As my old youth ministry professor used to say, “We confess to God to be forgiven. We confess to each other to get healed.” May we have churches that encourage this kind of relational reality checks so that we get beyond the surface of “everything’s fine” to the raw struggles underneath that all of us have. As we do we can live an increasingly holy life that leverages the power of our prayers with heaven! Again, as James reminds us, “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Let’s wake up to the need for holiness!
3. Wake up to the necessity of faith!
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
“…without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14), and without faith no one will ever experience holiness! Living a life of true holiness that increases our prayer impact is not a matter of keeping a list or trying to erase our sins in our own human strength. It’s a matter of living a life of faith in Christ, who can live his already-conquered-sin-through-the-cross resurrection life through us!
We can experience church revival if we live a life of faith that God uses to purify our hearts (Acts 15:9). And when we live like this our prayers will have an ever-increasing impact! Like Daniel, the angels who deliver the answers to our prayers could say to us, “As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed” (Daniel 9:23).
Faith in Christ purifies our hearts and propels our prayers. And it also opens our mouth to proclaim the Gospel!
4. Wake up to the urgency of the Gospel!
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16
A church revival congregation is a Gospel Advancing church. It is a church that unashamedly brings the Good News of Jesus to a world in desperate need of it. We must wake up to the need to share the Gospel!
Can you hear the voices of those who have passed on to the next life? Some are leaning over the banister of heaven calling down. Others are looking up from the flames of hell screaming out. But both have the same message, “Tell others so they can experience hope in the next life.“
