Revival – Coming Down From the Mountain

This past Monday night I preached about Jesus showing His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. For twenty-three straight days we remained on the mountain but I sensed clearly on Monday God was ready for us to come down and go back to work. The revival meetings ended Monday night but the revival in our hearts did not.

As I studied that passage on Luke 9 at one point after Jesus showed His glory in radiant splendor God spoke. He told the three disciples, “This is my Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him.” I immediately began searching for what Jesus said next. I read and reread the following verses but could not find what Jesus said next. God commanded the disciples to listen. What happened next had to be significant.

It suddenly dawned on me that Jesus spoke volumes when we are told, “On the next day they came down from the mountain; a large crowd met Him.” [Luke 9:37] Peter wanted to build tabarnacles and remain on the mountain. Jesus led them down to do ministry. The saw the glory of Jesus and would have been contented to remain there forever. Jesus had other plans and divine appointments to keep.

For twenty-three days God met with us on top of the mountain. It was glorious. We worshipped, repented, rejoiced, wept, prayed, united, and were revived. Many were saved. Only God knows the full extent of what happened in those meetings. People were transformed. The revival became the talk of the community. Many watched by television. The ripple effects of the Lord’s moving will be felt for a long time to come.

I have perfect peace in m heart God wanted us to come down and get back to work. I like what one lady said to me in an email. She commented those days of revival meetings were like getting to sit in your mother’s or father’s lap and having their undivided attention. Those were special times. Yet there came a point when they had to put us down. God put us down to send us out to get busy for Him.

The revival continues in our hearts. I really wrestled with what the Lord wanted us to do. I did not get that message from Him until about two hours before the service. The attendance was up again on Monday night. I knew God anointed the message when I began preaching. I could see God moving in the hearts of His people.

A great deal of time was spent on comprehending what it means to behold the glory of Jesus. There will always be greater revelations to discover all the days of our lives. Seeking Him is the most glorious adventure in life. The challenge included people continuing to be on a quest to know Him and discover more of Him in their private devotions. We had been spoon fed for nearly a month. God desires us to seek Him privately as well as corporately.

I did not preach evangelistically. That message from God was intended for the church. I did not expect what God did during the invitation. Two more ladies were saved and one more came to follow the Lord in baptism. One of the ladies is another senior adult.

At first I struggled with calling the meetings to a close. In fact, I got up at 4:30 a.m. the next morning to cry out to God about whether I had made a mistake. In the end I know God was ready for us to move on. There is still much work to be done. We are still called to take our posts on the walls of Seminole. We are still called to share the gospel and seek to shake up this city.

What is God doing in the days after the meetings? Our Wednesday night service more than tripled in attendance last night. Our FCA enjoyed the largest attendance last night in their history. We do not know where our adult study will meet next week. Our students did not need the sanctuary due to meeting off campus last night. We had too many adults to meet in the choir room as we usually do. God is drawing people to this church. It is humbling and amazing at the same time. This is by far the largest crowd we have ever seen on a Wednesday night. People are coming up ready to work and get involved in ministry. New ministries are being launched for the fall. There is a great deal of excitement as we continue to seek God in the days ahead. God continues to kindle revival flames in our hearts.

Words will never be able to describe what we experienced on top of that mountain for twenty-three days in August. I will never forget it. I believe God will spread the work through these blogs and through a book I hope to complete before the end of the fall. He gets all the glory. He gets glory for the time we remained on the mountain but He also gets glory for brining us down from the mountain to get back to work.

The revival felt like a great pep rally. We were inspired and empowered to play better. You do not win games in pep rallies. You have to leave and go on the field or the court to play the game. That is where we are. We have come down the mountain to play the game, or to do ministry. Therefore the revival will continue in ways we could have never imagined. It is time to come down and go to work.

Revival – Do Not Lose Heart [Gal 6:9]

I did something yesterday afternoon I have not done this whole revival. After lunch I took a two-hour nap. It felt wonderful. For twenty-two days I have pushed myself getting up early to pray, studying for messages, in addition to my pastoral responsibilities. A nap revived my body and mind physically.

When I came to the office I felt the Lord calling me to preach from Gal 6:9. Deep inside I continued to wrestle with the hard truth that it seemed the revival had lost momentum. As I wrote in a previous blog, it seemed the church had rejected the word of the Lord in the morning service by and large. Part of me felt it was over. Another part of me refused to lie down and quit.

For twenty-two straight days I have felt like a prophet declaring the word of the Lord. Last night seemed much different. I felt like a pastor again feeding the sheep. I shared honestly the wrestling in my own mind about whether to continue or whether God has turned our focus to live out what He has done in our hearts in the community.

There is a challenge for us not to continue to uselessly kindle fire on God’s altar. I know there will come a time to shut the gate on this revival. We cannot manufacture the fire of God. That is His Sovereign move. We looked at the scriptures and slowly chewed on spiritual food. Does not losing heart mean we do not give up on God moving and breaking through in this revival? Does it mean God has released us and now we set our minds to all the work that needs to be done in the days ahead? Even while I preached I did not have the answer to those questions.

I know they wanted me to give them an answer but the truth is I do not know. I have listened to what others have said. “God is not done. He is not through working.” It dawned on me last night that God is never through working. He always has more to do and more revelation of Himself to share. Whether He extends the meetings for weeks or shuts it down He will continue to work. Here is the real question. Has God done all He purposed to do in this revival? At some point the vast majority of FBC members stopped supporting the work. Did this grieve the Spirit of God? Did God shut the revival down because we as a church did not hunger for more and chose to run from Him in rebellion rather than obeying the word of the Lord? Did God purpose to do much more. Is God still purposing to do much more? Those are questions I do not have the answers for.

One of the interesting dynamics of this revival has been that I have always known that when it did end my work here in Seminole continues. I will still have the responsibility to ask God to feed this flock, take my watch on the walls of Seminole, give leadership to our future, and labor to plant gospel seed and reap a harvest of souls. My work does not end the last day of the revival. Even while I preached last night I did not know which direction to go. I want to honor the Lord and I have sought to give Him every chance to breakthrough. There have been tears, countless prayers, hard preaching, counseling during the invitations, victories, euphoric highs, and continual spiritual struggles for the soul of Seminole.

When this does come to an end I will have no regrets. I have given myself to this revival since last May. At the end of the message last night I asked people to sit before the Lord and listen. It was a sweet time. I felt great peace. Jase got up and addressed the church from [Matt 5:16] about letting our lights shine before the Seminole community. I wrestled back and forth about what to do. In the end I finally decided I did not have a clear word from the Lord about quitting so I extended the meeting for Monday night.

Many would say I am quitting and giving in. It is 3:30 a.m. as I write this. I am up and about to take my watch on the wall as I have done for the past three weeks. I trust the Lord will give me His message as He has done for the past twenty-two days. There is no quit in me. There is the realization that the services are different now. They have taken on the feel of good services but not the intense revival services we enjoyed in the first two weeks.

