Revival Is Coming Harrison Conley

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Today, on Answers with Bayless Conley: There is no greater form of enlightenment. There  is no greater or higher form of doctrine that you   can subscribe yourself to. It’s Jesus. He  is the fulfillment of every longing heart. Hi, I’m Bayless Conley. I’ve been a pastor going  on four decades. But if you had seen some of the  

earlier chapters of my life, you probably never  would have guessed that I would have ended up   serving in gospel ministry. Growing up, I was  raised a normal Southern California kid. But as   a teenager, my life quickly spiraled into drug and  alcohol addiction, and a search for answers. After   a number of near-death experiences, I came to know  Jesus and experienced His life-changing power.   I found out that He was what I had been searching  for and that there were answers in His Word. In life, we all face uncertainty. Whether  it’s financial troubles, relationship valleys,  

a health crisis, or just trying to discover your  purpose, one thing is for certain; God sees you.   He loves you. And no matter what  you are facing, He has the answers. Hi there, you know the world has been  experiencing some of the craziest, most   difficult times certainly that I can remember in  my lifetime. And I am convinced that the precious   fruit of the earth is ripening and getting ready  for harvest. Harrison Conley, our eldest son,  

who is the lead pastor here at Cottonwood Church,  is going to be bringing a message to you in just   a moment entitled, “Revival Is Coming.” So, all I  can tell you is get ready. Get ready. Get ready. This morning, I want to stir your heart toward  revival. And I want to share something with   you that I feel like God has been speaking to  my heart, something that I feel is prophetic. Now, I realize that maybe that term prophetic  scares you a little bit. Maybe it’s been abused   in the Church over the last 50 years or  so, but I don’t take what I’m about to say   lightly. I don’t treat this flippantly, and  I don’t want you to receive it as hyperbole.  

I would not say this if I didn’t genuinely  feel this is what God is speaking to me. And   I actually pray that what I’m about to share will  be confirming for some of you, that you’ll look   at it and you’ll hear it, and you’ll go, “Yeah,  that’s what God has been speaking to me as well.” In the Old Testament, particularly in  the creation account, the Holy Spirit   is said to be hovering or brooding over  the water, over the face of the deep.   And maybe in the best way that you can in your  mind’s eye, I want you to capture that picture.  

See the Holy Spirit hovering over the face of  the water. Because this is what I feel like   God is saying to me, He’s saying that His Holy  Spirit is beginning to hover over the water again   and He’s creating a groundswell. That’s the term  that comes up in my heart. The Holy Spirit is   creating a groundswell. And just like an ocean  swell becomes a wave and eventually crashes   on the shore, I believe that God is saying  that there’s a groundswell of His power   and His conviction that’s getting  ready to break out along the coast. So what does this mean for us? I believe it means  it’s time for us to be sober and vigilant of mind   because revival is coming.

But, hear me, hear me, and this is the heart of  what I want to get at today, corporate revival   is always preceded by personal revival. I want you  to catch this. Yes, we long for corporate revival   for God to move in our midst, but that will never  happen if we don’t first inwardly, individually   experience revival. Personal revival  always precedes corporate revival. And with that in mind, and for the last few  minutes that I have this morning, I want to   talk about a few areas that, if we’re going  to see revival happen, we need to first revive   in our own hearts, so here’s the first thought:  If we want to see revival, we have to first revive   our love for the person of Jesus on an individual  level. We have to first revive our love for the   person of Jesus, and this is something that I’m  passionate about. This thing goes first on the   list. If we don’t get this one right, nothing  else will work. It always comes back to Jesus.   It’s Jesus in the beginning. It’s Jesus in the  middle. It’s Jesus in the end. The Bible says that  

He’s first and He’s foremost, and in all things,  He has preeminence. Everything is held together   in the person of Jesus. More than our family,  more than our friends, more than our career,   more than the business, more than the school,  Jesus has to be our number one pursuit. He has   to be our number one passion in life. And if we  get that thing wrong, nothing else will work. I wonder, do you love Jesus as much  as you did when He first saved you?   May it never be said of any one  of us that we left our first love.   We have to revive our love for the  person of Jesus. He’s everything.  

