What Would Happen If the Church Embraced Spiritual Spring Cleaning?

One of the joys of having Whispering Danny join Rudy Ross and me to record videos on Exodus is the experience both men have with Hebrew festivals.

Our focal Bible passage is Exodus 12.14-28.

Today, the three of us continue our discussion of the feast of Unleavened Bread. Danny and Rudy describe the festival as “spring cleaning.” You’ll enjoy their insight and humor as they describe what takes place.

What would happen if the church observed a spiritual spring cleaning on an annual basis?

A kind of spring cleaning or spiritual examination was the recommendation of Charles Finney, a Presbyterian minister and leader of America’s Second Great Awakening.

Finny’s book, “Lectures on Revival” was a major influence on my early spiritual development.

Break Up Your Fallow Ground

The prophet Hosea called upon God’s people to break up their spiritual “fallow ground.”

Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground,
for it is time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12)

A farmer’s ground becomes “fallow” when it is allowed to lie dormant, unplowed, and not planted with seed.

Finney recommended a time of serious contemplation of our spiritual condition as a way to break up the dormant, weed-filled aspects of our spiritual lives.

I remember taking a yellow legal pad and Finney’s book for a time of self-reflection, confession, and repentance.

Here is a summary of Finney’s material from his book. Let’s prayerfully give answers to these 10 self-examination questions. Like I did years ago, you may want to write down your answers to these questions.

(1) How many times has God blessed me, but I failed to give him thanks?

(2) To what extent do I follow God’s most important commandment – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6.5)?

(3) How often have I been guilty of not valuing or enjoying reading the Bible?

(4) How do I account for the moments of doubt when I didn’t trust God’s promises?

(5) Do I neglect times of prayer? How often does my mind wander when I am praying?

(6) In what way does my failure to show love for others reveal the true condition of my inner self?

(7) How has my behavior impacted my family? Have I prayed for them regularly and set a good example?

(8) When have I engaged in self-indulgence instead of self-denial?

(9) How do I feel about my possessions? Do I live as though they belong to me rather than to God?

(10) What about pride, jealousy, bitterness, dishonesty, and ill speech toward others? Does God have mastery of these attitudes and actions in my life?

Confession and Forgiveness

As a young pastor, I finished making the list of my answers to Finney’s questions and I prayed about each item on the two-page list.

When I was finished praying about my sins, I turned in the Bible to 1 John 1.9.

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I took the two pages that listed my sins outside and burned them. I trusted that my sins were forgiven and I was forgiven from all – not some – unrighteousness.

Rudy suggests in today’s video that we practice this kind of spiritual spring cleaning on a regular basis.

Spring has moved into summer, but anytime is a good time to give more of our lives to our Lord and Savior.

YouTube Video

Rudy Ross, Whispering Danny, and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.