REVIVAL!
Opening Prayer
In these few moments, Gracious Lord, I praise your name and long for a new touch of your Spirit.
Read REVELATION 3:1–6
To the Church in Sardis
3 “To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Footnotes
- Revelation 3:1 Or messenger; also in verses 7 and 14
- Revelation 3:1 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Hunger for God is not a virtue we possess, but a gift from God. Left to ourselves we can all become complacent. Pray that God will stir your heart afresh today.Have you noticed how churches have a reputation of their own? One church has good Bible teaching, another is known for its fabulous worship, a third offers amazing youth ministry. There is a danger though, that churches can live on their reputation or history, not realizing that spiritually they have fallen asleep and lost their way.
Many people pray for revival in the nation, and that is good and commendable, but revival must begin first in the church. The church in Sardis had become comfortable, indeed so comfortable it had fallen asleep (vs 1–3). This spiritual slumber had caused them to become lax and careless. They needed to be woken up, to be revived, before it was too late.
The antidote to complacency is repentance, to acknowledge that things are not as they should be, and to seek to put things right. Repentance and revival go hand in hand. Once we humble ourselves and admit our need, not only will God forgive us, but his reviving Spirit will flow into us again. What a difference it would make if our churches were throbbing again with divine life!
Apply
Does your own heart need revival and require repentance? Pray that, not only you, but your church will experience renewal and revival, and not rest on laurels.
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, excavate an emptiness in my life that only you can fill. Revive me from lethargy with a new infusion of your power.
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