, war/slavery/bondage, drought, plague, captivity (I Kgs. 8:30-46). Solomon’s request for every one of these types of judgments, was that God would “hear in heaven” the prayers of the people who repent (I Kgs. 8:32, 34, 36, 39, 43, 45, 49).

God answers Solomon’s prayer in I Kings chapter 9 with a personal promise to Solomon concerning the kingdom. Also, there is further insight into God’s answer to the prayer in II Chron. 7:12-14, where God says, “If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will HEAR from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Solomon petitioned God to hear the prayers of repentant people, and God answered that He would hear the prayers of the people of God who cry out to Him in the midst of war, famine, pestilence, plague, drought, captivity, etc. He will HEAR and He will HEAL.

Humanism: Adversary to Understanding God's Justice

The base premise of humanism is that man is inherently good. If man is good in his very nature, then man will be able to progress to have unity, equality, tolerance, and great accomplishment. Humanism has permeated every area of our society, & even societies all over the world.

If we do not believe that humans are evil in their very nature, then we will constantly be at war with the idea of God’s justice. Justice is when God gives the just reward for an action. However, if men believe that they are “good people,” then they will see no need for salvation, and they will not rightly understand the mercy or justice of God.

Men blame God when something bad happens—“If He was a God of Love, then why did He allow this to happen?” However, humans do not understand that God is also Just, and He allows actions of sin and lawlessness to reach the maturity of their fruit, which is actually a fulfillment of justice.

The reason we do not understand the Justice of God and the need for His judgments is because somewhere in the dark recesses of our mind, we believe that we are good. Although we would never say it, we actually believe that in some way, we can fulfill our own righteousness. Somehow, we believe that we deserve better than what God is giving us.

The main reason for this war in our minds is believing that men are good by nature. When we finally see that men are not good by nature, we will begin to understand the need for God’s justice, and we will begin to be thankful for His mercy & forgiveness.

If you need to be convinced of the inherent evil nature of man, just watch a couple of toddlers play together for a few minutes. That will do it.

Difference Between Mercy & Justice

Along with the confusion between grace & mercy, people also have confusion between justice & mercy. Many believe that mercy & justice are against each other, but really, they are two sides of the same coin.

The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross was mercy for us because it was something that we did not deserve; it was God’s heart reaching out to His people to give them a chance to turn back to Him again.

However, the Cross of Christ was also justice, because it was a judgment against evil & the fulfillment of all righteousness & all the Law.  It was seemingly unjust, because an innocent man died for the guilty, but because it was a voluntary act of love—it was a fulfillment of justice.

Now, those who call upon the mercy of God and His redemptive work of the Cross are covered by the blood of Jesus which is necessary for all justice & righteousness to be fulfilled. All of those who do not accept this free gift through the mercy of God will be judged according to the absolute justice of God without the covering of the blood of Jesus which filled that necessary vacuum of injustice.

Many ask, "If God is love, why does He judge?" God is Love, but He is also a Judge. He is Merciful, and He is also Just. He is loving and He is Holy. It is difficult for us to fathom, because we cannot hold this seeming opposites in perfect balance like the Lord can.

When God breaks in on a sickness through healing, He is releasing mercy to the person who does not deserve it because of their own righteousness, and He is fulfilling justice by responding to the completed work of the blood of Jesus. He is also fulfilling justice by judging the evil sickness, disease, & death which Jesus conquered on the Cross.

When God saves or delivers someone, He is extending mercy to them, because in their own power, they do not deserve that salvation or deliverance, but because they are applying the legal transaction of Jesus on the Cross, they are appealing to the legal implications of His complete fulfillment of the Law.

Many ask why God is allowing wickedness to keep prevailing and getting darker. It is because He has extended mercy so many will turn. However, at times when He does release judgments, it is also mercy, because people’s eyes are opened to the grave nature of their sin, and they are given the opportunity to turn. Also, those who do not turn are removed; thus, releasing mercy on those who evil was tormenting.

We must understand that God can hold all of His attributes in complete and perfect balance. God is both merciful and just, and we cannot pit mercy and justice against each other as though they were enemies. They are both part of the nature of God, and we should ask Him to help us understand them more.

Difference Between Mercy & Grace

So many times, I hear the words “mercy” and “grace” used interchangeably in conversations. I also speak several languages, and I often hear people translate grace for mercy and mercy for grace. This is an error. I believe it is a doctrinal error more than a translation error. People do not understand the difference between mercy and grace. They are not the same thing.

Mercy is getting what we do not deserve. This is when we deserve punishment, but God takes the punishment away or delays it to give us time to turn. God was merciful to us by sending His own Son to die on the cross to take away the punishment that we rightfully deserve because of sin.

Grace, however, is the ability or power to do something. The Greek word charis means “grace” and has a similar meaning to the word “gift.” It is where we get the words charisma, charismata, and charismatic. These words all trace back to a gift, ability, or power to be able to accomplish a specific purpose or task.

Why is it important to distinguish between grace and mercy? Because when I say, “God, give me mercy…” I am asking Him to forgive me for my wrongs and give me something I do not deserve. I am asking Him to take away my punishment that I rightfully deserve. When I say, “God, give me grace…” I am asking Him for the ability to walk in holiness and not walk in sin.

If I am praying for someone and I say, “God, release your grace over them,” then I am asking God to give them the ability to walk in holiness and righteousness. However, if someone translates it as, “God, release your mercy over them,” then the meaning changes to, “God, give them the ability to receive your forgiveness for sin, and give them something that they do not deserve.” Both are good prayers and both are needed, but they are not the same.

The problem is that when we have a wrong view of the difference between grace and mercy, we will not correctly see the need for holiness. God gives us the grace to walk in holiness, but He gives us mercy for when we fail. We cannot use them interchangeably, because it will cause a disaster in our theology to the point where we do not understand the need for grace in relation to holiness.

Hebrews 4:16 says that we “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We obtain mercy at the throne of God by being covered with the blood of Jesus who took away our punishment for sin. Then, we find grace in our time of need to strengthen us in walking out our salvation.