C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR AUGUST 14, 2022 UNIT ONE, LESSON TWO, DIVISION II : TOPIC – THEN, REVIVAL IS NEEDED

C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR AUGUST 14, 2022 UNIT ONE, LESSON TWO, DIVISION II : TOPIC – THEN, REVIVAL IS NEEDED

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CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

THEME: REVIVAL REDISCOVERING THE PATH TO SPIRITUAL MATURITY

JULY – DECEMBER, 2022

Unit One: The Meaning And Purpose of Revival

August 14, 2022

LESSON 2 : DIVISION II

II. THEN, REVIVAL IS NEEDED (Haggai 1:1-7, 14; 2:1-23)
The aforementioned signs, without doubt, show that we need revival. Or don’t we need revival when we don’t love God like before; when His work and Word are no longer prioritised in our hearts? Our lack of brotherly love, spiritual and moral decadence, and giving up to Satan’s works, wile and weapons show that we need revival. And for this anticipated revival to come, God, the true Revivalist, must show up first, and we must cooperate with Him.

A. GOD HELPS PEOPLE SEE THE NEED (1:1-7)
Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!” (v. 5)
1. God continues to seek and call His people, some of whom are caught in the web of spiritual declination, and helps them to trace their steps back to Him (cf. Gen. 3:7-24). How compliant are we?
ii. Hag. 1:1: The word of the Word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet… How could these people who had been so deeply engulfed with their OWN while God’s OWN suffered neglect, realise their errors and need for redress, if God hadn’t sent His Word to them (Psa. 107:20)?
iii. God has always been the One who champions revival. Ours is to pay attention to His words meant to warn us (cf. Isa. 1:19-20).
iv. vv. 2-4: The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. They needed revival because of their misplaced priorities, vacillation, carelessness, and lack of passion for God and His things. Are we different?
v. vv. 5,7: Consider your way… God called them to order as He has always been calling the sin-laden man, since the beginning (Matt. 11:28-30). It is obvious we need revival. God knows this, and is calling our attention to it, so that we can come to Him for the needed help.
vi. However, it is one thing for God to call, but another to heed His call. Thank God they obeyed, and they were fully revived (vv. 12ff). Why are some people defying God’s warning today (Jer. 6:16-19)?
vii. Let us cry to God like the Psalmist (Psa. 80) to bring revival and restoration. Having seen the need for revival through the help of God, let us cooperate with Him, and He would give us true revival.

B. GOD FACILITATES THE NEEDED REVIVAL (1:14-2:1-23)
So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God (1:14).
i. God is the revivalist that we need, though He makes use of human agents in bringing down His revival upon our dying and lukewarm souls.
ii. 1:12-15: Having made the people realise their neither cold nor hot condition, and the need for quick divine intervention-revival, He took the needed steps in reviving them.
iii. v. 14: See God in action–the Great Revivalist. He stirred up the spirit of the stakeholders—leaders and the people. Revival is the working of God’s Spirit upon the spirit of His people to do His will accordingly.
iv. 2:1-9: He started with their leaders and moved to the led. It is obvious that all of us, leaders and the led alike, need to experience re-awakening. Be ready for the end-time revival God is bringing.
v. v. 14c: And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God… This is the sign that they had been revived. When revival comes, the people retrace their steps, do what is expected of them, progress in all regards, and this brings glory to God.
vi. vv. 1-9, 15-19: Behold what these people’s obedience to God’s revival call fetched them. We are better and refreshed when we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to be rightly revived.
vii. God the revivalist is in the business of bringing His people back to communion, oneness and holiness with Him. Nevertheless, His people must cooperate with, and show signs of readiness to do the Lord’s bidding, for our salvation and total restoration.

LESSON DERIVED
1. We need revival today to overcome our spiritual laxity, lack of passion for God as well as moral and spiritual decadences.
2. When revival comes, God’s expectation of us are met, our progress spiritually is noticeable, and God is glorified, as we cooperate with Him.

QUESTIONS
1. God had to sent His oracle to make the returnees go back to work on the temple. Discuss this in the light of the revival we need today.
2. State some of the signs of being lukewarm in our midst today, and proffer solution to those.

