God’s Answer in Disguise: Unveiling Revival Through the Lens of Divine Judgment

Leviticus 10-11; Matthew 24; Psalm 120

We are in a season of the Lord’s judgment, this much is certain. What has long been covered is being exposed. What has been winked at is now seen for what it truly is, a breach of faith toward the Lord of the most egregious kind.

Some of our most beloved leaders are being exposed before not just the Body but the world. The pain of many years, the secrets of many decades, are being made manifest. It is a sobering day. Many of us have cried out for revival for years. We’ve prayed for a sovereign move of God, asking Him for an outpouring, for a national awakening.

And this may just be that.

This may be exactly that.

God is indeed answering, but it’s not what we expected. It’s not how we hoped. Surely, we are in the fire! Surely, we are being purified, aren’t we?

1 Peter 4 17 “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

And is this not for our good? Has this exposure, this shaking not already begun a good work in us? Has this judgment not already begun to sift our theology? Has it not caused us to inspect the foundation of our own life?

What is your life in God, the hope of your salvation, built upon?

Is it leaning on someone else’s prophetic narrative? Is it propped up against a mandate, or some political or prophetic assignment?

Are you sure it’s Christ, and Christ alone?

Look again! Check again. As God continues to shake everything that can be shaken, let us make sure we are rooted in this one thing: Christ alone, the hope of glory.

Mandates come and go, assignments shift, narratives crumble. Jesus will remain! Let’s make sure our lives are built upon that rock.

For those of us who have prayed for revival, maybe with a certain interpretation of what that is supposed to look like, hoping maybe for a throwback to the Jesus Movement in the ’70s, this sifting has been a major blow. I’ve spoken to many people whose very faith in God is being devastated by this exposure of the church, of our leaders. And I understand it full well. My heart has been rocked over these last few months by not only the sin that has come to light but also the handling of that exposure.

It’s made me wonder what I have been a part of, and how I have been complicit.

It’s made me question how I could have been so blind.

And make no mistake, I, maybe you too, have been blind. We’ve made the “big thing” the thing. And as it turns out, we were wrong. It’s not about the big meetings, it’s not about the success of the thing (whatever it is), it’s about the state of our hearts.

In my reading today, this passage jumped out: Leviticus 10 1 “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

I feel we are in this moment once again.

We thought we were going to get away with it, whatever the “it” is. We thought God was turning a blind eye because of our special robes, positions, or prophetic narratives (let the reader understand).

But He isn’t.

He’s answering our public cry, the prayers of our solemn assemblies: “Send revival!”

He’s answering. And it’s terrifying.

3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.

He’s answering, and restoring us to our first love in the fear of the Lord!

I can’t believe where we’re at. As things continue to heat up, I am undone by the dross. But God! But God, let this do its intended work in me. In us. Purify your church! Purify your bride. Save us! And save us to the uttermost.

The passage continues, and it’s important. Because our God is a pattern God. And what followed then, when God judged this “unauthorized fire,” may well follow what is happening in our day. I pray it does.

4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.” 5 So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the Lord has kindled. 7 And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

In essence, they came back into the pattern. They responded again to the call to be holy, the call to obey in the small things. They came into the fear of the Lord.

In our grief, let us not side against the Lord and His dealings with us. Far be it from us to grieve for what the Lord, in His righteousness, is judging. After all, His judgments are true and righteous.

I remember learning, “God’s end-time judgments will remove all that hinders love. He will use the least severe means to reach the greatest number at the deepest level of love.”

Yes, and amen! Even so, Lord, yes and amen.

Normally, I would end my post here, but in earnest, I feel I must implore you to ask the Lord, in His kindness to you, to search your heart. Let Him see if there is any wicked way in you. And when He finds something, when He brings it into the light, let’s do what we know to do, and repent. Let’s confess our sin to Him, and if we must, to one another.

Luke 12 1 “…he began to say to his disciples first, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.'”

Confess it! Get it out. Revival is coming, and this time, it starts with us.

Over the last several months, the Lord has been speaking about my hidden life. My real, close-in life. We can do all the big stuff, and maybe we will, but it will not count for anything if it’s some performance. Or worse, if I’m just some hypocritical shell of a leader.

We’ve got to come back to the main thing, the real thing, the small thing. This is a call back to our first love.

We’ve got to get our marriages right and our families in order. We’ve got to get our friendships sanctified. This is revival. Not a meeting we attend, or a stadium we fill, but this: living our faith with the people who know us best and most.

It’s time to do the main in plain. It’s time to get real with our faith.

We have felt the Lord calling us back into His simple command, to commune with Him. To do this in remembrance of Him. We have sensed the Lord calling us back into the simplicity, wonder, and invitation of the Lord’s Prayer. And we’ve felt Him ask us to commit to this in the way that will cause the most impact, small gatherings of 2-3.

No hype. No complicated decrees.

Communion and confession. We’ve made it complicated, but the call is simple.

No more hiding.

Revival is here. Surely, God is answering our prayer. Let the coals touch our lips, so that we can be healed and sent (Is. 6).

We’re committing to weekly times as a family to take communion and pray together. Yes, it’s easier to call a corporate prayer meeting, but we’re not after easy anymore. We need the hard. We need the close-in, real exposure. We need to be revived. And so we’re starting with our family.

We’re asking our church to start the same way. Close in, just 2 or 3 people gathering together will do. You could start with your spouse, or if you’re a mom with young children, start with your little flock. You could commit with a friend or two, or start with a neighbor.

And what do we do in these little gatherings, these little family altars, these small hubs? We come back to the simple. We start with communion, and then we pray the Lord’s Prayer together. We confess our weakness. We ask for help. And we learn how to really love one another.

God will do the rest. He will meet us there. He will revive us. He will heal our marriages and bring our prodigal children home. He will answer the cry of our hearts, to experience what it is to be knit into His family.

We are doing this as a community, and I want to invite you to join us as well. You can sign up here.

We will send you some teachings and some training that may be helpful. But the truth is, you don’t need it. Just start. Take communion, be real, confess your stuff, and start praying together. That’s it.

He is answering our prayer. Revival is here.

Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts

1. Personal Reflection on Divine Judgment: Reflect on your feelings about being in a season of the Lord’s judgment. How does the idea of everything hidden being exposed resonate with you personally and spiritually?
2. Revival and Expectations: Consider your own prayers and desires for revival. How do your expectations align with the current movements you see in your faith community or the wider world?
3. Responding to Leaders’ Exposure: Think about your reaction to the exposure of beloved leaders’ flaws. How does this affect your faith and trust in spiritual leadership? What lessons can you learn from this?
4. Examining Your Foundation: Take time to introspectively examine the foundation of your faith. Is it solely built upon Christ, or are there other influences that need to be addressed or realigned?
5. Commitment to Authentic Living: What steps can you take to ensure your faith is not merely a performance but a genuine reflection of your beliefs and values? How can you integrate this authenticity into your daily life and relationships?

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