Getting Ready for Revival

 

            Spiritual preparations are underway for Piney Grove’s Revival planned to being Sunday morning, August 9.  Our theme verse in worship beginning Father’s Day will be 2 Chronicles 7:14.  “And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

            Our Sunday morning preaching will examine the seven churches of Asia in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation.  These letters to the seven churches were a revival challenge for  these churches. They are a challenge for revival for churches in the twenty-first century.  Rev. Lynn Marshall began this series on June 14 with the letter to the church at Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7).  We will continue this revival series as follows:

      June 28: Revelation 2:8-11 “The Persecuted Church”

      July 5: Revelation 2:12-17 “The Compromising Church”

      July 12: Revelation 2:18-28 “The Corrupt Church”

      July 19: Revelation 3:1-6 “The Dead Church”

      July 26: Revelation 3:7-13 “The Faithful Church”

      August 2: Revelation 2:14-21 “The Lukewarm Church”

The primary way we prepare for revival is prayer.  We are inviting members of Piney Grove to make a once a week commitment to pray and fast for revival during the month of July.  The fasting applies to one meal a day that will be surrendered to the Lord as we go about the activities of our day to pray for revival.  Several have already made this commitment.  Sign up sheets will be available at the entrance of our worship center.

      Also, we will be having cottage prayer meetings the week before the revival begins.  If you would like to volunteer to host a cottage prayer meeting, we invite you to contact the church office.  The focus of the cottage prayer meetings will be specifically prayer for personal revival.  “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).”  We will be praying for church wide renewal.  “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You (Psalm 85:6)?”  We will be praying for Dr. Bob Pittman who will be preaching.  Also, we will be praying for revival and awakening for our nation.

      We will be promoting attendance on the beginning day of our revival with Church Loyalty Day in Sunday School on August 9.  We are urging everyone one who is touched by the ministry of Piney Grove Baptist Church to be in Sunday School and worship the beginning day of revival.  This will provide us with incentive to contact chronic absentees as well as prospects.

However, the best way to get ready for revival is to pray.  Jesus Christ said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  May we be praying for revival!

 

 Your fellow servant praying for revival;

 

 Ray Stonecypher