Calling the Next Generation

July 8, 1999

Battle Call to the Next Generation

OSA in Wichita, Kansas calling the next generation to bring Christ to the gates of hell!

What preceded every revival brought by God in both the Old and New Testaments? What preceded every revival brought by God throughout the annals of history? What has to precede every true conversion to Christ? Is it prayer? Is it preaching? Is it teaching? Is it fasting? Though we are called by God to do all of the above, none of these are what will bring a nation or an individual to true Biblical repentance and revival.

God has one and only one instrument to bring nations and individuals to their knees and to true revival. It is His Law! This is His chosen instrument to bring nations and men to Himself. Because God loves us, He condemns us with His law so that we might be drawn to our wit's end and cry out to Him to save us. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." Gal 3:24.

God's Law teaches us that we are in desperate need. We don't need a psychiatrist, a new drug to help us cope, or another governmental program. We need a Savior! When God's Law is allowed to do its awful work -- that is to condemn and ultimately kill us, we are set free to throw ourselves into the hands of the one person who can save us - JESUS!

This same principle applies to nations. We are all familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." But this verse is preceded by verse 13 which makes clear that it is God Himself shutting up the heavens and commanding the locusts to devour the land because of sin (Solomon's convicting sermon in 2 Chronicles 6 corroborates this). God uses His Law to reveal sin and turn His people to Himself.

Until a nation or an individual becomes aware of the devastating nature of sin there is no remedy. "… And where there is no law there is no transgression." Rom 4:15. Where there is no law there is no sin and everyone can do what is right in his own eyes. Sounds like America today. And where there is no sin there is no need of a savior. Think about it. Who needs Jesus if "I'm OK and you're OK"? Who needs God if the economy can buy us out of every fix He or we get ourselves into? One will never know he is sinning if there is no law, no absolute standard. Therefore, the Law of God becomes the preeminent vehicle by which God brings repentance and revival to an individual and to a nation.

It should not surprise us then when the devil and all the bastions of hell go apoplectic whenever one stands firmly upon God's Law. It is precisely this vehicle (the Law of God) that is coming under vicious attack by so-called friends and enemies in our nation today. God's Law has been removed from the walls of our schools and stolen from the hearts of our kids. It is being sandblasted from our monuments in Washington, D.C. It is looked upon as irrelevant in the halls of Congress and treated with utter contempt in the courts of our land. In His church, the Law is viewed as harsh, judgmental, and certainly not "seeker friendly." It doesn't appear to be conducive to church growth principles.

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Pr 28:13. One of the ways we in America, have concealed our sins is to make them legal. We have made abortion legal. It conceals the sin of child killing. This is precisely how a young Christian woman can come to an abortion mill and say, "It's legal and Jesus will forgive me." The Law of God has been so trampled underfoot by both state and church that one feels that abortion is not a sin and, just in case it is, Jesus will take care of it. After all, that's why He came isn't it?

Because the Law of God is not rightly represented in His church or in our land, we do not cry out for the mercy of God through Jesus Christ. God's love is unconditional to be sure. He loves the abortionist and homosexual as much as He loves you and me. But His salvation mercy is reserved only for those who have been crushed by the realization of their own sin. They will cry to the Lord in repentance and they will be heard. He promises to hear this kind of prayer and bring revival.

It is into this environment that we are equipping the next generation to fight the battle for the Law of God. This is our mandate, and we will not shirk our responsibility and our privilege. Kids across the nation are going to bring their Bibles (the Law of God) to school during the week of September 19-25, 1999. We pray they will do it all year long. We believe that the Law of God is the one weapon the enemy cannot withstand. It is our only offensive weapon and in the Bible, it is called "the Sword of the Spirit".

It is this weapon that we are asking our kids to bring to school and to read in school. Moms and dads can breathe courage into the hearts of their kids by carrying their Bibles to work. We know that when the Law of God is rightly presented, it places before us a choice - a real choice. We can either trust Jesus the author of life, or an enemy who comes to rob, kill, and destroy. "… Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…" Joshua 24:15

The devil hates God's Law because he hates God and he hates us. If he can do away with God's Law there would no longer be a cry to turn back to Him. That is why he is fighting so hard in our own country to remove the Law from the highways and by ways. Throughout history the devil's plans for evil have been thwarted by God's people hearing His Law and repenting of their sins and turning to Him in absolute trust.

The correct and bold preaching of the Law of God is the only hope our nation has for true revival. Kids, bring Jesus back to school!

Keep pressing the gates of hell in Jesus' Name,

Flip Benham
Director