Keys To Revival Series

I don’t think there’s a question in anyone’s mind that our nation, our city, and our church needs revival. There’s a darkness that’s settling over our cities and our churches.

It’s the encroachment of satanic influence. It’s driving families to turn against each other.

Matthew 10:21-22 “And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”

All of hell is being unleashed on us. We keep trying to fight this fight in the natural, we want more gun control laws, we want more police protection, we want more legislation to stop the crime.

Let me tell you, you can’t build a big enough police force to stop what has been set in order.

You can’t fight a spiritual battle in the natural.

The force that’s driving this upheaval is backed by demonic influence, so we must approach it on a spiritual playing field.

The only way to stop all of hell, is the God of heaven. That’s why we desperately need God’s intervention. This is why we need revival, not brought by man, but brought by God.

Before we can experience revival in our cities, we need revival in our churches. There are too many churches where Ichabod was been written over the door. The glory of the Lord no longer resides there. Other churches allow anything to go.

That can’t be if we’re going to see our city brought to Christ. As sure as I stand before you tonight, God has a will for our city. God loves the people of Fort Wayne. We might have the title of an All American city, but in this city of churches, we’re far from being a Godly city.

There’s something wrong in a city that has its newspapers supporting homosexual activities, has full-page articles on a certain birth control device that men use.

This city is far from perfect; the sin is a stench in the nostrils of God. But God loves its people, and you hear my heart tonight, until we can start loving this city and loving these people, we will remain a small ineffective church that barely makes it by.

It’s not enough that we love our church, God’s called us for greater things than just our church.

God’s not looking for social clubs or bless me clubs. He’s looking for someone who will share in His love for the city. He’s looking for someone that will do whatever it takes to reach out and share His love with this people.

The question is what is it going to take. That’s what I want to share with you tonight.

First, there needs to be a renewal of prayer and worship

We’ve turned it into a joke about people sleeping in our church, but let me share with you something, it’s no joke to God. I’m going to talk to you now as your pastor and Christ’s representative here in this church.

God is not pleased with our halfhearted attempts in our worship services. Sam Hinn writes in his new book, “Changed in His presence”…

“It is easy to see how someone views the worth of another person by the attitude they show them and by how they treat them.

Do we show God how valuable He is to us in our worship? Do we show Him how much He is worth to us?”

The answer is, your attitude in worship is showing God how valuable He is to you.

I don’t want anyone amening me for the next few moments because of what I’m about to share from my heart.

I believe that God is displeased with our lack of involvement in Worship.

We wonder why we don’t get anything out of a service, it’s because many times we aren’t engaged in our Worship.

Our lack of engagement in our worship has even caused visitors in our church to be confused because they didn’t know if they should be standing or sitting because half of the church was sitting and the other half was standing. I believe our lack of enthusiasm in our worship has caused people to not come back.

How can we expect someone else to be excited about our church when half of it seems to be bored to death.

I know some people are not physically able to remain standing because of health reasons, but something is wrong with us if we’re able body people who won’t reverence God enough to stand for 20 to 30 minutes.

Let me tell you, I’m tired is not an excuse. I don’t like the music is not an excuse. How can we tell God that we want Him in our church, but not show Him the honor due Him?