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Longtime Presbyterian minister Dr. Wilbur Chapman (early 1900s) was 26 when called to be pastor of Wanamakers Church in Philadelphia. His first Sunday, an old gentleman came up to him and said, “You’re much too young to be the pastor of such a fine church as this.” Chapman thought the guy was a kook. The older gentleman went on to tell him that he and another gentleman had decided to pray for him—that the Holy Spirit’s power would fall on him each time he stepped into the pulpit. Chapman reported that those 2 men soon turned into 10, then 20, then 50, and finally more than 200 men who gathered each Sunday morning before services to pray for the Holy Spirit’s enablement. Over the next three years, the church saw 1,100 people come into the kingdom—more than 600 of them were men. Somewhere along the line, churches have lost sight of what they should be praying for. Today, most church prayer requests and meetings are almost exclusively for needs within the body. We pray that each person’s life would get back to normal. Seldom do we cry out for the fullness of Jesus Christ to come upon a body, for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit onto a church, that lives would glorify God and people would be drawn to Christ as members walk through difficult times, that our youth would desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. No, we stay focused on the “little answerables” that have upset people’s ease in life. Little thought is ever given to, “God, what do You want to do in this situation in Bill’s life?” Even less time is spent waiting for an answer from God. No, our prayers are, “God, get them out of this!” I’m struck by the prayers of Paul. Even though he had many people with life-and-death needs under his care, Paul—at least in the prayers we see in Scripture—never prayed for a logical answer to a specific need. (His own request that his thorn in the flesh be removed is the closest he came; but God said no, so he stopped asking.) Instead, Paul focused on spiritual fruit and spiritual growth issues. For the Roman believers, who were undoubtedly suffering intense persecution, Paul prayed, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV). Not “Get them out of this!” Paul knew that the Holy Spirit would draw people to Christ if they saw believers go through tough times with a sense of hope, joy, and peace. How do you pray when faced with a difficult situation in your life or in the life of another? Do you simply default to a “get them out of this” mode of prayer? Or do you recognize that God wants to do something in and through their difficult situation? Maybe it’s spiritual growth. Maybe glory to His Son. Maybe growing the kingdom. Maybe we and our churches would see more kingdom growth if we changed the way we pray. Jonathan Graf is president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network.

Dear Revival Partners, I think often, almost daily, about how Isaiah must have felt as he was living among a people who were familiar with the ways of God, but no longer walking in the ways of God. Isaiah must have felt like many of us do today. Feelings of uncertainty … wondering if things will ever change … Will God show up once again? Feelings that God’s people have lost their credibility to the unbelieving world. Feelings of, “Why all this craziness? Why is our culture so confused and conflicted? Why is holiness absent and perversion prevalent?” YET, in the midst of feeling hopeless, Isaiah only INTENSIFIED HIS CRY OF ASKING FOR HELP! In chapter 64, verse 1, Isaiah personifies hope in his invitation for God to show up: “Oh, that you would … come down!” The intensity of his cry is evident as he exclaims, “Oh, LORD,” three different times in the remaining verses. Be encouraged, OneCry  family! As the pandemic diminishes and the routines return, the cries for a divine intervention from heaven are not lessening. To the contrary, more and more voices are both crying up and crying out. And the faith, passion, and intensity with which leaders are seeking the Lord are powerful reminders that God is about to come, in great power. Last month, we began a OneCry  podcast. The month prior, we hosted the National Day of Prayer telecast. And earlier this year, we were engaged deeply in a national revival conference and the Collegiate Day of Prayer. All the while, radio stations are airing the OneCry  short feature, and the weekly national prayer gatherings for revival continue. What could happen if God were to show up … if God were to manifest His presence? Please keep seeking. Please keep asking. Please keep believing. With all our hearts, let’s trust God for another world-changing, life-transforming movement of His Spirit. Thank you for partnering with OneCry  in this urgent call. Until He comes! Byron Paulus and the OneCry  Team

