By Larry B. Elrod

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)–Seek God desperately, Midwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary students were challenged during a special chapel
service in conjunction with the Kansas City, Mo., seminary’s annual day
of prayer. John Hannah, senior professor of historical theology at
Dallas Theological Seminary, called on students to personally seek
revival during a two-hour chapel service, with his Oct. 22 message
followed by a time of individual and corporate prayer and repentance.

Hannah was at the seminary for two days, speaking in various classes
and presenting a dramatic monologue of Jonathan Edwards.

Alan Tomlinson, assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at
Midwestern and who studied under Hannah at Dallas, introduced Hannah to
students, saying, "Everyone who came out of [Hannah’s] class had
grown in their relationship with God. He marked me for life."

In his opening remarks, Hannah noted how English evangelist Gypsy
Smith answered the question, "How do you have a revival?"
Hannah quoted Smith as saying, "’Get some chalk. Get alone. Get on
your knees. Draw a circle around yourself. And pray. Ask God to give you
a heart for him. And don’t get up until he has answered your
prayer!"

Using the second chapter of Jonah as his text, Hannah said the
prophet’s prayer contains the four main elements for renewal in the life
of a servant of God: desperation, confession, repentance and
rededication.

Hannah noted in the story the pagan sailors desperately tried to
save themselves and Jonah from the storm and showed more compassion for
Jonah, who was asleep, than Jonah showed for the Ninevites.

Hannah then asked the seminary audience, "Why is it chalk time
for you and I?"

"Before he can reach down into the hearts of pagans, he has to
reach down into the hearts of his prophets," Hannah said.
"Before he can reach kings, he’s got to reach preachers."

Hannah asked the seminary community if they were ready to get out
the chalk, draw a circle around themselves, pray, and not get up until
they were filled with a sense of God’s presence. Commenting on revival,
Hannah declared, "Before there can be revival in Kansas City, there
has to be revival at Midwestern Seminary. Before there can be revival at
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, there has to be confessing sinners at 5000
North Oak."

Hannah said of Jonah that while he had a marvelous testimony, he
lacked obedience and a heart for God. It took a storm, being thrown
overboard and ending up in the belly of a big fish to bring Jonah to a
sense of desperation great enough to cause him to pray. Hannah said he
felt sorry for the fish having to bear the burden of a rebellious
prophet in his belly for three days.

"It is dangerous in life to have a knowledge of God without
having a passion for God," Hannah said, noting spiritual giftedness
will wreck the Christian who relies upon it alone. "The most
marvelous place to be is in desperation," said Hannah, calling it
the place where obedience begins.

Desperation also serves as a mark of the servant of God, Hannah
said. True confession always leads to repentance, he explained.
Repentance is not a change in your mental apparatus, it is a change in
your morph, he said, using the Greek word for form.

"That always leads to rededication," Hannah said of
confession. "I really think that is what a day of prayer is — a
day set aside to make a remarkably profound statement."

Hannah asked those assembled if they would be willing to say,
"I will sacrifice my life to you, oh God." He said while some
might answer they didn’t feel called, that was not the question.

"I am asking you if you are willing," Hannah said.
"Have you come to the end of yourself? Are you desperate? Or are
you still relying on your natural talents?"

After Hannah’s message, the students got down on their knees and
began to petition God for the movement of his Spirit in their midst.
After a season of individual prayer came a time of corporate prayer,
confession, repentance and rededication. Out of the circles of chalk
came prayers such as "Forgive us for our busyness;"
"Forgive us for our self-reliance;" "Forgive my
sinfulness;" "Forgive me for not being a loving child of God
when others can’t see;" and "Forgive me for not witnessing
this morning when I had the chance."

One student prayed, "Lord, forgive me for being a cancer to the
body of Christ. I know even by my attitude I have made worship difficult
for everyone else, for my wife and for my child, for my brothers and
sisters around me, for the professors and for the president of this
campus. Lord, please cleanse my heart. Help me to go the way of
righteousness and not be a cancer to your body. Thank you in Jesus’
name."