Prayer & Revival: The Essentials of Spiritual Rejuvenation

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God, to find out how to know God personally go to know God.org KNOW know God.org he would you do me a favor sure this message was someone who needs to hear over the written job version of the Bible to which it is worthy of going for shoppers, especially when were working to reignite our faith. Pastor Greg Maurice's the purposeful study of God's you read it. Think about it it's just getting back to doing those things. We should have been doing all along.

We know Jack is. We all know the order is important.

Pastor Greg Maurice's spiritual awakening will come to work culture after a spiritual revival on the church got described that dynamic and second Chronicles 714 today on a new beginning were learning about the components that lead to revival among God's people lightning series called Jesus, I want to talk about prayer and revival because that's really what needs to happen we need to start praying like we've never prayed before. You know it's interesting that one of the great awakenings. It happened in America that I mentioned last time was what is called the prayer revival in New York City.

It started as a prayer meeting on Fulton St. in New York and it started very small, but then the stock market crash, and everyone basically was freaking out and calling on God. You know what things are going well.

When the economy is good. We might say what we don't really need got all that much. Trust me, we need God we need God badly but maybe were just not willing to realize how desperate the situation really is often in the Bible, lethargy, laziness, and sleep is used is a picture of a person that is complacent in their relationship with God in Romans 1311 it says it's more urgent. Right now the day of the Lord is closer than it's ever been. Time is running out so wake up because our salvation is so close.

So God wants to send a revival one person wrote it down this way and I quote, if all the sleeping people will wake up if all the lukewarm people will fire up if all of the dishonest people will confess all the disgruntled people will cheer up if all the estranged people will make up of all the gossipers will shut up. If all true soldiers will stand up if the dry bones will shake up of all the church people will pray then we can have a revival. I like that. So here's a point number one if you're taking notes if you want to see a revival. This your sin. Humble yourself and pray need to confess your sin. Humble yourself and pray and in a moment to look at a passage of Scripture were that happened were God's people began to pray like never before. But there are things that can hinder our prayer life. The Bible says that if we have idols in our heart. The Lord will not listen to us.

So it's an idol.

Well, it can be anything you could be a car to be a housing to be your body. It could be some device that you have a phone or whatever else it could be a career. It could be so many things that you're more passionate about than God so the idea of not having another God before Ms. is made God number one in your life.

The first commandment is is is put God first and how you know have no other gods before me. And then he says don't make any graven images so if you know if we have an idol in our heart. God won't hear us another thing that can hinder our prayer is unconfessed sin. You know it because the Bible says that if we have iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us. I think it's really important for us to confess our sin effect. I can brings us to the text I want to look at Nehemiah chapter 9 and this is a story of a massive prayer meeting that happened and in this prayer meeting took place after the people of Israel, who had been held captive in Babylon for 70 years, for free and talk about idols. There were like an idol central their idols everywhere affect the recently ended up in Babylon's Israelites kept seeking God for granted and turning to the stupid false gods. So the Lord said, okay, you guys want false gods and idols all send you dual play for you have more than you can shake a stick at. After 70 years in Babylon. They were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They were led by Nehemiah. So after the walls were rebuilt and everybody was back in the land. A profit priest name Ezra gave a powerful message, and after he was done speaking the people prayed so Nehemiah 9 verses 1 to 4 reading from the new living translation October 31, the people assembled again and this time they fasted interest in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads and those of Israelite dissent separated themselves from all corners as a confess their own sins and the sins of their ancestors, they remain standing in place for three hours while the book of the law of the Lord God was read aloud to them in for three more hours. They confess their sins and worship the Lord so that sounds like revival to me. So, were they do. They prayed with passion and the confess their sins of the Bible says that we will confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness is sin more than you think you let me restate that we sin more than we think we do. And so they confess their sin number two they separated themselves from ungodly influences. They separated themselves from ungodly influences verse two says they separated themselves from all foreigner or modern context to be getting away from bad influences. We all know people that drag us down the and we all know people that pull us up.

