MY STORY AND MY PASSIONS #5: REVIVAL
MY STORY: One of my passions is revival. I don’t want to just play church or be religious!
I want to see God come down and move in our hearts and lives in a very real way!
KEY TEXTS:
“Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?” (Psalm 85:6).
“O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!” (Habakkuk 3:2).
1. Two kinds of revival in the Bible: Personal and corporate - the church.
2. Before God will bring revival to the church, we individually need a spiritual awakening.
WHAT IS REVIVAL: Chayah: sustain life, be restored to life or health; to cause to grow; restore. Something that’s alive will be growing and bear fruit!
• When we are revived, we will be ‘juicy fruit’ Christians – full of the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control).
THE NEED FOR REVIVAL: PREACH!
When the people of God are easily offended; easily gossip; compromise with and justify sin; act and talk just like the world, put sports over God’s house, neglect prayer and Bible reading…
REVIVAL HISTORY: Throughout the history of the church, there have been times where God has send fresh fire to stir up His people to seek after Him again.
• 1500’s - the reformation – Luther and Calvin – reminded us salvation by grace alone
• 1900’s - the Pentecostal revival – William Seymour, Aimee Semple McPherson
THE WELSH REVIVAL OF 1904:
- 1904 - 26 year old ‘youth intern’ Evan Roberts had prayed for revival for 11 years.
- felt God was going to pour out a mighty spirit of revival on Wales - prayed, Bend me, O Lord!
- pastor led him speak following a prayer meeting, only 17 stayed, mostly youth & young adults.
- all ended up at altar crying out to God until 2 am. That week, 60 people were saved,
- next 1 1/2 years = revival in Wales, 100,000 people saved - changed national culture
- would pray from 1-5 am; prayer meetings were multiplied (2,000 in a meeting).
MY STORY:
• I have a hunger for more of God in my life. My life Scripture:
“1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” (Psalm 63:1-5).
• Are you hungry for more of God in your life? Are you tired of the usual?
• Have you tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord? He is GOOD!
TEXT: “1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever…"
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:1-3,14).
BIBLE STORY: “36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." 40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." 1 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” (Luke 7:36-47).
FOUR KEYS TO GETTING READY FOR REVIVAL:
1. HUMILITY – to admit our need for God.
• Humility means we acknowledge we need God.
• How many of us go through a whole day without calling on Him?
2. PRAYER – to pray in boldness and faith.
• We need to pray AND seek God’s face. Prayer for things like asking God for revival and spiritual awakenings for our lives, our families, and our church.
3. SEEK GOD’S FACE – where we want to know Him more.
• Revival isn’t a formula, it’s about falling in love with Jesus again! We’ve got to stop seeking His hands (his blessings) and seek His face (His presence, knowing Him).
4. REPENTANCE – to turn from our wicked ways.
• We will see God come in revival when we begin to seek Him in prayer and repentance.
• It’s all about seeing Jesus and the CROSS – salvation from our sins!
CLOSING: PRAYER FOR HUNGER!
Blog: http://pastorchrisjordan.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @ChrisJordan021