I want God to keep moving and will ask Him for that today. This church can testify to the truth that over and over again I exhorted them not to take God’s outpouring for granted. I warned them that as suddenly as God sent the revival He could turn off the faucet. I challenged them to partake of this fully and to continue to seek God because none of us may see anything like this again in our lifetimes. When God turns the faucet off I want to be honest and acknowledge that as the case. When that time comes I will courageously shut the gate and not continue to uselessly kindle fire. When the revival ends God will direct our focus on the work to be done in the days ahead. God has given me a lifetime worth of work right here as the pastor of First Baptist Church in the city of Seminole. I press on in prayer.

We could show up tonight and feel the burning intensity of God’s presence. God could draw the lost to come in mass. Many could be saved again in the service tonight. God could ignite a revival fire that could spread all over West Texas. I lay my life on His altar to do whatever His will is. At least for tonight, revival continues.

Revival – Rebellion on the High Seas Jonah 1

I awoke abruptly with the message of Jonah on my mind early this morning. In and out of sleep from that point on I kept sensing that the lost and Christians who are in rebellion are running from God just like Jonah tried to flee. I keep seeing this mental picture of God pursuing people and nipping at the souls of the lost and backslidden alike. I knew what I was to preach before I ever got out of bed.

The message pounded in my mind so much I finally got ready for church and came to the office. Before I made three blocks from my house I was convicted about a movie series the Lord wanted me to get rid of. It is the Rocky series of movies. God convicted me last night to get rid of them because of the language in them. Instead of continuing on to the church like I was tempted to do, I turned around and grabbed the movies. They were deposited in a dumpster far from our house. I do not want anything to hinder God from moving in my life.

I am so desperate for God to move that I do not want anything in my life to hinder Him. In fact, I asked myself that question last night and felt prompted to ask our whole staff the same question. “Is there anything in your life that would hinder God from moving in this revival?” I asked the entire worship team that same question before we started the service this morning. I asked the entire church the same question before we started the service and game them time to repent. Many people felt awkward as we sat in complete silence for the first few minutes to start the Sunday morning service.

Like few other services in this revival I felt an earnestness and deep burden for that particular service. I knew the Lord meant business. The time for playing church games is long past.

I alternated between singing and praying. When it came time to preach I felt like a man on a mission. The truth of God’s word burned in me like molten lava. I had great faith that the Lord would move among us powerfully. God’s conviction of the lost and the backslidden could be felt. There was no noise. There was no movement except for one couple who got up early and walked out of the service.

God’s word pierced. I could see people ducking their heads under conviction, squirming in their seats, and with that far off look wishing they were somewhere else. The challenge called for people to repent and obey the Lord. God’s word reiterated the truth that we cannot flee the presence of the Lord. I know God spoke that through message and I know it was a timely message. God nipped at the souls of people for the entire length of the message. I truly believed God would breakthrough.

When the invitation was extended, a teenage girl and her parents were the only ones to respond publicly. It sure felt like the majority of the church resisted and rebelled against the Lord today. Two men gave testimonies at the end but the wind seemed sucked out the sails. I am increasingly convinced the majority of FBC members do not want revival. While a remnant continue to want more of God I cannot say with confidence that same sentiment is felt by the whole church.

I wish I could report differently. I determined early on in these blogs I would report the truth and not try to exaggerate the facts to make it appear God was doing more than was actually happening. So here we are on day 22 and the church by and large appeared to have rejected and rebelled against the Lord today. God have mercy. There will be sleepless nights and

Revival – Not Quitting

Once again God made it clear what I was to preach. The day started out earlier than normal. Even after Friday’s night service I kept battling thoughts of defeat and doubt about the future of the revival. I had breakfast with one of our members and both of us felt like it was over. We talked about the importance of pressing forward and believing God would continue to work in the future even after the revival services came to an end. The end of the services do not mean the end of God working.

Over pancakes and eggs we discussed how incredibly the Lord had worked over the course of the past three weeks. We were both open to God doing more but did not have a great deal of optimism that God would continue to pour His spirit out among us. The vast majority of our membership have quit attending the services and seem uninterested in God doing more.

Maybe these blogs are getting to raw and honest. The truth is that what most people associate would happen in a revival of nearly three weeks is not necessarily what we have experienced for the last week. The truth is I have prayed diligently every morning and believed that we would see breakthrough. It has not happened. There is less intensity in the worship. The crowds are smaller. The response after the messages has dropped off as well. Fewer new faces are showing up. The lost are no longer being saved. By what you can see the revival appears to be over.

The power of Saturday night did not take place in the praise and the worship or the preaching. After the invitation I gave people a short break and asked them to return to their seats. I did not tell them what the Lord had put in my heart. When we all returned I asked the church what they sensed the Lord saying about the future of the revival. I clarified that we did want opinions but only what they sensed the Lord might be saying.

The first man said he sensed the Lord clearly saying, “Are you going to let the devil outwork you? Are you going to lay down and quit?” He did not feel God was through working. The next man talked about feeling oppressed all day long. He saw that as spiritual warfare, which to him, meant God still had more work to do or the enemy would not be working so hard to oppose it. A lady got up and said she knew God was not through and we should be shamed thinking He was. She said she felt like a cheerleader to encourage us to keep going.

I sat silently on the front row trying to discern what the Lord had to say through His church. One of our quieter men got up and read scriptures I had preached from earlier in the week from [Matt 26:41] “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Another man who is not known for addressing the church publicly got up to say he had told God “no” so many times and nearly did it again last night but chose to obey God by saying He did not think God was through. Another man got up and read the poem “The Fellowship of the Unashamed.” He did not sense God was through either.

After that I called those who wanted to stay and pray to come forward. I never knew how many stayed because I fell prostrate on the ground. In those moments we once again stood in the gap for Seminole. I wrestled with the high cost of following God forward in this revival personally. School starts Monday. Pressing on means more early mornings of prayer, more waiting on God for messages, more fighting the enemy, and less time with my family. I have often told the church there is a high cost associated with revival. Few churches are really willing to pay when it becomes inconvenient.

Most people left before I finished praying because I truly wrestled about God breaking through. I fought through personal feelings of disappointment at how many of our own people do not desire more of God. I fought through the feelings of frustration that a fireworks show drew more attention than God pouring His Spirit out on Saturday night. I committed my life to follow God here and to press on in the meetings if He works. If they turn into more religious meetings I am not interested. I have and continue to plead for God to work in our midst.

One conversation I had afterward has stuck with me this morning. One of our ladies told me a story about a friend of hers who used to be a church member but died in automobile accident. Before dying her friend said, “We had better quit playing. God means business.” She had even gone to the former pastor to tell him if he did not quit tip toeing in his preaching God would remove him. That man no longer serves here as pastor. I feel the solemn weight of her words last night. “God is not playing and we had better quit playing as well.”

The bottom line is we press on. I do not know for how long. We are starting week four and must follow God. My sleep was abruptly interrupted with a message for this morning. I have my marching orders for the day and will continue to seek Him. We cannot quit but must continue to believe God for greater things. Now is not the time to quit but press on for more of God. The revival continues.

