Let the Sparks Fly
Two years ago I came to my first revival at Pine Valley United Methodist Church and loved it! It is just that - a REVIVAL! The definition of revival is an improvement in the condition or strength of something. That is what I am expecting - improvement in my relationship with God and strengthening my faith in Jesus Christ! I am expecting great things!
Hopefully, you can attend all four nights. Now, I know we all have our schedules and if you are like me you are a creature of habit but this week let’s do things different. And don’t worry about grocery shopping or cooking - dinner is at 5:30 in the gym! I am sure we will be blessed beyond measure. Why should we attend revival? Ezra 9:8, “And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.“ We all are in bondage to something and it is time to drop those chains holding us. It’s time we turn back to God, repent, and ask for revival. We have God’s promise in Psalms 138:7, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me.” Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Pastor Tim said we should go to revival to receive God’s mercy and grace. Ezra 9:9, “For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.” We all need mercy and grace somewhere in our life. We do not deserve anything but God continues to give us what we need! We should all go to revival to restore the Church. Not just PVUMC but the whole Church! All of God’s churches! A revival starts when God sparks that revival in us, then we can pass it on to our church, our community and our land! Revival is meant to spread!
If you missed Sunday night, you missed a funny but serious message by Pastor, Christian Comedian, and Evangelist Andy Lambert reminded us that it does not matter what kind of person we were. It matters what kind of person God is making us! God wants to wake us up! In Psalm 138:7 we have God’s promise in the Bible that says, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me.” Pastor Andy spoke about how we need to be praying and fighting for this generation. This is a hard world to grow up in and we should be doing all we can to have our children under God’s protection! At the time of this writing I have not been to Monday night’s service but I know it will be wonderful!
When Pastor Tim used the term, “spark a revival” it reminded me of another song from my youth, “Pass It On.” The lyrics that we sang are: “It only takes a spark to get a fire going And soon all those around can warm up to its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love Once you’ve experienced it. You spread your love to everyone, You want to pass it on……..I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I’ve found. You can depend on Him, it matters not where you’re bound. I’ll shout it from the mountain tops, PRAISE GOD! I want the world to know The Lord of Love has come to me, I want to pass it on! “
Kurt Kaiser wrote this song in 1972. He said the words came easy as he was watching a fire. "On a Sunday night I was sitting in our den by the fireplace where there were remnants of a fire, and it occurred to me that it only takes a spark to get a fire going . . . and the rest came very quickly. My wife suggested that I should say something about shouting it from mountain tops, and that ended up in the third verse. It only took about 20 minutes to write the lyrics.”
The revival is my wake up call! God will be there each night. We know that because we were told in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” The Holy Spirit will be pouring down on us! I know there are places in my life that need restoration. I want to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit! Ephesians 5:14, “Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.’” It is time to wake up! How are you going to respond to your wake up call?
So why am I inviting you? The song says it all, “I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I’ve found. You can depend on Him, it matters not where you’re bound. I’ll shout it from the mountain tops, PRAISE GOD! I want the world to know The Lord of Love has come to me, I want to pass it on! “ Come and be revived! Let the sparks fly!