God works in seasons. For some time now, the Church has been praying and expecting a mighty outpouring of the rain of revival from the Almighty Father. There has been mercy drops here and there clearly showing that the season of dryness currently experienced in Christendom, is about to be over, and the season of great outpouring is about to begin. The danger is that if we are not careful this season of rain could be wasted and come to nothing. Every wise farmer and every wise householder does not wait until the rain comes before planning and working on how to harness and maximize the rainfall. They start preparing the ground and building the necessary structures that will be necessary to gather the rain and maximize it. The rain if not properly harnessed and managed, instead of being a blessing could actually become a disaster at the end. So while they wait in anticipation of the rain, they build containers to gather the rain; they build channels for the rain to go through; they build catchment pits etc, all in an effort to manage and control the rain that it does not cause erosion; and gather it for future use, etc.
Brethren, the time to prepare for the great outpouring of revival, if we are not going to waste it, is now. And one place we must pay particular attention to and build meticulously as we look forward to this outpouring is the home base. Without a correct and adequate home base there will be no revival. Most of the men God used in the Bible to bring and sustain revival in their generation were men that came out of a solid home base. Moses was born into a family where the parents could discern that this one is not an ordinary child and must not be thrown to the crocodile, and was ready to take risks and suffer inconveniences. Also all the members of the family were ready to play their part to ensure that this revival messenger did not die. John the Baptist was born to parents that the Scripture described in this manner – “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” (Luke 1:6). They knew what God said about the child John and were ready and willing not only to name the child what God said should be his name despite the opposition of kindred, but ensured also that the child was given the right atmosphere to prepare for God’s call upon his life. These are few examples in the Bible. But even in the contemporary history we know that majority of the people that brought revival came from a good Christian home. So building a solid home base is a necessary preparation we must embark on as we expect God to pour out a mighty revival upon the earth.
We will take a quick look at some specific aspects of the home environment that we need to build as matters of primary importance.
LEADERSHIP IN THE HOME
One of the things that can easily quench the fire of revival is lack of leadership. When there are no men with spiritual insight and discernment, men who have the ability to lead others, and ensure that things are working normally as they ought to work, and that everybody is working properly and within their bounds and limits; when there is no leadership, then chaos and anarchy ensue. When there is none with spiritual insight and leadership ability, people do whatever they feel is right. There will be confusion, disorderliness, strife, competition, etc. This will naturally quench the flow of the Holy Spirit and put off the fire of revival. We must strive to build a good leadership structure and develop leadership skills in the home – where roles and responsibilities are clearly defined even though they are to complement each other. It is the training we gain in the home that we are going to translate into our walk and work with God in daily life, which will also determine how we prosecute revival when it comes. A look at Abraham’s family on the day that God and His angels that came to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah visited, can furnish us with an example of this leadership role. First Abraham when he saw the men could perceive that they were not ordinary. He welcomed them and invited them to eat a morsel of bread. While the visitors were waiting, Abraham hastened into the house, went to the tent of Sarah and gave her instructions on what to do, while Sarah was about it, he went into the herd and fetched a tender and good calf and gave it to the young men to dress it. When they all finished, they handed to Abraham what they had prepared, and Abraham went and served the visitors. Abraham gave each of them instruction on what to do, he supervised the doing of it and ensured that everybody did that which he was best suited to do. At the end the result was the child Isaac. (Gen.18:1-15). Brethren we must be deliberate in inculcating leadership roles and responsibilities in our home. The kind of environment we came out from will determine the kind of leadership we will give tomorrow. People that came out of a chaotic, disorderly environment, where there is no king, nor leader, will do whatsoever pleases them. This is the situation that quenched Joshua’s revival in the book of Judges. “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” We must learn from the mistake of the past and start early to develop leadership skills in our family members and give leadership in our home.
(To be concluded in the next edition).