Join me in the book of Nehemiah, chapter 8.
We are once again taking another break from our study of the book of Romans, and I must tell you why we are doing so once again.
I find that it's not good for the preaching of a church to follow every cultural whim, to bounce from one topic to another as the zeitgeist of
social media chaos dictates. We could just go from thing to thing to thing.
But something has been going on in our country that deserves some particular attention because of its particular spiritual claims.
On February 8th, at a small private school in Kentucky called Asbury University, a chapel service met beyond its intended conclusion and with little break is continuing to meet even today.
Now, as a little aside, I saw an announcement that they're planning on bringing the meetings to a close and restricting the time and who can attend.
This event, though, is being widely referred to as the Asbury Revival.
And so with the limited amount of time that we will spend together this morning, I want us to think biblically together about what constitutes a revival.
I think probably most of us in the room have seen or heard something of this.
If not for you, then I imagine your social media threads are more fun than mine.
I will not make any comments concerning the events at Asbury.
I think it's a little early to make many comments about it, to give it a really solid assessment.
I want to say just simply this concerning the Asbury Revival that I find it concerning.
I will gladly be proven wrong, and I am praying that it bears much fruit.
I would just be happy to have all of my concerns put to rest.
But I am concerned.
If you'd like to know more about the particulars of that, I'd be happy to speak with you later.
But what I want to do this morning is help us, not so that we can be critical or affirming.
I'm not trying to arm you to get on your social media threads and make pithy comments one way or the other.
But so that we can carefully assess claims made in the place in which we live.
This is a far removed thing from us, but we will need to make assessments of things like this in our day.
We need to be a discerning people.
In fact, we're instructed to be a discerning people.
Many people would say, don't be critical of things that you're saying.
But John instructs us in 1 John 4 and verse 1, beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirit to see whether they are from God.
For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
We're told to be discerning and careful.
Did you know, for example, that there is a church in Dawsonville that claims to be the home of the North Georgia Revival?
This is an event that has been going on now for some years.
Maybe, and I hope that you've been insulated from this, that you're likely to encounter people who would believe these claims.
How are we supposed to think about these kinds of things?
Now, we can't have a problem of definition when we think about revival.
What is meant by that term, revival?
It is used in the scriptures, the reviving of things, dead things made alive, or sick things made well.
But culturally, a lot of things may pop into your mind when you hear this term.
I once attended a conference for a job I held, not by choice, I was forced to go, that claimed, right, on their introductory statement, on literature that was handed out,
we are about to have a good old-fashioned Holy Spirit revival.
Seemed a bit lackluster to me as I attended.
A revival is not an event put on a calendar and planned for.
We do not have the power to bring revival about, nor the power to stop it from happening.
Just this week, a man said to me, I suggested that I think that if revival were to come to our nation, that it would come through the church.
Just an opinion of mine.
That would come through faithful preaching, week in, week out, in a church.
And his response was, yeah, but what if the church doesn't want revival?
And I said, well, I know some churches that do, and we don't have the power to stop it.
Revival is a sovereign work of the Spirit of God.
Making things new.
Bringing life where there was death.
Bringing wellness where there was sickness.
Andrew Murray once wrote, a true revival means nothing less than a revolution.
Casting out the spirit of worldliness.
Making God's love triumph in the heart.
J.I. Packer once said, revival is God's quickening visitation of his people.
Touching their hearts and deepening his work of grace in their lives.
We want to be clear-minded about what revival is and who brings about revival.
It is a sovereign work of the Spirit of God.
But what kind of filters do we need to assess something claiming to be a revival?
These filters should not be based on our experience.
Our thought.
It felt like revival.
Therefore, it must be revival.
It's not a way that God's people should think.
We should rather hold it up to the lens of the Word of God.
That's an issue of the sufficiency of Scripture.
You probably have experienced this in your social media threads.
Much opinion.
Very little Bible.
The Bible is sufficient to help us understand what is and what isn't a work of the Spirit of God.
Paul writes in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 and 17.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
Right?
It is an inspired word.
It is inerrant.
It is authoritative.
And then verse 17 says that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Which includes the work of discerning the spirits.
