Tag: Repentance

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A Revival of Revival

For the last five nights I have wept nearly uncontrollably. The reason, watching an unpredicted revival taking place in Gainesville, Georgia at Free Chapel. It was supposed to be just a one-off Sunday evening service, but at the end of the service, after an incredible move of God, an impromptu decision was made to go another night. That one-off has now turned into five consecutive nights, with no end in sight as God’s presence keeps moving, people continue to stream to the altars, and their online audience continues to increase. It’s a revival of the old-fashioned revival!

While many churches are emphasizing shallow services that won’t scare or offend visitors, this week Free Chapel has been impacting hundreds of thousands as they invite God to do a sovereign move in their midst. It seems they have decided to follow the Spirit, preach a message few preach anymore, Jesus is coming, and invite people to come to an altar.

This should be sending shock waves through the religious community; it is going against what many don’t want to happen in church and some feel can only happen if you follow their rules. People are arriving over an hour to get seats, guest and young people are literally running to the front, and people are lingering in the altars for over an hour. There is emotion, tears, repentance, and people receiving the Spirit as in the book of Acts. Several nights this week I have had my face buried in the carpet of our family room, convicted by the Word and overwhelmed by His presence.

This is what Mary and I envisioned, prayed for, and desired to bring to Life for nearly 20 years. It was our passion. We wanted our kids and our community to see an indescribable yet undeniable move of God’s Spirit. We wanted people to see, taste, and experience a sovereign move of God that wasn’t about religious traditions and rules, not something manipulated or worked up by a worship team, simply a church allowing the Spirit of the Lord to have liberty. My tears have been an uncontrollable mix of joy and sadness. Joy that it is happening and I am getting to see and experience it, yet sadness that my kids aren’t engaged in it and that we didn’t get to bring it to Life like we so desperately wanted too.

I know writing an article like this will bring opportunity for some on both sides to discredit what is happening. Yes, Jentezen is human and his message may not be just like yours. Yes, his church has problems, but I have yet to find a church that doesn’t. But I do know God is doing something amazing through a man who is hungry for people to experience God’s glory. I know there are those who want everything controlled and will dismiss what is happening. They will point out to some bad experience they had at “one of those churches” and because they did, no one should ever experience something that is not sanitized and controlled. I also know this, there is a world that is desperately hungry for something authentic and they are tuning in. This week’s live online services at Free Chapel have nearly 50,000 watching each night. Each rebroadcast is being viewed by over 100,000. Watch parties are starting in states throughout the U.S. and churches are inviting people to their buildings and having church with Free Chapel as it is happening live.

This is what I want to you to know. I’m hearing messages on the coming of the Lord like I haven’t heard since I was a young man. I’m seeing people come to altars like I haven’t seen in years, and I’m seeing the Spirit being poured out like it was in the book of Acts. Interested? If so, check it out for yourself. Go to https://www.youtube.com/@freechapel. Once there, you can see when the next live broadcast is, watch any rebroadcast of the revival services, or catch a message from the series on Signs of the Times. While this blog may not be for everyone, I hope it blesses some. Just trying to reach one more for Jesus.

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The Trouble with Sand

Sand. I have a love hate relationship with it. I say this because the beautiful sandy shores of Orange Beach was my home last week. As I set on the beach enjoying the gentle breeze, watching waves, enjoying family, and reading books, I also had to deal with sand. I must admit that I enjoyed playing games, drawing sketches, and taking walks with Mary in the sand, but there was another side of sand I didn’t enjoy. It was everywhere I didn’t want it to be, in my lunch, stuck to my skin, and eventually into nearly everything we owned. I got home and found sand in my luggage, our car, and clothes. What I’ve determined is sandy venues are nice places to visit, but not a place I necessarily want to live. In Orange Beach, like so many other beaches, it appears that homes are built on the beaches but look closely and you will see that nothing is built on sand. The homes are built on wood foundations that go deep below to soil. Luxurious condominiums that rise into the sky are set on foundations that go as deep as they are high. There is a parable where Jesus talks of how we should build. In the parable Jesus speaks of two builders who built homes. One built on sand and the other solid ground. Jesus says that after the homes were built, storms came, and the home that was built on sand collapsed, while the one built on strong ground, stood. Notice, the problem wasn’t the material, the problem was the foundation. This parable causes me to ask, what are we building our lives and culture on? Things, people, and ideas that shift, change, and move like sand, or on principles and values that have stood the test of storms, time, and difficulty? There is a current of religious culture that feels very sandy. It says have the right look, connect to the right people, have trendy social media, and you will draw a crowd and that makes a successful church community. Don’t rock the boat or make people feel uncomfortable. While it looks good, it’s sandy. No conviction. No call to altars or repentance, and definitely, no allowance for the Spirit to have any freedom in a service. Shudder to think that they might allow signs, wonders, or miracles to work, it might alarm the sinner. Keep the environment controlled and comfortable. It’s sand. What will stand the test of storms and time? Pretty simple. Anything built on the power and Word of God and anywhere there is passionate prayer, and the Spirit is allowed to have liberty.

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Just a Breeze

The temperature is 93, the humidity is 85 percent, and the “feels like” temperature is 107. Are you sweating and feeling the misery just by reading that sentence? Welcome to summer in Indiana. Where do you want to be when we have one of those days? I either want to be in an air-conditioned room or a vehicle with the A/C blowing full blast. If you can’t be in either one of those places or have a job that requires you to be outside for an extended time, what do you want? Just a breeze. A breeze is defined as a light, gentle wind. It’s enough wind to make the day bearable, give you hope, and cool your brow. If you can find a shade tree and a glass of tea or lemonade, you might consider staying there for a while. How important is a breeze? In Acts 27 Paul is on a ship headed to Italy when conditions begin to deteriorate, for a moment they pause and think of terminating the journey, but Acts 27:12 says, “when a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so, they weighed anchor and sailed. . .” Catch that! They were ready to give up, drop anchor, but a gentle wind changed everything, and they sailed on. Life has its challenges, discouragement comes, but if we catch a breeze, it changes everything. We often look to vacations, entertainment, and other stimulus to give us energy, but Simon Peter says in Acts 3:19 that the refreshing breeze we want is found in repentance. “Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;” How inspiring! How close are we to a spiritual breeze? As quick as we turn toward God and lean into His overwhelming peace and presence, a breeze of the Spirit will come and invigorate us. Catch a breeze!