Revive Us Again

And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. ~Acts 19:17-18 

The hymn “Revive Us Again” was written in the mid 1800’s by William P. MaCay. It was written during a period of great revival in America and Brittan. The last two stanzas read “ 3. All glory and praise / to the Lamb that was slain / Who has borne all our sins /and has cleansed every stain. 4. Revive us again; / fill each heart with Thy love. / May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.“

As I think about those stanzas it is in view of the most recent school shooting in Florida. A debate is reinvigorated between the extent of the second amendment and the need to protect our church from terrorist and crazies. All sorts of proposals seem to be offered that range from practical to ridiculous. One thing that all Americans can agree on is that something has radically changed in the last twenty years in our society.

While that thought is true the reasons are diverse. First, the moral, spiritual, and philosophical direction of our society has eroded or changed over the last fifty years. We took public prayer, the Bible, and the name of God away from our children or political arena. Political correctness, environmentalism & social-ism have become our new religion with anti-Christian thinking as the new mantra.

What then is the solution to our mess? First of all it is not political. Politics only reflects the influences of the day or movement. The only true solution is REVIVAL. Revival is not a week of meetings or an event per-se. Revival is a life changing transformation. It occurs when a believer is broken over their sin and wanting to continue doing what God wants. This effects a persons behavior philosophy of life or mankind. It even effects our commitment toward our relationship with Christ and His Gospel.

Once this happens to enough Christians during the same period, society can be effected the longer that takes then the longer it takes for society to be changed. On April 8th-12th our church will be hosting Brother John Van Gelderen for special meetings. My hope is that you will plan to be there every day. My hope is that we will all listen to the reviving help of the Holy Spirit. My hope is that revival can start with us.

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