Revival – Lord If You had Been Here [John 11:1-46]

Much of Friday is a blur. The day included the “Mighty Men of Prayer” meeting. Once again I awoke early to seek the Lord for this continued revival and His word. I thought I had a message from the Lord out of the book of Acts but the more I studied the passage the more I became convinced God had something else in mind. The rest of the day I prayed without ceasing to know God’s heart and message for the people. It did not come easily.

Let me fast forward. With just minutes before the service began I still struggled with what to preach. I began feeling that the John 11 passage was the word God wanted but I had less than five minutes to look it over. Over the years I have jotted down different notes in the margins but definitely did not have any time to study.

The essence of the message dealt with persevering through trials and confusion when you feel like God has let you down. In many ways that is where I am on this revival. We have lost the intensity we had at the beginning. The crowds are shrinking. When the service began I buried my head in my hands crying out to God and not understanding. Over and over again I felt the revival had run its course. It seemed from everything I could see that the move of God had ended.

Right before walking into the sanctuary I prayed one of those silly prayers you pray when you are desperate. It had been overcast during the day and as I rounded the corner headed for the sanctuary I cried out to God, “If you want this revival to continue I ask you to send rain.” Some of the first words I was greeted with after the service were from a farmer telling me it had been raining for the past couple of hours.

Before that as I sat on the front pew crying out to God for clear direction about what to preach and His plans for the future of the revival, I looked down at something I wrote back in 2002. It reads, “Will you quit or believe God for something better? [Gal 6:9] “ Let us not lose heart in doing good for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

I am weary but it is not the kind of weary you think. I have slept little over the course of the past few weeks. That is not what has worn me down. I am worn down by the spiritual battle to pray for Seminole. Lately no matter how hard we pray we are not seeing it translate into spiritual victories at the revival. We have not had a one person saved or celebrated on baptism in three days. I have fought oppression in my mind for the past week and a half. I am mentally exhausted seeking to discern if God wants to keep working or if the revival meetings should come to an end.

As I sat on that front pew on Friday night none of the things I had prayed for to happen in that service had happened. I prayed for an overflow crowd but we did not even half of the bottom level filled. I prayed for the lost to be present but I am not sure there were any lost present in that service. I asked God to draw multitudes from other cities but that did not take place either.

An old familiar feeling began to surface in my mind and heart. I did not want to preach. I lost heart in those moments. When I thought about all the praying and all the labor over the past near three weeks but sat in a pretty lifeless service with maybe a hundred to a hundred and fifty people, it sure did not feel like revival to me. It felt like defeat and spiritual death.

I wrestled with preaching John 11 about the death and resurrection of Lazarus. In those moments I truly wished God had called someone else to preach that night. All I could dwell on was that the revival was over. In my mind I planned on gutting out Saturday night and everything going back to normal on Sunday.

The worship and praise ended too fast for me. I wanted more time to collect my thoughts and summon strength from the Lord. As I climbed the steps and stood behind the pulpit my spirit did not feel revived. Trusting God to help I opened my Bible and preached from John 11.

I recall at times being surprised how the message flowed as I mixed scriptural truth along with some of my personal journey about being tried and tested and fighting through thoughts about God being unfaithful. I could tell God’s hand was on me. In large part I attribute this to the many people who are praying for me both in Seminole and around the nation. A few responded during the invitation by going to the altar to pray. There were a few tears. By my account the service had been good but not revival.

One of our men came to me and told me he needed to talk to the church. I know what God has been doing in Him and therefore trusted God had something to say through him. He testified about working through losing his daughter. She would have been twelve this year. He believed that God would heal her on earth but God chose to heal her by taking her to heaven. She suffered from the day she was born with some brain damage. He said he got up early the morning she died and spent some time with her. He kissed her and told her he loved her before heading off to a real estate class. She died while he was at the class.

To put it in his words, “I was mad at God and wanted to square off with Him.” Through many prayers and God’s help he worked through it. He shared how the Lord had given them two sons. Eleven days after each of the boys was born something tragic happened. This father lost his father whom he considered his best friend on the earth. After the birth of their second son his father in law took his own life. In the end though, he testified that God is faithful even through the painful times. God helped him through feelings of anger, confusion, and grief.

The whole time he testified Sean softly played his guitar in the background. After the testimony I almost stood to my feet until Sean looked down and told me he needed to say something to the church. It was two years ago Friday that the Decker family buried their son Levi. Levi was five months old and died in the womb. Sean said over and over again, “Today has been a hard day.”

While he talked I flashed back in my mind to a scene a few minutes earlier when Sean’s wife and eleven year old son were both kneeling at the altar weeping. Suddenly it all made sense. Through the pain they have seen God be faithful as the Lord blessed them with a new baby girl.

As Sean talked I sat back stunned that the Lord had planned that message to minister to the Decker family. Others were touched too. I received an email from a lady whom needed to hear that clear word from the Lord later that night. The night was not wasted. God still worked.

Instead of canceling the revival services we continue to meet in hope that God will keep working. We have met for twenty straight days. In some ways it does not seem that long and in other ways it does. The thing I keep hearing from people is that God is not through working yet. By faith we press on believing if we do not quit we will see greater things.

Revival – Righteous Judge

Nobody was saved tonight during the revival but God moved in the hearts of His people to give them a burden for evangelism. We looked at Rev 19:11-16. The focus of the night included the theme that God along with being a loving, gracious, and kind God is also a righteous judge. There is a limit to His patience and grace when people continually reject Him.

We journeyed through Old Testament passages about Adam and Eve, God destroying the world by flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorah, the death of the first born in Egypt during the Passover, and the destruction of the Egyptian Army at the Red Sea. In each of these stories people rebelled against God and there were consequences for those sinful actions.

In the New Testament we looked at the sin of Annanias and Sapphira in Acts 5 along with the death of King Herod in Acts 12 for not giving glory to God. The main focus of the message stemmed from Rev 19:11-16. In this passage Jesus is a conquering military hero and a righteous judge coming to make war and destroy all the enemies of God.

The message had a somber tone to it, as well it should. People who have not been saved will, one day face the righteous judge. The full force of God’s anger, violent emotion, and righteous indignation will be poured out on the enemies of Christ. The news is sobering. We hold the truth and still remain tight-lipped.

It is time to pray harder, witness more often, and trust Christ to bring in the harvest. It is time to see miracles of salvation. I pray for a mass spiritual awakening to take place in Seminole and beyond. Many sent on the verge of a Christ-less eternity. I must be sober and continue laboring and witnessing. I must rouse myself out of bed to keep taking my watch on the walls of Seminole and West Texas in intercession.

Before the service I went to the football scrimmage to watch Taylor play for a few minutes. As I was leaving a lady stopped to tell me she has been watching the revival on television and got to come in person one night. We talked for a few minutes and I turned to leave. Before I took five steps she called out for me. She reported a story to me I found astonishing. She talked to a friend of hers who was in Brazil recently. Her friend told her she heard about the revival in Seminole all the way over in Brazil! Only God could do that.

As much as I enjoy the services I have to say I enjoy the prayer meetings before the services equally. There is some real wrestling with God that takes place in those prayer times behind closed doors. Many victories are being won in those prayer meetings nobody knows about. Eternity will tell the tale.