Written by Bill Elliff Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim.… Then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God (2 Chron. 5:7, 13-14 NASB). I am overwhelmed this morning with this picture. Lose your familiarity with the text, and picture this moment as if you’d never read it before. Solomon had built the temple. Never had God chosen a place for His temple to be built, until His people returned to Jerusalem—the city dedicated to God and God alone for all time. David had longed to build the temple, but his son Solomon was chosen. And, when it was built, there was no structure like it in the world. The Reminder God cannot be confined to one place alone. Solomon knew that and voiced it in his prayer later. But, for God’s purposes, He chose to have His people focus on this place, particularly the holy of holies, in a special way. He was there, and this place represented the work He had done and would do for His people. It was to be the constant reminder of His presence—that He was in the center of His people. The Ark The Law was there, inside the ark. This represented who God is and what He wants His people to be like. He knew we could not fulfill this on our own. But above the Law was the mercy seat, which represented the work the Messiah would do to make us holy. This work would give us the ability to be conformed to His image—to be like Him. It offers the forgiveness and the empowering we need to be holy as He is holy. The Cherubim Overshadowing it all were two cherubim—majestic, supernatural representations of the mighty angels who would guard over all this work. The Glory The glory of God filled the house of God. It was so strong that no one could stand before it—a visible, tangible, unforgettable moment that forever sealed in the people’s mind that God had chosen to settle down among them. The Picture The picture of this place is stunning. But even more astounding is that God has now chosen His believers to be His temple! Paul reminds us that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, complete with an outer court (the body), an inner court (the soul), and a holy of holies (the spirit), where God has chosen to place His Spirit. The Privilege There is no privilege so great as being inhabited by God. And with this privilege comes great responsibility. We must so cooperate with God right now, today, that the world sees this glory. This one truth should transform us today, calling us to acknowledge His presence in us and respond to Him in ways that release His life through us to a needy world! When we gather to worship, the combined glory of God in each of us should fill the house, if we are cooperating with Him. Corporate and national revival occurs when God chooses to manifest His glory in even more deliberate ways among us. It is for this that we must pray and work, crying out to God for His manifestations. It is our only hope for the national course-correction we need. Hallelujah! God has chosen to place Himself among us! He has done it in the past; He is doing it now. And one day, we will experience it fully in the perfection of heaven!

A Biblical View of Revival - Part 6 Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD (Joel 1:14 NASB). I have met a number of precious pastors in my lifetime who really struggle emotionally and mentally when their church attendance numbers begin to decline and they realize that the powerful, manifest presence of God is no longer being experienced by their congregations. If you are one of these pastors, you may have had some of the following questions go through your mind: “Is it time to get rid of some staff members or try another revitalization program? Is it time for me to begin looking for another church? Do I need to quit the pastorate altogether and get into some form of secular work?” Asking the Right Questions Pastor, you and I both know that these are probably not the right questions to ask. Instead, pressures within our churches should push us to first examine our own hearts. “Am I right with God? Am I walking in freedom over sin? Am I truly spending the time God wants me to have with Him