Putting them to the test.
Seeing if something claimed to be a move of God is actually a move of God.
We find, give or take your opinion of it, ten revivals in the Scriptures.
And we're going to look at one of them together today.
And I just normatively don't like doing this, although I do from time to time.
Yesterday, took a big turn from a plan, from a prepared sermon, to do this instead.
I spent four and a half hours watching video of the events happening in Asbury and pulled this together from Nehemiah chapter 8.
So I hope it will serve us helpfully in these coming moments.
Let me give you an outline quickly and I'll reiterate this as we press on before I read the chapter, Nehemiah 8.
These are evidences of God-sent revival we can find in our text.
If revival is God-sent, God's people will, number one, be praying.
Number two, they will reestablish the Word of God as the ultimate authority in their lives.
Number three, they will recognize their defiance of God and view His chastisement as just.
And number four, they will turn from their defiance to obedience.
They will be praying, the Word of God will be exalted,
and they will be repenting and believing.
So Nehemiah chapter 8.
Beloved, this is God's Word to us, written for His glory and our good.
We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and to obey its commands.
Nehemiah 8.
And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the water gate.
And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.
So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women,
and all who could understand what they heard on the first day of the seventh month.
And he read from it, facing the square before the water gate,
from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand.
And the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose.
And beside him stood six men to his right hand.
For the time and embarrassment, I'll skip their names.
And seven men to his left hand.
Verse 5.
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people.
And as he opened it, all the people stood.
And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered,
Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands.
And they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Verse 7.
Also, 13 men, not all the exact same, and Levites,
helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places.
They read from the book, from the law of God, clearly.
And they gave the sense that the people understood the reading.
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe,
and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people,
This day is holy to the Lord your God.
Do not mourn or weep.
For all the people wept as they heard the words of the law.
Then he said to them,
Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine,
and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready.
For this day is holy to our Lord.
And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
So the Levites calmed all the people, saying,
Be quiet, for this day is holy.
Do not be grieved.
And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing,
because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
On the second day, the heads of fathers' houses of all the people,
with the priests and the Levites,
came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the law.
And they found it written in the law that the Lord had commanded by Moses
that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seven month,
and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem,
go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm,
and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.
So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves,
each on his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God,
and in the square at the water gate, and in the square at the gate of Ephraim.
And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity
made booths and lived in the booths.
For from the days of Jeshua, the son of Nun,
to that day the people of Israel had not done so.
And there was very great rejoicing.
And day by day, from the first day to the last day,
he read from the book of the law of God.
They kept the feast seven days,
and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly,
according to the rule.
Now, a little background for this chapter.
It makes some more sense to us.
In the book of Nehemiah so far, in chapter one,
we see Nehemiah introduced as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes,
who was the ruler of Persia.
Persia had overthrown the Babylonian empire,
and the Babylonians had carried the Israelites off to captivity.
So this is the returning, this is the post-exilic period of the biblical narrative.
In chapter one, we see that God brings news of the state of Jerusalem.
It's in disrepair.
The walls are still torn down from that Babylonian attack.
And therefore, God's people were in a state of disrepair.
A couple of waves had been sent back,
and Nehemiah is grieved by this.
Not so much because the city is not intact,
because the well-being of God's people is not intact.
So, Nehemiah is moved to pray for the situation,
and God had placed Nehemiah in a very unique position
to be trusted by King Artaxerxes as his cupbearer, right?
The one who tasted his wine to see whether or not it was poisoned.
King Artaxerxes gives permission to Nehemiah.
That's why he's troubled and gives him permission to return back
against an edict he himself had given
to do the rebuilding of the wall.
Nehemiah chapter one and verse eight records,
for the good hand of God was upon him.
So, Nehemiah has returned to Jerusalem.
He's observed the wall.
He's reported to the people
God's sovereign goodness for the task.
We see roughly 30,000 to 50,000 people,
Israelites living in the land in this day.
And the beginning of the building of the wall
has taken place.
The Israelites worked in the face of opposition,
for God had given them, chapter four and verse six,
a mind to work.
And then before we get to chapter eight,
the work is completed.
