by Tom Wagoner
I am writing this note upon returning from the Texas Baptist Bible Fellowship gathering that combined with the NCPO for a training school. The theme was “Revival, Prayer, and Motivation.” At the meeting, the heartbeat of everything was revival. Pastor Rick Carter had been praying and leading his people and that state to fasting and prayer in preparation for our meeting.
I received an email from a pastor that reflected the heart of so many that were at the altars each service asking God to forgive them and confessing sin. I was reminded of the scripture that we could quote forward and backward, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We have to believe that. We have to be willing to confess our sin. James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed.”
The thing that hinders revival most is our pride and our unwillingness to confess our sins before God. At some point, we began to believe that leadership somehow has to project a depth of spirituality beyond where our people are. I think they are waiting for us to genuinely confess our sins and repent and I think that they will follow us in that as they follow us in everything else. One young pastor wrote, “I want revival and I am willing to pay the price.” He listed sins in his correspondence to me that I believe are a reflection of what he is confessing before God, others, and even in his church. God help us to be men who are honest enough to allow the Lord to “tear open our hearts” (Joel 2:13) and reveal what is inside so that we might have revival.
In every revival in history, there was a heavy emphasis upon the confession of sins and then repentance — first in leadership and then in the laity. It seems very interesting to me that when a message is preached on repentance in our Fellowship or in our churches, the people who respond appear to be the most godly. The other day I was reading a story of Bertha Smith, a spirit-filled missionary of the Southern Baptists for many years. Evangelist Bill Stafford tells the story of 98-year-old Bertha who was sitting in a revival service where he was preaching on repentance and confession, and among the first at the altar was that godly, bold missionary who was well known for her power, her fullness, and the fruit of the spirit in her life.
I believe someone is reading this article right now that needs to bow at this moment and begin to ask God to reveal sin in his or her life. If our hearts are torn open, God can and will reveal areas of deficiency, need, or sin in our lives. I am doing it right now. I hope that you will join me. Let’s together confess our sins and repent.