Why are we not seeing more lives transformed by the power of Jesus?
What is keeping our church from experiencing revival?
What is keeping our church from seeing people saved?
What is keeping our church from seeing people sanctified?
Revival is the extraordinary work of god among His people causing extraordinary results in and through the church ¡V Promise Keepers
Revival is a process that God uses to change the world. Revival is God¡¦s way of bringing His people back to him. Revival is not just for those who are lost but it is also for the faithful who have lost the fire of their faith. Revival is for those who need a fresh anointing from God. In reality revival, real revival is for every single person on earth.
Phases of Revival ¡V Henry Blackaby: Fresh Encounter
Phase 1: God is on a mission to redeem a lost world. He calls His people into relationship with Himself, and he accomplishes His work through them.
Phase 2: God¡¦s people depart from Him, turning to substitutes for his presence, purpose and ways.
Phase 3: God disciplines His people out of His love for them that they would return to Him
Phase 4: God¡¦s people cry out to Him for help
Phase 5: God calls His people to repent and return to Him or perish
Phase 6: God revives His repentant people by restoring them to a right relationship with Himself
Phase 7: God exalts His Son Jesus in His people and draws the lost to a saving faith in Him
Revival is an act of God, not us. We do not bring revival. We do not create revival. We can only respond when God calls
14 Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine, 15 the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself. 16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish. 17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. 18 Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. 19 Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:14-18
Revival begins in seeking a spiritual comeback
Return to us O God Almighty! V. 14
One of the misconceptions of revival is that somehow the church or people need to draw God back. The Israelites called for God to return to them. The issue was not that God had left them but rather that they had to get into a position where they were ready for God to pour out His blessing upon them.
God is already here with us. We need to prepare ourselves to receive what God wants to give. We need to get ourselves ready on a personal level and we have to be ready on a corporate level.
What is keeping us from experiencing revival?
Lack of personal preparation
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Worship
- Bible Reading and Study
Lack of Corporate Preparation
- Times of corporate prayer (Not just in worship)
Prayer Vigil: February 16 (12 Hours)
Prayer Retreat: March 2 (9am to 1pm)
Prayer Vigil: March 30 (12 Hours)
- Lack of genuine seeking of God
God stops moving when the people stop seeking
Why do we stop seeking?
* Busyness
* Misplaced priorities
* Spiritual satisfaction
Revival begins when we accept spiritual correction
We will never experience the power of God¡¦s reviving Spirit until we accept His divine correction. The problem for most of us is that we hate correction. How can we get on the same page with God unless we listen to His guidance?
Correction: Allowing God to show you what is wrong in your walk with Him.
Conviction: Allowing God to give guidance on a daily basis
Cleansing: Allowing God to bring forgiveness with our repentance
1. Known sin must be confessed
Many times we try to justify our behavior and we try to make excuses for our sinfulness. God does not take these things lightly because sin is still sin. God makes it clear that He cannot and will not work within a heart that harbors sin. We buy into a lot of socially acceptable sins and even sins that the church seems to accept.
- Obvious sins: There are often times things that come immediately to mind
- Hidden or buried sins: There are things that we often bury that God desires to unearth. We need to ask for God to search us and show us any offensive way
2. God expects repentance
Repentance means to turn away from sin. Repentance mean to have sorrow over hurting the heart of God. We will never experience revival in our lives and in the church until we are willing to repent. The time has come to stop playing games with God. Our world has become a spiritual wasteland and the longer we wait to get serious with God, the longer we lose to make an impact on eternity.
Revival begins when God moves in power
We need for the power of God to rest upon our church. I do not mean that we need just a filling of this building or an outpouring on this property. What we desperately need is an outpouring of God¡¦s power on our people. We need for God to move our hearts and our spirits to get back in line with Him. We need for a movement of the Holy Spirit to bring an empowerment on the church to accomplish God¡¦s work. We need for God to pour out an additional anointing on the people to be in tune with Him. God needs to raise up those who would be willing to stand in prayer for the church.
Revival happens when God moves to bring new life
Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name v. 18
The word revive means to bring back. God wants to bring your life back to where it should be. He desires to bring us back to the place of personal relationship with Him. We are meant to have a close relationship with God. We need to either dedicate our lives to Him or rededicate our lives to Him. Has there ever been a time in your life when you were closer to God than you are right now?
A backslider is a person who was once emptied of their own ways and filled with the ways of God, but gradually allowed their own ways to seep back until they are all but empty of God ¡V Richard Owens Roberts in Revival
Either we are growing closer to God by the removal of self or we are on a slow slide backwards by the removal of God. You may not be emptied of God at the moment but are you sliding in the wrong direction?
Revival comes when God restores spiritual vitality
Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved v. 19
A work of God¡¦s Spirit among His own people, what we call revival, is simply New Testament Christianity, the sains getting back to normal. ¡V Vance Havner
God will spark new power in your life but only if you let Him. God can give you the strength to overcome those secret areas of your life but only if you let Him. You can experience revival but you have to be willing. The only person keeping you from experiencing more of God¡¦s presence and power in your life is you. The time has come to start letting go of what you¡¦re holding on to and start reaching for revival.
Conclusion
Call on God: Seek the face of Jesus ¡V Call on Christ to renew your heart and mind. Call on Jesus to change your heart to make it more like His.
Confess: Dedicate your life to Christ „³ What sins are you holding on to? Will you ask God to search your heart and show your need?
Commit: rededicate your life to Christ ¡V Allow the Spirit move in your life and empty you of you. Seek God to fill you with more and more of His Spirit.
Consecrate: Seek a new deeper walk with Christ, let go of the past, remove any doubtful thing ¡V Give it over to Christ
What is keeping God from sending revival to your heart?
- What needs to change? What do you need to give back to God?
