Just a few weeks ago, I announced in one of my sermons that Saluda Baptist Church was going to have a revival early in 2024. I am delighted to now start providing some of the details so that we may all start preparing ourselves, our Church, and our community for this event.
But before I provide the details, let’s talk about what revival is. You see, in previous decades it was common for churches to annually (or several times per year) conduct “revival services.” These scheduled services were for the express purpose of bringing the believers back to a renewed commitment and devotion to the Lord.
But today it seems rare for churches to schedule revival services and there are many “reasons” why this is the case:
- Churches have gone to multiple services on Sunday mornings and Saturday nights, making the workforce for scheduled revival services every night of the week too demanding.
- Many people have little interest in seeking God’s presence and making a renewed commitment to Him, and to schedule services that would be poorly attended would be highly discouraging.
- And in many cases, Churches have modified their schedules to accommodate the pressures on family schedules.
So going back to revival and what does that word mean: The word revival combines two Latin words, “vivo,” meaning to live, and “re” meaning again. It’s like a rebirth or a re-awakening, an invigorating experience where the Holy Spirit moves freely among believers, setting their hearts on fire for the Lord.
For a good visual of a revival, take a look at Acts 2, the Day of Pentecost, when the believers were gathered together, and the Holy Spirit settled on them. It is noteworthy that repentance of sin is a huge theme, as people become painfully aware of the separation that has been created between themselves and God, as they have “wondered away” towards worldly ways, and now, desperately desire to renew their commitment and obedience once again.
So, what will our revival look like? My Prayer is that we see a time here at Saluda Baptist Church, where we may confess our own “wondering away” from the Lord and seek renewed desired to be in His presence. That we will be transformed to say YES to God in every aspect of our lives.
All of that said, we are going to start 2024 “in revival.” Our revival will begin the first Sunday of 2024 and will span four days, from Sunday January 7th through Wednesday, January 10th. We will have a morning and evening service on Sunday and then evening services only on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This will be for ALL ages, with teachers for children, youth, and adults, all centered on the same topics each session. To accomplish this, we have a team of 20+ persons coming into Saluda from Life Action Ministries who will facilitate the revival and will also need housing and transportation.
Are you ready to step out on faith and commit to be a part of this amazing event here at Saluda Baptist Church? Will you to commit to Pray every day for this effort? Will you commit to attend every session? Will you commit to open your home to provide housing to this team? Will you commit to help provide transportation?
The real question is: Are you ready to SAY YES to God right now?? If you are, please contact the Church office or me personally and let us know how God is leading you to help.
Remember, Jesus Loves You and So Do I!!
Pastor Jeff