It took 52 days, an astounding feat.
And the surrounding nations are now afraid,
chapter six and verse 16,
for they perceived that this work
had been accomplished with the help of our God.
And so much good has already begun.
There's a lot happening with God's good favor
leading up to this place.
You could say that maybe the seedbed for revival
was already being laid and prepared,
but yet we see here in chapter eight,
a particular fervency, the pace picks up.
And so let's think about these four points together
as we observe this chapter in the life of Israel.
So number one, if revival is God sent,
God's people will be praying.
And we have not studied all of the book of Nehemiah together,
but there is much praying leading up to this point,
particularly by Nehemiah,
chapter one, verses five through 11,
chapter two, verse four,
chapter six, verse nine,
and verse 14.
You can turn with me if you'd like,
but otherwise just listen.
Nehemiah chapter one,
verse five and following.
This is after he hears the news
of the disrepair of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah prays,
O Lord God of heaven,
the great and awesome God
who keeps covenant and steadfast love
with those who love him
and keep his commandments.
Let your ear be attentive
and your eyes open
to hear the prayer of your servant
that I now pray before you day and night
for the people of Israel,
your servants,
confessing the sins of the people of Israel,
which we have sinned against you.
Even I and my father's house have sinned.
We have acted very corruptly against you
and have not kept the commandments,
the statutes and the rules
that you commanded your servant Moses.
Remember the word that you commanded
your servant Moses saying,
if you are unfaithful,
I will scatter you among the peoples.
But if you return to me
and keep my commandments and do them,
though your outcasts are
in the uttermost parts of heaven,
from there I will gather them
and bring them to the place
that I have chosen
to make my name dwell there.
They are your servants and your people
whom you have redeemed
by your great power
and by your strong hand.
O Lord, let your ear be attentive
to the prayer of your servant
and to the prayer of your servants
who delight to fear your name
and give success to your servant today
and grant him mercy
in the sight of this man,
which is the king.
So we see here Nehemiah praying,
right, being brokenhearted,
both for the sins of his people
and for his own sin,
recognizing that God
had already been faithful
to the scattering,
but also calling on God
to keep his promises
to be faithful in the inn gathering,
that God's name would be known.
So this is the thrust of his praying
we can see in the book of Nehemiah.
We also see the prayers
of the Israelites in the book,
chapter 4 and verse 9,
and then chapter 8 and verse 6,
right, a prayer led by Ezra.
We see in verse 6,
and Ezra blessed the Lord,
the great God.
I would love a record of that prayer,
right?
It was a prayer of blessing
to the Lord, the great God.
And all the people answered,
Amen, Amen.
Yes, let it be so.
And they lifted up their hands
and they bowed their heads
and worshiped the Lord
with their faces to the ground.
So we see in this episode,
God's people are praying
as revival takes place.
Jesus prayed.
It's one to learn from.
Luke chapter 6 and verse 12,
just one example.
In these days,
Jesus went out to the mountain to pray.
And all night he continued in prayer to God.
Paul instructed the Philippian church to pray.
Philippians 4 verse 5 and following.
The Lord is at hand.
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God.
God uses the prayers of his people.
God empowers the prayers of his people
to accomplish the will
that he has set forth.
Why?
Because he pleases to involve us
in the process of him doing miraculous things.
I hope that you've experienced this in your life,
praying for some circumstance
or for somebody
and you see God answer the prayer
and all the glory belongs to God,
but you've got to be involved
in seeing his will come to pass.
A.T. Pearson,
who's one of my favorite biographers
because he wrote one of my favorite biographies
of George Mueller,
wrote this,
quote,
From the day of Pentecost,
there has not been one great spiritual awakening
in any land
which has not begun
in a union of prayer.
Wherever the church is aroused
and the world's wickedness arrested,
somebody has been praying.
Charles Spurgeon,
whether we like it or not,
asking is the rule of the kingdom.
If you may have everything
by asking in his name
and nothing without asking,
I beg you to see
how absolutely vital prayer is.
The rule of the kingdom.
Jonathan Edwards,
It is God's will
through his wonderful grace
that the prayers of his saints
should be one
of the great principal means
of carrying on
the designs of Christ's kingdom
in the world.
