When the spirit of revival fell at Bethel College on Wednesday, February 16, 2011, word that something out of the ordinary was happening quickly made its way throughout the Michiana community, the Bethel family and across the Internet. The live video streaming of Bethel’s chapel services, usually watched by a couple of dozen people, was soon being viewed by nearly 3,000; some beyond the borders of the U.S.
As the Spirit of God began to move, a silver-haired, godly retired professor who was led of the Lord to come to chapel, arose from his seat in the balcony, lifted his outstretched arms toward heaven and began to cry out: “REPENT.”
One student said that it sounded like what he could only imagine to be, the voice of an Old Testament prophet! With arms trembling, this representative of God’s reviving grace, stood with upraised arms for over an hour as he interceded on behalf of revival. Students near him sat in wonder as they endeavored to process what they were observing. Young men one-fourth his age, would be hard pressed to keep holy hands lifted for such an extended period of time. Surely God was visiting Bethel College!
Before that service ended students and faculty alike were found humbling themselves in repentance.
In Biblical Hebrew, the idea of repentance is represented by two verbs: שוב shuv (to return) and נחם nicham (to feel sorrow).
As I have reflected upon the testimony/report of various Bethel students, three of whom shared their personal observations with the congregation that I pastor in Mishawaka this past Sunday, I can not escape the obvious: It started with repentance, and of course, the truth is, true revival always starts with repentance.
If revival comes to any individual, any church, any college, any denomination, it must start with repentance.
The scarcity of true revival in our day speaks to the fact that the prophetic call to repentance is falling on deaf ears and calloused hearts.
By its very nature, the Hebrew words for repentance uniquely apply to the people who profess to be followers of God. Indeed, the call to repentance is a call to not only have sorrow for, but willingness to return to what they have left.
I mean no offense, but as the Missionary Church wrestles with finding a way to address the problems of endeavoring to accommodate credentialed ministers who hold beliefs at variance with its Articles of Faith and Practice, may I suggest that the starting point be repentance?
Repent that we thought that in order to fulfill the great commission and win souls it was o.k. to unilaterally pick and choose what articles of faith and practice we would embrace.
Repent that for too long we have ignored the sacred trust given to every district executive board to expect and require that all candidates for ministry and ordination give “their personal commitment without reservation to each of the Articles of Faith and Practice and their loyalty to the Missionary Church.”
From a book entitled “The Life and Speeches of Charles Brantley Aycock” written in 1912 comes this ‘oft repeated story.
“During the Civil War, a regiment was charging the enemy’s works, when suddenly the line wavered, and along it passed the human shiver and chill that meant a break. The color bearer had seen battles before and knew the symptom; he sprang forward with the battle flag, and rushed toward the enemy’s line. The colonel, seeing the danger, made a trumpet of his hands and called, ‘Sergeant, bring the colors back to the men,’ The Sergeant hugged the old scarred flagstaff to his bosom and cried, ‘Colonel bring the men up to the colors’!”
Integrity and valor is always costly, but I fear true denomination wide revival will by stymied until we have the conviction and courage to bring the men up to the colors!
When will we repent?
