Setting the Sails

I shared some thoughts last Sunday before the sermon on the subject of revival, particularly as it relates to the moving of God the past few weeks across our country on several college campuses. I thought I would follow that up in this space for any who missed Sunday, and also to encourage us as a church body to do what we can to prepare for the Spirit's move here in our fellowship.

In case you haven't seen or heard the news, it all started about two and a half weeks ago in a chapel service at Asbury College in Kentucky, which has been going almost non-stop ever since. Those services have included times of worship with confession and repentance and brokenness, and people getting saved. The awakening has spontaneously spread to other campuses, including Samford University in Birmingham, and thus it is making its way into churches as well.

None of this was planned or organized--no "revival" meetings were scheduled and guest evangelists lined up. It just sprang up from students seeking God, and the Spirit moving in a powerful way. Since last week, thousands of people have been making the trip to Kentucky from all over the country, either attempting to experience what God is doing, or to discredit it. And in our cynical, skeptical world, there have been plenty of critics, many of whom I compared on Sunday to modern day Pharisees, who are trying to keep God in a nice neat little controllable box.

I have not been at Asbury to experience it for myself, but have read a lot about it, including many first-hand experiences from people I respect. I have also done extensive research and study on the history of spiritual awakenings in our country, and there is nothing that I have seen that suggests that this is anything but a legitimate moving of God. Whether it produces fruit that lasts remains to be seen, and perhaps we will only be able to judge whether it is a true "revival" if it stands the test of time. But for now, I believe God is moving, and I pray that it will continue.

I know some feel the need to keep a close eye on the movement, to make sure it does not stray beyond the boundaries of Scripture. Certainly, we must be responsible for guarding the truth, but as I said Sunday, I think the church must be good stewards of this movement, and we must make sure we don't build any unnecessary barriers to the Spirit's work, to "quench the Spirit.". In the last real awakening in this country, what is commonly called "the Jesus Movement" of the late 1960's and early 1970's, most traditional churches rejected it because many of the participants came from the anti-establishment, hippie crowd where it was spreading. Those churches essentially turned back God's hand, and they never recovered.

If this is a legitimate moving of the Lord, it will make its way into the church, and likely bring an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and along with that an infusion of His life into our fellowship and ministry. I am sure it will also turn over a few tables along the way, and make us all a little uncomfortable. We must be willing to allow the Lord to push us out of our comfort zones, and shake us a little. We can't stay the same, and be different, at the same time.

I know this…whether you call it revival or awakening or whatever—I want in on it. And I want us to experience God’s moving in a supernatural way at Shelby Crossings. Three years ago, right before Covid, when we were going through a sermon series from Acts, we came to the place where the disciples were facing opposition, and they prayed diligently to the Lord. And when they did, "the place where they were gathered was shaken." (Acts 4:31) At that time, we joined together to pray, "Shake us, Lord." A few weeks later, the pandemic arrived, and we thought that was the shaking. It wasn't, though it may have been a time of preparation.

Many of us have continued to pray the past three years that the Lord would shake us, whatever that takes. And as our nation has continued in a downward spiral, I have prayed it all the more. If God chooses by His grace and His sovereignty to supernaturally move among us, I know He will shake us, and He will break us and humble us. Those things always accompany genuine revival. But you can be assured, there will be opposition; the devil will not want to give up ground without a fight.

But as I said Sunday, we will resist the temptation at Shelby Crossings to try to control or schedule or manufacture "revival" here. It is not a formula, that if we just do all the right things, or hold the right services, maybe we can get a little touch of the Asbury power. No, revival in its essence is just a return to New Testament Christianity in worship and practice, repentance and discipleship. It is not just a feeling--though no doubt feelings will be engaged, which makes some people uncomfortable. But genuine revival is defined more by the a powerful manifestation of the Spirit—which is Spirit led, Spirit- empowered, and not man-made.

I have heard the move of God compared to the blowing of the wind, not unlike the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2. We can't control the wind; we can pray for it to blow, but otherwise, it's up to God where the wind blows. But we can set our sails, so that we will be ready when the wind blows.

How do we do that? First---pray. Sincerely seek the Lord in prayer, and ask Him to move in your life in a fresh and powerful way. Second, repent. Humble yourself and get right with God. If there are sins you need to confess, and turn away from, then do so. Third, if you have relational issues with others, or bitterness caused by lack of forgiveness, then do whatever is necessary to fix that. Forgive, and resolve conflict humbly and directly. Fourth, be open and aware and sensitive to how the Spirit is moving in and around you, and join Him as He moves. And finally, make yourself available. Be a faithful part of your church and her ministries, whether they be on campus or in our community. Don't miss this chance to be where God wants you so that He can move in you and through you, for His glory.

We need revival, like never in our lifetime. Our nation needs it, our community needs it, our church needs it, our families need it. You and I need it. As we used to sing in that old hymn, "Lord, send a revival, and let it begin in me."

I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

 --Pastor Ken