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From
the June/July, 1997 edition of The Doulos monthly
newsletter
by
Joe Fitler
"I
looked for a man among them who would
build up the wall and stand before me
in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy
it, but I found none."
Ezekiel
22:30
Revival.
What
comes to mind when you hear that word? Does it conjure
images of a tent gathering? That first cup of coffee in the
morning? A spiritual "jump start"?
On
May 2nd and 3rd, there was a sense of revival for the 44 men
from The Chapel who attended the Promise Keepers conference in
Detroit. It was a powerful time of worship, praise, fellowship,
reconciliation and commitment to growth
and accountability for us as well as the 60,000 other men
present. While it was an opportunity for personal revival for us
in our relationship with God, the emphasis of the
conference was that we, as a nation, are on the verge of
a large-scale spiritual awakening, a true Church-wide revival
of awareness of the presence and power of the Holy
Spirit. The key issue, however, is that we are on the verge
of revival. Our unconfessed personal and collective sin continues
to create a gulf between ourselves and God;
sin which is a stumbling block which limits and even shuts
off the power of the Holy Spirit.
A
mass gathering of Christian men of all denominations, races
and socioeconomic groups will take place October 4th
on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Stand in the Gap: A Sacred Assembly of Men
is to be an assemblage not for personal
agendas or political ends, but a collective humbling of men before
God, in prayer and repentance.
Why
our nation's capital? Randy Phillips, president of Promise
Keepers says, "Washington is the emotional heart of
America, where we celebrate our victories, protest our deepest
concerns, and debate our national future." He adds,
"We are not going to demonstrate our power to the country
or make a political statement. We are going to demonstrate
our spiritual poverty before a holy God."
"Blow
the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred
assembly."
Joel
2:15
This
is one of twelve places in Scripture where God outlines the steps
toward spiritual revival. The deteriorating moral
climate in our nation today requires our corporate ("as one
body") submission, confession and repentance. We
must prepare our hearts on a daily basis, prayerfully practicing
repentance involving measurable change, and the
ability to turn away from sin.
Please
pray that each of us is sensitive to the leading of the
Holy Spirit regarding this opportunity, for the one million-plus
men who are expected to go to Washington, as well
as continued prayer for our nation as a whole. Stand in the Gap, providing a
"platform of prayer" through Jesus Christ,
is pivotal to the large-scale
spiritual awakening, the revival our nation so
desperately needs. As promised in the passage from II Chronicles,
from which the gathering derives its
theme:
"...if
my people, who are called by my name, will
humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn
from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and
will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
II
Chronicles 7:14
For
more information, or to register for Stand
in the Gap: A Sacred Assembly of Men, please
call (toll free) 1-888-265-3297
In Christ,
Joe Fitler
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