My hope is…
Living Hope will be revived. “Revival” is a term created by Christians to describe a monumental moment when God sees fit to raise up a people to pray and, in grace, God responds to those prayers by producing a hunger in His people for the Word, for worship, and for a work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In revival, the Holy Spirit leads believers to love and to confess Jesus Christ in a deeper, more faithful way than at other times.
So please pray! Pray that the Holy Spirit will deepen our love for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior. Plead that God will give us a desire to know Him and His Word. It is the Spirit of God who enables people to confess that Jesus is Lord, and it is under His lordship that we delight in God’s Word and work. Ask the Holy Spirit to move on us mightily.
It is through prayer that God has often done a great work. We read in Acts 4:31, “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.” It is by prayer that we see the power of God at work. James 5:16–18 reads, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
We are currently engaged in praying through 6 Reasons God Should Revive Living Hope, and praying for 11 Specific Ways We Want to See Revival Take Place (click here). We are being specific so that as God answers our prayers and these things begin to happen, we can praise God and honor Him knowing that He did it. God causes us to pray and then in His mercy and grace according to His will, He answers our prayers.
Each week, we are going to focus on one of these “11 Specific Prayers.” The specific “Revival Prayer” will be posted with our weekly prayer focus on social media. During our worship gatherings on Sunday mornings, at some point, an elder or staff member will pray that week’s “Revival Prayer.” We are also asking that all of the children, students, and adults in classes on Sunday mornings please also present the “Specific Prayer” to God. We also need every Small Group and any other gatherings or service teams to pray the week’s “Specific Prayer” to God and ask Him to revive us.
Occasionally, I or another leader will present the “6 Reasons,” as I did in the Worship Center on Sunday, April 28. These reasons are very convicting. They speak to the greatness of God’s Name and the depth of our need.
It is our hope that this concentration of prayer will:
- Move the heart of God
- Move the heart of the people
- Move the hand of God to change the heart of the people
Please notice that we are praying for “revival” and not an “awakening.” Revival is what happens to those who are already saved. We read in 1 Peter 4:17, “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Please understand that, judgment here is not punitive, but purifying and cleansing. We are asking God to cleanse us and sanctify us for His purpose so that we experience His power at work in and through our lives.
Now, an “Awakening” is often the result of a “Revival.” When the people of God are revived, they can’t help but share their hope and shine as light in our dark world. When God’s people share the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, there is a great opportunity for people to be saved. My hope is that we will be radically revived and begin to see an awakening as we share the Gospel and see lives changed by the Gospel of God!