When God has something
very great to accomplish
for his church,
it is his will
that there should proceed
at the extraordinary prayers
of his people.
And then one more quotation
on prayer.
Matthew Henry wrote,
When God intends
great mercy for his people,
the first thing he does
is set them
a praying.
So,
true God-sent revival
will involve
prayer.
Prayer that precedes it,
prayer that is included
within it.
Oh,
that we would be
a people
that are praying.
Secondly,
if revival is God-sent,
God's people
will reestablish
the word of God
as the ultimate
authority
in their lives.
It grieves me today
that there are many Christians
who take the Bible
and mix in
other authority,
right?
Pop psychology,
business ideas,
the ungodly advice
of a friend.
They mix it all together.
Instagram memes
are really classic
for this.
God's people
will reestablish
the word of God
as the ultimate
authority
in their lives.
Now,
remember,
we're talking about
things that were dead
coming to life
or things that were sick
being made
well.
And I just in a moment
want to encourage you
if you already find
that this is true
in your life,
that the word of God
is the ultimate
authority in your life,
you may not need
reviving.
You may already
have a good
and healthy
fervency
for the things
of God.
Like we live in a
day,
I think,
where people are
looking for experience
over and above
the regular work
of gathering
with the church.
The day in,
day out
revering
God's word,
opening it together,
learning from it,
giving it application
in our lives.
It is just possible
that we don't need
revival
in our
church.
But,
the word of God
must be
the ultimate
authority.
And it will be
the ultimate authority
in a revival.
Paul writes this,
1 Thessalonians 2.13,
and we also thank God
constantly for this,
that when you
receive the word
of God,
which you heard
from us,
you accepted it
not as the word
of men,
but as what it
really is,
the word
of God,
which is at work
in you,
believers.
People who are in
the midst of revival,
who have the spirit
working in them,
will take up
God's word
and see it
for what it
really is,
the word
of God.
God's very
word
to man.
They will not
throw out
parts of it.
They will
want to adhere
to it
in its
entirety.
Hebrews 4,
verse 12,
for the word
of God
is living
and active,
sharper than
any two-edged
sword,
piercing to the
vision of soul
and of spirit,
of joints
and of marrow,
and discerning
the thoughts
and intentions
of the heart.
And this happens,
beloved,
by the work
of the spirit.
This is the
tool that the
spirit uses
to bring about
revival
in people.
The word
of God
is the spirit's
sword.
The spirit
of God
begins working
in the hearts
of men
by first
drawing this
sword
from its
scabbard.
The word
of God
is the
supreme
rule
and
authority
for our
lives.
Many people
give lip
service to
the sufficiency
and efficacy
of the
Bible,
but yet
they do
not read
it,
they do
not apply
it in
the life
of their
church,
and this
should not
be so.
So note
three things
from Nehemiah
chapter 8,
three observations
about the
opening of
God's
word.
Notice
first their
eagerness.
We see
a record
in verse
three that
all the
people are
there.
We see
men and
women and
I don't
think there's
any exclusion
for nursery
workers.
I think
they've all
gathered
together in
this place
to hear
God's
word
open.
And then
in verse
one,
they told
Ezra,
the scribe,
to bring
the book
of the
law of
Moses that
the Lord
had commanded
Israel.
Right?
They built
a platform
for him
just for
the occasion
to get him
high above
the crowd
that everybody
might be
able to
hear.
And they're
gathering for
a particular
feast.
In the
Hebrew,
and I just
hesitate to
say these
things,
I'm sure
I'm going
to mispronounce
it,
but Rosh
Shoshana,
the feast
of trumpets.
This is a
feast that
preceded the
day of
atonement.
They would
have known
that they
were to
do this
thing because
of Ezra's
14-year
ministry
amongst
them.
He'd
already been
back there.
They had
rebuilt the
temple and
he had been
ministering God's
word to
them already.
They had
some knowledge
that this
thing needed
to be done
and so
they are
eager and
they invite
Ezra to
come and
to teach.
