I feel very blessed to be in a country where I can receive solid bible teaching. I feel very blessed to be able to grow continually in the Lord while here in Zambia. This past Sunday was just one experience that I’ve had so far.
This week the pastor spoke about revival. While I think revival is important and that was the theme of his message, it was the specific things that hit me. He gave five actions we need to be taking to create revival. I want to take it further and say these five actions are required of our daily living. They are required if we want to be living the lives God has called us to. We spent the day looking at Acts. These five actions are shown throughout Acts and they are there over and over.
First, we need to be prayerful. How easy it is to say this, but how much time do we actually spend in prayer. When life gets going and we get in a normal routine and there are not a lot of difficulties, the amount of time we spend praying starts to decrease. I have been convicted of this lately. How much time do I spend praying? I’m given 24 hours in a day and what do I do with my time? How much of that 24 hours do I give back to the Lord to spend in His presence?
Second, we need to be united. How much time do I spend building up the church? How much time do I spend dividing the church and causing discord? “United churches don’t fight and fighting churches aren’t revived.” Are my words and actions building up or tearing down the church and my family of believers? It’s one or the other. I don’t think we can live in the middle, thinking we don’t have influence. We do. What are we going to do with that influence?
Thirdly, we need to be evangelizing. We are all called to be sharing the Word. The news of Jesus Christ is the best news in the world. Are we sharing it or hiding it? “All Christians are missionaries, and all non-Christians are the mission field.” We don’t have to go halfway around the world to evangelize. We can do it in our own backyard. How much time am I spending talking with those who don’t know Christ?
Fourth. We have power. Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we have God’s power within us to reach those around us. What are we doing with that gift? Hiding it or using it?
Lastly, we are called to be holy. My life should be a holy life. My decisions should reflect Christ. People should be able to look at my life and see that I love the Lord. Can they? Do they see Jesus when they see me?
I left church this week feeling challenged and convicted. The Lord spoke directly to my heart. I pray that I will be obedient to the word He has spoken to me. I pray that as I share this with you, you also will be affected and that you will join with me in committing to follow the Lord more closely.