Preparing for Revival

Preparing For Revival
2 Chronicles 7:14

“There are eras when only a large outpouring of the Spirit can produce a public general reformation.” Samuel Davies (Early President of Princeton University)

What Is Revival?

Revival is not…

• Just Evangelism
• Just Emotionalism
• Just Excitement
• Just an Event

Revival is “The extraordinary movement of God in the hearts of God’s people, producing extraordinary results.”

Historically Times of Revival Have Been Marked By:

1. Extraordinary Prayer
2. Extraordinary Conviction and Repentance
3. Extraordinary Love and Unity
4. Extraordinary Worship
5. Extraordinary Witness and Service
6. Extraordinary Spiritual Awakening among the lost

Three levels of awareness of God’s presence:

• General/Universal sense of God’s presence
• Cultivated sense of God’s presence
• Manifest sense of God’s presence

Cooperating With God in Seeking Revival
2 Chronicles 7:14

1. God’s Design

“who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14, ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10, ESV)

2. God’s Demand

• Humble Themselves

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6, ESV)

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10, ESV)

• Pray

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1, ESV)

“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31, ESV)

• Seek My Face

“You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”” (Psalm 27:8, ESV)

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV)

• Turn from their wicked ways

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17, ESV)

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,” (Acts 17:30, ESV)

“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4, ESV)

3. God’s Delight

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:14, ESV)

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13, ESV)

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” (Acts 3:19–21, ESV)

How interested are you in having God, in an extraordinary way invade your life, your family, our church and this nation?