Notice also
verse 3,
from early
morning until
midday,
and we
don't know
the exact
time of
early
morning,
but it
was likely
around
sunrise,
all the
people,
including
the littles,
get this in
your mind,
five to
seven hours
the law
of God
was opened
and it
was read.
And not
only that,
notice in
verse 13,
there's a
second day,
maybe perhaps
for logistics,
I'm not
sure,
but this
time the
heads of
household
come back
to learn
more and
I would
imagine
then disperse
that teaching
amongst
the people.
They're eager
that God's
word would
be opened
to them.
Notice
also their
reverence,
verse 5,
as he
opened it,
all the
people,
stood.
I don't
think this
is a
prescriptive
thing,
right?
Some
traditions
always
stand
when
God's
word
is
read.
I'm
not
concerned
about
our
bodily
position,
but the
position
of our
hearts
as the
scripture
is opened
to us,
right?
They
revered it,
they respected
it,
they knew
it was the
very words
of God
himself.
And so
they treated
it with
reverence.
they were
hungry for
this thing
that was
being opened
before them.
Perhaps
it's possible
that we have
too much
Bible,
too many
copies,
too much
access.
There are
people in
the world
that travel
great distances
and spend
vast amounts
of time
to be around
the reading
of the
scripture
who longed
to hear it
opened up
for them.
And yet
we,
and I'm
guilty of
this just
the same,
try to
compress
our time
down,
right?
Got things
to do,
places to
go.
We don't
revere the
coming together
and opening
up God's
word the
way I
would suggest
we should.
Notice
also verse
six,
the lifting
of their
hands and
the bowing
of their
heads,
right?
Their
prostrate,
faces to
the ground,
a position
of reverence
which communicates
we are not
worthy to be
in your
presence.
God's
word opened,
right?
Prostrate
on the
ground.
And notice
also as
they're eager
and they're
reverent,
notice their
responsiveness,
right?
They're actually
hearing the
word,
they're
understanding
the word
as it's
being explained
to them
and they
have a
response
to that.
Last part
of verse
nine,
for all
the people
wept
as they
heard the
words
of the
law.
As Ezra
and the
other men
read and
explained,
helped them
to understand,
they recognized
that they
had transgressed
this good
law of this
merciful God
and an
ever-widening
chasm opened
between them
and him.
Like they
wept over
it,
over their
sinfulness.
But,
they are
told not
to weep,
right?
This
celebration,
this feast
of trumpets
preceded a
time,
preceded a
time of
repentance,
but it was
meant to be
a time of
rejoicing because
it looked to
the day
of atonement.
So they're
commanded in
verses nine
and ten
and eleven
to there to
be holiness
and joy,
right?
To look
toward the
future promise
of the
atoning work
of Christ.
Their sins
would be
forgiven,
that their
relationship
with God
would be
restored.
There will
be no revival
amongst people
who do not
love,
read,
hear,
and proclaim
the words
of the living
God.
Ask me
if I think
something is
of the spirit,
I will say
to you,
how much
exaltation of
Christ through
his word is
happening.
This is what
the spirit does.
He exalts
Christ using
the word.
Number three,
if revival is
God sent,
God's people
will recognize
their defiance
of God and
view his
chastisement
as just.
Again,
we see
verse nine,
this weeping,
this concern
as they heard
the words
of the law.
And then we
look further
in Nehemiah
chapter nine.
There's an
extended prayer
there.
The first
two verses
of Nehemiah
nine says,
now on the
24th day of
this month,
the people
of Israel
were assembled
with fasting
and in
sackcloth,
right?
Outward signs
of repentance
and with
earth on
their heads
and the
Israelites
separated
themselves
from all
foreigners
and stood
and confessed
their sins
in the
iniquities
of their
fathers.
There will
be repentance
if revival
is happening.
People will
be confessing
their sin
and turning
from it.
Verse 33
of chapter
nine says,
yet you,
speaking of
God,
have been
righteous
in all
that has
come upon
us.
For you
have dealt
faithfully
and we
have acted
wickedly.
There's going
to be a
preaching of
the word.
There's going
to be a
returning to
God through
repentance
and faith
if revival
is happening.
