When renewal comes

This week I am preaching a revival at one of our area churches.  My prayer is that this will be more than five special services which generates a little excitement that lasts a few weeks before everything returns to normal.  But, as I will point out to the folks, I really have little to do with whether or not they experience genuine revival.  Revival is between them and God.  If they seek God and are willing to repent of the things that have come between them and God, revival can come.  It will have to come to individuals first and then to the church.  If revival does come, what will be the changes that occur in the lives of the congregation and the church as a whole?  I believe there will be at least four specific things that will happen.

1. People will once again experience the joy of their salvation.  Many have lost that joy and need to recapture it if they want to live the kind of life God intends for His children.
2. Their personal and corporate worship will become celebrations for who God is and all he has done.
3. People will want to minister to the needs of others.  Perhaps the thing most needed to transform an inward-looking, maintenance-minded church into a missional church is revival.
4. People will have a burning desire to share their faith with other people who do not yet know Jesus Christ. 

Please pray that God will use me to help create a climate in which his Spirit will be able to freely move throughout the hearts and lives of those who attend these meetings.  Pray that I will be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is wanting to do and that I will be willing to step aside and let Him touch the lives of men, women, and young people.  I covet the prayers of all those who follow this blog at all times, but I especially ask for them this week.  Thank you.