in His Word? Has my relationship with God become healthy enough for me to hear His voice and show Him my love by obeying His directional commands? Am I being courageous in declaring the whole counsel of God’s Word and leading my congregation to corporately obey God?” When this type of personal examination has taken place first, and you know that your relationship with God is right, then it is time to focus on your congregation. At this point, God often calls His under-shepherds to lead the people under their authority in examining their corporate ways and deeds and repenting of anything that is displeasing to Him. How is this accomplished? The steps below may help you if this is a path God is leading you and your church family to take. Leading the Sheep Back to the Shepherd 1. Spend time equipping the people under your authority with a biblical understanding of how God holds both churches and individuals accountable for their sinful ways and deeds, and how your church family can actually repent of its corporate sins (Ezekiel 36:16-19). One way to do this is by preaching through the revivals found in Scripture (Moses: Exodus 32:1-35; 33:1-23; Samuel: 1 Samuel 7:1-17; Elijah: 1 Kings 18:1-46; Jonah: The Book of Jonah; Asa: 2 Chronicles 15:1-19; Hezekiah: 2 Chronicles 29:1-36; 30:1-27; 31:1-21; Josiah: 2 Chronicles 34:1-33; 35:19; Ezra and Nehemiah: Ezra 9:1-15, 10:1-5; Nehemiah 9:1-3; John the Baptist: Luke 3:2-18; Pentecost: Acts 2:1-47; Philip: Acts 8:4-40; Peter and Cornelius: Acts 10:1-48; Paul in Ephesus: Acts 19:1-2). 2. Ask God to reveal specifically to you and all those who are in positions of authority how your church family has departed from loving Him, keeping His principles and commands, and obeying specific directions for ministry He may have given your congregation. If your entire church family is involved in this process, it is important to remind them not to focus on individuals but on sins that are committed by many in the congregation or by the congregation as a whole. Some examples of corporate sin may be the church’s failure to witness or to make disciples or to genuinely love each other (Daniel 9:3-23). 3. Upon hearing from God, ask Him to show you the changes He would have you make in order to honor Him and see His reputation restored through the life of your church family (Acts 26:20). 4. Lead your church or group to confess their sinful ways and deeds before God, submit anew to God’s authority, restore God’s biblical standards over the group, and then begin taking specific steps to complete your repentance. In Scripture this often involved a solemn assembly where everyone in the group was encouraged to attend and repent of the group’s sinful ways (Joel 2:12-17). 5. Complete your church or group repentance by faithfully and consistently acknowledging to God that you are trusting His Spirit to give you the desire and the power to accomplish the changes He longs for you to make (Philippians 2:12-13). 6. Lead your church or group to always praise and worship God as the One who gets the glory for that which you begin seeing Him accomplish among you (John 4:24). May we all see Jesus exalted as we continue praying for revival and spiritual awakening!

University of Georgia students gave their lives to Christ earlier in April after being baptized in pick-up trucks in a parking lot. Unite Georgia brought together thousands of Gen-Zers for worship, prayer and personal testimonies. Some students were so moved by the prayer service that they decided to get baptized in the beds of pick-up trucks nearby. "I just heard the call from the Lord, and he said, ‘Be obedient,'" student Nate Kearns, a junior who was baptized, told "The Ingraham Angle." "I listened to Him to take a step of faith and let my fraternity brothers watch that." Read Full Story

“Last night was amazing. These football players had about 100 students helping them tell the students on campus to come to the event. About 2,500 showed up. ~400 decisions for Christ. They had a line hundreds of feet long wanting to be baptized. Security did not allow them to be baptized on campus grounds. The football players told them they would have to kick them out of school to stop it. ~200 baptized in a metal tub in the school square under lights that were held in the dark during the 5+ hour evening event. ​ Praise the Lord for great things happening on college campuses! 😊 Thanks for your help with this. Hundreds of bibles were handed out to students and more coming at future events.”