The service ended tonight with a passionate plea to our television audience as well as to our membership. We will devote the next twenty-four hours to prayer and witnessing. We trust God will bring a harvest tomorrow night. I expect God to assemble a mass of people.

It is hard to believe we have finished day nineteen of this revival. I could not help but be encouraged when we had probably close to two hundred people on a night when the football teams were playing in a scrimmage at our home stadium. Once again we had several people from other churches and even some from out of town in attendance. I know there were at least three men from Odessa. May the Lord keep spreading the fire both at home and abroad for His glory. God is not done yet. Tomorrow we seek the Lord afresh and trust Him for the harvest again. Breakthrough is coming. The revival continues.

Revival – What Do You Want Jesus to Do for You? [Luke 18:35-43]

My days have taken on a familiar routine. I am aroused early for prayer. I usually work out after that and then spend my day praying and seeking God for His fresh word for each night of this revival. I return home to shower and change clothes before returning to the church for a prayer meeting before the service. At times I have been given messages I have never preached before. At other times the Lord gives me fresh insight into older messages I have preached in the past.

By yesterday afternoon I still did not have a clear direction about what to preach. I have been at this same spot so many times I can honestly I say I do not get stressed. I got up from my desk and lay prostrate on the floor. This is a position I have been in frequently over the past two and a half weeks. I love that position because it demonstrates my utter humility and dependence upon God. I do not know how to get any lower. In that position I cry out to God.

While seeking Him in this fashion I began to see faces of different people in our church going through different difficulties. I saw the faces of those grieving the loss of spouses. I saw those who need physical healing. I saw those who need a miracle to turn the hearts of rebellious children back to the Lord. There were also the faces of those needing God to restore their marriages, to provide, and those who need a fresh touch from Him. It was then I sensed the Lord leading me to pray about the blind man whom Jesus healed in Luke 18. Jesus asked that man a question that I am confident the Lord posed last night to His church. “What do you want Me to do for you?”

The service started with two more baptisms, a father and son. The wife of the man and his mother had no idea he was being baptized also that night. What a joy to step into those waters that have been stirred so many times over the past several days. It never gets old. It continues to be a celebration with people clapping and shouting in joy time after time.

Sean and our worship team were anointed of the Lord. The songs spoke to our hearts and drew us deeper into God’s presence. We are not singing for the ears of men but to the audience of One. God is the object of our adoration and the true source of our joy and enthusiasm.

Many people responded during the invitation. Many fell on their knees in prayer asking God to step in and intervene. Others fell in behind them to minister to those who needed a fresh touch from God. I spent the rest of the night praying for people. I prayed for two different people who lost their spouses in the last month. Both spouses died unexpectedly exasperating the pain. The tears flowed freely. I prayed for a lady to be physically healed and continue to pray even though she was not healed this morning. I prayed for a man carrying a heavy burden of a sick wife whom he had to put in an assisted living center. He pleads for God to heal her but it hasn’t happened yet.

It seemed just as much energy was expended praying for people as there had been preaching. When the last prayer had been prayed I sunk on the front pew in exhaustion. In those moments I find myself asking God if He is done or if there is more work to do. That has been my constant prayer for the past week. Nobody in this church wants to quit before God is through. None of us on the other hand want to meet just for the sake of meeting.

I met with our staff and a couple of deacons to ask them what they sensed the Lord saying to them about continuing to meet. None of them could say they had heard from the Lord about canceling the services. We decided to extend them through Sunday.

Tonight the high school football teams have a scrimmage. Saturday night there is a huge firework show and back to school bash scheduled. God still will not release me. In fact, I was handed a message taken by one of our phone counselors after church. This is the message, “A man called and said it is not over. He is praying for Matt’s strength and he will be here tomorrow night.” Is that the Lord telling me to press on?

To be honest it seems we have lost a great deal of the intensity we had in the first days of the revival. The crowds have begun to drop off slightly. We still have good crowds on most nights. Tonight most likely will be an exception. It is difficult to compete with Texas High School football for attendance.

The battle continues. There are obviously more people to be saved. One man told me this morning I was close to preaching myself out of a job. He asked me what I would do if all the sinners got saved. I commented we would spend the rest of our days learning more about God for there will always be something new to discover about the Lord. One lady asked one of our members how long is that preacher going to keep going. Until all the sinners repent? There are jokes, wisecracks, and many skeptics. I cannot tell you how many hours I have cried out for God to do more and show this town more of His glory. I did it again this morning.

At this point all I can say is God has not released me. I have to keep preaching. It does get disappointing when nights come and go without anyone being saved. We press on and pray on. What do I want Jesus to do for me? I want Him to intensify and spread this revival.

Revival – Fellowship of Burning Hearts Luke 24:13-35

Tuesday proved to be a jammed pack day. I received a call that one of our member’s husband was in the hospital in Lubbock. I know God’s call on me is a dual role during this revival. I am called to be a prophet and speak, “Thus says the Lord.” I am also called to be a pastor.

It takes close to three hours round trip to drive to Lubbock. During the drive I cried out for direction for the message. It was not until after the visit while I was eating lunch at Taco Beuno that I got peace about the direction to go in. Earlier in the day I kept thinking of the word fire.

Verse 32 in Luke 24 says, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the scriptures to us?”

The focus on the night narrowed in on Christian people being reverent in their love and zeal for God. We also turned to [Rev 3:15-16] to discuss being lukewarm in our love and zeal for the Lord.

I barely had time to shower and change clothes after studying. God continues to give His messages day after day. I continue to trust Him to do so as long as He chooses to continue this good work. The challenge is for all believers to be called to the “Fellowship of Burning Hearts.”

I found several quotes from people who burned for the Lord. John Wesley commented, “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.” He also stated, “When set on fire people love to come and watch you burn.” Missionary and martyr Jim Elliot once prayed, “God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you Lord Jesus.” Revival preacher and author Leonard Ravenhill once said, “We need God to send another caldron of heavenly lava, spilling out from another upper room to another church.” It was said of preacher Martin Boos, “Before revival broke out, Martin Boos spent hours and days and often nights in lonely agonies of intercessions. Afterwards, when he preached, his words were a flame and the hearts of the people as grass.”

O that God would make us a people of burning hearts for the Lord. How I continue to pray that God would set this church afire and that others would come not just to watch us burn but to be consumed by the revival blaze as well. Deep in my soul I yearn for God to move in other churches just like He is moving among us.

Many came forward for prayer asking God to reignite their hearts once again. We also witnessed the miracle of a man whom some had prayed for twenty-five years or more being baptized by his son who is a pastor in another town. What a thrilling sight to behold.

God is not finished. A young boy trusted Christ for salvation and came to talk with me this morning in my offices. His father, who is saved but has never been baptized, are both going to be baptized tonight. The church staff has continually wrestled with how long the Lord wants us to meet in these revival meetings. We are very aware we are experiencing things and God’s work in ways we may never again witness in our lifetimes. We believe we will answer to God for it if we cut this revival short when God has much more work He wants to do. After meeting on this subject again today we have the same opinion. God is not finished meeting with us yet. When He is we will know it. We are extending the meetings through at least Sunday evening.

