Over the past weeks, our church sermon series has been on the direction of “Revival”. We must take heed to the warnings and not just contend for the blessings. Senior Pastor Pacer encouraged us to have “an increased awareness of the presence of God, a new love for God, a new hatred for sin, and a hunger for His Word.” Pastor Tim O’Connell exhorted us on how we must have tender hearts and humble ourselves before God like King Josiah. If you have missed any part of those sermons, do revisit them. We must get ready as a church for the revival that is to come. 

1. Revival is a gift from God. 

The source of revival is the Lord, and the choice of desiring this revival is given to us. It must be started by the Lord and sustained through our surrender to the Lord. Apostle Paul’s Doxology in Ephesians 3:20-21 instructs that it is God, who can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”. God will do greater than any good thing you have ever experienced. When we step into revival, we will reap the rewards of a deeper relationship with Jesus, causing a Spirit of Revival to rule and reign in our lives. Repentance will be the order of the day. We will approach the Lord with reverence and expectancy, our minds will be renewed, our families will be rebuilt, and relationships restored. 

2. Revival is by God’s grace. 

It is humbling for us to recognise that we need the grace of God to help us in our repentance unto revival. And we must not “think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance.” (Romans 2:4, NASB). This is the reality that we must reckon with because of the sin nature that dwells within us. When we humble ourselves to repent and turn away from sin, we turn to God and access His grace, His kindness, His goodness, His joy, and His revelation of a new path of life. Psalm 16:11 writes, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Our joy will then be from the inside, which cannot be affected by external things. Our peace and joy can be greater than anything that happens to us and should be for all who have faith in the Lord. Stephen, the first martyr, demonstrated this, even as the stones that would kill him were hitting him (Acts 7:55-60). When you enter God’s presence, you realize nothing else matters. You can rejoice because the King of Glory is your Father and works for your good. 

3. Revival is for all generations. 

In every generation, we must pursue holiness, and spiritual “one-ness” with Christ on an increasing basis. “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27). If you are a parent or grandparent, start praying more fervently for your children and grandchildren to draw near to God and discover God’s purposes for their lives. If you are a working adult, ask God for wisdom how to be His “salt” (Mattew 5:13) in the marketplace – to preserve Godly values and flavour the work that you do with the justice and mercy evident of His Kingdom. If you are a student, find a trustworthy Christian buddy to pursue holiness, spiritual growth, and maturity with during your schooling years. Colossians 3:5 tells us to “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” The encouragement here is that when we love Jesus above all, our proximity to the Lord will cause gratitude and tenderness in our heart. And this will overflow to those around us. 

Let us make loving and serving Jesus the highest prize of our lives. And may we always be living reminders of His love for people, to live out that love so others may see that Jesus is our King. Out of grateful hearts, may this be our prayer for personal and corporate revival: “Lord Jesus, use me for Your glory!”