Baucham, Wolfe call for personal, congregational revival

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FORT MYERS (FBC)-"God is still God today, and He wants to visit your church in awesome holiness and irresistible power," said minister Fred Wolfe at the 2006 Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting.

Wolfe, along with Houston pastor Voddie Baucham, encouraged approximately 1,200 messengers gathered for Florida Baptists' 145th annual meeting at McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Myers to seek God's "Rivers of Revival" in both their personal and congregational lives.

In a Monday evening theme interpretation of "Rivers of Revival ... Drinking Deeply," Wolfe, retired pastor of Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala., and the founder of Barnabas Ministries in Canton, Ga., reviewed the origins of revival both biblically and historically and beseeched, "God, do it again." With Matthew 21:12-17 as a biblical backdrop, Wolfe taught that the pathway to personal revival requires purity, prayer, power and praise.

Speaking of purity, Wolfe emphasized that God wants His people "to walk with clean hands and a pure heart." He called participants to pray and to seek God's power, chiding, "We want the results of prayer without praying," and "The only reason we don't have His power is because we are satisfied to live without it." He stated that genuine praise is a natural outgrowth of a revived heart and church.

The following morning, with a session theme, "Rivers of Revival ... Pouring Out," Wolfe focused on Luke 18:9-14 and spoke of the necessity of humility for true revival. "Humility is an absolute essential if we are going to experience the movement of God in our lives," he said. He highlighted four contrasts between humility and pride.

First, Wolfe said pride refuses to admit its need, while humility readily admits its need. He challenged attendees to admit to God in humility, "We are a needy denomination. We are a needy people. We are a needy church."

Second, Wolfe taught pride refuses to admit it can't meet its own needs, while humility never says "I." He urged listeners, "Stop trusting anything but God Himself." The difference between pride and humility, he taught, is that pride is self-sufficient and humility is "God-sufficient."

Third, he said pride is always about the opinion of others while humility is more focused on God's opinion. Finally, Wolfe said pride always see others' sins while humility sees its own sin.

Tuesday afternoon's session theme was "Rivers of Revival ... Flowing Forth," and Baucham continued the theme interpretation by asking the question, "What would revival look like?" To answer the question, Baucham said that revival occurs "when God supernaturally invades the lives of one or more believers to awaken them spiritually so that they can join Him in Kingdom ministry."

Baucham then examined Acts 1:6-8, highlighting three essential truths. First, he said that contemporary believers "need to be awakened to the fact that God has a purpose larger than me."

Revival, he stated, is needed to help today's Christians, who tend to be "narcissistic" and "ego-centric," to "lift our eyes above ourselves."

The second truth, he taught, is that "God has a plan that includes me." While God could have used angels, He chose to use humans in His plan of redemption, he said.

"There is something you bring that is needed for God's Kingdom," he encouraged participants.

Third, he taught, "God has a place that suits you." North America, he interpreted, is the "ends of the earth," described in Acts 1:8.

"When rivers of revival flow forth, you will never be satisfied until you are part of that plan and in that place," Baucham stated.

Tuesday evening, with the theme, "Rivers of Revival . . . Filling Up," Baucham concluded his theme interpretation by examining Ephesians 5:18-33; 6:4. He focused on the need for pastors today to be Spirit-filled, exemplary husbands and fathers.

"If a man cannot manage his own household, then he cannot manage the household of God. The first congregation for which I will give an answer to God for is the congregation that goes by the name Baucham," Baucham stated as he encouraged pastors to be leaders in family worship.

"We need to be responsible when we call ourselves leaders," he said