As Christians, we must turn our prayers into acts of revival, according to evangelist Johnny Louw.
He presented the message to an inter-denominational service that brought to a close a week in which Churches in Middelburg and in the Karoo were involved in seven days of 24-hour prayer as part of Jericho Walls’ Seven Days on the Wall night-and-day prayer initiative earnestly seeking God for revival among the nations and in South Africa.
Meeting with Johnny one cannot help but be struck by his infectious love for the Lord, and as big a man as he is, his meekness when talking of our Holy Father.
Be the revival we seek
He says it is up to churchgoers to be the revival we seek, because while revival might not be taking place in our pews, it has already been birthed among many of the nation’s children, lame, unwanted, unchurched, fatherless, and widows.
“I see revival every day of my life as I travel throughout South Africa. I see God renewing people, young and old, black and white; I see them revived and standing-up as new people, reborn as children of God.
“There is no religion in them; they have simply given their hearts to the Lord.
“Revival is not a new thing to South Africa, but if we want to be a part of spreading the fires of revival throughout the nation then we must act on God’s gift of grace, which is that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation — 2 Corinthians 5:17-18,” says Louw.
He emphasises that God has done His work, He has poured out His Spirit, but it is time for His Church, His body to unite and show forth the glory of Him who has called us out of darkness into marvellous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy — 1 Peter 2:9-10.
“It is now about those who dare to stand up and say, ‘We will accept this commission from our Holy Father, as men and women from all backgrounds and races, to take the Word of God into our communities without personal motives, but purely to do the Will of God and bring Him glory’.”
Louw says revival comes out of a deep-seated desire to relate more closely to our Holy Father and for others to also experience His grace, which is closely linked to repentance — to turn back, or change our minds from our ways to God’s ways – and to take His glory forth into the streets, cities and rural areas of South Africa.
The lost son
He says our Holy Father’s willingness to take His children out of repentance and into revival is illustrated in the parable of the lost son in which the son repents saying he has sinned against heaven and his father and is no longer worthy to be called a son. But his father commands his servants to bring the best robe for his son, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet; to bring the fattened calf and prepare a feast to celebrate.
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate — Luke 15:21-24.
“He took his son out of repentance into revival, out of the old and into the new and at that moment all that mattered was love,” said Louw.
As Christians, we must turn our prayers into acts of revival, acts of love. It is our responsibility to call forth our faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen — Hebrews 11:1, and move into revival.
“The reality of our faith is not in the seen, but in the unseen. The reality that is not seen but lived in our hearts is the reality that we have been drawn out of darkness into light.
“So when people talk about the darkness engulfing South Africa, I say, ‘only for those who live in darkness, but for those of us who live in the light it is our responsibility to take the glory and love of God to those in the darkness’.
“The responsibility for our country does not lie with Government or any human institution, but with each and every one of us. It is our responsibility to bring this country into revival through calling forth our faith in the Lord God Almighty and being instruments and channels of His Will being done in South Africa, as it is in heaven.
“God has given this ministry of reconciliation to us, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him — 2 Corinthians 5:19-21″, said Louw, his eyes red with tears welling.
Revival is in our hearts
“I am an ambassador of heaven on earth, because I am reborn out of God, the day that I repented of my sin and accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour, God transformed me. The old man was gone and I am a new creation without sin; my flesh may be reminded or tempted, but I have revival in my heart and in my spirit. It is up to me to be a living light of Christ, the Light Of The World, and represent the Kingdom of Heaven on earth showing forth the glory of God.
“Revival starts when we witness what has happened in our lives by the Blood of the Lamb and the power of the Holy Spirit working through us,” he added.
Louw says it is for this reason that we are called to gather in union as a body in a Sacred Assembly on November 19 at FNB Stadium in Soweto to humble ourselves before the Lord God Almighty, to seek His presence, worship Him in spirit and in truth, and stand in the gap for our nation, repenting and praying for a breakthrough of righteousness to take place in South Africa.
However, he says it is just as important that when we leave the Sacred Assembly, we go forth in the authority of sons and daughters of the Living God, as ‘living lights of Christ’ allowing God to use us as His instruments and His Holy Spirit to think, speak and act through us bringing light to the darkness and stirring-up revival in South Africa.
“We as South Africans must start believing that the Lord has a special role for this country, but He needs His children to stand up and act in faith. The Lord wants His children to take Him on His Word, stand together and sing forth His praises, and He says, ‘What will I do? I will open the gates of heaven’, “said Louw.
