Revive Us Again, Part 4
Dave Andrews • April 21, 2021
Remember Who You Are
Yesterday morning on the Bible Quiz, we discussed 2 Timothy 2:9, which reminds us the amazing attribute of God’s Word…it is unchained, unfettered, and unleashed. We may be in that metaphorical prison of our own making, bondage to sin or fear, cooped up at home, or even a literal prison; the good news is, God is out and about free and mighty…still alive and well and active--as is His Word.
In fact, the Word of God and the Christian life are inseparable. It teaches us who we are, and Who we are about. While the world would rather you be afraid to take a stand, to share your faith, to leave your home, to be in pain, God says, believer in Christ, that you are enlightened and empowered. You belong to the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One Who will throw sin and death into the fire, and He has won you the victory!
Little Christ.
If you confess Jesus as Lord, repented of your sins, and placed your faith in the real Christ of Scripture, you are a Christian. In the original Greek, that means “little Christ.” Of course, we know we are not God and will never be God (sometimes we forget). But we follow in His footsteps. We are His disciples. We get to enjoy the benefits, such as the Holy Spirit, the Fruits of the Spirit, the Armor of God, peace that surpasses all understanding, His protection, His companionship, His joy, His provision, His blessing, and His seal. It also means that we walk that same road of self-sacrifice, carrying His cross, and bearing His stripes. We can endure through pain by his gifts of joy, power, love, self-discipline, sound mind (focused on the Word), and Kingdom perspective.
Charles Sheldon challenged generations to revival through true discipleship. In his book, In His Steps, Sheldon asked “what would Jesus do?” How can you better emulate Christ
in this day and age? Are you a faithful disciple?
Servant of the King.
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” -1 Corinthians 4:1-2
What a privilege it is to be a servant
of the Most High King! We get to carry the torch the great ones who came before us. We modern day servants have been called from and to different backgrounds and occupations. We have been placed in unique positions and given unique personal gifts
and talents. And as His servants, He has given us unique tasks to fulfill in our lifetime. As a matter of fact, it was all planned long ago! Ephesians
says God planned you long ago, for good works. However one of the great challenges to His will for our life...is us. Sometimes we get busy, apathetic, and forget Who this is all about. We forget that time is short on this earth, and eternity is ahead. We forget that it is all about Him and not about us. I am personally grateful for a patient God! We are all works in progress.
Even in our failure, the good news is we can start today in a small way. I would love to challenge you today, that if you are not sure if God is leading you to some small form of service
for Him, to take a quick baby-step out in faith. If He opens the door…great! If He closes it, great! It is still a success, since it is all about willingness and faithful to glorify the Father, and not simply look for results.
Child of the King.
We call ourselves servants of God because we have a task to do. But in honesty, we are so much more. We are not some mere chained slave, forced to into ceaseless labor for a harsh task-master. We are a child of the Most High Almighty God! Romans 8:15 says,
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Full disclosure here, my wife and I have spent some time considering the possibility of adoption in our family. Those online “gotcha day” adoption videos
get me every time; and every now and then I email my wife Susun one or two of those just to be ornery. Those videos are powerful because adoption is really a powerful thing…everyone can agree, believer or non-believer. We all want a place to belong. But have you ever looked into how much adoption costs? It is quite a lot!
Our adoption cost Christ quite a lot too. And so when I say He paid a heavy price for you, please do not take that lightly. You are bought at the greatest of price. You are not something that He is going to throw away lightly. You are invaluable to God. He has a plan for you, even yet. He grafted you into His chosen people and Kingdom, not really because of who you are, or anything you could do or bring to the table, but because of His love for you. Now you have a place to belong and Someone who loves you more than your mind can comprehend.
Our commitment to Christ and ministry to Him is one that comes out of a loving family relationship. And if you are serving God out of a sense of obligation
rather than love, I want to encourage you to focus on the love of God
right now. How can we start to love God better? One of the best pieces of advice for that comes from my pastor actually. Start telling God you love Him. Something about that act of telling Him solidifies it in our minds, feelings, and hearts. I can say I have experienced this first hand. You will be amazed how that opens up a whole new world!
Priest of God.
1 Peter 2:9
tells us that we are a chosen people, and a royal priesthood…a special possession of Christ, that we may declare the praise of the One who brought us out of the darkness
(which the world
is in), and into His light! Did you know you are a priest? You are a representative of the light of Jesus, a mediator between the world and Christ (the Great Mediator). How does that change your perspective about yourself?
I always get a chuckle when a pastor walks into the room and all of a sudden, people become much more cautious about what they are doing or how they are speaking. I recently saw a video of Billy Graham
on Johnny Carson in the 70s. Carson was never known to be the cleanest talk show host, even in his day. But he sure was treading careful with THE Billy Graham! And Graham was his usual God-centered self, simply fulfilling who he was and what he did, which was preach the Gospel. So how are you ministering before the Throne? Do people take notice when you, God’s priest, enter a room? If they “act differently” around you, and in a good way, chances are it’s a sign you are on the right track. Continue to be faithful as a priest of God, even when the world acts as it is expect to. We need more like you.
As we seek revival together, I want to encourage you to not fear as the world fears, not think as the world thinks, and not act as the world acts. We are different. We are true disciples, servants, and adopted royalty with full fledged rights as children of the Most High Almighty King. We act different, think different, look different. We are the chosen, the priests—on the winning side. We are bold in our stand for Him because He will and already has secured our victory. Let’s together remember Who we are, be who we are, and minister before God as representatives of Christ, wherever He has placed us.
