A Classic Message: Prayer and Revival by Edwin Orr 1977

Jesus Said That God Still Speaks To Us Today

Jesus said, John 8:47 ‘The person who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words…’

So, How does God speak to us today?

1/ God speaks to us through His word

2/ God speaks to us through Prayer

3/ God speaks to us through Circumstances

When we fail to recognize God speaking to us through circumstances we offend God by saying that it was ‘luck’ or ‘coincidence’

We need to become aware of what God is saying to us through circumstances

Illustrate: Earlier this year our Leadership Team were discussing giving $1, 000 to our new ministry in Zimbabwe
We debated the issue for months! Finally, we decided to ‘invest’ $1, 000 into this new ministry.
The next week we received (unsolicited) a cheque in the mail for exactly $1, 000

Through circumstances God is speaking to us about confirming new ministry

Illustrate: Many years ago, in our first Church, we had an old guy who had a stroke and was crippled by it (Victor could walk only slowly and with the aid of a walking stick)
He lived in a Hotel in the City, up the stairs in a back room
One Thursday evening the Hotel burned down and many people died in the fire
Next day we were sure Victor had died in the fire but a couple of days later he phoned me and I meet up with him
He told me the night of the fire he went to visit his Sister and so was not there when the fire destroyed the Hotel

Through circumstances God is speaking to us about His love, His care and His protection of us

Illustrate: Acts 15: 36-41 Apostle Paul and Barnabas have a big argument
They split up
Paul takes Silas, a new ministry partner, with him on his next mission
Barnabas takes John Mark with him and go off on their next mission

Was this argument a big mistake?

Did this catch God by surprise?

Of course not, this argument was used by God to double the Mission efforts of the Church

God speaks to us through Circumstances – are you listening?

4/ God speaks to us through the ministry of the Church

God has given ‘gifted’ Leaders to the Church through whom He speaks
Ephesians 4:11-12 ‘… He (Jesus) made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some pastors and teachers to prepare God’s people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger’.

Gifted Leaders are not here so that you just call on them when you want something

Gifted Leaders are here to prepare you for serving the Lord

Illustrate: In the Zimbabwe Churches God spoke to me through the ministry of the Leaders there

James 2: 5 ‘God chose the poor in this world to be rich in faith’.

Here in NZ we are rich, but poor in faith

God speaks to us through the ministry of the Church – are you listening?