Those of you who know me well or follow me on social media realize how much I love Lake Michigan. The views are spectacular. The beaches are amazing. The sand dunes are some of the most plenteous in the world. And the sunsets are blazingly magnificent. Yet something has been happening gradually over the past thirty years. Inch by inch, the water level has been climbing, until it is now the highest in recorded history. Because of this, the forces of nature have destroyed beaches and homes. Like the home in this picture I saw last weekend, many a foundation have weakened and ultimately crumbled as wave after wave pounded what was previously thought secure and safe. As I looked at this singular home, I could not help but consider how similar this teetering home is to the condition our nation finds itself in today … in the following ways: The problem is obvious. The causes are contested. The solution is biblical. The Problem Is Obvious In every category of our culture, there is major erosion taking place. Some argue that the seven “mountains of influence” are on the brink of collapse. Think about each one and how distant they are from being healthy: Academia Economy Media Entertainment Government Family Church STOP! Before reading further, make sure you have not raced past how each of these is faltering, and how distrust is eroding their viability. The Causes Are Contested Arguments abound when it comes to why the lake level reached an all-time high last month. Climatologists say it’s too warm, and the melting ice up north is the cause. Other scientists say it’s too cold, so when a larger percentage of the lake is frozen in the winter, too little evaporation occurs, causing rising water levels. The “why” behind a culture whose foundation is disintegrating is equally diverse. Bad politics. Immoral entertainment. Presumptive economics. Liberal education. Media manipulation. Broken homes. It’s easy to call out just one, but in reality, all are simultaneously eroding. I am not a naysayer or a pessimist, but I am a realist. And I am convinced that every one of these segments of our culture is on the brink. But what if all do not have to be repaired at once? What if the condition of one affects all the others? What if the condition of the church—the waywardness of God’s people—is at the core of the weakening foundation? What if it is, primarily, an impotent church that is causing the erosion of all the others? The Solution Is Biblical The foundation of our culture is the church—not church buildings or church programs, but the people of God. The Psalmist asked a question when confronted with a faltering foundation: “What can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). I see this as a rhetorical question, as if the answer is obvious. Nothing. It’s too late. The foundations are already destroyed. It’s over the cliff. But I also see it as a hopeful question. There IS something the righteous can do … because of the next verse: The LORD is in His holy temple.The LORD’s throne is in heaven,his eyes see (v. 4). The main point is not who is right and who is wrong regarding the cause of the erosion permeating our country; the point is that, without God, there can be no reversal. Only God can change the spiritual weather patterns significantly enough to halt the erosion. The Lord is still on His throne in heaven, so anything is possible. And He is not oblivious. His eyes see. What can the righteous do? What can those who are seeking Him do? Inspecting the Foundation of Our Hearts In recent weeks, I have noticed homeowners making a beeline to ensure that their foundations are secure. It takes time. It takes personal inspection. It takes effort to restore as needed. It even requires some risk. Even as children of God, we need to realize that we are not immune to erosion. We must take time regularly to inspect our own hearts to make sure the key components to withstand the forces of the enemy are in place without fractures. We must make certain our foundations are not eroding underneath us. Below, I would like to recommend five key areas we must all inspect to make sure our faith is firmly rooted in the Lord, and the foundations of our hearts are secure. Authority of Scripture and Lordship of Christ: Are God’s Word and the Lord Jesus Christ fully in control of our lives? Are you holding anything back from Him? Are you wanting to retain control? Ministry of the Holy Spirit: Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to have His rightful place in our hearts? When is the last time you sensed the power of God’s Spirit doing what only He can do? When is the last time the presence of the Holy Spirit was overwhelming to you? Power of a Life Message: Are we experiencing the power that comes with walking obediently, with living what we are preaching? Do you know the freedom that comes with walking what you are talking? Message of the Cross: Are we embracing the cross? Is the resurrected power of the cross (the gospel) evident because you have died to yourself? Is there an area of your life that you are unwilling to die to or reluctant to nail to the cross? Priorities: Are we keeping our top three priorities in proper order: relationship to God, relationship to family, and relationship to others? How would those who know you best, answer this question? Please, set aside some time this week to get alone with God and allow His Holy Spirit to examine your heart. You’ll be glad you did.

Don’t waste the gift of time. Why not pause each day and pray for 30 minutes? It could turn some idle time into eternally productive time. Here’s how ... 5 MINUTES: Pause and look up to God; read one of the psalms. Step into the Lord’s presence in prayer; calm your heart in His presence. Walk into the throne room and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father. 5 MINUTES: Look up at God and praise Him for who He is—for His nature and character. Think of everything He has done for you, and thank Him. 5 MINUTES: Ask God if there is anything in your heart or life that is not right, that is displeasing to Him. Confess that to Him and ask for His cleansing. 5 MINUTES: Pray for everyone you know who has needs—pray for your needs and each of your family members’ needs; pray for your “daily bread.” 5 MINUTES: Pray for all those who are making decisions during this difficult time: for all governmental leaders (by name) and health professionals in this dangerous time; for church leaders making important daily decisions regarding how to care for their people; for nursing home workers; for business leaders making tough decisions. 5 MINUTES: Pray for a nationwide revival and spiritual awakening! We have had four nationwide spiritual awakenings that brought a dramatic course correction to our entire nation. Most of them came on the heels of nationwide calamities that brought us to our knees. Pray that this season would cause millions to turn to Him! Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to connect with the God-Who-Is-Above-All!