-Dave Andrews
KJOL Station Manager
Recently I played a KJOL classic, “ Almighty ” by Wayne Watson . For those who don’t remember Watson, he had a string of hits during the 80s and 90s, including: Celebrate Friend of a Wounded Heart For Such A Time as This Home Free Another Time, Another Place (with Sandi Patti) Touch of the Master’s Hand As for “Almighty,” I found an article that explains the back story. In 1990, when Wayne was 36, a close family friend became ill and died, leaving behind her four young daughters. As Wayne struggled to understand how God could allow this tragedy, he sat at his piano and began to write a song that reaffirmed the sovereignty of God. Well time marches on, with the innocence gone, And a darkness has covered the earth But His Spirit still dwells, He speaks, "it is well, " And the hopeless still offered new birth He will break the leash of death, it will have no sting Let the prisoner go free, join the dance and sing Almighty (almighty) Most holy God Faithful through the ages Almighty, Most holy Lord Glorious, Almighty... When his friends heard the song, they told him he should record it. Wayne was reluctant, thinking it didn’t really match his typical style. Eventually he started singing it in his concerts, and the response was so strong, he included it on “ Home Free ” in 1991 and it became a No. 1 hit.
CeCe Winans was a guest at NPR (National Public Radio) this week, and took them to church. She performed a half-hour concert, called a “ Tiny Desk Concert , ” before a small friendly audience in the NPR building. Between the songs, she shared her faith: “God is faithful, and what I love about him, he stays the same. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been, I just want everybody to know that God loves you with an everlasting love. And because He never changes, we can always run to Him. Just know that if God be for you, who can be against you!” She also appeared in an 8 minute interview on the NPR news program. The host said she had listened to Cece’s song “Alone In His Presence” when the host was a child. CeCe said, “Yep, his presence is definitely my hiding place, being in the spirit of God. And I live a life to please him, and that has brought me good success, you know?” She added, “I don't have to fear about what's going to happen because I serve a God who knows the end from the beginning. So I can actually experience true peace of mind and heart because of that relationship. So my hope is in him. You can hear CeCe’s latest song, “ Come Jesus Come ,” on KJOL right now. It was written and originally recorded by Stephen McWhirter in 2023. CeCe performed it for the American Idol Easter special in April.
The Newsboys were supposed to be touring Canada starting May 31. But the tour was abruptly canceled last week. Both the Newsboys and the promoter are claiming the other side is at fault. The Canadian promoter said it canceled the tour because there were too many unanswered questions about why Michael Tait abruptly left the band in January, just days before the Newsboys started their world tour. The Newsboys said the promoter breached the contract so the band canceled the tour. Neither Tait nor the Newsboys have given a clear explanation for Tait’s sudden departure . Band member Adam Agee took over as lead singer and the band quickly re-recorded their new single with Agee on lead vocals instead of Tait. The concert promoter said fans in Canada were confused about who the new lead singer was, wondering if this was the same Newsboys band they were expecting. Then on May 26, the promoter announced that Sanctus Real had agreed to be the last-minute replacement for the Newsboys. Sanctus Real had to hurry, because their first concert was just six days later in Canada! The timing works well for Sanctus Real, which just released their new single, The Difference , on May 29. Listen for it on KJOL in the coming days and weeks.
Every week, an estimated 30 million worshippers sing the most popular worship song of our generation, “Shout To The Lord” by Darlene Zschech and Hillsongs Australia. You’ve probably heard (and sung) it. But do you know the story behind the song ? Darlene Zschech wrote “ Shout to the Lord ” 30 years ago. She says the song was born out of a low point in her life. She had married at age 19 and moved to Sydney, where she began singing at the Hills Christian Centre. But at home her husband’s business was failing and times were tough One day she sat down at her daughter’s piano and started singing some words she’d been thinking about. She turned it into a song but was too shy to tell anyone. Finally she sang it for the worship director (but she made him turn around and not look at her!). He convinced her to sing it at church. By the end of the first chorus, people were standing to their feet and singing along! In 1994, the Hills Christian Centre recorded it, and in 1996, Hosanna Music released “Shout to the Lord” in the U.S. under the name Hillsongs Australia. It went straight to the top of the praise & worship charts. It has had more than 160 million views on YouTube just in the last 10 years.
We like to say around here that our Secretary Martha is the most famous person at KJOL. We mean it too! With a naturally likable personality, and an active disposition, a lot of people know her.
Tenth Avenue North is back with a new album Back in 2019, Tenth Avenue North announced they were retiring. They had formed in 2000 in Florida. Founder Mike Donehey said the name came “Tenth Avenue North” was supposed to be temporary. They had been scheduled to play at a conference and could not agree on a name for their band. So they chose the name of the street where they lived in West Palm Beach. And the name stuck for 25 years! In 2019, they released “ Greater Than All My Regrets .” And then they announced plans to retire, with a farewell tour in 2020. However, COVID interrupted that. In 2021, they finally played two farewell concerts. But four years after the break “sharpened the band’s focus and God used what they thought was an end to create room for them to experience Him in a new way.” So in 2024 they started recording new music , and the full-length album is being released on May 30. The Archers return! Fifty years after the Archers (siblings Tim, Steve, and Janice) made their debut in contemporary Christian music, they are back with a new album called “Legacy Medley.” It contains new versions of five of their previous hits: Give Us This Day 1980 It Won’t Be Long (Andrae Crouch) 1972 Make Me An Instrument 1977 I Never Knew Love 1991 (from their hit album “Spreadin’ Like Wildfire”) Pickin’ Up The Pieces 1979 The Archers debuted at Jesus festivals during the height of the Jesus Movement in 1971. They came to the attention of Andrae Crouch, Ralph Carmichael, and Pat Boone among others. (They were the first to record Crouch’s “Jesus Is The Answer.”) In 1975, they released their first major label album on Light Records. In 1994, they disbanded.
