Revolution verses Revival

By Dr David N. Smeltz

As we travel across America and enter the church I find so many people are angry. As a missionary and evangelist, my desire  is to present our ministry and share the gospel of Christ.  As Susan and I returned home last night from a meeting where I was sharing the differences between Islam, Christianity and Judaism, I asked her a question, “Honey, do you sense an evil spirit in any of the churches in which we minister?  Her answer was, “Something is not right and I cannot put my finger on it.”  People seem to be more concerned with the conditions of the world than their spiritual condition.  They are angry at the government, the President, Congress, and that anger is bleeding over to one another and causing a spiritual battle within the church. In Ephesians we find a verse Ephesians 4:26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: It is OK to be angry at sin but when the anger robs your spirituality (relationship with God) you then  have a demonic influence that will affect everyone around you. The Holy Spirit cannot speak to the heart of man when the heart is full of anger. Here is a quote: Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both of the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back--in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you. - Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, Transformed by Thorns, p. 117.  People are consuming themselves with anger because of the conditions in the world. The question is WHY? The answer is simple, with the media, internet, radio talk shows and private conversation we are being bomb blasted and all we are hearing is negative. In some instances we are hearing there is no hope and the end is soon. With all of the negativity Satan is using it to his advantage.  Benjamin Franklin once quoted “Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.” Another concept producing anger is when a Christian says, “I have nothing to fear I know I am going to heaven.” To the person who has not received Christ this statement throws wood on the fire and it should for this person needs to be reached with the Gospel of Christ.  The problem is we have too many negative things taking place at the same time  and joy is being robbed  from the people.  Satan is having a hay day watching people destroy one another.  What is the outcome if we continue on the same path?  Let us look at what Jesus did with anger: Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and saw a man with a crippled hand. He knew that the Pharisees were watching to see what He would do, and He felt angry that they were only out to put him in the wrong. They did not care a scrap for the handicapped man, nor did they want to see the power and love of God brought to bear on him.

There were other instances where Jesus showed anger or sternness. He “sternly charged” the leper whom He had healed not to tell anyone about it (Mark 1:43) because he foresaw the problems of being pursued by a huge crowd of thoughtless people who were interested only in seeing miracles and not in Hiis teaching. But the leper disobeyed and so made things very hard for Jesus.

Jesus showed anger again when the disciples tried to send away the mothers and their children (Mark 10:13–16). He was indignant and distressed at the way the disciples were thwarting His loving purposes and giving the impression that He did not have time for ordinary people.

He showed anger once more when He drove “out those who sold and those who bought in the temple” (Mark 11:15–17). God’s house of prayer was being made into a den of thieves and God was not being glorified -- hence Jesus’ angry words and deeds. Commenting on this, Warfield wrote: “A man who cannot be angry cannot be merciful.” The person who cannot be angry at things which thwart God’s purposes and God’s love toward people is living too far away from his fellow men ever to feel anything positive towards them.

Now look at Lazarus’ grave Jesus showed not just sympathy and deep distress for the mourners (John 11:33–35), but also a sense of angry outrage at the monstrosity of death in God’s world. This is the meaning of “deeply moved” in John 11:38. Another point my friends, we now see an attack between the black and white. When one disagrees with the other it is racist. The result of this entire name calling and is going to bring about a revolution. Now, please listen to me if by chance something was to happen to this President you can believe it would bring about the largest revolt in the history of this country. This is all Satan needs to divide this country and this would open up the door for all of our enemies to attack us. Christians need to be aware that it is OK to be angry at sin but when we allow our anger to control our emotions and rob our joy and relationship with God we are in trouble. You must remember the media is driven by ratings and so there is a financial gain involved. Now, what can you and I do to help this matter. A person who is angry on the right grounds, against the right persons, in the right manner, at the right moment, and for the right length of time deserves great praise. We need to balance our anger with right judgment. The main question you need to ask yourself is: “Does my anger honor God?” If it does not then you need to get a handle on it. Confess it and ask God to help you put your thoughts in the right order and in the right perspective. Second, when you attend church, before you enter the doors ask God to forgive you of your anger and discontent and open your heart to hear the message that God has for you. You should do the same thing before you enter your devotional time and prayer time.  Finally, my friends, God is in control of this world and we must trust Him and believe that He knows what is best for us. Don’t be an antagonist. What is an antagonist?  Someone who on the basis of non-substantive evidence, goes out of their way to make insatiable demands, usually attacking the person or performance of others; these attacks are selfish in nature, tear down rather than build up, and are frequently directed against leadership. Be a Chris like example. Ezekiel 37:22  And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: