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.
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