Revival and the Dealings of
God
By Ivan Q. Spencer
[Abridged]
(Transcribed
from a spoken message)
"...I
saw that Pentecost would increase in numbers and just take over; spread out over the world; but it would lose in power. Did you hear me? It would lose in power
and spirituality. And I've lived to see those days..."
I'd like to speak a little, just a little bit this morning, of some of the dealings
of God in my own life, if you don't mind. It will help for us to understand,
possibly, what we are talking about from the book of Proverbs; that deals with the instruction to sons, people with spiritual
maturity. And that word “instruction” comes from a Hebrew word which
means: That which you learn as a result of discipline and scourging. “Instruction;”
that doesn’t sound too good, does it? But, there are some things you never
will learn in the purposes and plans of God; only as you go through definite dealings and disciplinings of the Lord. You who have children (that have had children), know that there are things that your
children never will learn; only through times of definite dealings and disciplinings, right?
Amen. And God plants His own Divine nature in us, and teaches us His wisdom
through His dealings. And I want to thank the Lord for some of them I've been
through back through the years.
I'd like to
start with a dealing of God back in 1912, while in the Bible Institute in Rochester, New York; and while waiting upon God
and seeking His face, alone one day, God began to deal with me. He showed me
a vision, first of a word: “Revival,” written in large red letters. I
could see it, well, with my naked eye, I could see them within the Spirit, and saw that same vision for a day or so. And I said, “Lord, what are you wanting to say to me?” And the Lord began to talk to me. He said, “There's
a great visitation, a great Revival coming, that's going to sweep the world.”
And He let me see. It came like great waves, ocean waves; it just swept
over one nation after the other, and covered the world. And I saw in the midst
of it the catching away of the saints, and also I saw a great judgment, a terrible judgment; right in the midst of this glorious
visitation of God.
And the Lord
let me see Pentecost back in that day. It was young, only, well, in these parts,
perhaps seven... six... seven years
of age. And I saw the hand of God implanting this supernatural visitation in
little groups and individuals throughout the world. And I saw that the thing
God had in mind especially in that visitation was to draw people to realize His presence and His supernatural-ness, and His
marvelous miraculous way of dealing with His people. And then I saw that Pentecost
would increase in numbers and just take over; spread out over the world; but it would lose in power. Did you hear me? It would lose in power and spirituality. And I've lived to see those days. Then
the Lord said to me, “I will discipline, I will sift, I will gather out a people that will go on with me.” Amen. And He said to me, “If you
will yield to My disciplining, My dealings, you can have a part in that visitation.”
So I'm nearly 78. I have something to live for, amen; something
to live for! Praise God. Amen. I tell you that, to tell you this; that through the years, that vision has stayed
with me. Sometimes there has been a tendency or something laid before me, along
the line of a deviation for what was God's purpose, and that vision would come back to me, and burn in my spirit and sometimes
break me all up.
In years after
years, we came in touch with others who had the same vision, like Brother Kinne, Brother Moorehead, Brother T. Arthur Lewis,
Sister Moon, and many others that God gathered around us. And we were greatly
encouraged. Then in time, “Revival” was the word that was so common. Everywhere people were seeking, and there were some since that time, some visitations...
the so called Latter Rain visitation. Now we're in a visitation that is charismatic,
visitation in the denominational churches. You heard last night the message the
Brother brought of the glorious visitation of God in East Africa. But, I want
to say this: These don't satisfy my heart. This isn't what God told me about. I'm happy to see these things. You have
Revivals today on different planes. There's Billy Graham; that's God, praise
the Lord. You heard what our Brother said last night, in that visitation in Africa,
this charismatic Revival where so many people were... and you could be occupied with these and all carried away with these,
and miss what God has for you over here. In other words, be satisfied with the...
the little Revival when God wants to meet the great world.
In '51, I was in India, and I was, just after that Latter Rain Revival.
God sent three of us brethren to India with the message and with the anointing.
And I want to say to the glory of God, God took us there in that anointing and visitation, and it swept India in a
powerful way. The thousands would gather; the ministers came; we laid hands upon
them; prophecy came; marvelous were the dealings of God for a period of three months.
One day in the
city of Madras, when we were having a wonderful Revival and thousands were coming, hundreds were coming to salvation, hundreds
were receiving the Baptism of the Spirit as we laid hand upon them; I remember
one service when we were called out in the morning, somewhere about five o'clock, asked to come out where some people were
who wanted the Baptism of the Spirit, and I came up to pray for them and we came out, and I thought there might be twenty
five or fifty, you know, but we got into the large place there, and there was at least a thousand people, and they were all
seeking God, seeking the Lord, praise God. Well, we just went among them, and
laid hands upon them. The brother, the elderly brother that was taking the leadership,
he sent me over among the women folk, women folk on one side, the men on the other, not on seats, but on the ground, and how
God did anoint. I couldn't understand if they were speaking in tongues or their
own language, but it was reported that day that something like three hundred and fifty received the Baptism that morning.
Praise God! So it gives you a little idea of the visitation that was on in India
in that hour.
