3 Biblical Ways We Can Usher in Revival
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If we pause to observe closely what is going on in the church across the world, we can begin to see the call for revival. We see college campuses lingering in worship. Youth conferences overflowing with passion and life. Prison cells being invaded by the Holy Spirit, showing them hope for the future. Visions of a “red faced man” from new Christians in hard-to-reach areas such as Iraq and Iran. Families deciding to take the road less traveled and embracing the Bible’s charge to live in a countercultural manner. We begin to see God’s description of true religion, which is to care for the widows and orphans (James 1:27) and model our lives after this calling. God is on the move, if we have eyes to see his hand at work.
There are stories rolling into the church of the Holy Spirit meeting men and women in their cells every week! In our own family, our soon-to-be-daughter through adoption’s biological father gave his life to Jesus, not because of us, but because he was one of the inmates church was being streamed to. He picked up his Bible, began reading, and soon decided to give his life to Jesus. I can’t wait to see what Jesus does with his story and ours!
We don’t have the most perfect church, but I believe that the decision to look outside our walls and choose to see those that have all but been forgotten by our communities is resulting in a revival in our church building. The beautiful thing is that we all benefit from it. The rich, poor, needy, brokenhearted, and all the rest that attend our church are seeing our lives impacted because God is present in our church community. I love more than anything that we have a God that would choose to start a revival through the prison system!
Matthew 6:9-13 is known as the Lord’s prayer. It says, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Jesus showed us how to pray.
He instructs us to praise God, ask him to bring Heaven down, provide for us, forgive us, protect us, and change us. Use this model when you pray and begin to worship him with new passion. Specifically ask him to bring Heaven down in your home, community, church, and more! Tell him what you need. Trust that he will provide for you. Ask him to keep you away from things that will distract and ensnare you. Heed God’s protective boundaries for your life. Rely on him to deliver you, making you more like him each day. This is a prayer that changes us and changes our world.
God is always at work. We are never without his spirit near us, but there are special times and places that he shows up in more obvious ways. Our world is hungry and thirsty for truth. They are searching for hope and meaning all the while the culture is feeding them chaos and counterfeits. We need our generation to meet Jesus. They don’t need politics, religion, or a program. We need Jesus, his word, and the truth to stand. May God do what only he can do.
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