Updates

In addition to being a revival speaker, I work in Information Technology. One of my favorite tools used in IT is what is known as a baseline. A baseline is a set of data that tells a company what their environment usually looks like. It gives IT a measure by which to know when things are running like they should be, and when they aren’t.

The baseline is established by measuring and recording various data points while systems are running properly. These measurements are averaged and assembled into a summary of the regular operating condition of the environment. This gives IT an overview of how their systems ‘should’ look when everything is normal.

A baseline is very helpful because it provides a chance to identify problems that might otherwise get missed or ignored. And, it allows for dealing with issues early, proactively, before the problem becomes a big issue.

In the Christian life it is important to do the same thing. Ask yourself what your walk with the Lord looks like ‘on average’, measuring it in some meaningful way. Don’t feel like you have to judge or praise yourself. A baseline isn’t meant to be a record of accomplishments or failures. It is meant to show how things usually are.

Periodically investigate your prayer life. Ask yourself how your Bible reading is going. See what your regularity is for daily devotions. More important, analyze the effectiveness of these things, and determine if growth is occurring. Again, don’t worry about perfection here. A baseline isn’t meant to make you fixate on performance.

Instead, a baseline seeks to reveal flaws before they become unmanageable. It helps when you are overwhelmed, but don’t know why. It provides an answer when you are asking yourself ‘what happened?’ questions. It can encourage you, motivate you, and make you more informed about your spiritual life.

Form time to time REvive Ministries will share previews of sermons that may be shared at one of our revivals. This is intended to serve several purposes. First, it gives individuals attending churches that will host a REvive Ministries revival a chance to read part of a sermon they may hear during the revival. Second, it gives busy pastors the convenience of spending only a few minutes to get an idea of the available sermon material. And finally, it is what I like to call a ‘seed’ sermon. A seed sermon can be used as a starting point for sermon preparation. If ministers who subscribe to the ministry updates choose to, they may build their own message off of the seed thought.

For the first ‘seed sermon’ I would like to share a message entitled ‘The Job Factor ‘. This sermon is based on the conversation between the Lord and the devil in Job chapter one. Looking closely at some of the verses in this passage, this message seeks to answer some big questions:

• What do Christians do when bad things happen?
• How can Christians address the concerns of sceptics?
• What is ‘plan b’, and what is the problem with it?
• What motivates you?
• Is your Christianity superficial?

Many of us may feel we have the answers to these questions already. However, this sermon seeks to challenge your understanding and dives into your true motivations. Many may find it hits them close to home. Even if this message doesn’t apply to you directly, there is a high likelihood you know someone who it applies to.

The message is an opportunity for young men and women to re-evaluate before spending many years with ‘plan b’ wicking energy from their spiritual life. It speaks to older, wiser believers who will look back and understand their motivations better. It calls to those who are in conflict to see what may be causing thier inability to move towards peace in their hearts. Young ones overwhelmed by scepticism in their education may find new hope and resolve. And many others…

Mothers may need to pray for sons. Daughters may need to pray for fathers. There is a large number of Christian people who need to hear this message, and take it to heart. You may have a family member, or a friend, that you can pray for, or with. Or, it may be you that needs to understand, and overcome, The Job Factor.

Jesus Christ is the Word. The Word is Scripture. Christ in us is the hope of glory. So, what really does all of this mean?

Several thousand years ago, and even several hundred years ago, most people didn’t have a personal copy of the entire Word of God. Early in history the Word was not in a written document. Does this mean that God’s Word was nonexistent, or was completely unavailable to most of humanity for most of history?

Well, the goal is always to get as much of the Word of God to as many people as possible. It should be in the hands of every person on the planet, and in their own language.

But, we need to understand something very unique about God’s Word. It is not a normal book. The Bible is God’s Word. However, it is also true to say that the Word of God in the hearts of believers is the Word of God. In other words, although the Bible is complete in and of itself, it is not meant to stand alone. The people of God and the Word of God are inextricably linked. This is the essence of ‘Christ in you’ in action. Just as humans were used to write the Word, we are used to know it and perpetuate it.

Early on the Israelites remembered the Word of God through songs and stories told and passed down from parents to children. The faithful before the flood in Noah’s day did similar things to perpetuate it. And, throughout history many people have known and shared God’s Word without having a full written copy. The New Testament comes to us largely as small copies of portions of it, rather than the whole thing at once.

So, the Bible is the Word. But, the Word is also the knowledge of the Bible in the minds and hearts of believers as a whole. We all share it, and explain it to each other, and to ourselves. We share it with the lost, because they are unable to understand it without the Holy Spirit. By His illumination of Scripture, the Holy Spirit puts the Word into our hearts and minds.

The resurrection is the exclamation point of history. There is no other event to compare with it. Christ stands again, to accomplish what nobody else could. His resurrection is an escape from this cycle of death and decay, which has encircled humanity from the time of Adam.

But, what really is resurrection? What does it mean? We could spend a long time expounding. However, let’s focus just on the word’s meaning. Resurrection comes to us from Latin, though the Greek for it has the same meaning. In either case it is a combination of two words, ‘to rise’ (or ‘to stand’) and ‘again’. The ‘RE’ at the beginning is the ‘again’ part. And the rest of the word is the ‘stand’ or ‘rise’ part.

So the impact of this word is to describe an individual who was standing, stopped standing, and then stood again. And, by its usage, we know it is describing one who stopped standing because they died. So to stand again after this stoppage indicates the renewal of life. It has historically had the usage that it describes the restoration to life of one who has been dead.

