The Book of books

How can a book come to have such a title—The Book? The Bible fully deserves such a special title. Any way we look at facts about books, the Bible stands out as The Book.

OLD COPIES

How many ancient copies from the New Testament still exist? In the original language alone, well over 4,000! The oldest of these dates back close to the time when the New Testament was first written. Among very old writings, no other is so well supported by so much proof.

TRANSLATIONS

The Bible was first written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. It has come into our modern languages through translation. The Bible’s message is so important that it has been translated into 2,000 languages. No other book has been translated more often, and this work continues.

PRINTING

The Bible was the first book printed for ordinary people. It remains the most printed and read book of all time (billions more than the next top book).

HONESTY

The Bible’s complete truth and honesty make it quite different from other histories. The Bible shows both the good and bad, even in Israel’s greatest leaders. Whether king or slave, rich or poor, man or woman, all were measured by the same ruler, “the law of the Lord.”

FOLLOWING

Over a quarter of the world’s population claims some belief in the Bible. Three great world religions claim roots in the Bible. Whoever seeks a Map for life should consider the Bible.

WRITING

The Bible was written by 40 men during a period of over 1,500 years. Most of these writers were not alive at the same time. They could not work together in any direct way. Yet the Bible has one continuing story flowing through it.

THE BOOK OF BOOKS

The Bible deserves this title because it is outstanding among books. But in another sense, it is The Book of Books because it is a library. Its first 39 books make up the Old Testament. They were written mainly in Hebrew between 1,500 and 400 years B.C. The second part, the New Testament, has 27 books written in Greek between A.D. 50 and 100. (Many today divide history into two parts. B.C. refers to time before Jesus Christ’s birth. A.D. refers to time after Jesus Christ’s birth.) The New Testament books complete the Gospel—which means "good news"—about Jesus. Together, these 66 writings form a complete, united picture. No other book has been written like this. In the most amazing way, the Bible joins centuries of history with the highest wisdom. Above all, it shows us the Way to come home to God.

There are many reasons for taking the Bible seriously. Among them is its practical wisdom for successful living. What is your need? See if the Bible addresses that need or its root.

NEED FOR LOVE

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish [die] but have eternal life (John 3:16).

I have been crucified [killed on a wooden cross] with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

NEED FOR FAMILY

In love he predestined [planned] us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:4-5).

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens [foreigners], but you are fellow citizens with the saints [believers] and members of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19).

NEED FOR LIFE

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly [fully]. (John 10:10)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).

(Resurrection means coming back to life after death).

NEED FOR GUIDANCE

You have been acquainted with [know] the sacred writings [Scriptures], which are able to make you wise for salvation [new life] through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).

If any of you lacks wisdom [right thinking], let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach [criticism], and it will be given him (James 1:5).

NEED FOR STRENGTH

All things are possible for one who believes… With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God (Mark 9:23; 10:27).

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure [resist] it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

NEED FOR SECURITY

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth… The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore (Psalm 121:2,7-8).

“I will never leave you nor forsake [turn away from] you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6).

NEED FOR FORGIVENESS

Repent [change your heart] and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins (Act 2:38).

If we confess [admit] our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

NEED FOR HEALTH

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray… And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up (James 5:13,15).

NEED FOR PEACE

Do not be anxious [worried] about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication [asking] with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses [goes beyond] all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John 14:27).

NEED FOR FOOD AND CLOTHES

Do not be anxious about your life… But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:25,33).

I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken [left alone] or his children begging for bread. He is ever [always] lending generously, and his children become a blessing (Psalm 37:25-26).

NEED FOR FRIENDSHIP

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends … No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:13,15).

NEED FOR HOPE

According to his great mercy [forgiveness], he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable [never dies], undefiled [always pure], and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4).

ALL YOUR NEEDS

And God is able to make all grace abound [grow] to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

Why Study the Bible?

The Bible was written by 40 men during a period of 1,500 years. Most of these writers were not alive at the same time. They could not work together in any direct way. Yet the Bible has one continuing story flowing through it.

The Bible answers your need for Love.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."(John 3:16)

The Bible answers your need for guidance.

"You have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”(2 Timothy 3:15)

The Bible answers our world's need for peace.

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”(John 14:27)

The Bible answers your need for Life.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”(John 10:10)

Why Consider The Bible?

Consider the Bible as the Map for life. Its wisdom spans many thousands of years, yet millions today find its message as fresh and meaningful as ever. They find that its truths work in daily life—in every time of life. They discover purpose for living. That purpose gives them hope for now and for the future—even beyond this life. They believe in a home with God forever. In other words, they believe the Bible when it claims to speak for God.

In seeking a map for life, consider the Bible’s claims. Again and again, it assures us that it is the pure word from our Maker. Yes, the Map for life.

