When you study the revivals in church history, it always brings into our minds faithful men like Martin Luther, John Wesley, George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, who preached powerfully in those churches at that time. There were members of those churches who thought they were Christians, and all was well with their souls. They thought they were spiritual, but actually they were spiritually dead. All of a sudden, they woke up to this horrendous realisation that they were spiritually dead. The unconverted repented of their sins. Nominal Christians who had been attending church for years, warming their pews, all of a sudden rose up and gave their lives to serve the Lord. And began to live for Jesus Christ so boldly, so openly, that the world outside began to take notice. And then the world pressed inside the church to see what was happening. Empty pews in the church started to be filled up. All of a sudden, the church was made alive. That was why the American revival during Jonathan Edwards time was called the Great Awakening. All of a sudden, the church was awakened. Yes, we have had revivals in the past, in history, which we can read in books, but we have not had one for many years. Do we need a revival in our church, in our families, in our lives? Most certainly. But firstly we must understand, what can a revival do to us?
What is a revival? You might have heard of this word before, or even sung the hymn: revive us again. But are we actually asking for? What happens when a person becomes spiritually revived? What difference does it make to the way they live their life? Do you and I need to be revived?
Hi, and welcome to Tried and True with Paul Cheng. I’m your host Joshua Nah, and in today’s episode, Pastor Paul pauses our weekly study of Philippians to look at Psalm 85, to answer the big questions: What is revival? And how do I become revived?
In today’s world, more and more people are becoming experts at diagnosing more and more problems, be it health related, technology related, politics related, even theology related. we go for annual checkups with these experts, and even become educated enough to diagnose our own conditions and take the necessary steps to address any worsening conditions. but what about our spiritual condition? do we pay any attention to our spiritual health? let’s hear from Pastor Paul now, as he defines spiritual health and sickness, to help us strive for true revival, God’s way.
That was Pastor Paul Cheng, taking us through Psalm 85, and the significance of the prayer, “Wilt thou not revive us again?”
as I was listening to Pastor describe all the amazing experiences of a spiritually vibrant soul, i couldn’t help but feel inspired to ask God to come and revive me. I’ve heard it said once that if you want revival, all you have to do is drawn a circle on the ground around you, and say, Lord start a revival in this circle. The point being that the person in greatest need of revival, will always be me. Hopefully, this sermon has helped you realise the sure confidence you can place in God to help you become saint he wants you be, by looking back on His past mercies, and praying over His promises, namely the promise that by following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re on the ultimate path to spiritual life and vitality.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. For more of Pastor Paul’s sermons and other resources such as transcripts of these sermons, weekly pastoral exhortations, daily devotionals and more, visit our website at bethelbpc.com.au, or check out our youtube channel at bethel Bible presbyetrian church. Join us next Sunday, as Pastor resumes our study on the epistle to the philippians, looking at the concept of following examples, and what godly and ungodly examples look like, here, on Tried and True.