There is no greater form of enlightenment. There  is no greater or higher form of doctrine that you   can subscribe yourself to. It’s Jesus. He  is the fulfillment of every longing heart. I wonder, when was the last time you were  alone with Him? When was the last time you   heard His voice? When was the last time you were  quiet enough and still enough for long enough?   Have time with Him, and not to get something  from Him. Man, I’m so guilty of that.   God, I need You. Anoint me to  do this. God, I need provision. When was the last time we sat just to be  with Him, realizing that He’s the prize,   not wanting anything from Him except to be at His  feet? If we want to see revival, we have to revive   our love for the person of Jesus. How do we do that? A couple of ways, number one,  we do it through His Word. Do you want to fall  

in love with Jesus? Fall in love with His Word.  Jesus is the Word. Spend some time in the Gospels,   in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Read about how  Jesus interacted with people. Read about how Jesus   loved the unlovely. Look how Jesus touched the  untouchable. Try and emulate that in your life.   Read through the Pauline epistles. Man, Paul had  this desire. He said in the book of Philippians 3,   “That I may know Him and experience  the power of His resurrection.”  

Paul has such a revelation of the person of  Jesus in the plan of salvation in the earth. Spend some time in the Old Testament. Read  about the types and shadows. You’re like,   “Jesus? He wasn’t even in the Old  Testament.” Yes, He was. This whole Book,  

the Bible is about Him. And if you read it  without looking for Him, you’re missing it.   It’s about Jesus. He is the essence and  the totality for what we’re looking for. Jesus is the Word. This thing is about Him.  It’s not just ink on a page. It’s supernatural,   and it has the ability to change  and transform your life. You want  

to fall in love with the person of  Jesus? Fall in love with His Word. Here’s the second way you can fall  in love and revive your love for the   person of Jesus. Get around His  people. Get around His people. Now, I realize that people are not  perfect. And we’re not always the   greatest reflection of Jesus that we should be.  But, nonetheless, we see more of Jesus together   than we do alone. You’re limited if your only  vantage point of Jesus is what you can see.   We get around other people, and they begin to talk  about who Jesus is to them, who the Holy Spirit   has revealed Jesus to be. Suddenly, we see a new  dimension, a new facet of the grace of Jesus.

I shared this a few months ago, but  when my grandfather passed away,   at his memorial service, each of the family  members had the opportunity to get up and to share   stories and our perspective on  our grandfather. And I got up,   and I shared my story, and then I sat down,  and then I heard story after story after story   about how my cousins and my brother and my  sister, my parents, my aunt and uncle saw   my grandfather, and it was almost like getting  an education. Suddenly, I began to see different   dimensions of this man that I thought I  knew so well. Suddenly, I began to see   a completely different side to him, and  he became amazing to me all over again. Can I say the same thing happens when you  get around people of like precious faith,   and you begin to talk about Jesus? Here’s  what happens. Jesus begins to be like that   diamond that, no matter what angle you view  Him from, you get to see a new dimension   and a new facet of His grace and His  brilliance. Jesus continues to be beautiful.

Listen, you’ve only scratched the surface when  it comes to your perspective of Jesus. You can   never plumb the depths of the person of Jesus.  We will spend this lifetime and all of eternity   discovering the more of who Jesus is. Whoever  you think Jesus is, whatever you think Jesus is,   I know this for sure, He is more. And if we  want to see revival, we have to first revive   our personal love for the  Savior, the person of Jesus. Here’s the second area. If we want to  see revival, we have to revive our love  

for the lost, for the lost. And, again, if we  don’t get step one right, reviving our love for   the person of Jesus, this one won’t work, because  Jesus’ heart breaks for the lost. He came to seek   and to save that which is lost. The will of God  is this, that none should perish, but that all   find salvation. The heart of God is for  lost people. And if we are not actively  