In over 2,000 places the messengers of the Bible say things like this:

The Lord said to me …
These are the words of the Lord …
This is what the Lord says …

Moses said that God’s laws, the Ten Commandments, were written “by the finger of God” on stone tablets (Exodus 31:18). He reported that God spoke with him “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11).

King David said,

“The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; His word is on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2).

The prophet Jeremiah wrote,

“Then the Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, 'Behold, I have put my words in your mouth'” (Jeremiah 1:9).

We must seriously ask, “Did these prophets lie to us? Or were they telling the truth, and God really did speak through them?”

Jesus tells us that the Bible messengers, called prophets, spoke the truth.

• He used their reports of history (Matthew 12:40; 24:37-39).
• He trusted all their writings—also called Scriptures— and taught us the same trust (Matthew 5:17-19; Luke 16:17,29; 24:27,44; John 5:39-47).
• He based His teachings on the same words they used (Matthew 19:5-6; 22:32). He asked, “… have you not read what was said to you by God?” (Matthew 22:31-32).
• He reminded us, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).

The apostles [Jesus’ spokesmen] Paul and Peter taught the same thing:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof [disapproval], for correction, and for training in righteousness [right living], that the man of God may be complete, equipped [ready] for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

For no prophecy [God's message] was ever produced by the will [decision] of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).

The coming revival

JOHN & CAROL ARNOTT: "THE COMING REVIVAL"

Jan 22, 2018

People often ask what actually happened when the Holy Spirit fell on us in 1994. After all, there had been plenty of other meetings and plenty of other pastors who had seen things like we were seeing; laughter, shaking, falling down, speaking in tongues—these are all things that have characterized revival throughout church history. What made our meeting that night with Randy Clark different?

When we talk about what makes a revival, of course there are all kinds of definitions. There are all kinds of ways the Holy Spirit can—and has—shown up at various times. For us at the time, we didn’t know right away that this would become a “revival”; we simply knew it was the visitation of the Holy Spirit we had been so hungry for because it was so deeply satisfying to the hearts and souls of so many.

God shows up in lots of ways. For us, it looked like people not being able to stand up under the power. It looked like uncontrollable laughter breaking out. It looked like a roomful of people speaking in languages they hadn’t learned.

What will happen when this next wave hits? What will happen when the glory comes? What will it look like? How will it impact the world around us?



SIGNS OF REVIVAL

Before a tsunami occurs, there are signs that point to the event. Scientists have ways of predicting where and when the phenomenon will occur. Today, two things serve as predictors of a coming tsunami wave of revival: a growing number of believers, as well as the rise in persecution of believers.

In their book Waves of Revival, Fred and Sharon Wright point to two components of a major revival; one is an emphasis on “essential truths about the nature and purposes of God that have been ignored, discarded or lost by successive generations of professing believers, well-meaning church leaders, and theologians.” In other words, the tsunami serves to bring the church back on track.

The second component
, according to Fred and
 Sharon, is that revival is spurred on
 by “hungry and desperate people.” It is spurred on by a people so desperately in love, so hungry for more, that they can’t talk about anything else. They can’t focus on anything else. Their Bridegroom is on the way, and they want everyone to know it.

This coming revival, we believe, will help to usher in the second coming of Jesus—the Bridegroom coming for His Bride. The latter part of the book of Revelation describes a wedding; Revelation 19:7 tells us that the “marriage of the Lamb has come.” We’re getting ready for a wedding.

HISTORICAL REVIVAL

Throughout history, each wave of revival is characterized by a few things. First of all, what we would call the manifestations of the Holy Spirit seem to be consistent throughout each revival—early Anabaptists were known for falling down under the anointing; John Wesley felt a “warming” in his heart at the presence of the Holy Spirit; many at Azusa Street spoke in other tongues.

When the Spirit fell on us in 1994, we had an outbreak of laughter, of shaking, of falling to the floor. It’s still happening, both in Toronto at Catch the Fire and now all around the world, as those who have been touched by the revival spread the joy to their home countries and hometowns.

Second, all of these waves of revival were characterized by healing and deliverance. In 1727, the Moravians began a 100-year-long prayer meeting in which hundreds were healed. In 1894, Smith Wigglesworth was overcome by the Spirit, which led to a healing ministry that spread around the world for the better part of 30 years. In the 20-plus years of our revival, we’ve seen cancers healed, limbs grow out, and deaf ears opened. Heidi Baker’s ministry, which was sparked in large part by her visit to Toronto in 1997, has seen thousands healed in Africa.

Revival also affects society at large in that it sparks a passion for justice. Out of the revival birthed through John Wesley came a young man named William Wilberforce who, empowered by the Spirit, would see the abolition of slavery in England during his lifetime.

