The Church I See: Moments of Revival

How often do we disqualify ourselves from what God has already qualified us for?

"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God we’re making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:14-20 (emphasis added)

To close out “The Church I See” series, Pastor Eli conveys a messages that God can reach people no matter the season they are in. For me, when he said that we ultimately have control over our season, it hit me. For a second, I even questioned it. I wondered, how do we have control over our seasons? The way Pastor Eli explained it was this: Storms are going to come, and we all go through different seasons at different times, but you control the temperature you carry. And with the seasons come an array of victories and valleys, trials and triumphs. By being imperfect people with a wide range of life experiences in a world of sin and temptation, there are times we fall short in our walks with God. Keeping that in mind, one of the lingering questions we have as Christians is “What does it mean to follow Jesus and fall short sometimes?”.

To break down this theme verse and Pastor Eli’s message, here are a few points to reflect on and carry with you:

• We often disqualify ourselves from being able to carry revival, because we aren’t Jesus or just like Jesus.
• God will meet you in your lonely places, in your deepest need, but he loves you too much to leave you there.
• What we cannot do, God has already done for us.
• We don’t want to be the people just going through the moments, we want to maximize the moments.
• He counted the cost before he died for you. He knew what you were going to do, and he died for you anyway.

We pass by and encounter various people every single day. And we may never know what season they are walking through in those moments.

But all it takes is a single moment for revival to happen in someone's life.

The coworker we see every day, our barista at our favorite coffee shop, the stranger in the grocery aisle… for all we know, they could be in a season we were once in, in a moment where they may be losing all hope, waiting on a miracle, or maybe they don't know God at all. We must never lose sight of those moments of revival. It doesn’t come from looking at people with a world view of judgement, hatred, or personal ego. It comes from the love and grace of seeing a person’s spirit that can be transformed.  

To listen to the full message, check back later for the podcast.

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