Some people when you're with them, you're just a little bit closer to Jesus. They inspire you to be a more godly person other people there always mocking you challenging you arguing with you pushing back in anything you say regarding your faith. You know you need to think about who you hang out with. I'm not suggesting you only hang out with Christians because how can we lead people to Christ. We don't hang out with nonbelievers, but at the same time, the Bible says that we are to flee youthful lusts and follow faith righteousness and peace. Listen, along with those a call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Find godly people hang out with godly people. When I was a young Christian, just a kid like some of you are item around a lot of older people I knew some people my age as well, but I felt people that were old enough to be my parents who could be good role models for me so I can learn how to be a more godly version of me. I recommend you do the same thing. Thirdly, they heard God's word and they acted on.

That was after three hours of listening to the word and by the way, when we listen to the word of God. It's not for us to pick and choose what parts we like and what parts we don't like but you know some people will Kenneth edit things out will say things like this.

My God would never say that about a person. My God is all loving in my God well I don't know who your God is good he may not be the God of the Bible you might be just a figment of your imagination and there's only one God and he reveals himself in the Scripture is as low in the volume of the book.

I have come it is written of me. She want to know.

Again the mind of God. The nature of God, the will of God open this book back everything you need to know about God is found in the Bible you need to look any where else so they did those things, you know, Jesus said you are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you even say you're my friends if you do whatsoever. You agree with her whatsoever you find easy or whatsoever is culturally cool. He said you're my friends if you do whatsoever I command you, so it's very important for us to understand the Bible is a package deal, as is the Christian life and we do it God's way or not doing it the right way doing God tells you to do. Listen to what God told Joshua and Joshua one he says be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you don't deviate from them, turning to the right of the left.

Then God says you be successful in everything you do study this book continuously meditate on it day and night, so you be sure to obey everything written in it and then you will prosper and succeed in all that you do for Greg Laurie of the second half of this message just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here personally inviting you to join us for what we call Harvest at Home.

It's a Bible study. It's a worship service. It church in your home, you're not able to get out your church right now. If so, join us per Harvest at Home people are listening this from around the world listen to this. We have seen thousands of people commitment to follow Christ. Join us this weekend harvest@home.o now.

Pastor Greg continues his message, prayer and revival from his new series Jesus revolution were looking together it Nehemiah chapter 9 today.

You know what it means to meditate in the work and needs to choose something over. This is a gross analogy, but I'll use it. You know how cows chew their cud they choose. Then they swallow than the regurgitated I guess.

And figure have. It was good last time I'll have it again right and it's a warm meal. Two. By the way that they chew it over, they chew it you chew it, okay that's how we should study the word of God not regurgitated but read it contemplated pondering you know, we use the word meditation in an Eastern sense it means to empty your mind when you use the word meditate in a biblical sense. It needs to fill your mind, but it's not just jamming his many chapters in it that you can get in there. I've heard people to read 10 chapters of the Bible to fantastic what chapters were the I have no idea. I remember nothing. You'd be better off to read 10 verses with comprehension, then 10 chapters without so you read it. Think about it you chew it over your meditate on it you considerate throughout the day. This is not rocket science, but how to be a strong and growing Christian revival doesn't have to be overly mystical. It just getting back in doing those things. We should have been doing all along. Here's a really interesting statement from a man that worked very closely with the great evangelist known as DL Moody. This guy was named RA Torrey. Back in those days. I like to use initials instead of being so RA Torrey work with DL Moody made this statement.

He says I can give a prescription that will bring a revival to any church or any community or any city honor number one let a few Christians doesn't have to be many get thoroughly right with God again let a few Christians get thoroughly right with God uses this is the prime essential that this is not done.

The rest I say will come to nothing.

