“Revival: Precursors to Revival” Rev 2: 1-5

    This week we talked about how revival is rooted in prayer. But there are some other necessary ingredients for revival within, among, and beyond us as well. We also need to have a teachable spirit. If we think that we know everything, then we've already missed the point. We need to not only be the teachers and mentors of the faith, but we also must put ourselves in a position to continue to learn from our Lord and Savior, which means we also need to be good listeners. Folks who listen to where Jesus is calling us to go and respond.
     Revival also takes perseverance. Whenever we have a new member class I show a video that includes a section that portrays the history of John Wesley. Folks are usually amazed at how many places John got kicked out of preaching. That doesn't even get into the history of his mother and father who lost nine children, were constantly in debt, and Samuel was even so despised by some of his congregation members he owed money to that they threw him in debtors prison. The struggle towards revival is real, and it calls for real persistence. To keep praying. Keep mentoring. Keep teaching. Keep learning. Even when everything tells you to give up.
     Revivals demands that we keep our focus on what is ahead of us - on the Kingdom of God - and the role that we have to play in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

Devotional “Revival: Precursors to Revival” - Revelations 2: 1-5

October 29th, 2017

Devotional

“Revival: Precursors to Revival” - Revelations 2: 1-5

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “To Ephesus” - Revelations 2:1

Whenever I was leading college-aged Bible studies, at least once every few years a student would ask to study Revelations. When asked why, they always gave the same response - they wanted to learn about the end time. So we would set out to study Revelation, which often took most of the school year, but we did so with one condition, that the students keep an open mind.

Often they would leave the study saying they learned a lot more about themselves and the church then anything else from such a study. As we would start with chapter 1 of Revelation and lead into this chapter we would discuss what a revelation was exactly - a message from God given to a prophet for the sake of a community. 

This weeks message comes to the church in Ephesus. The same Ephesus Paul visited. The same Ephesus addressed in Ephesians. The same Ephesus where Mary the mother of Jesus lived out her last years. Yet, as we will Ephesus is not what it once way. 

Write a letter to our church today. What would you have to say? What would God have to say? 

Prayer: Jesus, we ask this week as we study a piece of Revelations, that you open up our hearts and minds. That we not just look for what is to come, but how you may be speaking to us today. Speak to us, your Church, precious Lord. Amen. 

Tuesday: “I Know Your Works” - Revelations 2:2

In the letter of James we find the statement that faith without works is dead. Sometimes as a church we get all tied up around the concept of works. We preach that you cannot be saved by works, which is true, we can only be saved by Christ. But sometimes we also follow that thought so far as to say that we don’t need works at all, which isn’t scriptural as we see in James. Our works should testify to the Lordship of Christ in our lives.

In the modern Church another fallacy we sometimes slip into is that we should be faithful but we don’t need to be fruitful. Half of that statement is Biblically true, we are called to be faithful, but our works should also bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.

In this verse in Revelations, the author is lifting up the works of the church in Ephesus. They patiently endure. They test false teachers and prophets before believing what they say. They do not tolerate evil. 

If our works proclaim Jesus Christ, then we should be able to be known by our works as well. What do our works say about the vitality of our faith life?

If someone said to you “I know you by….” how would they finish that sentence?

How do your works reflect your love for Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you have invited us to be part of the mission of the Kingdom of God. We thank you that you give us work to do. O Lord, may we be known as people whose work bears fruit for your name! Amen. 

Wednesday: “For the Sake of My Name” - Revelations 2:3

Things were not easy for the Early Church in any location or time prior to the third Century, when the ruler Constantine, made Christianity the religion of the state, which came with its own set of problems. When the author of Revelations states that the church in Ephesus endured and bore up for the sake of Christ’s name, this is a kind way to say that they suffered. Suffered persecution. 

Ephesus was the center of worship for the Greek goddess, Diana. There were temples to her honor located in the city. In Acts 19, we read that such worship was also coupled with commerce, folks came to trade artifacts that bore the goddess’s image. 

Additionally, being a city of trade meant a lot of people came through. They had to face people coming into the church who were trying to teach false things about Jesus. 

Internal and external influences made the church suffer. Yet they bore it. Not for their sake, but to make Jesus’s name known. How would we fare today, facing some of these same factors?

What would it look like/ feel like for you to endure suffering patiently for the sake of Christ’s name?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we do not know if we can patiently endure for the sake of your name. We want your name to be known for the sake of our comfort as much as for the sake of your Kingdom. Forgive us Lord, and give us courage to face whatever may lie ahead. Amen. 

Thursday: “Abandoned Love” - Revelations 2:4

However, the author of Revelations also has a charge to lie out against the church in Ephesus, as with most of the churches that are written to. They have abandoned the love and passion that they had for Jesus Christ when they first heard and believed.

This is where works get even tricker. Works without faith is also dead, just as faith without works is dead. If as a church, we continue to do activities, just for the sake of the activities, and forgetting that they are undergirded by the desire to represent Christ to the world, then we’ve missed the mark.