The Lord has released the Atens to go home for some much needed rest before they head out on the road for their next revival. God used them powerfully in the two different times they were here. I am confident God will use Sean and our worship team to continue His good work. There are still greater things to be done in this city.

I received a report last night after the service that I found hard to believe. One of our members has a sister who lives in Fort Worth. She called to tell her sister about what the Lord has been doing and the sister in Forth Worth replied that she had already heard about it six hours away from here. Absolutely amazing.

I have begun to pray that God would spread the word about what He is doing through these blogs. Please pass these on by word of mouth. Again I urge you to make comments on the blogs. In this way what the Lord is doing here can spread like fire literally around the world. God continues to turn my heart outward praying more and more people will be touched by God.

I do not know what tonight will hold but I am eager to meet with the Lord. I am eager to worship Him, to be stirred with new revival fire in my heart, and to preach His truth to hurting people. God is so faithful. May the world not just come and watch us burn but may they burn with us for the glory of God.

Revival – Here Am I Send Me Is 6:1-8

On Monday night the Lord allowed me to preach a message that had been building in my heart for several days. The focus was on the vastness and holiness of God. I thought it would prove to be a very evangelistic message but God had other plans in mind.

Two teenagers and a man and his wife all surrendered to full time ministry or missions on Monday night. The Lord continues to manifest His presence in different ways. The fact that He is still at work is obvious.

God continues to stir our hearts through worship. It is a magnificent experience. At times we are celebrating and at other times we are singing with deep reflection. Regardless of the style of the music it is always good. People have enjoyed God in song. There is an enthusiasm for worship in this church I have never witnessed before. One lady commented it is like getting a cold drink of water on a hot day. It is refreshing.

Monday night we saw a father and son get baptized. What a joy to behold. God is powerful and continues to draw the lost. Night after night we have seen His hand at work. Many are under conviction. God will save them as well in His time.

During the invitation I saw one man under heavy conviction. I knew God was dealing with him. I did not necessarily know what the Lord stirred in His heart. Before the service ended he walked out. I knew he needed to be alone with God for a while. Not long after his wife followed.

They both found me after church and asked if they could talk to me privately. In my office they revealed God had called them full time missions. I immediately looked at the wife and wondered if she was just as called as her husband. She assured me that she also felt God’s calling.

I could see joy in their eyes even though they do not know where the Lord is calling them. What amazes me is that they have only really been serving the Lord for the past six months. In that six months God has given them a hunger for Him. They have pursued the Lord with vigor. It is a delight to watch them follow God’s amazing adventure for their lives. There are still many details to work out but at this point they have accepted God’s call.

While praying for them at the end of our time together I felt the Lord impress me to give them the globe that sits on my desk. When I handed it to them afterward I told them they could use it to pray to discern where the Lord might be calling them to serve. God continues to take the gospel to the ends of the earth through his called out and sent out ones like the couple who sat in my office.

God also called two teenage girls into ministry. One began sensing God’s call to be a missionary back in June at our youth camp. God sealed it for her on Monday night. She came to me in tears telling me that decision started back Panama City, FL at our camp. Her parents gave her their full support. In fact, I received an email from the dad about the decision being easy because she had been dedicated to God the day she was born.

Another young lady senses the Lord calling her to full time music ministry. We will get together later this week to discuss this and celebrate this call on her life as well. I don’t know what all of that call will constitute but do trust the Lord will work His plans in her life as well as the rest who answered the call.

Revival fire continues to burn. People are generally falling into two categories. Some people are hungry for more of God. Though they are exhausted there is still excitement about attending the services every night. They long for worship and hunger for God’s word. People need to do laundry, mow their lawns, and shop for school supplies but there has not been time. Each night when people get off work they come to the revival. Not everybody. There are many who have come off and on. Others have come every night. Still others are ready for it to be over. There have been comments around town from people wondering when this will end. I have even begun to sense jealousy from other believers. Despite those, we cannot get a peace that God is finished working. So night after night we come back expecting God to meet with us and to move mightily again.

This is uncharted water for all of us. We continue to pray. Many have told me they are awaking all hours of the night to pray. People continue to take their watch on the walls of Seminole. There is still more work to be done. We continue to seek the Lord for direction. He continues to move and we do not want to take that for granted. We continue to cry out for more of God here and that God would spread this revival to our sister churches in Seminole and in the surrounding communities. Please continue to pray for us.

Revival Resources

I wanted to take a moment to let you know about some resources we have from the “Shake the City Revival.” We have dvds as well as cds of each night. You may order a copy through the church office at 432-758-3291. Each copy is available for a donation of any amount plus shipping and handling.

We also have a few hard copies of the 40 Days to Shake the City devotionals. All of our resources are made available on a “what ever you can afford basis.” We do not want finances to hinder you being touched by God. Please do not be afraid to use this policy. Donations can be made to FBC attention media ministry.

Revival – Mighty To Save

There was no down time in between services yesterday. After enjoying lunch with the revival team I came back to my office to start preparing for the Sunday evening message. I was drawn to [Is 29:13] and [Matt 15:7-8]. The afternoon flew by. Before I knew it was time to meet for prayer.

We have been gathering for prayer each afternoon or evening before the services. We saw the largest number of attendees yesterday. Our conference room filled with the fragrance of intercession. In essence, most of our prayers centered on crying out to God for more His glory and work in this community.

We walked into the sanctuary afterward to see another full house. There were three more baptisms (two being a husband and wife.) We also enjoyed two testimonies. I have lost track of how many have been baptized since the revival began. I just know God is mighty to save. God’s work has no slackened. Over and over yesterday I received input from people about the revival not ending and to continue pressing on. There is still more work to be done.

Sherman and Tami were anointed once again. Their daughter Brooke helps them as well. They are a true gift from God. I see Sherman with a distant gaze when we eat and always wonder what goes through His mind. I know he wrestles with the Lord about their role in this revival and how long they are to stay. God has used them to prepare hearts to receive the word of the Lord.

God is energizing the worship. Over and over again I am amazed at the volume of the voices lifting their praises to God. We have sang songs that are several hundred years old as well as singing songs that have just been written. Last night we sang a song written out of a revival in Belfast, Ireland.

The presence of God is noticeable. At times I just sit and listen. I do not know how long these days will last but I want to cherish them. I keep feeling I must write a book about all of this when God has accomplished His purposes in this revival. I have had to really sit down and think about what revival costs. Sherman and Tami have a price to pay. So do all who have given up nights at home in front of the television to come seek more of God. I see a collision coming in getting to watch Taylor at his scrimmage this Thursday night. I see no signs of the revival slowing down. All of this is happening during football season is presenting an interesting dynamic. The bottom line for me is I want more of God. I may never see another move of God like this in my lifetime. While God has opened Heaven above us I want to give myself to this revival. My energy level is still high each night after two weeks.

I know we are being prayed for. A group of ladies meets early in the morning to pray specifically for me. I feel their prayers and God’s supernatural enabling. It is humbling to know the sacrifice those ladies are making to stand in the gap for me and for this town.