pursuing the lost, if we are not actively  praying for the lost, what are we doing? That’s why we read in Luke 15 that,  when the shepherd has a hundred sheep,   and one goes missing, he leaves the 99 to go  after the one. God’s heart breaks for the lost. I wonder, does your heart, does my heart break  for the lost? Are we consumed by seeing people   in eternity? Because eternity is real. Eternity is  forever. And people will spend eternity somewhere.   And if we are not actively seeking  and trying to save the lost,   what are we doing? Jesus said, “Follow Me,  and I’ll make you become a fisher of men.”   That’s kingdom language. Jesus is talking about  taking one person from one kingdom into another  

kingdom just like you would take a fish from  the kingdom of the ocean to the kingdom of land. You see, in the first century, water was typed  as a kingdom that represented chaos and darkness   and death. And Jesus is saying, “If you follow  Me, I’m going to teach you to be a fisher, to be   a fisher of men, where you’re going to take people  from one kingdom, a kingdom of darkness, a kingdom   of chaos, a kingdom of death, and help bring  them into a new kingdom, the kingdom of light.” Make no mistake. We live in a world where  there are two kingdoms happening side by side   simultaneously. We live in a spiritual  world, and there is a kingdom of darkness,   and there is a kingdom of light. And you and  I have been tasked as ambassadors of Christ to  

bring people from death into life. That’s  why I said we were taken out of darkness   and transposed into the kingdom  of light, the kingdom of His Son. And I have to regularly assess in my own life  if I’m not fishing, am I really following.   And if I get really honest with myself, sometimes   I feel like I’ve done my job and I can  check the box when I fish from the platform.   But the truth is, just like you, I’ve  been called to go into my neighborhood.  

I’ve been called to go into the  sports fields where my kids play, the   school system where my kids go to  school and be salt and be light. The earth is perishing, but we’re  salt, we’re a preserving agent.   The world is dark, but we are light.   We bring truth. We bring hope. We bring leadership  to the world around us. I wonder if our hearts   break for the lost because if we’re going to see  revival, we have to revive our love for the lost.  

How do we do this? We do it by realizing  we’ve got a personal responsibility. Listen, God has no plan B for the world. It’s you,  and it’s me. He’s called us and He’s tasked us to   be co-laborers with Him. And I know sometimes the  idea of sharing our faith can be intimidating,   but, as Pastor B shared so beautifully last  week, look, the power is not in the messenger,   the power is in the message, and  we need to just be available.

When was the last time we prayed  and said, “God, here I am, send me.   Put me in a place where I have to share my  faith.” Boy, that’s a dangerous prayer to pray.   You pray that I promise you God will answer  that prayer. And you know what you’ll find   if you pray it? Ministry is everywhere. There  is no shortage of opportunity for ministry. This is a prayer I’ve been praying  regularly, and God has answered that prayer.

Now, I’m not a huge, big, outgoing personality  outside of the pulpit. I tend to be a little   bit more reserved. And now I’ve got people  starting conversations with me, going like, “Hey,   do you want to go play golf?” I’m  like, “I don’t even know your name.”  

But, yeah, inwardly, I’m  going, “God, Lord, here I am,   send me. If I can be a blessing, if I can  play a part.” I may not lead him to Christ.   But Paul planted, Apollos watered, God  brought increase. I’ve got a part to play. The other day, I was at a coffee shop,   sitting there, reading a book, drinking  my coffee, minding my own business.   Somebody walked up to my table and set their  laptop down and said, “Hey, could you watch this   while I use the restroom for a minute?” I said,  “Sure. I can’t promise it’ll be here when you get   back, though.” And they went and used the restroom  and came back. And instead of taking their laptop  

and then going back to where they were, he sat  down at my table and he starts talking to me.   He goes, “What are you reading?” I’m  like, “Oh, the Bible.” He goes, “Oh,   cool, what do you do?” and I was placed in  a position where now I could share my faith.

