Don't Market a Revival!

In my humble opinion, which may be wrong, when The Brownsville Revival first began, it was truly a move of God - the presence and power of God being present. People were saved, backsliders restored, those who had lived nice little Christian lives were transformed and fell in love with Jesus Christ. However, flesh was allowed to come in - and not necessarily among the laypeople.

Please understand, I may be totally wrong with this, but I can't help feeling that the leadership began to "market the anointing," and grieved the Holy Spirit.

The first meeting I attended, there were only a couple of book tables, and they appeared to be a normal part of the church, like in many other churches. The last meeting I attended, the book tables were lining the hallway (not totally).

The leadership became more concerned with the money: "We have light bills to pay. Every month, because of the revival, we have to pay $xx,xxx.xx." Why didn't they leave the finances with God? Take up an offering, sure. But let God speak to the hearts of the people rather than the leadership speaking for 20 minutes about how much money was needed.

Let this be a warning for those who are praying for revival in their own churches. When the revival comes, when God's presence and power come down, DON'T MARKET THE REVIVAL! Don't advertise it in anyway. Let it spread by word of mouth. When the record labels and book publishers come in, CHASE THEM OUT! It's a different story when the papers and magazines show up, but I'd venture to suggest that the leadership should decline all interviews. How quickly such things will puff up a man! Let the journalists report what they see, good or bad. God will use each story as He sees fit.

Regarding the offerings, in some places, it may be wise to stick a couple of boxes by the door, and let the people put the money in as the Lord leads. "Oh, but that's not safe," someone says. "The boxes could be stolen." So what? If God is in the place, and if the money is God's, don't you think that He can deal with the thief or thieves? If security is truly an issue, stick an usher or two by the boxes to keep an eye on things.

In some cases, the "leaders" should probably take time off if they feel that they are becoming puffed up. Tell the crowd, "Tonight, we're just going to sit here and see what God does," then let Him do it.

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