Second
Corinthians
chapter seven
verse eight
and following
Paul says,
for even
if I made
you grieve
with my
letter,
I do not
regret it,
though I
did regret
it,
for I see
that the
letter
grieved you
though only
for a
little while.
As it
is,
I rejoice
not because
you were
grieved,
but because
you were
grieved
into
repenting.
For you
felt a
godly
grief
so that
you
suffered
no
loss
through
us.
For
godly
grief
produces
a
repentance
that
leads
to
salvation
without
regret,
whereas
worldly
grief
produces
death.
For
see what
earnestness
this
godly
grief
has
produced
in
you,
but
also
what
eagerness
to clear
yourselves,
what
indignation,
what
fear,
what
longing,
what
zeal,
what
punishment.
At
every
point
you
have
proved
yourselves
innocent
in the
matter.
When
revival
comes,
people
will be
grieved
for their
sin.
They
will
repent
and
they
will
turn
to
God
in
obedience.
Jonathan
Edwards
wrote a
great
little
book.
If
this
thought
of
revival
is
on
your
mind
and
you
want
to
read
and
study
more
about
it,
Jonathan
Edwards
was one
of the
Puritan
pastors,
New England,
that was
part of
God's
bringing
about
what's
called
the
great
awakening.
And he
wrote a
great little
book called
A Faithful
Narrative
of the
Surprising
Work
of God.
One of
the
All-Time
Best
Book
Titles,
A Faithful
Narrative
of the
Surprising
Work
of God.
And there
in it
he wrote
about
godly
grief.
There
is a
great deal
of
difference
in the
distinctness
of these
awakenings.
Some
people who
have not
had such
a clear
sight of
God's
justice
in their
condemnation
still mention
things that
plainly
imply it.
They
develop
disposition
to
acknowledge
that God
is just
and righteous
in declaring
that he
will inflict
punishment
on those
who sin.
They know
that they
are undeserving
of his
comforts.
Many times
though they
did not
have such
a clear
sight of
it at
the beginning
they have
very clear
discoveries
of their
unworthiness
soon after
their
conviction
along with
being made
humble
in the
dust
before
God.
They're
grieved
over their
sin.
They see
God's
wrath
as just
before
them.
And in
other places
in the
text he
talks about
them turning
to God
for the
mercy he
shows
in Christ.
So
fourthly
and lastly
if revival
is God
sent God's
people will
turn from
their
defiance
to
obedience.
Verse 14
we see
them discover
the feast
of booths
right?
It's a
feast that
has not
been kept
for a
long time
and they
decide
to celebrate
this feast.
It's a
feast that
was designed
to remind
them of
the way
that God
cared for
their
ancestors
when they
tarried in
the desert
after being
delivered
from Egypt.
So they
set up
booths or
tents,
temporary
structures,
and they
dwell in
them all
over the
city.
The mark
of Christian
maturity.
And this
is why
it is
dangerous to
call something
a revival
that has yet
to be given
time.
the mark
of Christian
maturity
is not
how much
you know
or feel
how expressive
you are,
but what you
do with
what you
know.
Do you
faithfully
pursue God
having turned
from your
sin,
turning to
the righteousness
that is found
in Christ?
Notice the
result of their
obedience,
verse 17.
Now,
this is
obedience.
This is
obedience
brought
joy.
They've been
doing something.
They've been
active.
They've been
going out
of the city
and gathering
up wood
and bringing
it in
and building
things and
celebrating,
cooking food,
doing all
this stuff.
They've been
obedient over
time and
verse 17
says,
there was
great
rejoicing
results in
joy that
couples with
their obedience.
so,
beloved,
we need
to be
discerning.
We need
to have a
biblical lens
for which
to run
claims of
spirituality
in our
day.
We must
be thoughtful.
We must
be hopeful.
We certainly
must pray.
May we be
a people who
pray for
revival,
for our
local
communities,
for our
region,
for our
country,
and for
the world.
May we be
a people who
are discerning
of the claims
of revival
for the
good of
people,
and for
the glory
of our
God.
And may
we be a
people who
embrace
revival,
if and
when it
comes.
Let's
pray together.