Grateful for Lifegate Church

   

Last week our church plant team joined Lifegate Church in Seguin, Texas for their Sunday meeting.  We are so grateful they invited us to be with them!  Pastors Bob Odom and Josh Jordan desired to communicate their support for our church plant and wanted our churches to get to know each other and be envisioned for our partnership in Central Texas.  They asked me to preach on a vision for church planting and then hosted us to a fabulous Texas brisket lunch.  The morning was filled with new friendships, prayer, encouragement, and much joy and hope for all that God will do with our churches in the future.  The highlight for me was at the end of the meeting, when Josh invited our church plant team to gather at the front of the stage and took time to pray for our church plant, with all of the Lifegate congregation joining in.  

Many, many thanks to our dear friends at Lifegate Church.  We count your support a gift from the Lord and we are rejoicing to be honored with such a partnership as we launch Redemption Hill Church. 

Do I Believe in Revival?

Psalm 19 says that the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.  In other words, when people come into contact with God's law, God's authoritative word, God will empower his word to bring about new life in dead or slumbering hearts.

Therefore, it seems impossible to doubt the reality of revival and believe in the inerrancy of Scripture.
I also believe in the providential wisdom of God, such that I do not know when or how many people will be revived by the Word in a given time or place.  But I do know that the Word, faithfully proclaimed or read will result in revival, in God's perfect time.  

I believe in revival--in dead hearts coming to life, in dark souls seeing the light, in dying men  receiving the promise of eternal life.

I believer slumbering churches can be brought to vigorous action and watchfulness, that decaying communities can be restored to health, that churches without baptisms in recent memory can suddenly see conversions through their witness.

I believe in revival as I believe in Biblical miracles, in irresistible grace, in the gospel which is the power of God.

I have been motivated to pray for the reviving power of God's Word as we plant Redemption Hill Church especially as I've been reading When God Comes to Church by Ray Ortlund, Jr. Here is one great quote.

God is not limited to our past experiences, our traditions, or what we think the church’s next step should be. We must leave room for divine mystery, for surprise. God never acts out of character but he does exceed our expectations. (31) 

Amen.  Attend your Word with Reviving Power, Lord Jesus.