Senior Adult Revival!

It was a joy to be part of the CBA Senior Adult Revival last Tuesday! The Pastor and Members of Forsyth Baptist Church did a great job of putting this event on and making everyone feel welcome. The music, the meal, and the fellowship were great; and, we were particularly blessed by two excellent messages!

Dr. Don Evans preached from 2nd Chronicles 5-7 on the subject of “Revival!” He encouraged us to consider four things about revival:

What is revival? It is a resuscitation of God’s people. It is an instrument of evangelism, but it is not the evangelism itself. (Alvin Reid) “Revival is a renewed passion for Christ.”

Our need of revival! Dr. Evans reminded us that the SBC is growing older and smaller! While we have over 100,000 pastors and staff persons in our churches, 25% of our churches baptized no one last year. Reports tell us that only about 1/3 of Southern Baptists ever attend the church of which they are a member.

Don used the illustration of the ministries of Whitefield and Wesley to remind us that if the churches reject evangelism and revival, God will take His work out into the fields! He pointed out that while Whitefield was a Calvinist and Wesley was an Arminian, they were good friends who were both used of God to bring many thousands of people to faith in Jesus Christ.

There are about 6.8 Billion people on earth and half of them, (3.4 billion) do not have the gospel and 2.3 billion have not so much as heard the name Jesus!

The way of revival! Revival comes through prayer and repentance. Evan Roberts (used of God as His primary instrument in the 1905-1906 revival in Wales) had four guiding principles: (1) Put away unconfessed sin; (2) Put away doubtful habits; (3) Obey God promptly; and (4) Confess Christ publicly!

The results of revival! (Psalm 126:5-6) When God’s people are revived, there will be (1) Weeping (2) Going (3) Sowing and (4) Reaping and (5) Rejoicing!

So what? We must pray for: Our selves, our Churches, the lost and unchurched; and an opportunity to share the gospel with them.

Pastor Doug Davis preached from Galatians 5 on the subject of “Christian Freedom.” He reminded us that our freedom comes from God! Adam and Eve were free in the Garden, but what destroyed that freedom? Sin! Following the flood, God gave human government to protect people from the results of sin.

Today, we still have the problem of sin and so does government! We can only be truly free in Christ! God can only give people and government real freedom as they submit to Christ.

This will not happen until it begins to happen in the lives of God’s people! The family, government, and the church are the three institutions God created; and they all exist to minister God’s grace to people.

As Christians, we are the only one who can take our freedom away. Isaiah 61 and Luke 4 both point out that one of the reasons Jesus came was to proclaim liberty to the captives! In Christ, we are free from the bondage of sin but we still wrestle with the sinful desires of our flesh.

Like Jacob, Pastor Doug had to wrestle with God about his call to ministry! He shared the illustration of an severed tendon in his hand and how God worked through that to show him that where He guides, He provides!

We are free in Christ to serve Christ, but many of us – like Doug – have personal baggage that hinders us. He shared his testimony of being saved on Sunday, August 9, 1977 and then telling several people of his decision the next day at school. Two of his friends accepted the Lord that day, but the ridicule of one friend greatly hindered his willingness to believe that God could use him.

He reminded us of the power of words to hurt us or to help us. Doug admitted that he was “more interested in what I thought I should be, rather than what God made me to be.” Even though he was not doing what God wanted him to do, God was still faithful.

He reminded us that God has a purpose for us – and if that purpose was done, we would be in heaven today! None of us deserve God’s forgiveness, and we must forgive those who hurt us as God in Christ has forgiven us. We need to ask God to search our heart and show us where we need forgiveness and then we need to go and forgive others.

He then challenged us to remember that, “partial obedience is disobedience; and disobedience is sin.” Following this helpful message, he gave an invitation to respond.

These were two very helpful messages, and the day was completed by a great meal and some “reunion and fellowship” time among our people.