>  This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  (Matthew 6:9–10,13) Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on praying-kingdom-prayers-75-spiritual-qualities-and-blessings-to-pray the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.  (Revelation 8:3–5) One of the most exciting discoveries that I ever made about prayer was that, when we are praying for ourselves [petition], if our hearts are right with God and we ask in accord with His will, God will give us what we ask (1 John 5:14–15). In an effort to personally claim that promise and receive God’s riches, I made a list of seventy-five spiritual qualities and blessings mentioned in scripture—things I could be sure were “in accord with God’s will.” I understood these to be God’s purposes in my life. I asked God for these things several times each week. What I found was that God, true to His word, heard and answered these prayers. Little by little these qualities and graces became more and more real in my life. God was answering because I was praying for what He wanted. I was praying kingdom prayers. When we intercede in faith for things that God purposes to do, we can pray with absolute assurance that He hears and answers these prayers. They may not always be answered according to our expectations or on our timetables, but they will surely be answered. Our prayers contribute to what God is doing—building His kingdom.  Spiritual Qualities and Blessings God Will Give to Those Who Ask   Use this list to form your kingdom prayers. Perhaps you will want to journal through this list as you ask God for what you desire Him to develop in you, and as you ask Him for His blessing in your life. Love   “The fruit of the Spirit is… love .” (Gal. 5:22) Joy   “The fruit of the Spirit is… joy .” (Gal. 5:22) Peace   “The fruit of the Spirit is… peace .” (Gal. 5:22) Patience   “The fruit of the Spirit is… patience .” (Gal. 5:22) Kindness   “The fruit of the Spirit is… kindness .” (Gal. 5:22) Goodness   “The fruit of the Spirit is… goodness .” (Gal. 5:22) Faithfulness   “The fruit of the Spirit is… faithfulness .” (Gal. 5:22) Gentleness   “The fruit of the Spirit is… gentleness .” (Gal. 5:23) Self-control   “The fruit of the Spirit is… self – control .” (Gal. 5:23) Truth   “Stand firm then, with the belt of  truth. ” (Eph. 6:14) Faith   “Take up the shield of  faith .” (Eph. 6:16) Hope   “We have this  hope  as an anchor.” (Heb. 6:19) Spiritual Wisdom   “Wisdom is supreme; therefore, get  wisdom .” (Pr. 4:7) Goodness   “Make every effort to add goodness . ” (2 Pet. 1:5) Knowledge   “Make every effort to add… knowledge. ” (2 Pet. 1:5) Perseverance   “Make every effort to add… perseverance .” (2 Pet. 1:6) Godliness   “Make every effort to add… godliness .” (2 Pet. 1:7) Depth of Insight   “abound…in depth of  insight .” (Phil. 1:9) Discernment   “able to  discern  what is best.” (Phil. 1:9) Blameless   “able to be… blameless .” (Phil. 1:10) Righteousness   “filled with the fruit of  righteousness .” (Phil. 1:11) Understanding   “fill you with…spiritual… understanding .” (Col. 1:9) Worthy Life   “We pray that you may live  a life worthy  of the Lord.” (Col.   1:10) Please God in All Things   “We pray that you may… please God  in every way.” (Col. 1:10) Fruitfulness   “We pray that you may… bear fruit  in every good work.” (Col.1:10) Spiritual Power   “We pray that you may… be strengthened  with all power.” (Col. 1:11) Endurance   “so that you may have great  endurance .” (Col. 1:1l) Gratefulness   “We pray that you may…joyfully  give thanks .” (Col. 1:12) Compassion   “Clothe yourselves with  compassion .” (Col. 3:12) Brotherly Kindness   “Clothe yourselves …with  kindness .” (Col. 3:12) Humility   “Clothe yourselves with… humility .” (Col. 3:12) Forbearance   “ Bear with  each other.” (Col. 3:13) Forgiveness   “ Forgive  as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13) Word of Christ   “Let the  