Could It Be This Year?

Everyone experiences certain excitement when the New Year rolls around. Some wonder what new and wonderful things it may bring, while others simply have hope that this year will be better than the last.

In a revival ministry, one’s New Year excitement culminates in one question: Could it be this year? This question refers to the manifest presence of God falling on our nation, and this summit is certainly a promising start to a year of hoped-for revival.

Perhaps the first thing to recognize about the summit is the responsiveness the people demonstrated throughout the course of the two weeks. While the congregation does consist largely of senior adults, they still exercised tremendous receptivity, despite not being accustomed to the music or style of service. Our lead revivalist stated that this was the most responsive group of senior adults he has seen in his many years of travel.

The testimonies certainly reflected that openness, as people eagerly told of what God was doing in their lives. One man shared how he had been living in a state of lukewarmness, neither hot nor cold. During the course of the summit, he gave himself totally to God and stood before the church body to praise Him for second and third chances.

Many people were led to reprioritize their lives. Two men in particular shared how they had put their work and other people before their families. The one was “just doing my job”; the other was “just trying to help others out.” But God reminded them that their chief priority is to their God, and next to their families.

Their response was one of obedience. The first man gave up the project he had been slaving away at, while the other, for the first time in a while, said no to other people and yes to his family.

God also led many families to turn off their TVs and spend quality time together. Their relationships with each other were greatly enriched as they began using that time to pray and read the Bible together.

From the teenage girl who had been living a lie and was finally converted, to the middle-age man who was led to return some pipe wrenches to his high school that he had kept from shop class, God touched many lives.

An especially wonderful thing is that God worked deeply in the lives of the church staff ... so much so that they are prepared to carry the message of revival to their congregation for the coming months. The pastor has even committed to preach on revival principles for the next thirteen Sundays.

The staff intends to lead their church body in making sure these flames of revival grow instead of dying out as our team leaves town. Great things happen when God transforms a church staff!

With hearts set on revival, our pulse has quickened at the start of this new year. God has richly blessed one church with His presence in these past few weeks, and this is hopefully only the start of what He wants to do in the church nationwide.

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