What does renew mean in the Bible? When the Bible speaks of renewal, it sometimes refers to the physical renewal—rest—that is required for our bodies to continue functioning at their best. What is the definition of renewal? Asa renewed the altar of the Lord.
Both terms, represented by a variety of Hebrew and Greek words, are used in literal and figurative contexts. Romans 12:instructs us to, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your min that ye may prove what is that goo and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (KJV).
Were all for revival out there, but when it gets too close to home, we begin to get a bit nervous. Revival also implies change. That threatens us because, even if were not doing real well spiritually, we tend to get comfortable with the predictable. See full list on bible.
But I suggest that we all are in constant need of continuing spiritual renewal. Every day the worl the flesh, and the devil seek to pull us back into a spiritual lethargy that chokes the new life we received through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Like silver exposed to the elements, we grow tarnished and dull spiritually. Thus we constantly need renewal or revival.
But we need it not only individually, but corporately, as Gods people.
Corporate revival happens when Gods Spirit moves on a group of His people, often on many groups in the same region at the same time, bringing a new awareness of Gods holiness, of our own sinfulness, and of His abundant grace. It always in Gods people confessing and forsaking sin, of an increase of the conversion of sinners, and of great joy in the Lord. But at the same time, there are conditions we can meet as His people so that if He should choose to move in a mighty way, His power would not be hindered.
It is from first to last a work of God. They are essential factors if we want to walk in daily freshness with our Lord. We can see three important factors of spiritual renewal in the revival that happened under the good king Hezekiah (Chron. 29): Dont misunderstand: Im not saying that we should ignore pressing problems. They demand our attention and we would be negligent not to attend to them.
But I am arguing that Hezekiahs example shows us that the most pressing need in a time of need is to renew our commitment to the Lord. Only after we have done that are we free to seek His mind on how to deal with the pressing problem. Often the very reason God sends the problem is to get us to stop and get our priorities back in line. Once weve done that, He often deals with the problem in ways we never could have, even if we had put all our efforts into solving it. Hezekiah could have looked around and thought, Things are grim.
My father shut down the temple. He lost a lot of our territory to other nations. And were under the thumb of Tiglath-Pileser. He could have grown very depressed and have been paralyzed into doing nothing. But instead he committed himself to follow the Lord.
He rallied the priests to re-open the temple for worship. He called the nation back to God.
And as soon as God breaks into any situation, the darkness is dispelled by the light of His presence. It applies to our nation at this time. We see sin abounding. People are flaunting their degradation.
Religious liberties are being taken from us. But if we, as Gods people, will commit ourselves fully to Him, there is hope! If God will break into the church and nation with His light, there is no limit to what can happen. It also applies to you personally.
Perhaps youre in a hopeless, discouraging situation. Youve given every ounce of your effort to trying to deal with it, all to no avail. But can you conceive of any problem that is too big for God? If God breaks through into your situation, there is hope.
The main thing is that we renew our commitment to Him. Adoniram Judson, the great pioneer missionary to Burma, was suffering from fever in a stinking, rat-infested prison. He had seen little fruit for his years of hard work and sacrifice. He had gone through many setbacks and hardships.
A letter from a friend arrived which aske Judson, hows the outlook? He replie The outlook is as bright as the promises of God. Commitment to God brings hope into the darkest of situations.
Undergirding Hezekiahs reforms is an understanding of what the Law of Moses prescribed and a commitment to follow that completely. He knew what was clean and unclean (29:5). Spiritual renewal is always centered on a renewal of the authority of Gods Word. Again, we can only understand how radical this was for Hezekiah if we remember his background and the spiritual climate he grew up in.
His father was an abusive, self-centered man who had burned some of Hezekiahs brothers to death by offering them to the pagan go Molech! Ahaz had set up idol worship throughout the whole country. Hezekiah easily could have been a rebellious, angry young man, mad at Go mad at his abusive father, just going with the evil current of his day.
What Im getting at is, he didnt drift into the direction he took. He had to make a commitment to go against the evil ways of his father (29:6) and to follow Gods Word even when it ran counter to the evil customs being practiced. Sometimes people come to church and leave mumbling, I didnt get anything out of it. The point is, Did the Lord get anything out of you? Did you come to draw near and offer to the Lord a joyous, reverent thank offering because of His grace shown to you through the blood of Christ?
John Wesley sai Give me 1men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but Go and I will shake the world. And if Gods Spirit moves in a mighty way in our midst, we will rejoice over what He has prepare because the thing came about suddenly. To understand this story, you have to remember the previous chapter and the dismal spiritual situation in Judah under the wicked King Ahaz, Hezekiahs father.