I preached an evangelistic message last night. God once again showed Himself mighty to save. Several responded to God’s call last night. Numbers are not important in this season. All I can say is God continues to save the lost. He continues to draw the wayward to repentance. I am not saying we have seen dozens saved each night. I can say God continues to work though. I have no idea how many decisions have been made since the start of this revival. All I can say is the baptismal waters are continually being stirred.

One lady came to me after the service yesterday morning to tell me God is working outside the walls of the church. The gospel message is being spread at work and among families. We don’t know all that God is doing. We can’t see His deep work beneath the surface. Her encouragement to me included not focusing on numbers or even the attendance each night.

A friend of mine felt prompted to tell me one way this work can spread beyond Seminole is through these blogs. More specifically he said I needed to challenge more people to comment on the blogs. For those of you who have attended the revival I want to ask you to do that. As you read these, would you take the time to jot down your comments? I hear people are reading these all over the state. Your perspective could be used of God to help our brothers and sisters all over Texas and eventually all over the world. So please take some time to post your comments. If you have trouble figuring that out, talk to Tami Waller or Tim Shirley. They can give you some pointers on how to do it. We are blessed to have the technology we have. I can sit here at my desk and testify to what I have seen the Lord do and within hours people all over the world can have access to this.

One of the most humbling things in this revival is that God chooses to work through me. Most people think I studied all summer to prepare a series of messages. The truth is I prayed all summer but received no clear direction from the Lord. The messages are given by God one day at a time. The sermon yesterday morning came out of a conversation with a lady on Saturday night. The message yesterday evening came from an email I received from a lady in our church God directed to share a scripture she read in her devotion. Providentially I read that same passage the week before and had marked it has a potential message for the revival. God chose to work through that message as He has done again and again over these past two weeks. More came to Jesus for salvation.

It is hard to believe we have actually met for two straight weeks. A great number of our people really do hunger for more of God. Mind you this is after eighteen revival services, some lasting two hours or more. Women are joking with each other about laundry needing to be done and grocery shopping that keeps getting pushed back. All of this is taking place right before school starts. School supplies and clothes must be purchased. Children do not understand why they keep going to church every night of the week. All teachers report back today. School actually starts a week from today. Despite all of that, God continues to send the river of His revival.

The volleyball teams and football teams are already playing. Yet, God shows no signs of slowing down. I have contemplated what this would look like should the Lord desire move for weeks into the future. Teachers have to teach. Business people have to work. Coaches have to work. Homemakers still cook and clean. Students still have to go to school and do homework. At least for this season, this preacher has to keep preaching. We do not have this all figured out. Right now it is one day at a time.

When the service ended last night I could only say, “I will be back at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.” If there are those who still hunger for God we will meet. Sherman has committed to stay through Monday night at this point. None of us have a plan and know the full extent of what God is doing. As we start day sixteen I only know to take it one day at a time. God continues to show Himself mighty to save.

Tonight is a new night. We do not know how far the Lord will stretch His hand to draw people tonight. We will pray. We will meet expecting God to move mightily once again. To those of you who do not live in Seminole but you read these blogs to stay informed we plead with you to pray for us. God has entrusted us with a very special move and we want to steward it ever so carefully. We are beginning to see our role in this revival as being much bigger than Seminole. We are asking God to let it spread. If you get the chance to attend this revival in person I encourage you to do so. My prayer is that you too might experience the glorious outpouring we are witnessing and take it back with you to your communities as well. May the revival spread and God continue to show Himself mighty to save.

Revival – It is not Dead but Only Sleeping

Revival started in my heart early this morning in my office. The Lord met with me, convicted me, and revealed new truth to me. My time with Him was refreshing and exhilarating. Revival stirred in my soul before anyone else even got here.

The Lord showed me personally I could not operate in the fear that I have not really heard from Him, the fear this revival is or can be easily quenched, and that we are meeting in vain. Being afraid and living by faith cancel each other out. During my prayer times in the morning I believe God has much more for us. At nights before the services I often fear nobody will show up but more importantly that God will not show up. I must stand in faith and believe what He said.

As expected on a Sunday morning the house was full of attendees including the balcony. This marks the fifteenth day of meetings. Sherman started by saying it was two weeks ago this Sunday morning he and Tami gathered with us to lead out in the music and worship. It is hard to believe two weeks have gone by.

They were anointed of the Lord once again. There is no way to describe the music of this revival whether the Atens have lead or Sean. God has used them both mightily. At times I have sat in silence, raised my hands toward God as far as I could reach, knelt on the ground, wept, and sang at the top of my lungs. I have enjoyed the opportunity to worship.

An elderly gentleman responded during the invitation. I heard more than one person say to me, “I can’t believe that. “ “I have prayed for that man for over twenty-five years.” You do not know what a big deal this is.” “That is a miracle.” This gentleman came to make a profession of faith and to follow in baptism. Another commented, “I never thought I would see this day.”

God is doing those types of things. He is completely astounding us. Our minds are being blown away time and time again by His powerful moving. There are no longer words. There are only waves of His presence manifested in different ways over and over again.

A lady came down to profess her faith in Christ. She will be baptized tonight. Another man came to me to share his testimony. He was saved five years ago but never followed through in baptism. He will be obedient to that tonight. A young man who rebelled against the Lord for seven long years gave testimony today of the power of Christ to forgive, deliver, and to make church feel like home. He also testified boldly at a restaurant today inviting people to the service tonight. People never thought they would see this young man in church, restored to his family, much less giving a public testimony behind the pulpit or out in public. God is doing those kind of astounding things around here.

Over and over people came to me after the service this morning to tell me God is not finished yet. Not one person has said they feel God is done. I even received an email from one our ladies who was sick but watched the service on television who said God is not through. She went on to say we will have no doubts when God is finished with this revival work.

I preached from Mark 5 :23-42 about the synagogues official’s daughter who died. Jesus brought her back to life. At one point Jesus said she was not dead but sleeping even though the scriptures plainly say she died. I believe she died but from Jesus’ perspective she might as well have been taking a nap because she was awakened. In the same way God is awakening the hearts of people through this revival. The stories of God’s work are numerous. Most of those stories are only the ones we see on the surface. There is deep work of God going on behind the scenes.

The doubters and critical have to be removed. Those attitudes can be contagious and hinder the work of God but so can the climate of faith. That is what God is building here. He is building a climate of faith here where we truly believe nothing is impossible with God. There are those who thought all of this was over after day ten. They thought it would come to an end. God continues to completely astound us and His work continues.

It is nearing time for the Sunday evening service. I do not know what He will do tonight but I do trust that it will be good. I hope and pray it includes more souls being saved and brought into the harvest. This revival is not dead. It might have appeared to be sleeping but it has been awakened once again.

Revival – Taking Our Watch on the Walls of Seminole

Day fourteen proved to be one of the most difficult for me personally. I fought doubts all day long that God was through. I struggled with my own doubts about really hearing from God concerning this revival extending. Days twelve and thirteen saw the smallest attended services of all the meetings.

