preacher4truth
Active Member
I'll ask another question:
Can we hinder revival? How?
Great question, I've pondered this as well.
My belief is that we cannot hinder revival in the sense of what we see in past revivals since; 1) They are decreed by God; 2) None can thwart His purposes; 3) When God wills for a thing to come to pass, it will; 3) God granted revival at times when a person was not even considering it, so in other words He did it at will; 4) God's adding to the church via revival is consistent with His Sovereignty to show mercy to whom He wills to show mercy &c.
There are some that feel they can in fact thwart Gods will and desires. Take for instance 'quenching the Spirit'. If a person refuses or fails to speak the Gospel, and feels convicted for not doing so, it only shows their disobedience, and there is no failure on God's part whatseover. This does away with the false system of belief today that God's work must somehow funnel through man and his 'faith'. That errant theology has either stemmed from or created the Semi-Pelagian Warner Sallman 'Christ at Heart's Door' theology. Contrary to that heresy, Christ is in control and Sovereign in salvation, and the 'doorknob' is on His side and only by His power can we even believe, Eph. 2:19-20.
Also this, if a person was not witnessed to by another person, if this person is His elect, they will come to Him regardless -- John 6:37. The Holy Spirit may have been quenched, but His purpose was never thwarted, nor can it be. Yet in the theology of some they see man as powerful enough to stop God in His tracks. Kenneth Copeland for instance. His theology comes from the same free will nonsense of those who refuse Sovereignty and supplant that with mans will. He says God can do nothing unless we allow Him to do it.
I believe the quenching of the Spirit never foils God's plan, nor is it evidence that man can hinder revival. I believe it serves to show our unwillingness at times to obey and is a method used to convict and discipline His children, expose our dark hearts &c. It exposes our thoughts and intents.
The bottom line for me is that no, I do not believe man could ever stop or hinder revival.