As church we have many, many needs. We need schools for educating our children. We need health clinics for treating our sick people. We need convalescent homes to care for our elderly people. We need more Bible Workers to share faster the third angel’s message. We need more funds for many other projects. As you can see, we have many, many needs. But the most important question is, "What is our greatest need?" From the inspired pen comes the answer:

"A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work." Review and Herald, March 22, 1887.

"There is great necessity for a reformation among the people of God. The present state of the church leads to the inquiry, is this a correct representation of Him who gave His life for us?" Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 474.

May it sound weird, but we need a reformation in the Reform Movement. It is doubtless that a great reformatory movement must take place among us before the Latter Rain and the Second Coming of Jesus. Otherwise there will be another great disappointment. That is the reason why this theme was chosen for this spiritual gathering. May the Lord bless us not only to realize this great need but also to attain it.

When we talk about revival and reformation some important points must be very well understood: "What is a revival?" "What is a reformation?" "Why should they work together?" "How must this work be accomplished among us?"

"A revival and a reformation must take place under the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Revival and reformation are two different things. Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from the spiritual death. Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices. Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of righteousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit. Revival and reformation are to do their appointed work, and in doing this work they must blend." Review and Herald, Feb. 25, 1902.

"Revival and reformation are two different things. Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from the spiritual death." Review and Herald, Feb. 25, 1902.

Revival implies death. Spiritual revival implies spiritual death. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul says: "And You hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." Ephesians 2:1. Those who are in trespasses and sins are spiritually dead.

The Prophet Ezekiel describes the deadly conditions of God’s people in his dismal vision of the Valley of dry bones, in chapter 37. About that vision Ellen G. White comments:

"At one time the prophet Ezekiel was in vision set down in the midst of a large valley. Before him lay a dismal scene. Throughout its whole extent the valley was covered with the bones of the dead. The question was asked, "Son of man, can these bones live?" The prophet replied, "O Lord God, Thou knowest." What could the might and power of man accomplish with these dead bones? The prophet could see no hope of life being imparted to them. But as he looked, the power of God began to work. The scattered bones were shaken, and began to come together, "bone to his bone," and were bound together by sinews. They were covered with flesh, and as the Lord breathed upon the bodies thus formed, "the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army" 4BC 1165.2

"But not only does this simile of the dry bones apply to the world, but also to those who have been blessed with great light; for they also are like the skeletons of the valley. They have the form of men, the framework of the body; but they have not spiritual life. But the parable does not leave the dry bones merely knit together into the forms of men; for it is not enough that there is symmetry of limb and feature. The breath of life must vivify the bodies, that they may stand upright, and spring into activity. These bones represent the house of Israel, the church of God, and the hope of the church is the vivifying influence of the Holy Spirit. The Lord must breathe upon the dry bones, that they may live. 4BC 1165.

"Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices."

Reorganization implies the idea that something that was organized then disorganized needs to be reorganized. Change in ideas and theories, habits and practices that are not in harmony with God’s original plan.

Reformation and restoration are synonyms. Reformation or restoration implies the idea of rebuilding according to the original plan. It is impossible to rebuild without knowing the original plan. What is the original plan? Where can we find it?

In the book of the origins, in Genesis chapters first and second, we find God’s original plan for mankind.

First of all, we read: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:26, 27

The very first thing that man lost by sin was his fellowship with God. The restoration of that communion is the primordial work of the gospel. That is the subject that we are going to study tomorrow in the divine service.

There are three beautiful institutions that were established before the fall for the eternal well being of humanity: Family, Diet, and the Sabbath. Unfortunately these institutions were degraded by sin. Their restoration is another great work to be done in our days. These subjects will be considered in this camp meeting. Please, don’t miss these important studies.

"In the time of the end every divine institution is to be restored. The breach made in the law at the time the Sabbath was changed by man, is to be repaired. God's remnant people, standing before the world as reformers, are to show that the law of God is the foundation of all enduring reform and that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is to stand as a memorial of creation, a constant reminder of the power of God. In clear, distinct lines they are to present the necessity of obedience to all the precepts of the Decalogue. Constrained by the love of Christ, they are to co-operate with Him in building up the waste places. They are to be repairers of the breach, restorers of paths to dwell in." Prophets and Kings, p. 678.

"Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of righteousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit. Revival and reformation are to do their appointed work, and in doing this work they must blend." Review and Herald, Feb. 25, 1902.

