474 - It's Time to Call a Sacred Assembly

We Desperately Need to Call a Sacred Assembly

As in the time of Joel, the church today needs to come together and call for a sacred assembly, or a time of national repentance and spiritual renewal. A sacred assembly is a time where everyone who is called by the name of the Lord drops everything and comes together for a season of fasting, praying, repentance, and revival. But before there can be a national move of the Spirit in our land, there has to be a move of the Spirit in our individual lives. Hence, individual revival must come before a national revival.

And this is why the call for individual brokenness and repentance is so important today. Consider what the Lord said to Joel in his time about personal repentance.

Joel 2:12 – “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, (how) with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning (wailing, great lamenting).”

And then, after the people are revived, the nation can be revived.

Joel 2:15-16 – Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room.

No one is exempt. This is a time of communion with the Lord.

Personal Revival Must Come Before National Revival

But a personal commitment to Him must precede a national commitment. After all, a nation is made up of individuals. And as the individuals go, so does, by definition, the nation. Therefore, each of us must decide to recommit our lives to the One Who saved us before we can come together as a group and expect God to do anything.

So what would be the focus of our commitment? For me, Oswald Chambers describes it perfectly in My Utmost for His Highest. This is from January 1st.

My Utmost for His Highest. “My eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed.” We shall all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus on the point He has asked us to yield to Him. Paul says—”My determination is to be my utmost for His Highest.” To get there is a question of will, not of debate nor of reasoning, but a surrender of will, an absolute and irrevocable surrender on that point. An over-weening consideration for ourselves is the thing that keeps us from that decision, though we put it that we are considering others. When we consider what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He does not know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point; He does know. Shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only—”My Utmost for His Highest.”

I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.

Join us as we recommit our lives to our Lord and prepare to call for a sacred assembly.