Revival!!
This week I'll be preaching in a good ol' fashioned big tent revival! Actually, the tent is kinda medium sized, but it will be set up in the city park, and there will be singin' and preachin' and hallelujahin'.
Now, I'm a Presbyterian. And revivals aren't really a part of our tradition. Neither is hallelujahin'. And at first I wasn't too excited about preaching for such an event. But the more I think about it, the more excited I become.
First of all, this is a Community Revival. Its not just put on by one church, but by seven. Seven! Seven different churches have committed to coming together to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in a neutral location to the community of Cross Hill! What's not to like about that? These churches will be Presbyterian, Baptist and Pentecostal all getting together. Moreover they will be white, black and hispanic. All coming together to show that we have "One Lord, one faith, one God and Father of all." Now that's the kind of ecumenicity I can get excited about.
Moreover yet again, they are all coming together out of a desire to reach the lost in our community with the gospel of Jesus. And that is, after all, our church's mission.
So pray for us. We're gonna have five straight nights of evangelistic preaching. (I get to preach on Monday night) Pray that it will indeed be a REVIVAL of our tired hearts, and a sweet DRAWING of sinners to the love of Jesus. Pray that there will be sweet FELLOWSHIP among believers from different churches and different traditions. Pray for the PASTORS to preach clearly and faithfully and pray that the CHURCHES will benefit.
"Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.
We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing Thy redeeming grace."
Now, I'm a Presbyterian. And revivals aren't really a part of our tradition. Neither is hallelujahin'. And at first I wasn't too excited about preaching for such an event. But the more I think about it, the more excited I become.
First of all, this is a Community Revival. Its not just put on by one church, but by seven. Seven! Seven different churches have committed to coming together to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in a neutral location to the community of Cross Hill! What's not to like about that? These churches will be Presbyterian, Baptist and Pentecostal all getting together. Moreover they will be white, black and hispanic. All coming together to show that we have "One Lord, one faith, one God and Father of all." Now that's the kind of ecumenicity I can get excited about.
Moreover yet again, they are all coming together out of a desire to reach the lost in our community with the gospel of Jesus. And that is, after all, our church's mission.
So pray for us. We're gonna have five straight nights of evangelistic preaching. (I get to preach on Monday night) Pray that it will indeed be a REVIVAL of our tired hearts, and a sweet DRAWING of sinners to the love of Jesus. Pray that there will be sweet FELLOWSHIP among believers from different churches and different traditions. Pray for the PASTORS to preach clearly and faithfully and pray that the CHURCHES will benefit.
"Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.
We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing Thy redeeming grace."
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