Listen, these things didn’t happen before,   but as soon as I started praying,  “God, here I am, send me.” Do our hearts break for the lost?   Because if we’re going to see revival, we  have to first revive our love for the lost. And if we’re going to see revival, the Church  needs to be one; unity. Where brethren dwell   together in unity, God commands a blessing.  He pours out His Spirit in the place of unity. Are you facing a problem that you  need an answer to in your health,   in your relationships, in your finances?  Or maybe you feel suck in a situation,   lacking a clear direction or purpose?  You can find answers for your life.  

You can have direction and purpose. With Answers  for Each Day our online daily devotional,   Pastor Bayless unlocks the truth of God’s Word  and shows you how to find answers for your life. In an easy to read format, each devotional  shows how easy it is to have an intimate   relationship with God by living a  practical, faith-filled life in Christ. When you go online right now to BaylessConley.com  and sign-up for this free resource, these answers   of biblical wisdom and teaching are sure to  inspire you to dive deeper into what God has for   your life. You can receive these inspirational  devotionals today for free when you sign-up at  

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It’s absolutely free. Go online right  now, BaylessConley.com, to sign-up.   That’s BaylessConley.com. Let me give you two more quickly. My time is  gone. Number three, if we’re going to see revival,   we have to revive our love for the Church, capital  C, the Church, the Church. Did you know that the   Church is called the Bride of Christ? Did you know  Jesus loves His Church? Jesus died for His Church. Could you imagine walking up to me and  going, “Harrison, man, good to meet you.  

I really like you, but you know what, your  wife, your bride, man, I can’t stand her?”   I’d look at you sideways and be like, “This  relationship is not going to work.” But yet   so many Christians go, “Jesus, I love You, but,  man, I can’t stand Your Church.” And Jesus goes,   “That’s My Bride. That’s the only thing I’m still  building in the earth. I died for My Bride.” And,   yes, the Church is imperfect. You know  why? Because the Church is full of people,  

but we serve a perfect Savior. And I’ve just  decided that I’m going to live and I’m going to   breathe from a place of unity. Jesus prayed  over His Church. I pray that you would be   one. If the world would see  that, it would be a witness. Yes, there are churches where, doctrinally, I have  some differences. Yes, there are some churches  

with different methods and expressions that maybe  don’t work for me. But you know what I’ve found?   I found that if someone is going to promote  Jesus and preach Jesus and elevate Jesus and   bring people to Jesus, instead of saying I’m  against them, I’m going to build a bridge and   find commonality and say, “We’re the Church.  We’re on mission together, the great commission   to be the hands and the feet of Jesus in the  earth.” And if we’re going to see revival,   the Church needs to be one; unity. Where brethren  dwell together in unity, God commands a blessing.   He pours out His Spirit in the place of unity. How do we revive our love for the Church? We do it  by getting off the sidelines and making church a   priority in our life. With my family, I’ve just  decided, me and my family; we’re going to serve  

the Lord. Just like he said in the book of Psalms,  I was glad when they said unto me we were going to   go into the house of God. I’m not just going to  attend service. I’m not just going to come when   it’s convenient for me. No, I’m going to be here  every time the doors are open, and I’m going to   give my life, and I’m going to sacrifice because  I’m a living sacrifice, and I’ve been called to   serve. I’ve been called to make a difference  in the earth. What we’re up to is eternal.

Listen, the local church that reflects the light  of Jesus is the hope of the world. This matters   and I’m going to make it a priority of my family,  and we’re going to serve. If you’re looking for   an opportunity, a practical way to fall in  love with the church, get plugged in serving. Fall in love with His Church. And here’s the  last one, if we’re going to see revival, we   have to revive our love for prayer. Oh, this is so  important. We have to revive our love for prayer.   No man or woman is greater than their prayer  life. Prayer is the place where vision gets  

re-calibrated. Prayer is the place where  we receive strength for the fight. Prayer   is the place where we experience the peace of  God regardless of what’s going on around us.   But, perhaps most importantly, prayer is  the place where God bestows His anointing.   The anointing is found, and it’s fortified in  the place of prayer. And, friends, you need the   anointing. If you’re going to be effective in your  walk with God; if you’re going to be effective   in the world, you have to have the anointing.  If you’re going to be an effective parent,  

you need the anointing. If you’re going  to be an effective business owner,   you need the anointing. If you’re going  to be an effective student, manager,   teacher, or truck driver, you need the anointing  because it’s the anointing that breaks the yoke. Every time, before I get up to preach, I  spend time praying in the spirit because it’s   the anointing. It’s only found in that place of  prayer. John Wesley, the famous preacher, he said,  

