All throughout my many years as a minister, I have had a deep longing in my heart to experience another great outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit. I have read countless accounts of such great movements of God in our nation and around the world. Authors such as the late J. Edwin Orr have chronicled how God’s mighty power has swept across a land in a great spiritual revival.
On more than one occasion, I have been accused of being a “Johnny-One-Note.” By persistently calling for people to pray that God would send a revival, some have sincerely urged me to change my “tune” to something that requires less intensity and less commitment on the part of those listening to my message. But, I simply can’t do that.
Perhaps you are one who joins me in longing to see that power of God manifested in and through His people in a great, sweeping revival. If so, then, like me, you long for the people hearing your sermons to be motivated to join with you in praying for such a revival to occur.
The question you and I face: “How can we help the people listening to us capture the vision of a revival?” What is the best way to help our listeners see the overwhelming benefit that revival brings to a people and even to a nation?
I think I know the answer. As ministers, we need to give our listeners a clear picture of what a revival looks like and what happens before, during, and after a revival occurs.
What I’m suggesting can be stated in this sentence: “Parishioners can better identify with a minister’s burden for revival when they are helped to picture what it would look like.”
In order to do this, you must first have a clear understanding of what takes place when a revival sweeps through a church, a region, or a nation. I have summarized some very concrete suggestions that I believe will help you create this picture for your listeners. You can listen to these suggestions by clicking the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website and then choose to listen to Podcast No. 185.
I sincerely believe that my suggestions will prove quite valuable in helping you fulfill your pastoral role of “motivator”—the one who plants the seed of revival in the hearts and minds of your people.
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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.
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