When I walked into the conference room to pray I had little faith. I had no burning in my heart to preach. When I sat down at the table the other men were jovial but their moods quickly changed when I shared my heart. The battle to continue this revival or to discern if God is done has been constant. There is also a nagging fear that we have grieved the Spirit of God and therefore God’s mighty outpouring might be over.

We talked around that table for a good while. I confessed my inability to accept anything less than God’s best for us. Half filled pews and lack luster meetings do not bring God the honor and glory He deserves and demands. We scheduled to meet last night and today which is Sunday. There have been no plans to go beyond the two services today.

After we prayed, I told the fellows that I would not come out of that room until I had a clear word from the Lord. Before they left a message began burning in my heart from [Is 62:6-7] I wrote feverishly in the margins of my Bible jotting down what I sensed the Lord saying.

I still did not feel ready to go into the sanctuary as the service began. I made my way down to the television room where I watched most of the service. As Sherman neared the end of ministry of taking the people to the throne of God, I quietly slipped into the back of the sanctuary.

The message God gave was a clarion call to prayer and to stand watch over Seminole with intercession. The call also included seeking God until His glory is promoted through this revival and we see it spread beyond FBC. I could not tell you how many responded because I went immediately to my knees at the altar and cried out to God move. I know we cannot take this move of God for granted. Part of me wonders if people have had enough and if God is grieved over this.

Following the message I had four interesting conversations. The first was from a man who serves in ministry here faithfully. He encouraged me to keep going. He commented, “Pastor, we must keep meeting. God is not finished working on me yet.” This spoken by a man who has attended every one of the seventeen services we have had thus far.

When I walked out into the hall I was met by a young couple I did not know. They told me about the church they attend in Lubbock. The church has exploded under the power of God. They have grown from less than a hundred to over three thousand in three years. What impacted me the most was learning that they have over five hundred people who come to a prayer meeting each Monday night. 500 people! What they said next took root in my soul. “Private prayer changes lives. Corporate prayer changes cities.” This has been my conviction since back in 1990 when I first served as a youth minister.

When I finished visiting with this couple, Jase motioned for me to come back to the conference room. The whole staff was there along with Sherman. When I took my seat our two youth interns said they had something to say. Before they proceeded I asked if it was a word from the Lord. They affirmed they believed it was and I reached for a pen and opened my journal. They believed that God wanted us to start having testimonies again. We have not had any in a week. I knew this was from God because during the invitation I had been praying for God to call someone to step up and testify. We discussed how to give guidelines about this and at the same time to pray God’s blessing and call on people to give personal testimonies.

When we left the conference room to eat a lady called for my attention. She told me she had felt the Lord wanted her to tell me something but I had gone in the conference room. She left to go get in her car but felt so strongly the Lord wanted her to share His message she came back. I will not go into detail what she said. Suffice it to say it will make up the message this morning.

God has spoken to me powerfully through her message. I had breakthrough in my spirit this morning. I am heading off to another prayer meeting before Sunday School. This marks day fifteen. God continues to shake me and I trust this city as well. I know we had people in attendance last night from Lubbock, Odessa, Denver City, and Seminole. God continues to shake and I must continue to take my watch on the wall.

Revival – Rest and Tears

Night thirteen of the revival went differently than any of us planned. All day long I sensed the Lord leading me to preach a message on holiness. I was excited and felt the message burning in my heart. The crowd for the second straight night was small. It crushed my heart but I chose to press on and believe God. This was offset by the celebration of two more baptisms. Hallelujah!

I sang from my heart and yearned for more of God. I stood in awe of Him. Sherman talked about a revival he experienced back in 2002 that lasted for twenty-eight days during the month of March. He talked about the people getting weary and how the Lord refreshed them. It costs those people to hunger and thirst after God.

At that point he began the song “If I Could Just Sit With You Awhile.” The Spirit of the Lord descended. A lady named Marci came forward to the altar and began to weep. God moved in my heart and I knelt with my face pressed to my Bible on the ground and began to weep. I could not get it together. God’s burden for this revival pressed heavier and heavier on me. I have carried this burden since May when the Lord called us to hold the Shake the City Revival. In that moment the whole direction of the service changed. I thank God Marci was obedient.

I could not tell you how long the two of us remained before the Lord unloading our burdens or if anyone else responded by joining us. The tears flowed freely. Sherman continued to sing, while all of us were unsure what the Lord was up to. When I got up and sat back down the Lord impressed two scriptures on my heart. [Matt 11:28-30] and [Is 38:1-5]. I had not studied for either of them. The simple message included Jesus touching those who were tired and praying for Seminole with a burden that included tears in the vein of Hezekiah. An invitation was given.

My soul unloaded on that altar. I cried and cried for more of God and His power. I don’t mean a few tears. I mean the kind of crying where your nose gets stopped up and fluids began flowing from there too. Many came to pray for me but my burden remained for Seminole and for God to fulfill the prophesy for this revival. Puddles began to form on the steps as we all cried out to God.

Lost souls were lifted up. We pleaded for more of God’s power. We begged God for more. That was it. The service lasted a little over an hour and a half. Most of that time included people at the altar praying. We are dead earnest on seeing God accomplish His will through these meetings. Whatever He wants is fine with me.

The church has cleared out by now. There are a few lingering in the fellowship hall. In the quiet of this moment I am reminded of something the Lord impressed on my heart while crying out to Him tonight. He said, “The revival will come. Everything is right on schedule. I had to break you publicly so the church could be broken.” I press on into day fourteen.

Revival – Remaining in the Battle

The battle was long yesterday. I continually felt the attack of the enemy causing doubts in my heart about whether God would still move. After the staff finished praying before the service I still had no peace. In fact, I struggled so much I did not even go into the sanctuary until twenty minutes after the service started. I stayed hidden to pray more.

I have to admit disappointment surfaced when it came time to preach and for the first time I saw the smallest crowd we have had for the entire revival. I had not expected that. I had expected the Lord would increase the attendance. The night before we had several in attendance and some from other towns. When I stepped behind the pulpit and saw all the empty pews I did a double take. I preached from Luke 15 on the Prodigal Son. It did not feel anointed. It seemed every word was forced and it did not flow smoothly. Preaching seemed like a battle last night.

During the invitation a handful teenagers responded by kneeling at the altar to pray. During the preaching my eyes had locked onto two different people whom seemed to be under conviction. Neither responded publicly. That does not mean God was not at work. There did not seem to be much visible evidence God worked. I was told after the service many wept during the worship song after song. I missed all of that.

After the service ended a teenaged girl asked if she could talk to me. She told the sad tale of how after God worked in her heart, especially over the past couple of weeks, her best friend had told her she no longer wanted to be friends because of the changes and stands the other was making. I looked deep into the eyes of this broken teen and saw the pain flowing from down deep in the form of tears. We pulled aside and prayed together.

When I left my office later and headed wearily to my truck the parking lot was nearly empty except for Jase’s truck and one truck backed in next to mine. When I rounded the corner a burdened father stepped out of his truck and unloaded his burden amidst tears. We looked into the scriptures and prayed for God to bring a miracle in his situation.

