I've spent the vast majority of the last two days editing the new book Shake the City: A Revival Story. Part of that task included blogs written during the days of those revival meetings back in August of 2010. I did not remember many of the stories in those blogs. Something began stirring in me as I read those accounts of what God did back then. The revival embers buried deep in my soul started burning again.
God put a burden and passion in me for revival going back to college. I got introduced to revival preacher and author Leonard Ravenhill's writings. His classic book, Why Revival Tarries, lit a fire in me. Through Ravenhill's books I was introduced to other revival authors. A few of us students met early in the morning before classes to pray for revival. As the years passed, I bought everything I could find on the subject of revival. I immersed myself in the study of revival. When I heard about genuine revival breaking out in places, I often drove there to attend the services hoping to catch a little of the fire and bring it home with me.
On three occasions I experienced revival. Once in a church I pastored in East Texas. The second time happened on the Angelina College campus in Lufkin, TX. The other time is the subject of my new book on revival about 23 days of revival meetings at the First Baptist Church of Seminole, TX. That only whetted my appetite for more of God moving like that.
I felt prompted three different times to lead churches and communities to seek God for similar moves. Each time I was disappointed with the preparation and the end result. After the last time, something died in me. I could not even bring myself to say the word revival for close to two years. I did not pray about it. Nor could I read about revival. I closed that painful door in my life. It felt dead.
In time, I slowly healed. Editing that new book and reading stories that happened 16 years ago I discovered something. That revival burden and passion was not dead. The embers still burned. God blew His breath across those embers fanning them into a full fledge flame. I asked God this morning what I needed to do to prepare First Southern in Fritch, TX to experience such a move of God.
I have said this many times before and I emphatically say it again. Revival is costly! More than you can know. It will tax you spiritually, physically, and emotionally. You will be called to pray like you never have before. The spiritual warfare will be intense. The preparation will require devotion and perseverance. God calls people to be all in on revival. When God does move in revival fashion, it can shake your life and shake a whole community. People will be called to repent of sin. Sinners will be called to salvation. Apathetic will be called into full devotion to the Lord. The gospel will be proclaimed by preachers and church members alike. The baptism waters will be continually stirred as new believers celebrate their profession of faith. The religious people will oppose revival. You may be criticized. You will be misunderstood. O, the glory of what God does in revival is worth the cost. I am willing to pay that high cost again if He will just come and not hold back His power in our midst.
May the Lord blow His breath across dying embers igniting old flames that spread in revival. I want to devote my remaining years to the pursuit of God for revival in the Panhandle of Texas and the community of Fritch to be more specific. May those embers burn brighter, hotter, and longer until that day comes.
