From the Pastor’s Desk

Sunday, September 15, 2019

As you know, we are in Uganda ministering, and revival is on my heart, so i will speak on it for a moment. Revival fires wane for various reasons. Sometimes the purposes of God have been fulfilled as believers have been quickened to evangelism and new outreaches have been birthed and carried out. Other times, genuine revival can be shut short and the fire of the Holy Spirit quenched through unrealized compromise. True spiritual fires dwindle:

When we allow the excitement of crowds and miracles to dull our ears to hearing the foundational truths of the Holy Spirit’s counsel
When we look to the visitation of the Spirit to shore up weaknesses in the local fellowship rather than correct problems
When we allow an attitude of pride and showmanship to distort the simplicity of God’s workings, and the visitation is reduced to a cleverly publicized event
When we fail to maintain the balance of the pastoral needs of the congregation, substituting the sheer energy of the meetings for shepherd care and faithful feeding of the sheep
When we neglect to make disciples who would have multiplied the effectiveness of the revival
When we allow breakdown of authority and unity in the leadership team through prayerlessness, weariness, or functioning outside the boundaries of individuals gifting
When we look to “professionals” to further the growth of the church instead of fostering the release of ministries that have bonded to the life and value system of the congregation
When we lose the focus and object of loving worship by using “worship” as a means of stimulating desires responses in people
When we allow the “busyness and excitement” of revival to take priority over vigilance in humble prayer and intercession
When we see revival as a way to advance a private local “kingdom”, rather than to benefit the whole body of Christ.

You are loved, Pastor Don