Revival

For me last week was an exciting week.  We had revival services.  We started Thursday night with the Forman’s giving a free concert in the Bucklin Park that was glorifying to God and we served over 75 hot dogs along with chips and drinks to the community.  Then Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday morning, Dave Miller did an amazing job sharing God’s Word, while the Forman’s provided great music for our services.  All of that was designed to draw people closer to God, and that is something that always gets me excited.

Revival is supposed to be a time where we renew our faith and increase our spiritual passion,,,

Psalms 85:6-7
⁶ Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.

I truly hope that has happened for people, because we need that in the world that we live in today.  I hope for people to draw closer to God and to grow and strengthen that relationship. Often times today we are encouraged to just blindly follow the crowd, and go with the flow, rather than be the person that God has called us to be.  As a result, we tend to not develop that relationship, but God has called us to more than that.  He wants us excited; He wants us on fire for Him, if we are not excited about Him, what is the point? Jesus clearly says in His letter to Laodicea…

Revelation 3:15-16
⁵ “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

God is really not interested in half-hearted worship, we need to be all in, or we are not honoring Him.

Isaiah 29:13-14
¹³ And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
¹⁴ therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

Malachi 1:10
¹⁰ Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.

If He wasn’t interested in half-hearted worship from His chosen people Israel, what would make us think that he is interested in it from us?

My encouragement and plea is for us to truly recommit our lives to growing and strengthening our relationship with our Lord and serve Him the way that He has called us.  Of course that will involve some sacrifice on our behalf, but not nearly as much as the sacrifice that He has made for us.

Thursday evening, Dave finished his message by reiterating what Alister Begg says in the clip here https://youtu.be/9ibqUrAjrZI.

While it got cut off on the video for the website, it points out that Jesus is our only way. “The man on the middle cross said I could come.”  When we truly understand that, when we understand the sacrifice that was made on our behalf, only then will we realize that anything that we give up, sacrifice or suffer is nothing in comparison. When we truly get it, it is a joy to give our lives completely over to Christ, it is a joy to be revived.

Thank you for reading this, as always, I would encourage you to spend time in His Word, in prayer and in the fellowship of other believers.  And if you haven’t visited already, I would encourage you to come visit our little church on the hill, it’s worth the drive.

Bro. Jason