I drove home slowly fighting off the thoughts that we had lost momentum on night twelve. Typically I begin blaming myself that something in my life hindered God from moving but I did not sense there had been anything that quenched the spirit. I got up early yesterday morning to pray. I remained prayerfully open to what the Lord wanted me to preach. I preached dependent on Him to save the lost and call backsliders back home. In the end the service seemed flat to me. Something was amiss.

This revival has taken many twists and turns. I have battled night after night and early morning after early morning convinced God wants to do more. After more battling in prayer the Atens have felt the Lord calling them to come back to Seminole. This decision taxed them spiritually as they sought the Lord for what to do. They had to cancel an engagement they had set for this coming Sunday. They will be here for the service tonight. I am excited but battle thoughts that nobody will come. Many people are out of town for one last getaway before school starts. High School football and volleyball are getting into full swing this weekend. Our coaches have responsibilities that will keep them away tonight. I know the people are tired.

How do I combat all of this? I continue to battle in prayer. I feel like I am in a war for this town and for west Texas. Every night when the service ends I am drained. All I can think about is getting home and getting into bed. Each night I justify in my mind why I need to sleep in but every morning God sounds the alarm in my head to get up and go back to battle.

As I write this I am once again at my post in my office where I will cry out to God to move again giving Him no rest until He Shakes this City. When I look back at my life before the Lord summoned me to this revival, I recall a life of moderate leisure. Since this clarion call I have lived with a burden for this town I cannot shake. I have not slept well. The battle in my mind to believe God for more, or to wave the white flag of surrender and to end all of the meetings, rages on.

I know the enemy wants this all to end. There are times when my flesh does too. I still feel the Lord has much more He wants to do and I cannot quit. So we pray on and prepare for night thirteen. This is Friday. There should be no reason why people would come to church on a Friday night. No reason except the Lord draws them to come. I still believe God has a mighty work to do. Though weary I battle on. We must continue to fight the good fight. More Lord.

Revival Continues [Matt 27] [Gal 6:9]

The Lord has me up early again this morning seeking Him. As I drove to the church the sign outside said it all, “Shake the City Revival Continues.” The church staff gathered yesterday afternoon to pray about what we were supposed to do concerning extending the revival. Many people thought it was over since we had planned on ten days. We actually planned for eleven days since that meant ending on a Wednesday night instead of a Tuesday night. After meeting with the staff we met with the deacons to discern what the Lord was saying to us. The direction shared by all is that God is not through.

We started the service for day eleven like we have the rest calling out to God in prayer. Last night our focus was to seek the Lord if we were to continue the meetings and to ask the Lord if the Atens were to be invited back to join us in this great move of God. Sean felt we should. Many came to the altar crying out for God to show us clearly what to do. This was followed by another baptism of a teenage boy.

I cannot over exaggerate how God has anointed Sean Decker to lead us in worship after taking the baton from Sherman and Tammy Aten last Saturday. He lead us in two songs last night the Holy Spirit used to redirect the message. As we sang “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “My Chains are Gone” I was stirred to preach not one but two messages. The first message was a reading of the crucifixion story from Matt 27. I followed that with looking at Rom 5:8-9 and Rom 2:4-5. The message was not long. I preached the pure and simple gospel. I gave an invitation for people to be saved. Five responded by raising their hands. I asked them to promise they would make their decision public after the second message which they did.

While seated during the music seeking God I felt Him directing me to minister to the church through [Gal 6:9] in the second message. This verse is, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” That had been the message the Lord put on my heart all day long. I felt clearly in my heart we were to extend the revival and at the same time the church needed some encouragement.

I know people are tired. I am tired. What the Lord continues to do here is beyond words. Last night there were people in attendance from Andrews, Lamesa, and Lovington, NM. How do you explain that? Only the Lord could extend a revival meeting to eleven days and not see a drop in the attendance. His power has been on display. Only He could draw people from other communities to come. Despite all God is doing around us, I felt in my spirit that people are tired. I know my family is tired. We seldom get home from the meetings until 9:00-9:30 p.m. The services are lasting anywhere from an hour and a half to as long as two and a half hours. People are physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent. Last night I sensed the Lord wanted to encourage His church to press on.

The direction we went in the second message encouraged people to not lose heart. In the Greek that means to not become weak, weary, or spiritless. That verse also exhorts not to grow weary but to trust we will reap in due time. The reaping in my mind includes more people being saved. In the Greek the phrase “not grow weary” means do not give up, do not quit, do not faint, do not relax, do not become weakened, or exhausted.

The second message was not long. What I sensed the Lord calling me to do included asking the sound people to come to the altar to be prayed over. I invited the video volunteers to come down as well to be prayed over. I asked the television workers to leave the TV room to come in for prayer as well as the praise team and those who play instrunments. The front was jammed packed with those volunteers who have given so much of themselves over the past eleven days. So many came to pray over them I could not get off the stage. A beautiful sight unfolded before my eyes as the body of Christ ministered to one another.

What happened next caught me by surprise. People stepped up on the platform and began praying for me. This proved to be very humbling. The way God has bonded my heart to these people is nothing short of supernatural. We are still two weeks away from being here a solid year. One lady in particular really touched my heart. Her name is Amber Decker. She is Sean’s wife. She came up to pray for me with tears in her eyes. Her prayer touched me deeply. I am honored and blessed to get to pastor this church.

I announced to the church when things settled that we would extend the revival through Sunday and determine after that what to do next. If God wanted to put an exclamation point on the evening He did it in large fashion. Jase came near me after the end of the service motioning something large had happened. I made my way over to him but in no way was prepared for what he told me.

Somehow a student from Lovington, NM heard what God has been doing here. I have never been to Lovington but people told me it is about an hour from here. This student invited some friends to drive over with him to attend the revival. Two of those friends trusted Christ for salvation! This is an answered prayer. I have been asking the Lord if He wanted to extend this revival to draw people from other towns to come. My thoughts were towns like Seagraves, Denver City, and Loop. It never crossed my mind God would draw people from New Mexico.

A UPS driver told me on his route in every city he delivered to, which included Seagraves, Denver City, and Loop, people are talking about what God is doing in Seminole. This amazes me that people who live twenty miles away are hearing about the powerful move of God. Another man reported how he had gone to the Seminole Post Office to get his mail. When he opened his mailbox he heard postal workers talking about what the Lord is doing in the revival. Another commented how God’s work in this revival was the hot topic at a men’s coffee table.

God is Shaking this City. He still has more shaking He wants to do. I sit back awed by all the Lord is doing. I know I may never again see anything like this in my lifetime and therefore renew my dedication to seeking the Lord. I see the vision coming to fruition the Lord showed me back in the spring when He called me to this revival. I see the move of God spilling into the streets of Seminole and beyond. I see in the near future the crowds will overflow the church. The Lord showed me this would happen. He also showed me back then the revival would be extended and that it would spread over West Texas. Little by little I am seeing all these things coming to pass before my eyes. Revival continues. Where and when it ends only God knows. I will not become weary in doing good or lose heart. This is the time to reap the harvest.