The fruit, the result of a true revival, is a genuine reformation. Revival without reformation is mere sensationalism. And reformation that is not the result of a true revival is legalism. Revival comes first. Its result is a genuine reformation.

One of the best representation of a reformation without revival is found in Luke 11: 24 – 26: "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth [it] swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh [to him] seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first."

The adorned, swept and garnished house is a perfect symbol of a self-reformation without the operation of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God’s Agent in this great reformatory work. Without the operation of the Holy Ghost it is impossible to achieve any reformatory work. That is the reason for our theme, "Revival and Reformation under the ministration of the Holy Spirit."

"The Spirit of God, with its vivifying power, must be in every human agent, that every spiritual muscle and sinew may be in exercise. Without the Holy Spirit, without the breath of God, there is torpidity of conscience, loss of spiritual life. Many who are without spiritual life have their names on the church records, but they are not written in the Lamb's book of life. They may be joined to the church, but they are not united to the Lord. They may be diligent in the performance of a certain set of duties, and may be regarded as living men; but many are among those who have "a name that thou livest, and art dead." 4BC 1166.1

Let’s consider a great example of revival and reformation that took place in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah and that is found in the book of Ezra chapters 9 and 10. Let’s follow all the steps that were taken on that occasion:

"Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, [doing] according to their abominations, [even] of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of [those] lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. Ezra 9:1,2.

"And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice." Ezra 9:3,4

"And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over [our] head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers [have] we [been] in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, [and] our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as [it is] this day. And now for a little space grace hath been [showed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we [were] bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave [it] for an inheritance to your children for ever. And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities [deserve], and hast given us [such] deliverance as this; Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed [us], so that [there should be] no remnant nor escaping? O LORD God of Israel, thou [art] righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as [it is] this day: behold, we [are] before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this." Ezra 9:5 – 15.

"Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, [one] of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing." Ezra 10:1,2.

"Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise; for [this] matter [belongeth] unto thee: we also [will be] with thee: be of good courage, and do [it]. Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware." Ezra 10:3 – 5

"And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; and that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away." Ezra 10:7,8.

"Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It [was] the ninth month, on the twentieth [day] of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of [this] matter, and for the great rain. And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. But the people [are] many, and [it is] a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither [is this] a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this [matter]: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, [with] certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by [their] names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month." Ezra 10:9 – 17

Notice the sequence here. I believe the principles for all reformation are the same.

The first step was the identification of sin. Mixed marriages affected the institution of the family. Thus, the first step in any reformation today is to identify sin. It may be immorality, or worldly fashion, or transgression of the Sabbath, or harmful diet, etc.

The people rarely go higher than the leadership. Repentance and confession of the leadership is very important to lead the people in the same path of reformation. When the repentance and confession of the leaders are sincere they will influence and lead the people in the same work. We should realize that in every reformatory movement, the attitude of the leadership was fundamental. All reformation was led by a strong reformer. That is a very important factor in any work of reformation.

The third step is to work with the people to lead them to repentance and confession. We know the Holy Spirit has a fundamental work in all these steps and mainly in this one. Confession must be followed by a renewal of the vows of consecration unto the Lord.

One very important point. All effort without a corresponding action is of no value. Chapter 10, Verses 16 and 17 say: "And the children of captivity did so…And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month". Today we can realize our need of a reformation, we can talk about reformation, we may know all steps, all theories about reformation, but if we abide only on the theories, words without action, we are wasting our time and increasing the wrath of God against us.

"And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, [one] of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing." Ezra 10:2

"…All the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of [this] matter, and for the great rain." Ezra 10:9b.

"Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do." Ezra 10:12

There is hope for us if we come before the Lord wholeheartedly, truly repentant. God’s promise is, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

There is hope for us if we are willing to be led completely by the Holy Spirit. There is hope for us, if we are willing to be controlled by the Holy Spirit in a work of a thorough reformation.

I refer to the great rain which fell upon the people in the days of Ezra, when they came before the Lord, as a symbol of the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will be come upon God’s people when this great work of revival and reformation is accomplished.

"In visions of the night representations passed before me of a great reformatory movement among God's people. Many were praising God. The sick were healed, and other miracles were wrought. . . . Hundreds and thousands were seen visiting families, and opening before them the word of God. Hearts were convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of genuine conversion was manifest. On every side doors were thrown open to the proclamation of the truth. The world seemed to be lightened with the heavenly influence. Great blessings were received by the true and humble people of God." Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 126.

Page developed by Nilson Jones. All rights reserved to SDARM. Copyright 2001.