Our friends Bill and Beni Johnson pastor Bethel Church in Redding, California. Recently, the city of Redding was in a bit of a budget crunch and wasn’t going to be able to pay some of their fire and police personnel. Bethel Church paid a large sum of money to the city to help Redding keep their staffing intact. I know this flows out of Bill and Beni’s Holy Spirit-empowered way of thinking.

Finally, revival sparks a desire to see those who don’t know Jesus as their Savior brought into the family. Evangelism flourishes during times of revival; ours has been no different. It’s as if those who have fallen in love and are anticipating a wedding want everyone else to come too.



FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

The point of revival isn’t the manifestations of the Spirit, although we certainly enjoy them. It’s not to have nightly meetings for 12 years, although we enjoyed that too. The point of revival is simply to see Jesus glorified in the earth. When He is lifted up, all people will be drawn to Him (see John 12:32).

As the wave of revival rises over the earth, the name of Jesus is brought to light once again.

Surrounding each revival was an emphasis on a particular characteristic of God. In the Reformation, we saw the restoration of the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. During the First Great Awakening, we saw the restoration of the importance of the Great Commission. In the Pentecostal Revival, we saw the restoration of the emphasis on the Holy Spirit. And during the Father Heart Revival (Toronto), we saw the restoration of the absolute truth of God’s Father heart and desire for intimacy with us, His children.

We believe this next great tsunami wave of revival will be about the Bridegroom and His Bride, that it will serve as the invitation to a wedding—to the Wedding. To the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.



THE COMING REVIVAL

You see, even though Christians make up the largest religious group in the world, it’s still not everyone. Billions of people still don’t know the love of their heavenly Father. They don’t know that they are sons and daughters of a King—of the King. They don’t know that He desperately wants to heal their hearts, bodies, and relationships. They don’t know that He desires to be their source of truth, their source of joy, their source of peace. They don’t know that they are invited to a wedding where they get to be joined in oneness forever to the most beautiful, most faithful, most wonderful Bridegroom there has ever been. We believe that this next wave of revival will serve as an invitation to that wedding.

This revival will be characterized by a global harvest of souls. In this age of air travel and technology, there is almost no people group that hasn’t already been reached for the Gospel. When Heidi and Rolland went to Mozambique over 20 years ago, there were several tribes in the north that were categorized as unreached people groups, and many across the region had never heard the name of Jesus. Heidi and Rolland, empowered by the Holy Spirit and full of the Father’s love for the people, have spent their time, energy, and resources taking the message of a loving heavenly Father out into the “bush bush”—the remotest places in Mozambique—several times a week. In the years since they began this journey, thousands upon thousands of people have heard the Gospel message and received salvation.

We know that there are still places and people who haven’t heard this message of love. We know that there are still billions who have heard but have rejected it. That’s okay; Jesus loves them too. As many as will go into unevangelized places, many will go to those who have heard and have not  yet believed. After all, we’re inviting people to a party.

What will it look like? It will look familiar in some ways. When the infinite God of the universe encounters a finite being such as us, things tend to happen. We tend to respond. But I also believe that, as David Ruis prophesied so many years ago, we haven’t seen anything yet. We believe the glory of the latter house will be greater than the former. This revival will eclipse what happened in the book of Acts—the greatest revival to date.



GETTING READY FOR THE WEDDING

In preparing for the next wave of glory, our primary task is to keep the wicks of our lamps from burning out. The way we do that is by making sure we have enough oil, enough intimacy with the Lord through the Holy Spirit, to keep our fires burning.

Isn’t that exactly how a bride would prepare to meet her bridegroom? She would make sure she was truly getting to know him, truly seeing him in face-to-face encounters. When we were dating, we lived about an hour and a half away from each other. We would often meet halfway and spend the evening holding hands across a restaurant table, gazing into each other’s eyes and telling each other how much we wanted to be together. We were preparing for marriage.

As lovers of Jesus who are preparing for our final wedding with Him, we should be spending lots of time gazing into His eyes, with Him gazing into ours. We should tell Him over and over again how much we love to be with Him and how we can’t wait to be one with Him forever—and hear Him say all those things to us.

This revival will be one that ignites a fire for intimacy with the Lord. It will ignite a passion to see our oil lamps fully ready for His coming, so that when He does come for the Marriage Supper, He will say, “Come with Me, My Bride. I know you. I see you. We have spent so much time face to face with each other, that I knew you the minute I saw you. Let’s go and be one forever.”

And we will be so in love with Him that we will invite everyone we know to experience the same intimacy with Him. We will spread His love to China and Iran and Turkey and North Korea and Africa, and billions will come to know Him— and to love Him.

- John and Carol Arnott, authors of Preparing for the Glory