Number two. He says let them bind themselves together in our prayer group and pray for revival until God opens the heavens comes down number three let them put themselves at the disposal of God for him to use as he sees fit and winning others to Christ. Then he says that's it. That is all. It sure to bring revival to any church for any community I given this prescription around the world is been taken by many churches in many communities and in no instance has it ever failed, it cannot fail so right I do to revive alerts and revival wanted to just do the things we just talk about remember from where you will fall in repent. Do the first works quickly, as I said earlier, get right with God, pray with others, pray for revival to you see it in your life and your families like we don't have to worry about the whole planet or even the whole nation.

Let revival start with you letter starting your home.

Let us start in your life. It starts with you that Jesus revolution starts right here in my heart starts in you then love how he says as God to use you to win others to Christ when the last time you shared your faith.

You just are doing those things alone and I think you'll be surprised by what God will do in your life God gives us a choice. In Deuteronomy 3019 says I've set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life, that you and your descendents may live in a you decide what your life is going to be like you can't control the circumstances of life. I wish we could trust, but we can but I can control the decisions I make in life. I can't control what happens to me, but I can control how I react to it right. So every morning when I get up I have decisions to make choices to make him at the cheesecake factory the other day. Their menu was too big. I was overwhelmed by that, there's too many versions of chicken is like pages of chicken chicken that's why I like Chick-fil-A is just chicken sandwich, spicy chicken sandwich and fries the end. Goodbye, you know, simple, straightforward, same within an out.

We make choices in our choices make us and if we make the right choices will live a blessed life, not a pain-free life of the trouble-free life but will live a blessed life in Jesus will be with us walking through it through thick and thin, sunny days and stormy nights. But listen all the things I'm saying these are for people to put their faith in Jesus and I wonder if you've done that, you know what we care about more than anything else is our relationship with God, and I wonder if some of you haven't joined is here and you would say to yourself I don't really know God in this way, you know, the thing that got me to believe in Jesus before anyone talk to me and actually, no one ever invited me to church. No one even invited me to the Christian meeting where I ended up getting saved, high school campus would chew me to that meeting were Christians that love Jesus and I thought they were crazy, but I wanted to know why they were crazy so I went and sort of sounded it doesn't so I could figure out why didn't have to be bothered by them anymore and I ended up hearing the gospel in a way I understood for the first time and that is the day I believed in Jesus Christ. I heard for the first time in a way I understood that Jesus Christ is the son of God who was sent from heaven to earth to die on the cross for my sin because I broken God's commandments and we've all fallen short of God's glory and I was told if I would churn for my sin and believing him I could start this new relationship with God and the statement that really got my attention is when the guy who was speaking said Jesus said you're either for me or against me there with me or you're opposed to me.

I looked around at the christens that I will. I'm not one of them is. I mean I'm against Jesus.

I don't want to be against them.

But I didn't even know I could before him and know him. This is all new to me and then he said if you want to watch Jesus in your life. I would ask you to pray a prayer with me and I did it and that was the day I became a Christian, a long time ago. 1970 that is really long ago was not. But ever since that day from 17 to today, a Jesus is been faithful to me. Jesus is been there for me. But Jesus is made himself even more real to me and I want that to happen for you because Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the dead is here with this right now and he says I stand at the door and I knock it if you hear my voice, and open the door, I will commit and I wonder if there's someone here or someone listening is not yet open the door of their life to Jesus, but they would like to do it. He wants to come into your life. He wants to forgive you of your sin, but only you can open the door of your life and ask them to come in the moment were going to pray and I meant to extend an invitation similar to the one that was extended to my high school campus for you to believe in Jesus Christ for you to be forgiven of your sin, for you to start this relationship with God and have your own Jesus revolution. Let's all pray father I pray for every person here every person watching or listening wherever they may be. Help them to see their need for you help them to come to you.

Help them to believe in you. We pray a mess pastor Greg Laurie important word of prayer. And if you'd like to make that kind of change today in your relationship with the Lord pastor Greg wants to help you with that and he'll do so before today's addition of a new beginning. Concludes so please stay with us now.

