6. A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID RAVENHILL
STREAMS: Your father Leonard Ravenhill had a profound influence upon the lives of Keith Green, David Wilkerson and many others. What was it like growing up around Christian celebrities?
DAVID RAVENHILL: My father did have a major influence on these men and on many others. But it was not until later that I met these men, so I was not raised around them. My wife, Nancy, and I had the privilege of beginning our ministry in New York City with David Wilkerson and on occasion I had the opportunity to minister for Keith Green. Both these men were humble and would not consider themselves celebrities, but simply men raised up by the grace of God.
STREAMS: Someone said that when your father prayed, heaven came down. Would you agree?
DAVID RAVENHILL: Yes, there were times when you really sensed that my father touched God's throne in prayer. You were aware that it was familiar territory to him. Prayer was his life.
Ever since I can remember, I have seen my father praying. He would pray four to six hours a day. Even at the age of 87, just prior to his passing away, he would still rise up in the night to put in time in prayer and in the Word. He would prostrate himself on his face before God. He would often go away for several days with other godly men and spend time with them in prayer and fasting.
My father was a firm believer that when the Church is in a right relationship with God, no weapon formed by the enemy can stand against Her. When the Church is not in a right relationship, no amount of warfare is effective. He often quoted Psalm 81:13-14: "Oh that My people would listen to Me, that Israel had walked in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries."
STREAMS: What aspects of your father's prayer life influenced your prayer time?
DAVID RAVENHILL: The biggest influence my father had was his consistency and his fervency.
STREAMS: Your two books deal with spiritual maturity. Why is this theme important to your work and vision?
DAVID RAVENHILL: My wife and I are now the proud grandparents of four wonderful grandchildren. They are adorable and we love to see them and spend as much time with them as possible. Likewise, there is nothing more glorious than a newborn babe in Christ, but if a child never develops there is something tragically wrong. In a similar way, the Apostle Paul expresses this burden when he wrote to the Corinthians and told them they are still in need of milk because they are spiritual babes. His longing was for them to receive the meat of God's Word.
Spiritual maturity is best expressed by Jesus' statement: "I must be about my Father's business." Spiritual immaturity is seen when we are always wanting the Father to be about OUR business.
STREAMS: What is the significance of the title, THEY DRANK FROM THE RIVER, AND DIED IN THE WILDERNESS.
DAVID RAVENHILL: As you may be aware, the term "river" is used to express much of what God is doing today throughout the Body of Christ. This book is not in any way opposing this wonderful move of God. However, the book seeks to bring a much needed balance to the many extremes of this refreshing. As people, we have a tendency to chase after supernatural manifestations and experiences, and never move into God's purposes.
The book's title was taken from 1 Corinthians 10:4-5. The Apostle Paul warns the Church that in the wilderness, Israel was surrounded by the supernatural and daily drank from the river of God's presence. Yet only two, of more than 1 million people who left Egypt, ever made it to the Promised Land, which represent God's purposes in our lives. Likewise, God told Gideon to take his men down to the river where they would be tested. Those who drank simply for their own satisfaction and gratification were rejected, but those who drank while maintaining a posture of vigilance were chosen. Today, I believe there is a lot of selfish drinking that is not in accordance with God's purposes.
STREAMS: Are you working on a third book?
DAVID RAVENHILL: Yes. Currently, I am working on a third book for which the working title is "For Heaven's Sake, Listen." I am basing this book around God's messages to the seven churches in Revelation. As I travel around the nation, I am repeatedly asked, "What do you hear God saying to the Church?" For many years I've longed to be able to give them a true prophetic word. The Holy Spirit drew my attention to Revelation 1-3 and to the phrase, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Church". For most of my ministry, I had sought to have ears to hear the current message to the Church. I now realize that this is a serious error. We don't do this with any other portion of Scripture.
I have a deep and growing conviction that the messages to the seven churches are both timeless and universal. They reveal to us what God condones and what He condemns. What he values and what He voids. What He approves, and what He disapproves. So, the book is dealing with some of these issues.
STREAMS: Last year, your returned to your father's homestead in Lindale, Texas. What have you enjoyed most about returning home?
DAVID RAVENHILL: My wife and I are both convinced that God brought us here to a spiritual legacy that we don't fully understand. We purchased my parent's home and property. So we are adjusting to a rural lifestyle. I now have the privilege of having my father's office and many thousands of volumes of his books.
We are also surrounded by international ministries that are headquartered in East Texas--ministries such as Teen Mania, Youth With A Mission, Mercy Ships, and Calvary Commission. I am convinced that God has a deeper purpose here than any of us realize. I pray that in His season, this will become clear. In the meantime, I continue to travel throughout the United States and overseas. God has been faithful in opening doors for us. We continue to overwhelmed by His grace and goodness.
To order a copy of David's books, you can do so online at http://www.streamsministries.com. Or, call us toll-free (U.S. and Canada) at 888-441-8080.
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_________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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