After taking last week off from blogging; I am back with a new
post. At this point last week I was at
work on a sermon for Sunday. Revival was
the topic the Lord led me to study; the title of my sermon was Revive Us Again! Therefore, I thought it might be interesting
to consider some Scriptures, as well as some quotes on revival (which may or
may not have appeared in my sermon text).
In the future, I may share my sermon; for now, I offer these
thoughts. Many of us are praying for and
longing to be revived and refreshed.
Revival starts on the individual level and then spreads. I encourage you to prayerfully read through
this post.
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| Image from Pixabay |
Create in me a
clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy
spirit from me.
Restore unto me
the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
(Psalm 51:10-12 KJV)
Wilt
thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.
(Psalm
85:6-7 KJV)
If
my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
(2
Chronicles 7:14 KJV)
O Lord, I have heard thy speech,
and was afraid: O Lord,
revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make
known; in wrath remember mercy.
(Habakkuk
3:2 KJV)
Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
And he shall send
Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you…
(Acts 3:19-20 KJV)
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They tell me a revival is only
temporary; so is a bath, but it does you good.
~Billy Sunday[1]
A revival does two things.
First, it returns the Church from her backsliding and second, it causes the
conversion of men and women; and it always includes the conviction of sin on
the part of the Church. What a spell the devil seems to cast over the Church
today!
~Billy Sunday[2]
I believe there is no doctrine
more dangerous to the Church today than to convey the impression that a revival
is something peculiar in itself and cannot be judged by the same rules of
causes and effect as other things.
~Billy Sunday[3]
When is a revival needed? When carelessness and unconcern keep the
people asleep.
~Billy Sunday[4]
When may a revival be
expected? When the wickedness of the wicked grieves and distresses the
Christian.
~Billy Sunday[5]
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“…revival is nothing more or less than a new beginning of
obedience to God. It’s a church
word… It is not for the
nonbeliever. Revival starts with the
church and then affects the world. The
world does not need revival; the church does. The world needs evangelism.”[6]
~Greg Laurie
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With these
Scriptures and quotes in mind, I invite you to pray with me and others for
revival—personal and within our churches.
America is clearly in need of a revival before things get worse. God may
bring us a revival or He may choose to not bring revival. Nevertheless, revival is a sovereign act of God.
Many have written a great deal on the
topic of revival. Reading has its place;
however, it is in experiencing revival that we are changed, renewed, refreshed,
and made clean.
What Scriptures
would you add to this list?
What is your
favorite quote on revival listed above or one that you have read elsewhere?
Please join with
me in prayer:
Loving Father,
Thank You for the gift of spiritual hunger and desire for more of You. Encourage us to fan the flame of Your light
within us, so that we will continue to burn and shine brightly for You. We cry out for revival, our dry spiritual
bones need reviving; just as those old, dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision came to
life through the breath of the Spirit—we seek fresh wind and fresh fire of the Holy
Spirit. Please be gracious to us and
revive us once again. Thank You for the
desire You have planted within the hearts of Your children to seek revival from
You. We understand this is a special
gift from You for us, Your people.
Prompt us to take what we receive from You and share with those around
us—first with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ and then with those around us
in evangelism. In Jesus’ Name, we
pray. Amen.
From My Heart to
Yours,
Kim
Oh, I love Billy Sunday! It's been YEARS since I've seen anything about him or from him. Thank you for "reviving" those memories, as well as sharing these very pertinent thoughts on the need for revival in our own hearts first, and then the church, and then the nation and out into the whole world. Christ is coming soon, and we need to be ready! I pray that your message started a flame burning in the hearts of your congregation that will spread throughout your community and keep burning brightly on from there. May the Lord bless you and keep you always!!
ReplyDeletePam, I'm so glad I could "revive" some memories for you. I know little about Billy Sunday, other than he was a rather fiery preacher. You are spot on in your comments about our needs as individuals and as a church and as a nation. My prayer is that people who heard my message will take it to heart and prayer. May the Lord bless you and keep you always, as well!!
DeleteBlessings!
Although I can't recall the name of the praise song, as I read your post, Kim, this chorus came to mind: "Let revival come, let the people sing, to the glory of Your name." Just seemed to go perfectly with what you have written here.
ReplyDeleteMay we all be revived and renewed with a fresh commitment to the Lord!
Love and blessings!
Martha, Thank you for sharing that my words triggered a praise song in your brain. I don't think I'm familiar with it. Perhaps something to investigate for the future? Yes, may we, as God's children, be revived and renewed in our walk with the Lord.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Hi Kim! I love the cry of King David, to create a clean heart in me O Lord...isn't that always our prayer? We may have different words, but the intent is always clear. Make me better than I am today.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your sermon was well received, supported by all the Scripture passages. Now that we are in the Lenten Season, our hearts turn to preparing ourselves for the coming again of Christ in our hearts, souls and families at Easter. It's a wonderful time to remember that God wants to renew us more than we want it for ourselves!
Sunday blessings,
Ceil
Hi Ceil! I agree with you about King David's cry; it's my cry too. Yes, my sermon seemed to be well received. My prayer is that those who listened will take it to heart and apply it prayer for themselves first and then for the church. In my sermon, I used some, but not all, of the above Scriptures and only one of the quotes was used.
DeleteYes, God desires to renew and cleanse us, as you said, more than we desire it for ourselves.
Blessings to you on this week,
Kim