And one night
after one of those wonderful meetings, the power of God just surged through our midst, and healings... opened... blind eyes
opened, deaf ears opened, dumb began to speak, and cripples were so marvelously healed and so on. And I went to my room, and I was greatly rejoicing in what the Lord was doing, and was so happy, and all
at once it seemed like a cloud came over my spirit, and I said, “Lord, are you wanting to say something to me,”
and the Lord began to talk to me and said, “Now, you see what I'm doing here, and I'm happy that you're thanking Me
for it, and praising me for it, and I have hundreds of others throughout the
world that are having as great, and perhaps more wonderful ministry, but this is only a drop in the bucket of what is in My
heart to do.” Praise the Lord. Amen. Do you realize how that affected me? Then,
I thought of the vision God gave me way back there; there's a glorious visitation coming.
Now, I could be occupied with that visitation (and a lot of our brethren were), and never saw anything more; and let
me say this from a heart that is being dealt with by God these days, and has been dealt with through the years: There are
a lot of our precious brethren occupied, so occupied, with the visitation of this hour... they will not go on to the next. That doesn't sound good, does it? God
is calling to me, I have to speak my heart. I have to speak. I'm not in the position I'm in today because I chose it. I'm
not in the position today because others chose it for me. I'm in this position
because of the dealings of God in my life. Praise the Lord.
Are you being
dealt with by the Lord? Are you satisfied with what you see around you? You take for instance what our brother said last night about America and what he’s
been telling us; that the United States, the condition, the spiritual condition, that's here, and I've been in the ministry over fifty years, here. It comes back on me, especially
a man of my age and experience and ministry. What have I been doing? And let me say this: We've had many types of ministers, some of the greatest preachers the world has ever
known, evangelists and so on. We've had a Revival of miracles and healings galore,
right? But, they haven't done the job.
Can you hear me? They've met a lot of people, but today, the USA is in
a worse spiritual condition, today, than it's probably ever been, right? Let's
face it. Let's face it. What is
it going to take to bring that Revival? You won't get it on old lines. It won't come on old lines. It just won't come. Why?... because all the Revivals and visitations we've had
have come on the plane of a mixture. Many an individual who have been used of
God have been puffed up with pride and taken the glory. Many an individual have
been so occupied with it, then the finances would come in; that money had caught them in its grip, and you could name many
others; the mixtures.
God is after
in these days to bring a people through into Him, into spiritual maturity, where they’re delivered from mixtures. And God has to start with getting rid of mixtures by getting... by dealing with the
mixer, the one that causes the mess; and that's you and I. You never can be used
of God in this visitation unless you're delivered from mixtures of the natural and the spiritual; the carnal and the spiritual...
you'll never be used of God in this coming visitation. So God is after a bringing
to maturity (you can call them what you want; sons, Bride of Christ, or whatever you want).
He's after bringing to a spiritual maturity, a people, praise God, that He has trained, that He's disciplined, that
He's gotten into the nature... and planted His own divine nature here, till we're finished with our old ways, our old orders,
our old systems, our old programs, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, and seek the Lord, praise God, and break in His hands! And God knows what He's about to do. I say the Lord
knows what He's about. I can't explain it all, but I see some things. Praise
God, Amen.
How many know
what it means?... We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in the high and the heavenly places. Do you know what it is to be seated with Christ in the heavenlies, hid with Christ
in God? When Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven; He took us with
Him and seated us in the heavenlies. O, you say, “Yes, I know that.” Theoretically?..., theoretically?..., or is it real?..., is it experimental? Is it experimental? Amen.
Oh, there's
so many of these visitations, of these Revivals, that are on a plane, a lower plane, but God wants to begin to, in the heavenly
realm, deal with the principalities and powers there! Hallelujah!..., and you
say, well, why doesn’t He do it?..., because you and I haven't come in... come up to the help of the Lord against the
mighty. We haven't taken our place. In
this visitation, it's going to begin at the top. Amen. Every city, every country, every part of the world today is under a dominion and authority of Satanic principalities. And if those powers are broken, the glory of God will come down upon the nations,
upon the people, upon the cities; and there are individuals today that know something about this, and you'll see some measure
of visitation, but God is after bringing a people up into Him; to see our place so in union with Jesus, so part of Him that
there's no separation; He in us, and we, in Him; and in union with His purposes. Amen.
Hallelujah! so that His great heartbeat, we feel it, here. So many people
think; well, because you just... because you don't enter with Him... in with Him in the revival and visitation they're seeing...
you’re backslid... you don't have a burden for the lost. I have a burden
for the lost! Praise God! but, I feel that the visitation that God has is so
glorious, and wonderful! It is beyond
anything we could ask or think!
God dealt with
Brother [Seeley] Kinne in his latter days; and he wrote a little pamphlet called “Divine Intervention.” Man's come to the end of himself in these end days, in his struggle, in his efforts, in his programs, in
his ways; and He's taking over Himself, now, Amen. Hallelujah. Glory! Are you conscious of this? Amen. He's stripping you; He's making you weak; He's emptying
you. The old orders, the old ways that you used to travel don't somehow produce
anymore, and you're thrown abjectly upon Him. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah! Are
you happy about it? Hallelujah. I
don't know a better life. This is the most wonderful way, the most wonderful
path! Praise God! Hallelujah...
because Jesus becomes so precious to you. You find yourself lost in His love,
lost in His power, lost in His wisdom, lost in His doings. Praise God, praise
God, praise God, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! You're just happy to see what God is
doing, but you're not stopping there.