SUGGESTED ANSWER TO QUESTIONS
ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:

* God is the Revivalist we need today, though He does His revival works through human agents.
* Any so-called revivalist today isn’t representing God is on his own, and will soon face the wrath of God, the danger of not being revived, himself.
* We must be revived as God is making us to see the need for it, since no one can be revived without God causing him to see the need for revival.
* The people of Haggai’s day wouldn’t have realised their revival need, if not that God sent His oracle, Haggai, to them (chap. 1).
* God sent His oracle to challenge the people to return to His work. We need such godly agents today. May we be found worthy of the calling. Amen.
* Revival of the Word of God and Bible-based prayer is the genuine revival that is effective to cause us to return to God’s righteous path; not the basically physical exercises we call revival today (Jn. 15:3).
* Likewise today, without the true preaching of the Word of God and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit to heal and restore us, there cannot be lasting revival (Acts. 2:1-47).
* Therefore, we must wait on God, the Revivalist, to bring down revival into our lives, land and churches. We must cooperate with all the agencies God makes available for this. May God help us.

ANSWER TO QUESTION 2:
* Prayerlessness.
* Downplaying the and listening to, and following false teachings, even doctrines of evil spirits (1 Tim. 4:1-2).
* No time for spiritual exercises that are profitable for our Christian pilgrimage.
* Coldness in Christian worship and service. Low attendance in, and lateness to church programmes and activities, most especially, when they are not titled towards ‘kill your enemies’.
* Lack of genuine and brotherly love in the fold (1 Thess. 4:9).
* Division and disunity in the church (1 Cor. 3:1-4)
* Moral decadence and spiritual laxity. Corruption and immorality in the fold Thess. 4:3-8). Lack of discipline and self-control that also manifests in tolerating sin and sinfulness.
* Indecent/godless dressing in, and outside the church.
* Disorderliness.
* Abuse of Christian liberty and grace (Rom. 6:1).
* Free operation of darkness in the church.
* Add yours.

Solution
* Self-discovery, like the prodigal son, will help, coupled with the determination to return to the Father (Lk. 15:11-32).
* We need to call on God for divine visitation.
* Like David, genuine confession of wrongdoings and craving new heart and the right spirit will bring repositioning (Psa. 51).
* Repentance from dead works (Lk. 13:1-5; Acts 2:38; 3:19).
* We need the mercy of God.

LIFE APPLICATION
As J.O. Sanders mentioned in his book, “Enjoying intimacy with God,” Dr. J. Elder Cumming contended that “in almost every case of beginning of new blessing is a new revelation of the character of God—more beautiful, more wonderful, more precious.” By implication, new divine blessings will only come when we allow our waning hearts to be refocused on the character of God, again-revival. This would help us to overcome being lukewarm in our relationship with God, and attitude toward His business in our care. Are you discovering signs of being gradually lackadaisical to the things of Jesus? You need revival. Repent of your turning away, and return to Christ’s waiting arm for the time of refreshing from Him (Acts 3:19) that would help avoid His hammer of judgment.

CONCLUSION
Glory be to God for the conclusion of lesson two that bothers on why we need revival. We have seen that we need revival to escape the dangers of being lukewarm. We need revival to be free from Satan, sin and self (the flesh). We need revival to be totally and ultimately safe from the coming perils of the end-time. We need revival to be able to fulfil God’s will and purpose. Revival will make us ready to go for God. It will destroy our desire for sin, worldly pleasure, and make our hearts ready for God. We need revival, true revival!

DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS FOR WEEK TWO
Mon. 8: Trial Of Faith Produces Patience (Jas. 1:2-3)
Tue. 9: Trying Situations Are To Grow You (Jas. 1:4)
Wed.10: Temptation And Crown Of Life (Jas. 1:12)
Thur.11: Temptation Is Only Permitted By God (Jas. 1:13-15)
Fri. 12: Temptation Makes Us God’s First Fruits (Jas. 1:17-18)
Sat. 13: To Be Judgment Is Immediately (Jas. 1:19-20)