He began by introducing idol worship alongside the worship of God and ended by closing the doors of the Temple, sacrificing to the gods of Damascus, and establishing centers of idol worship in every Judean town. Because of Ahazs apostasy, the Lord stirred up enemies against him from every side. That held him at a distance long enough for him to polish off the northern kingdom of Israel and their neighbor to the north, Syria.
But feeding the monster only made him stronger, and now he was threatening Judah. The Assyrian army was known for its brutality and awesome power. If they overran Judah, thousands would be slaughtere families would be torn apart, people would be hauled into captivity as slaves, and the worship of God among His people would be a thing of the past. If you were Hezekiah, taking the leadership of a nation under those conditions, what would be your first priority?
In light of this desperate historical setting, the words of verse take on heightened significance: In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. Then he calls the priests and Levites and charges them to consecrate themselves (first) and the Lords house (second) (29:5) to reverse the awful conditions introduced by his father. He shares with them what is in his heart, namely, to make a covenant with the Lord God (29:10), and repeats his charge to them, Do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him to minister to Him (29:11). Hezekiahs first priority in the face of a national crisis was to call the nation and its leaders back to the proper commitment to God.
We can learn several things from his example: Renewed commitment to God and His Word always reveals areas of our lives that have been displeasing to God. Thus the second element in spiritual renewal is cleansing. Note that reform or renewal always starts with the person and moves outward to the church (29: consecrate yourselves and consecrate the house of the Lord). Many of these priests had fallen into unfaithfulness and idolatry, so they had to deal with their own sin before they could begin the process of cleansing the temple.
God cant use you to impact others for Christ until you cleanse yourself from defilement. But, thank Go if were willing to clean up our lives, even if it takes a while to shovel it all out, He will restore us and use us again for His purpose! When you face a crisis, the natural human response is to focus on the crisis. If youve lost your job, your first priority is to focus on finding another job. If your marriage is in trouble, focus on your marriage.
If your teenager is rebellious, focus on dealing with your teenager. Down through history, God has broken into the worst of situations to bring hope and light when, humanly speaking, things are hopeless. At the time of the Reformation, spiritual conditions were abysmal. The Roman Catholic church was corrupt beyond description.
Then God converted a German monk named Martin Luther and a French lawyer named John Calvin. Through these men and many others, the good news that Christ died for sinners and that His forgiveness and eternal life are a free gift to all who will trust in Him began to be proclaimed. Hope broke into a darkene hopeless situation!
The same thing happened during the English revival in the 18th century with the Wesleys and George Whitefield. Some historians argue that England would have faced a bloody revolution similar to that in France if that revival had not taken place. A radical commitment to Gods Word means that even though you had angry, abusive, self-centered parents, you confront your own anger, abusiveness, and self-centeredness so that it doesnt continue in your family. Even though your parents worshipped gods of their own making, whether money or pleasure, you worship the living God in accordance with His Word of truth.
The burnt offering pictured consecration. It was offered up totally to the Lord (the worshiper did not eat any of it) and represents the surrender and holiness demanded of those who have received Gods forgiveness. Our response to His mercy in becoming our sin offering should be to give ourselves completely to HiI urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Go to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to Go which is your spiritual service of worship (Rom. 12:1). The thank offering pictured devotion.
These were voluntary offerings expressing love and gratitude for Gods many blessings. The author to the Hebrews refers to this when he writes, Through (Christ) then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to Go that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. I love verse 36: Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.
God prepared it (He is the sovereign cause of revival), but it happened suddenly! There was a joyous spontaneity to the whole thing. Christians are to be overflowing with gratitude (Col. 2:7).
The birth of our Savior had been prepared from ages past, and yet suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God. In Acts we read that suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind and yet this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel hundreds of years before! Prepared by Go but it happened suddenly. A solid church that believes in preaching the Wor reading the Wor and singing the Word is invaluable in helping us renew our minds.
Ruth 4:- He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indee your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. The Biblical doctrine of the new birth, renewal, and the final restoration of all things. Cor 4:and Col 3:1 both times referring to God ever-transforming the believer – by renewing the new man (anthrōpos) in Christ. Moulton and Milligan (Vocabulary) do not find any secular occasions of 3(anakainóō) in the papyri.
This exhortation really serves as a summary statement of all that follows. A living sacrifice to God is one who does not conform, but is transformed. Renewal definition is – the act or process of renewing : repetition. How to use renewal in a sentence.
The idea of a restoration of the world had its origin in the preaching of the Old Testament prophets.