The title of today's message is prayer and revival. Look for the title online@harvest.org if you'd like a replay of today's study or for a permanent copy on CD. Call 1-800-821-3300 – 1-800-821-3300 and then we want to make available pastor Greg's outstanding book called Jesus revolution. The subtitle is how God transformed an unlikely generation, and how he can do it again today pastor Greg my son and his family used to live pretty close to some railroad tracks and trains came through quite a lot. I noticed that you can feel the rumbling before the train gets there. That's right, we ask you is there a revival coming down the tracks. Are you feeling some rumblings right now.

My response would be to hear the train, it's common not study Jessica II pray so and I hope so because there's a lot of turmoil and trouble in our nation right now and if God doesn't step in. I don't know how were going to heal this nation of ours.

But God does give us a prescription for the healing of a nation from second Chronicles 714, which I've quoted before and I'm sure a quote again because God says of my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land. We need the Lord to heal the nation and we need to pray for a spiritual awakening.

The last great spiritual revival in the history of our nation was the Jesus movement, also called the Jesus revolution by the wait time magazine coined that phrase. It was a revolution.

It seems the church. It seems a nation I can tell you would change my life and the lives of thousands of other people, many of them young though it wasn't limited to young people.

It was primarily a youth revival was since I was there I wanted to tell people what it was like someone asserted to get back in time and try to put you in that place.

But then I have take away truth that I've written in this book that you can apply in the hope that you could have a spiritual awakening in your life or in your church or in your community and in our country, and indeed in our world. The Jesus movement was not confined to the shores of the United States.

It spread around the planet and we need to see it happen again. And I with all of our social media and instant communication, it would be so exciting to give some good news to people instead of all this bad news in all of this fake news we need God.

In America we need God in our lives. We need to be returned to our original state, and I think sometimes we over spiritualize the word revival, but she sees another word restoration.

If I would've taken old beat up 57 Chevy sit around in a junkyard and restored to original condition. Get the engine running. Redo the upholstery given a new paint job, put it back out on the street gets take that as a beautifully restored car. We want to see our nation restored.

We want to see our lives are stored.

We need to see a revival.

Let's pray for that together and they help you learn more about what God did in the last great spiritual awakening. I want to send you a copy of my book, simply titled Jesus revolution. I hope that it will inspire you to pray that you will have your own personal revival and I'll send you this book for your gift of any size whatever you send will be invested into this ministry so more people can hear the word of God and so more people can come to know Jesus Christ, so order your copy of Jesus, revolution, and we hope you'll do that today we have a copy waiting for you will get it on its way to you just as soon as we hear from you a day. Don't forget to tell them that there's also a study guide that will send them along with a copy of Jesus revolution again for the gift of any size. Yeah, that's right. It's a great tool to help you study these insights on a deeper level and even lead a small group study learn how your Bible study group for home fellowship group can help pave the way for the next great spiritual awakening, so we hope you'll send a generous gift today and that you'll ask for Jesus revolution along with the study guide. You can write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. We are here to take your call 24 seven at 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org pastor Greg you spoke today about having a relationship with the Lord. Yes, someone can enter into that kind of a relationship with God right now can't yeah they really can. That's the amazing thing.

I think people are surprised that it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months.

It doesn't take weeks. It doesn't take days, it doesn't even take ours you can believe on the spot and I would like to lead you in a prayer where you can ask for his forgiveness.

A prayer where you can receive Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord.

So if you want Christ to come in your life if you want him to forgive you of your sin if you want a second chance in life. If you want to go to heaven when you die, stop what you're doing and pray after me these words Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I'm sorry for my sin and I turn from it now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as Savior and Lord is God and friend. Thank you for loving me and calling me ever giving me in Jesus name I pray, amen and listen. If you have just prayed that prayer was pastor Greg. The Lord has heard you and forgiven you of your sin. The Bible says Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and would like to send you some materials to help you begin to live this new life we call that our new believers growth packet just ask for it and will send it free of charge if you prayed for the first time today with pastor Greg to write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or just go online to harvest.org and click on know God.

The next time an enlightening discussion about matters of the end times pastor Greg invites Bible scholar John Stuart joined with us next time. Beginning possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor greats free daily email, devotions@harvest.org