Modern Christians must return to “simple, pure devo-tion
to Jesus Christ,” Sammy Tippit told the Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference
last week.
“We live in a time when there is only one hope –
and that is revival among the people of God,” said Tippit, a Louisiana
native and international evangelist.
Modern Christians must return to “simple, pure devo-tion
to Jesus Christ,” Sammy Tippit told the Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference
last week.
“We live in a time when there is only one hope –
and that is revival among the people of God,” said Tippit, a Louisiana
native and international evangelist.
For such a revival to occur, only one thing is required –
for persons to return to God, Tippit said.
If that happens, God has promised to heal and revive His people,
to come to them and to cause them to grow, he said, noting churches are full
of hurting, discouraged people who have fallen away in their intimate relationship
with God.
“The worst thing that can ever happen … is to stop growing
in the grace of God,” Tippit warned.
The international preacher cited three ways to get back to
communion and intimacy with God, including:
Return to ones passion for God.
Tippit reminded persons that the idea of holiness in the Christian
life not only implies persons set apart from certain things but set apart to
someone. Christians must understand that and recover a desire to know God more
intimately, he said.
“We have a passion for building churches,” Tippit
acknowledged. “We have a passion for bigger budgets. … We have a passion
for a lot of things. But if were to have revival, our passion must be
for Him.”
Return to the call from God.
A special kind of revival comes when Christians do what God
created them to do, Tippit emphasized.
“If youve got Jesus in your heart, youre anointed
(and have been given a gift), …” he noted. “And if I dont
do what God has gifted me to do, Ill dry up.”
Return to the provision by God.
Christians must remember that God is their resource and place
their trust in him, Tippit urged. “We learn how to do the work of God,
… and we (think) we dont need God in it at all.”
But without God, nothing can be done, Tippit warned. And until
that is understood, revival will not come, he said.
“We have enough talent in America to win the world, …
but we cant win our next-door neighbors,” Tippit bemoaned.
“So, it isnt going to be our great personalities
that wins persons to the kingdom. If there isnt a deep working of the
Holy Spirit in our human hearts, its not going to happen. …
“(God) is able,” Tippit emphasized. “He is able
to do things beyond anything weve dreamed of. And he will do it. But we
must return to Him.”
In a second message, Tippit focused on the Old Testament call
of the prophet Isaiah and challenged persons to develop a gospel vision for
their lives.
The prophets vision in Isaiah 1 consisted of three parts
– and the vision of modern Christians must include the same, Tippit emphasized.
The three parts are:
Upward – so that one sees God.
“If youre longing to see anything other than God
Himself, your vision is just too small,” Tippit said.
Revival will come only when Christians have such a longing,
he said, noting that revival is nothing more than seeing God as He is in all
of his greatness and might.
“Authority and power are at the throne of God. … Power
and authority are not in the great capitals of our world. … A president who
will openly proclaim Christ and is sitting in the White House will not bring
revival to this land.”
Revival comes only from God, Tippit insisted.
Inward – so that one sees oneself in the light
of God.
When Isaiah saw God in His holiness, he also was able to see
himself in all of his sin, and he was humbled, Tippit noted.
“Holiness always drives you to humility, and humility
is where the grace of God is applied to your heart.”
Outward – so that one sees the world.
With that vision, Isaiah was able to respond with willingness
to Gods call for someone to send out on mission.
“When you taste the grace of God, you will be in a position
to say, Here am I, God, send me. ”
Tippit urged persons to respond to Gods call and to the needs all around
them. “If you want to know where God is going to show up, you find the
darkest place in your community, and my guess is thats where youll
find Him.”