word of Christ  dwell in you richly.” (Col. 3:16) Watchfulness   “Devote yourselves to prayer being  watchful .” (Col. 4:2) Graciousness   “Let your conversation be  seasoned with salt .” (Col. 4:6) Obedience   “If anyone loves me he will  obey  my teaching.” (Jn. 14:23) Holiness   “You ought to live  holy  and godly lives.” (2 Pet. 3:11) Filling of the Spirit   “Be  filled  with the  Spirit .” (Eph. 5:18) Conformity to Christ   “Predestined to be  conformed  to the image of his Son.” (Rom. 8:29) Spiritual Riches   “Chosen…to be  rich in faith  and to inherit the kingdom.” (Jas. 2:5) God’s Calling   “Live a life worthy of the  calling  you have received.” (Eph. 4:1) Grace   “But grow in the  grace …of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 3:18) Spiritual Growth   “Crave spiritual milk so that…you may  grow .” (1 Pet. 2:2) Spirit of Praise   “Offer to God a sacrifice of  praise .” (Heb. 3:15) Blessings of the Lord   “The Lord  bless  you and keep you.” (Num. 6:24) Protection of the Lord   “The Lord will  keep you from all harm .” (Ps. 121:7) Smile of God   “The Lord make his  face to shine  upon you.” (Num. 6:25) Sound Spirit   “May your…spirit be kept blameless…” (1 Thess. 5:23) Sound Soul   “May your… soul  be kept blameless…” (1 Thess. 5:23) Sound Body   “May your… body  be kept blameless…” (1 Thess. 5:23) Praising Heart   “ Praise  the Lord, O my soul…” (Psalm 146:1) Repentance   “Godly sorrow brings  repentance …” (2 Co. 7:10) Submission   “ Submit  yourselves, then, to God…” (Jas. 4:7) Prayer   Devoted   “Devote yourselves to  prayer .” (Col. 4:2) Meditation   “ Meditate  on it (the book of law) day and night…” (Jos. 1:8) Poor of Spirit   “Blessed are the  poor in spirit. ” (Matt. 5:3) Mournful   “Blessed are those who  mourn. ” (Matt. 5:4) Meekness   “Blessed are the  meek. ” (Matt. 5:5) Hunger after Righteousness   “Blessed are those who  hunger…after righteousness .” (Matt. 5:6) Merciful   “Blessed are the  merciful. ” (Matt. 5:7) Purity of Heart   “Blessed are the  pure in heart. ” (Matt. 5:8) Peacemaker   “Blessed are the  peacemakers .” (Matt. 5:9) Salt of the Earth   “You are the  salt of the earth .” (Matt. 5:13) Light of the World   “You are the  light of the world .” (Matt. 5:14-16) Delivered from Evil   “ Deliver us from evil .” (Matt. 6:13) Abiding in Christ   “Abide in me and I will  abide in you .” (John 15:4) Equipped for Good Work   “Thoroughly  equipped  for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:17) Integrity   “The  integrity  of the upright guides them…” (Prov. 11:3) Mind of Christ   “We have the  mind of Christ. ” (1 Co 2:16) Quietness and Confidence   “The fruit…will be  quietness and confidence  forever.” (Isa:17) Thinking God’s Thoughts   “How precious to me are your  thoughts , O God!” (Ps. 139:17) Useful to the Master   “Made holy,  useful to the master .” (2 Tim. 2:21) Spirit of Worship   “ Worship  the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” (1 Ch.16:29) Thirst for God   “My soul  thirsts  for God, for the living God.” (Ps. 42:2) Zeal for the Lord   “Never be lacking in  zeal,  keep your spiritual fervor.” (Rom. 12:11) Generosity   “Honor the Lord with your wealth.” (Pr. 3:9) Honesty   “Do not give false testimony…” (Matt. 19:18) Holy Spirit   “Your Father in heaven will give the  Holy Spirit …” (Lk 11:13) Eternal Life   “The gift of God is  eternal life  in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 6:23)