“Before I preach, I pray, and I set myself  on fire, and people come and watch me burn.” It’s the anointing that breaks the yoke. It’s the  anointing that sets you apart in a dark world.   We need His anointing. And if  you trace back through history  

and you look at every move of God, it’s  always preceded by people on their face   seeking God, people praying not just a  one-off prayer, but prayer as a lifestyle. You look through the book of Acts; you read  the Acts of the Apostles, you see God move   supernaturally through His Church and through  individuals. Chapter after chapter, line by line,   event by event. And you know what always precedes  those supernatural moments? Somebody was praying.   And if we’re going to see revival break out in the  Church, we as individuals have to revive our love   for prayer. It has to start  here. It has to start with us. How do we revive this love for prayer? It  only happens one way. It only comes one way,   by praying, by praying. And so I wonder  if each of us practically could commit  

to praying just a little bit more. I know a  lot of you pray, but I wonder if we could do   just a little bit more. As Pastor B said a few  weeks ago, maybe we could just go a little bit   further. Maybe after you drop your kids  off at school, you’ll just commit that,   as you drive home or as you drive to work,  you’re going to pray in tongues. Maybe,   students, you can just commit to going a little  bit further. As you walk between first period   and second period, you would pray in tongues or  pray that God would give you, your school, that   God would give you the heart of the professor,  that God would bring His kingdom to your campus.  

Could you go just a little bit further? Why? Because prayer always precedes revival,   and if we’re going to see a move of God,  we’ve got to revive our love for prayer. God said, “My people that are called by  My name, if they’ll humble themselves,   if they’ll pray, if they’ll seek My face   and they’ll ask for repentance,” God said, “I’ll  hear their prayer, and I’ll forgive their sins,   and I’ll heal their land.” We  have to revive a love for prayer. What a message. What an exhortation. I  do believe revival is coming. But it does   begin with us. And you know that last point about  renewing our love and our passion for prayer,   it’s not out of reach. I know some people  they hear that and think, “Yeah, well,  

I know myself too well.” Listen, you’ve  just got to start somewhere. You know,   if you wake up in the middle of the night  every night to go to the bathroom, well when   you finish doing your business, get on your  knees for 5 minutes or 10 minutes and seek   the Lord before you go climb back in that  warm bed and go to sleep. You can do that.   Set your alarm five minutes earlier in the  morning. Slide out of bed. Get on your knees and   pray. Take a little prayer walk in the afternoon  during lunch. Do something. God will meet us as   we come toward Him. And the Bible says that we can  come boldly to the throne of grace. We can obtain  

mercy to help us in our time of need.  And my friend, this is a time of need. Father, I pray for my friends that are  watching right now that they would be   encouraged in their hearts to begin to seek  Your face. Lord, I pray that revival does   begin in their own hearts. And they  draw close to You in Jesus’ name.

Now for those of you, listen, that support  the broadcast, and those of you that do it   consistently, I pray that consistent blessings  would roll into your life in Jesus’ name. I know that you are someone   that cares about what God cares about.  And you are someone that God wants to use. You know it’s an interesting thing that  most of the kingdom, it’s not built by a   few people that do these huge things or  give huge sums of money, but it’s built   on the widow’s mite. It’s people like you and  like me doing what we can with what we have. There is something I want to show you  right now that is absolutely vital to   us going into the future.  Let’s go to it right now. Over the last thirty years, through Answers  with Bayless Conley, thousands of lives have   been transformed around the world. Every day  through our broadcast, we are reaching people   with the urgent message of the gospel. This year,  because of the support of our generous partners,  

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2020-12-28

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