The Nature of Revival

I mentioned to you, on Sunday, that I will be preaching a revival in Palacios, Texas from May 7 to May 10. I asked you to be praying for me, and for the church, as we seek the face of God. However, it is not for Trinity Baptist alone that we need to be praying, but for our church as well. One thing we know about the church in America, as a whole, is that we need a revival. As I have been preparing for this revival, it has caused me to consider the true nature and result of revival.

Simply put, revival is when God visits His people, in an extraordinary way, to bring a newness of life. This seems to happen when people become acutely aware of their sin and truly repent. It is this repentance that allows for a season of refreshing. In fact, Acts 3:19 offers this exhortation, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” The formula is so simple, but seemingly lost on the church today. We like our lifestyles, we hate admitting when we are wrong, and we have an emotional, psychological, or scientific reason for all our sin. Would we not be better off to simply repent and trust God?

Jonathan Edwards, the great 18^th century preacher, offers the following five marks of revival. First, Jesus will be exalted. Second, The Holy Spirit will move to convict of sin, create a fear of God, reveal our need for a Savior, and to put God’s grace on display. Third, The Bible will be held in high regard. Fourth, sound doctrine will be taught and preached. And Fifth, a love for God and man will be evident. When God moves, these markers will be present.

I hope that we will make revival a matter of prayer. I’m not talking about revival in the sense of a series of services, but true revival that will sweep our land. I pray for the kind of revival that will cause thousands, if not hundreds of thousands to come to the Lord. I pray for the kind of revival that will awaken the sleeping giant that is the church. Will you join me? Will you pray that God will move in our land? Are you willing to pray that He will move in your life first? When we begin to pray toward this end, we can trust that God will answer in His own way and in His own time.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell

Easter Changes Everything

Easter is a special time of the year. It is the time that we remember the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. Not only do we remember these things, we celebrate them. In the resurrection of Christ is our victory. If you eliminate the resurrection, the rest of Christianity really is meaningless. The resurrection proves that the rest of what we teach is true and based on a solid foundation.

I trust that this Easter was a special time for you. Certainly, it was a good weekend for Northside Baptist. Our Good Friday Service was well attended and a special time for our church family. Our worship team led us in a special time of worship, we examined Isaiah 53, and shared in the Lord’s Supper. Hopefully, the Lord’s Supper held a special significance as we considered the sacrifice that Christ made on a Friday so many years ago.

Easter Sunday was another special time. Nearly 1000 people gathered for worship as we celebrated Christ’s victory over the grave. Again, our choir led us, we looked at Matthew 28 and determined that if the resurrection was indeed true, then it changes everything. A crucified savior with no resurrection means nothing. But, a crucified Savior and the resurrection together means everything. Not only did it mean everything for those early disciples, it means everything for us.

I hope over the course of the weekend you took time to consider what the resurrection means to you. Your life should honestly be different because of what Christ has done. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is so much more than a theological concept. It is the very truth that our lives hang upon. These things are not merely to be considered, they are to be appropriated to our lives. Simply put, they should change the way we live.

If you missed the opportunity to consider such things, do not fret. While Easter is a special celebration, every Sunday is resurrection day. We worship on Sunday because Jesus was raised on a Sunday. Every Sunday provides us the opportunity to consider what Christ means to us. Every Sunday is an opportunity to think about what the redeeming work of Jesus means to you. Take time, consider, apply, and celebrate your relationship with the Living Lord.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell

Life Springs Forth

A few months ago, the tree in my front yard dropped all of its leaves. When I say all of its leaves, I mean all of them. They covered my front yard and the neighbors front yard. After several rounds of raking and bagging, we finally had all of them picked up. What remained was the skeleton of the tree that just days before provided beautiful shade. For several months, I walked out every day and looked at what appeared to be a dead tree. Then, early last month, guess what? It began to bud. Then, a few leaves appeared. Now, it is the beautiful shade tree that came with my house when we bought it last summer.

So, what was wrong with my tree? You and I both know that nothing was wrong. Fall brings the dying off of the old and Spring brings with it a new birth. Trees bud, grass turns green and begins to grow, and flowers bloom. What Fall destroyed, Spring restores.

I find it interesting that Easter comes each Spring. The time of year that represents new life and rebirth. These are the very things that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus represent to us. We were dead in our trespasses and sins and He brought new life (Ephesians 2:1). The things of old have died off and new life has sprung forth.

During the days ahead, take time to look at the new life that is coming forth around you. Allow this new life to be a reminder of the new life that you have in Jesus Christ. Just as things spring back from seemingly being dead, so too are we given life when we were previously dead. This is something truly worth celebrating.

“Behold, I am making all things new.” – Revelation 21:5