Revival

 

I have been thinking about a question someone asked me, “What is the purpose of Monday Night Prayer?” I began a long list of reasons we pray on Monday nights and narrowed the list to one item: we pray for revival. (Synonyms for revival include, renewal, refreshing, restoration, and a return to a lifestyle of following Jesus.)

I am not talking about the week of nightly services that our churches had 50 years ago. Revival happens when church members are led by the Holy Spirit in everyday living – at work, at church, at play. All day. Every day. Everywhere.

When revival happens, the Holy Spirit convicts believers and non-believers so that:

Believers confess sins and ask forgiveness from God and those they have offended.

Non-believers repent and trust Jesus for salvation.

So, tonight we will pray once again for revival. 

While preparing for prayer time this evening, I thought about Bruce Ashford’s challenge to our church last night (May 16, 2021.) Here are a few observations.

 Follow me!

Jesus’ command in John 1 is two simple words, eight letters. The young kids in my neighborhood give one another this command often as they explore my flower beds and all the yards around us. Teenagers on a hike are told by their guide, “Follow Me.” And young college graduates have a mentor who says, “Follow me.” 

When these words are spoken by Jesus in John 1, they have a profound meaning for (his first disciples and) us. We could paraphrase the beginning of the passage in Luke 14 on discipleship as “Guys, here are some of the requirements I was talking about when I said to you, “Follow me.”

1. Love God. This is the first commandment and by far the most important. We must love God more than anyone and more than anything. If we do not, we will not love people as we should, and we will not make disciples as we should. What do we think about the most? What do we enjoy the most? What activities take our “free” time? What do we read? Who do we spend time with? If the honest answer to these questions is not God and prayer and reading the Bible and being with godly people, we need to carefully consider who and what we love the most. (Note: church does not equal God!!!)  

2. You will suffer. Suffering is a part of being a disciple that we want to ignore, but if we are not willing to suffer ridicule and marginalization and even pain, we cannot be the disciple that Jesus wants. 

3. Understand the cost. The cost may be popularity in this life, riches, fame, power, health, relationships, temporary fun. But the inheritance that awaits us is infinitely worth more than the cost. Turning back because the d-cist is too high is an embarrassment to the name and character of Jesus. 

4. Let go. Turn loose of the things you once enjoyed and live a life of full obedience.

After realizing Jesus’ requirements for the job of being a disciple, many refuse to accept His request of “Follow me.” But, if you accept, here are some practical suggestions:

Practical Suggestions

Daily conversation with God. Silence. Listening. Talking.

Read the Bible. Study it. Meditate on it. Daily. Spend more of your free time reading the Bible than other books or trolling the internet or living in the virtual world.

When you begin to talk and listen to god and read the Bible, God changes you so that: 

You say “Yes” to Nothing. (You say yes before God asks the question.) 

Nothing becomes Something.

You do Something. 

You continue to communicate with God and Read the Bible and God shows you Something New. 

You do Something New 

Keep it going!!

The Secret

Once we become a committed disciple, God supplies all the resources we need to carry out the Somethings he places in front of us!!!