A Biblical View of Revival - Part 5 by James Pool, OneCry Collegiate From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17 NASB). Have you ever noticed how the spiritually dynamic (and often first-recorded) messages of John the Baptist  (Matthew 3:1-2), Jesus  (Matthew 4:17), Peter  (Acts 2:38), Paul  (Acts 17:30), and John  (Revelation 2:5) all contain a powerful focus on one key word? What do you think it is? Would love  be that often-repeated word, since God is love and He loved the world so much that He sacrificed His only Son to pay for our sins (1 John 4:8; John 3:16)? Maybe the word   faith  comes to mind, since it is impossible to please God without it (Hebrews 11:6). Could it be the word grace , since Christ’s followers are no longer under the law but are now free to experience the power of God’s phenomenal grace at work within our lives (Romans 6:15)? No, none of these is correct. We only need to read those messages to see clearly that the key word is repent . Why do you think Jesus and these other New Testament leaders put such an emphasis on repentance? I believe the answer is twofold. First of all, without believing in the saving work of Jesus, repenting of our sins, and totally surrendering ourselves to the kind of relationship with Christ where His Spirit lives and rules within us, a person cannot be saved (Romans 8:9-14). Second, a key step to maintaining that dynamic love relationship with Christ is learning how to genuinely repent from sin any time we grieve or quench the Spirit of Christ who lives in us (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). What Is Genuine Repentance? With this level of importance placed on repentance, we have to ask, “What does repentance look like in a practical way?” In Greek, the word repent  is formed from two words. The first word denotes a change of place or condition. The second word means to exercise the mind, to think, to comprehend. When combined, these words indicate that a genuine change of mind has taken place. We realize that we cannot go on willfully disobeying the One we love and still maintain the intimacy God longs for us to experience with Him. We realize that we have to change our mind about our actions if we want to see that intimacy restored. Because repentance occurs in the context of a love relationship with Christ, sorrow is also a major part of it (2 Corinthians 7:10). When we sin, the Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to alert us that our thoughts and actions are grieving the One who loves us so very much and quenching the ability of Christ’s Spirit to work in us (Ephesians 5:26). We realize that our intimate communication with God has been lost (Psalm 66:18). We begin to woefully understand that, with the sin we just committed, it is as if we were trampling underfoot the Son of God and regarding as unclean the blood of the covenant by which we were saved (Hebrews 10:29). Therefore, wanting to no longer hurt the One who died for us, sorrow moves us to repentance. The apostle Paul said it is this passionate love of Christ that controls us and moves us to actually want to change our thoughts and actions (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). So, what do we specifically do when we repent? The first step toward genuine change involves crying out to God with sincerity of heart, agreeing with Him that what we did was wrong (1 John 1:9). This step must be followed by trusting Him to fill us anew and empower us to actually change our ways and deeds as we submit ourselves to the abiding presence and lordship of His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16). Finally, we must purpose to once again perform deeds appropriate to repentance by obeying His commands (Acts 26:20; John 14:21). It is only through these steps of change and our renewed, loving obedience to Christ that our repentance is made complete. Most of us are familiar with and understand that as individual Christians, repentance is a critical step in maintaining our intimacy with Christ. But how does repentance work when a church sins against God? Is the process the same? How do you go about getting the whole church family to change its ways? These practical questions and others regarding corporate repentance will be explored in our next Biblical View of Revival. Until then, may we press on in crying out to God for revival and spiritual awakening!