Hello there!
Erin here. Thanks for opening up this week's News & Notes email as we continue our series called "What I Am Learning," where we are hearing from four different individuals who are part of the Riverwood family. This week, I'm thrilled you get to hear from Terry Ransom.
In case you don't know Terry, he lives in Clarksville with his amazing wife Jackie. Together, they have four grown adult children (one of whom lives and works in China) and four grandchildren (with another one on the way). You can often see Terry on Sundays serving as an usher, but what you may not know is Terry dutifully prays for the entire Riverwood family. I'm glad you have the blessing today of learning what this wonderful man has been learning himself.
by Terry Ransom
Recently, I’ve been studying the book of 2 Chronicles. This Old Testament book is God’s viewpoint on the sinful conditions in the ancient nation of Judah. At that time, Judah had had 20 kings after David and Solomon. David was used as the measuring stick to compare kings. According to 2 Chronicles, there were only 8 “good” kings and 5 “outstanding” kings. So I wondered, what made these five kings so “outstanding”?
When you look deeper, you discover all five led a revival. That’s right, I said led, because each revival started in their personal lives before God. They were at the spiritual front by giving God all their heart and worship. They met sin head on and dealt with it according to God's will.
As I look at these five kings and the spiritual revivals they led, I see (so to speak) three bridges to revival:
Knowledge of the Word of God
When I read Hosea 4:6-10, I see that people perish for lack of knowledge of God and His Word, and will reap trouble for their sin, because they don’t know or obey God. To start a revival, you me, or whoever must diligently seek knowledge of the Word of God.
All five kings turned to the Word of God. You cannot have a revival unless you have a knowledge the word of God. Jehoshaphat sent his princes and the Levites throughout all of Judah to teach the people the law (the Word of God). (2 Chronicles 17:6-9) Revival will not come unless we are anchored in the Word of God - and I must remember JESUS is the living Word of GOD.
Scriptural Separation
The second bridge to revival I see in these outstanding kings is that I must be Scripturally separated. To me, this means I must be separated from sin to a life in the Word of God. I must learn to live in Jesus not just believe in Him. To live in Jesus means to trust Him, depend on Him, and obey Him in all things.
Faith in God
The last bridge to revival I see in the five outstanding kings is faith. But how does one get faith? I know that faith comes from hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) It says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith, it is impossible to please God.
So in closing, I will have to put these three principles in action if I want revival. It will take study, work, and faith. I know God is the only one who can truly bring revival, but it won’t start in my life unless I learn to obey God, know Him, separate to God, and have complete faith in Him. I need to stand up for what is true and obey Him, not popular trends or Godless ideas. I must remember that apostasy starts with compromise, and to do the opposite to stay true to Jesus. And by doing so, I hope to see revival, starting with me.
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