The loss of first love, also speaks to a lack of commitment. The commitment to Jesus to represent him in the world. The commitment to love and serve one another. How can we regain the passion and commitment we had when we first believed?

How would your describe your passion and commitment to Christ?

Do your works represent the faith that you have in Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes it is easier to keep doing what we are doing instead of stopping and asking if what we do, truly bears fruit for your Kingdom. Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of faith and our lack of fruit at times. Renew in us a love for you and for the world which yo gave your very life for. Amen.

Friday: “Repent” - Revelation 2:5

It is difficult, if not impossible, to have revival in our own personal spirits without repentance. The author of Revelations reminds the people of Ephesus that things do not need to be this way. They can return to how things once were. They can once again make Christ’s name known among and beyond themselves.

What we do must be an overflow of the love that we have for Jesus Christ. If its not about Jesus then it quickly becomes about us. If it is not about brining people to know Jesus, it becomes about filling our pews and offering plates for the sake of our own survival. It is is not about works of compassion, generosity, and love that are reflections of the Sermon on the Mount, it becomes about the marks of modern society in greed and self-preservation.

Let us not fail to listen to what the church in Ephesus has to teach us today. 

What do we need to repent of as a church?

What do you need to repent of as an individual?

Prayer: Lord, propel us out. Out into the world that we sometimes fear. Out into the chaos and brokenness that our neighbors experience daily. Out to be your hands and feet and to build up your Kingdom for the sake of the Gospel. Use us, we pray. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Revival: A Longing for Holiness” -  1 Peter 1: 13-16

Family Activity: This week we talked in worship about how prayer is a precursor to revival. What would you like to pray about as a family? Write it down and keep praying about it. When it gets answered - record how God answered your prayer. Was it in the time and way that you expected?

“Earn. Save. Give: Give All You Can”

  As much as folks may struggle with saving, it can be equally hard to give. We often give our money to that which we believe in, but if we are not careful, it can come across like we are judging  the folks we are receiving what we offer. There is a fine line between judgment and stewardship.
   When I was in college I was studying abroad with a friend in Australia. Every week we would take a day to go and talk about the Trinity, eat good food, and explore such a beautiful country. One day when we were coming out of a bakery a man stopped to ask if my friend could give him money for bus-fare. He did. A  little bit later we saw the same man, but he was intoxicated.
    What always struck me was my friends reaction. He did not get upset because the man used his money in a way other then what my friend intended or thought was right. Instead he said that it was in God's hands because it was God's money in the first place.
    What steps can we take to remember that all we have is God's money in the first place and that we are help those in needs and give money towards making the Kingdom of God known here and now?

“Earn. Save. Give: Save All You Can” Proverbs 13:11

    Saving money is not a popular thing to talk about today. Americans seem to like the idea of winning the lottery a lot more then setting money aside for the future. Yet, one of John Wesley's principles around money is save all you can.
    A good rule of thumb with our paychecks would be: 10 percent tithe (or gift to God), 10 percent saved for the future, and 80 percent for our own use. But it is hard to stick to 80 percent or put any money into savings, when we have bought so much on credit that we are drowning in credit card bills with high interest rates.
     When we are admonished to save, it is to save with a purpose. What is the purpose of saving for you? And what steps can you take towards saving money for the future?

Earn. Save. Give: Earn All You Can

     I have a question for you, how does your work honor God? Did you come up with a response right away? Or was it hard for you to answer? The question can be difficult because sometimes, even as Christians, we don't pause to examine our work life. We think that work is something that we do because we have to, when really our work and our lives are to reflect God's glory and honor God's kingdom.
    We can get so caught up in the everyday-ness of what we do that we also don't take time to think about how our work blesses God's kingdom. The truth is we are bound together in a global community so what we do has ripple effects to other people. We can no longer act as if what we do don't reach out to other people.
     Let us seek to earn all we can, but also need to think about our neighbor. And we most certainly need to think about God.

Earn. Save. Give: We Don’t Need More Money

  One of my favorite questions to ask kids is how they learned a skill. How did you learn to throw a ball or tie your shoes? To ride a bike or read a book? Often its because someone took the time to teach them and then they had to practice. So, who taught you financial wisdom?
  For me, it was my dad, who taught me through example what it looked like to tithe. Who opened up saving accounts for my brothers and I early long and taught us about pass books (do you remember those?) and how to balance a check book ledger. However, I also fully realize that it is a gift and a privilege to have parents who taught me these skills and for too many folks they never had someone teach them financial wisdom in practice.
   Perhaps that is why there has been a surge in the church in recent years around programs like Financial Peace University which teaches biblical principles around finances and how to live them out. We need more of that friends. We need folks who embody wisdom around finances and walk beside us as we make good decisions that reflect the call on our lives to be stewards of our resources.
   What do you wish you would have learned about finances earlier in life and how can you walk beside someone else now to offer finical wisdom?