Jesus is the truest recipient of the meaning of this word. Though by the power of God others have revived, they also have died again. Jesus died once, and shall never again. And, all who have life in Him, look forward to the same destiny. REsurrection in Christ means more than just to be revived, it means to be restored to a life that is endless.

The purpose of REvive Ministries is to see revival in the hearts of the people of God. As this is done, there will be many opportunities to see people obtain assurance of their salvation. In others, there is seen a greater commitment to Christ, with victory over besetting sins. For yet others, there can be deliverance from doubt, fear, and deep depression. In any case, LIFE is at the core. LIFE in Christ is the source of joy and hope in our lives. His REsurrection makes all the difference in our lives today, and every day.

What are we trying to revive in a revival? There are a lot of answers offered for this question. Some see it as a revival of evangelism. People are not being led to Christ on the scale that we would like to see, or have seen in the past.

Others see it as the revival of the church and church attendance. Young people have been leaving the church in droves for many years now. We need to see this trend reversed.

Yet others are looking for a new ‘great awakening ‘ that will lead to more holy living and a pervasive spiritual renewal. This should be a lasting change, not simply a short term shake-up.

There are also those who see the goal of revival as a renewed emphasis on missions. We cannot afford to let our missions endeavors languish or fade. They are more important now than ever before.

But, although all of these things are very important, these are results of revival, not revival itself. So then what is revival? More specifically, what are we seeking to revive?

What we seek to revive in a revival is the hearts of believers. REviving the heart of Christians is our goal. If we do that, all of these other goals will also be accomplished. Really? How does that work?

Our greatest resource is not our evangelistic programs, our efforts to engage with the youth, our mission boards, or even an emphasis on holy living. These are all great resources. But our greatest and most central resource is: “Christ in You”

What exactly is that? What does that look like, and smell like? It means God inhabiting the praise of His people. It means our prayers, and us coming together with the same mind, the mind of Christ.

For an evangelist such as myself, it means strengthening the relationship between a Christian and Christ. Targeting issues in a person’s life that can come between them and a healthy relationship with Jesus should be the evangelist’s aim. REvival occurs when God’s people renew their commitment to Christ.

The evangelist partners with the pastor to provide the water on the seed that he has already planted, and then God gives the increase. This is the path to revival, and to seeing these other goals accomplished.

This September I will be preaching a revival at Faith Baptist in Ohio. Visit the reviveustoday.com homepage and click on ‘Upcoming REvival’ for more information.

Often in our lives we get itching for a change. We have all felt it. We feel the need to change something in our lives. Some of us will make this feeling subside by making small changes. But others will change large circumstances in their lives because of this feeling.

The feeling is just a mirage to a great degree. Like many other feelings, it will come and go throughout our lives. But it is a good reminder of something we do need to change. We need to change our thinking. Changed circumstances can seem to help, but they don’t actually change us.

Changed thinking, on the other hand, changes us from the inside out. And it may change our circumstances in the process. The value of spiritual thinking is great. It is energized by the Word of God, and it gives us a new perspective. It also brings us a step further along in our walk with Christ.

Pay close attention to the time you spend with people. Specifically, keep tabs on how often you sit down with another individual and speak with them on a personal level. I’m not talking about chatting about things. I mean really talking to them. This type of interaction happens less than you might think. Count it up and see, but I’ll bet we could all spend more time doing this. When you interact with another person in this way, it improves their life, and yours.

I was off work for Martin Luther King day today. I also spent some time studying the life of Moses for a class I will be teaching at church. The names of both of these men have been remembered among those who made a difference. When we think about the accomplishments of individuals that make a difference in history, we often ask ourselves, how can I make a difference?

But, it is always worth reminding ourselves that we are all the same. Everyone will make a difference. The question is what kind of difference will you make. Dr. King and Moses weren’t the only people who have ever made a positive difference. Many people were instrumental in the changes in America that Dr. King was involved in encouraging. And if people are awed by the greatness of Moses, but never meet the God of Moses, they will miss the whole point of his life.

Greatness is often based on how history remembers someone. However, true greatness is deeper than that. True greatness grows in the heart and is a work of God in a person’s life. As we think about the ‘greats’ from the past, we need never be discouraged. How we are viewed by God, not history, is what matters.

My wife and I had an interesting conversation this morning about Cain’s children. We both had wondered why it is that the children of Cain seem to be the ones really making a difference in the world. They began metalworking and music, among other things. Were these guys just smarter than the rest? And, what about Seth’s descendants? Were they just less talented? Noah sure seems to have been smart, to be able to put the Ark together. So why the disparity?

Well, fist of all, this disparity could be nothing more than just humility on the part pf the descendants of Seth. Or, it could have been that the accomplishments of Seth’s kids just didn’t make it into the early oral history. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

But there is another phenomenon in play. Among those who ignore the Lord in their lives, there is a profound sense of the necessity to make a name for oneself. This life being all there is, the world must somehow remember each life to make it valuable. These individuals tend to see their life as more valuable than that of others, but yet must look to others to enshrine them in the end.

Therefore, the worldly among us will always strive to do more and be more. Or, at least they will do what gets them noticed, and be what demands respect from others. But they will spend almost no time thinking of their eternal destiny. Caught up in this life, they have no time for the next. They do not allow their minds to reach beyond that which is seen to the unseen. For them what is faith, truth, or love, but illusions?

There are those for whom the world is not enough, and there are those for whom it is all they will ever strive for. The truth, however, is that it matters not what you live for, but Who.