In this great pursuit of revival the call to be holy is essential. In order for God’s Spirit to come with full force the way must be cleared. Every genuine revival is marked by deep conviction, repentance and holiness. Much attention is given in the sermon to explaining exactly what repentance is and how it’s not a one-time act but an ongoing ethic in the Christian life. The enemy (Satan) works very hard to frustrate the work of genuine repentance with subtle deception. The Apostle Paul tells us we are not unaware of Satan’s schemes. Pastor Scott spends the last part of the message exposing the lies of the evil one. Overall, this message brings clarity to how a Christian should think about and relate to sin.
Revival: Narrow Your Interests
Tabatha Mello, who is one of the directors of Teen Challenge, brought the entire women’s home to share stories and songs. The glory of God was displayed powerfully. Tabatha preached a strong message on revival and the importance of narrowing your interests for the sake of going deeper in Christ. She talked plainly about the many good things that can pull us away from the best things. She used 2 Peter chapter one as her main anchor text.
Revival: Gaze on Heaven
Most Christians understand the importance of earnest prayer, fasting and reaching people who don’t know God. The problem lies in the lack of motivation. One of the greatest motivators to devotion is a vision of heaven. Scripture tells us much about what is in store in eternity for those who love Christ. This sermon especially focuses on the portrait of the New Heavens and New Earth described in Revelation 21-22. At the end of the message Pastor Scott explains how a vision of eternal glory will drive us to seek God because we don’t want anyone we love to miss out. Scott talks about how information, relevance and love is not enough to reach the world. What is needed is divine power. Scott pleads with the community to go deep in light of what is at stake for people we love who are not presently heaven-bound.
Revival: Think On Hell
In this effort to prepare for revival it’s important to think deeply about eternal realities. Understanding the call to consecration, prayer, and fasting is meaningless without motivation. When we begin to see the end of those who reject the Gospel, it compels us. This message addresses the way culture thinks about hell and the way Christians avoid thinking about it. After walking through several passages describing hell in the Word, Scott then asks the difficult question—“who will go to hell?” The last part of the message presses the new birth. The only way to be saved from the wrath to come is by being raised to new life by Christ. Scott urges those who are uncertain of their standing before God to repent fully and put their trust in Christ alone.
Revival: Weep
It seems that most serious Christians are well aware of the importance of earnest prayer, fasting and giving themselves to reach others. The problem is a lack of motivation. Where does consuming passion come from? This message explores the source of sustained passion, namely, what we call the burden of the Lord. Tears are the fuel of revival praying. Revival begins when one individual or a group of individuals begin to see the true condition of people and weep over it. Unless we allow God to show us the severity of the danger people are in we will never weep. We must come to grips with eternal realities like the great judgment of God and ultimate hell for those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ. Much is discussed in this message of the portrait of God described in Scripture compared to the pop-view of God as soft on sin. When we begin to see God as He is we begin to see people as they are. This is the beginning of revival.
Revival: The Rain Is Coming
God is able to step into any cultural situation at any time to renew, restore, and revive it. A farmer's job is not to make it rain, but rather prepare the ground to receive it. The rain of revival will fall – the question is if the church is ready to receive it.
Revival: Know What to Expect
There are a lot of silly notions floating around out there about what revival will look like when it appears. This message explores what to expect based on the ministry of Jesus, the movement of God in the early church and the most powerful revivals in church history. Scott gives 7 distinguishing marks of authentic revival and places the greatest emphasis on the unveiling of the holiness of God upon the people that leads to deep conviction and subsequent repentance. All the other marks of revival seems to flow from this first work of God pulling back the curtain and revealing the “otherness of the Holy”. This message is a must listen for those who are yearning for revival to prepare them for the full ramifications of what they are praying for. It’s also an important message to make sure we are praying in alignment with God.
Revival: Believe
This is a unique message. Scott’s introduction turned into an in-depth pastoral talk. The heart of the message was about faith. Regarding revival it’s easy to fall into unbelief and think God isn’t in the mood to send revival. Because our prayers for an outpouring of the Spirit are not fulfilled, we conclude God is to blame. But God is willing and happy to pour out His Spirit—He longs to do it! Scott takes a tour through the Scriptures to give a sampling of promises God has made to His people. The exhortation is to latch on to these great and precious promises until they come to pass.
Revival: Be Unified
This first message of the series lays a foundation of what revival is so that the church can be unified in the pursuit of it. There are many different ideas about revival and not all are biblical or to even be desired. The overuse of the word revival and the many negative connotations have caused many to repel the very idea of a revival. This message aims to clear up confusion mainly by showing that revival is nothing more than what Moses, David, Isaiah, Habakkuk, Jesus, the early Christians, Paul, and many others, prayed earnestly for. Scott also spends some time explaining several things revival is not, in order to better understand what it is.
Standalone Sermons: Why You Need the Church
Becky and Nate reflect on how being a part of the Church has been a source of joy, peace, love, but also a source of division, embarrassment and exhaustion. It’s invigorating and life-giving but can also be taxing and energy draining. Sometimes it seems theoretically brilliant but practically disastrous. It’s greatest asset is that Jesus is the head, but oftentimes it seems like the greatest weakness is that people are the body.
Yet despite for all the ups and downs, Church and the community it creates is the primary vehicle through which Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit chooses to change us and strengthen us to live for the Kingdom of God. Becky and Nate, in a rare tag-team sermon, share from the Scriptures and their own lives some of the reasons why we need the Church.