From Seed to Harvest

Most of the time when I preach a revival meeting, I don’t get to actually see all the preparation that goes into it.  I don’t get to kneel in the cottage prayer meetings, nor do I get to hand out the flyers advertising the meeting in weeks leading up to my arrival.  I show up on Saturday, hoping the preparation has been done.

This past meeting in my home church was an exception to that rule.  I was able to see all the preparation because it came close on the heels of Christmas.  I was present at every cottage prayer meeting and saw God begin to work in the hearts of the people.  I was present to be able to hand out flyers advertising the meeting, though it was somewhat awkward to hand out something with one’s own picture on the front.

We saw God do remarkable things in the meeting.  The list of people on our prayer list was brought before God on a regular basis and grew longer as the Holy Spirit brought names to our minds in prayer.  After the week was done, most of the intercessory prayers that we have offered had been answered.  Of course, God limits His personal working to man’s free will, and some hearts were hardened to the Holy Spirit’s working.  But most of the requests that we offered were answered by God during the week of revival meetings.

One such answer to prayer was a man named Kerry.  He was first contacted by our teenagers during teen soul-winning.  He came to a service soon after and expressed some doubt about his salvation.

It was my privilege, along with a deacon from our church to visit him in his home the week after he attended our services.  There, we preached the Gospel to him and asked him again about his salvation.  At that time, he told us about “doing that already,” though his explanation of the event never mentioned Jesus Christ, instead focusing on being baptized and joining the church.

He was in church several Sundays in row, including the Sunday of revival.  Never again did he raise his hand in church about salvation until the Sunday after the meeting.  That morning, he came forward for salvation.  The pastor asked me to deal with him.  In the inquiry room, he told me, “I realized that when I went forward before, I never accepted Jesus as Savior.  Today, I want to do that.”  He was born again there after the service and could hardly wait to tell people about it.

Some plant, some water, but God gives the increase.

Preaching Time

After the holidays and the turning of the calendar year, it is time for us once again to be in meetings.  Our schedule this year begins with a meeting at our home church.  We are looking forward to what the Lord will do.

For the second year in a row, I have been privileged to attend a special conference designed for evangelists.  The conference is officially called the Mentoring Evangelists Advance, and is hosted by Evangelists Billy Ingram and Dwight Smith.  This year, Bro. Rick Flanders was a guest speaker and his ministry was a particular blessing in challenging us all in the area of seeking God for real revival.  Without a doubt, this conference is a must for those who believe God wants them serving Him as evangelists.  You can contact Bro. Ingram or Bro. Dwight Smith for information about next year’s meeting.  For the past two years, it has been held in or around Indianapolis, IN.  I am praying that the Lord will burden their hearts about south FL next year.  You know it has to be a good conference for me to leave the south during hunting season and head north.

Would you join me in pleading with God for revival?  God has greatly burdened my heart about the subject, now more than ever before.  While there are misconceptions about revival, believers need to be abundantly clear on this salient truth: our God longs to revive His people.  Let us pray and trust God for revival in this coming year!