Courage & Revival

Summary

In this community group Bible study, the speaker emphasizes the balance between human effort and divine intervention in evangelism. Reflecting on various biblical passages and historical revivals, the message underscores that while Christians are called to share their faith, it is ultimately God who saves. The speaker calls for prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit, encouraging the congregation to seek God's power for a revival in their church and nation, stressing that true revival begins within the church and its people.

Takeaways

• 📖 Sharing faith is both a privilege and an obligation.
• 🙏 Overcoming fears of sharing faith involves trusting God's guidance.
• 🤝 Loving our neighbors is crucial in evangelism.
• 📜 Saving people is ultimately God's work, not just our efforts.
• 🌾 Pray for God to send out workers into His harvest field.
• 🗣️ The Holy Spirit guides us on what to say when sharing the gospel.
• 🚪 Pray for God to open doors for the message of the gospel.
• 🌱 Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God makes things grow.
• 📅 Faithful service may not always show immediate results, but God's timing is perfect.
• 🔥 Revival can come through persistent prayer and God's intervention.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the community group Bible study this term?

The main focus is on how to grow in sharing our faith with others.

What are the key points covered in the previous sessions?

The previous sessions covered how sharing our faith is a privilege and obligation, how to overcome fears of sharing our faith, and how to love our neighbors.

What potential danger does the speaker mention about focusing too much on our part in evangelism?

The potential danger is assuming that saving people is entirely dependent on our work, effort, cleverness, and persuasiveness.

What does Matthew 9:37-38 emphasize about evangelism?

Matthew 9:37-38 emphasizes that while we are to pray for workers to be sent into the harvest field, it is ultimately God who sends us out with the gospel.

What assurance does Luke 12:11-12 give to those who share their faith?

Luke 12:11-12 assures that the Holy Spirit will teach us what to say, even though we should still prepare to explain the gospel clearly and give good answers to people's questions.

How does Colossians 4:3 guide us in our approach to sharing the gospel?

Colossians 4:3 guides us to pray for God to open doors for our message, indicating that it is God who provides opportunities for the gospel to be shared.

What lesson can we learn from Dr. William Lesie's missionary work in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

We learn that even when missionary efforts seem unsuccessful in the short term, God can be working in ways we do not see, leading to significant long-term impact.

What examples of historical revivals does the speaker mention?

The speaker mentions the revivals under John the Baptist and Jesus, the Pentecost revival, the 18th-century revival with George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers, the 1859 revival in Britain, and the 1951 revival in the Isle of Lewis.

What is the main message of 2 Chronicles 7:14, and how should it be applied?

The main message is that if God's people humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, He will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. It should be applied to the church, indicating that revival begins with God's people praying and repenting.

What is the speaker's prayer for the church and the nation?

The speaker prays for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to revive the church, transform the community, and save thousands, leading to a new day in the church and the nation for the glory of Jesus.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Sharing Our Faith and God's Role in Evangelism

This paragraph introduces the final session of a series on sharing faith. The speaker reflects on the previous sessions, highlighting the balance between human effort and divine intervention in evangelism. Key Bible verses are cited to emphasize that while humans have a role to play, it is ultimately God who enables the success of evangelistic efforts.

05:00

🌍 The Unexpected Fruits of Mission Work

The story of Dr. William Lesie, a missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is recounted. Despite feeling like a failure during his lifetime, a later visit to the area revealed a thriving network of Christian churches. This narrative underscores the theme that God's work may not always be immediately visible, but faithfulness in mission can lead to significant, unseen impact over time.

10:01

🔥 Historical Revivals and the Power of Persistent Prayer

This paragraph discusses historical examples of religious revivals, starting with the ministry of George Whitfield and John Wesley in the 18th century, through the revivalist efforts of Charles Spurgeon in the 19th century, to Duncan Campbell's experiences in the Isle of Lewis in 1951. These accounts illustrate how persistent prayer and commitment can lead to widespread spiritual awakening and societal transformation.

15:04

🙏 Call for Revival and Transformation

The final paragraph focuses on a call to prayer and repentance, urging the church to seek revival. It references 2 Chronicles 7:14, interpreting it as a call for the church to humble itself and seek God's intervention. The speaker prays for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to awaken the church and bring about a significant spiritual renewal in the community and the nation.

Keywords

💡Evangelism

Evangelism refers to the act of sharing one's faith or religious beliefs with others, with the intent of converting them to one's faith. In the video, it is a central theme, emphasizing the importance of sharing faith as both a privilege and an obligation. The script discusses overcoming fears associated with evangelism and the role of preparation and the Holy Spirit in guiding the sharing of the gospel.

💡Harvest

In the context of the video, 'harvest' is a metaphor for the spiritual opportunity to share the gospel and make disciples. It is derived from Matthew 9:37, where Jesus speaks of a plentiful harvest but few workers, urging the disciples to pray for more workers to be sent into the harvest field, symbolizing the need for more people to engage in evangelism.

💡Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a central figure in Christianity, believed to guide, inspire, and empower believers. In the video, the Holy Spirit is presented as the divine teacher who teaches believers what to say when sharing the gospel, as referenced in Luke 12:11, and is also the one who opens doors for the gospel message to be received.

💡Revival

Revival in the script refers to a period of renewed religious fervor or awakening, often marked by increased conversions and spiritual awakening. The video cites historical examples of revivals, such as those in the 18th century and the Welsh Revival, to illustrate times when the Holy Spirit moved powerfully, leading to significant spiritual transformation.

💡Faithfulness

Faithfulness in the video is the concept of being consistently devoted and loyal to one's faith and to God's call to share the gospel. It is highlighted as a necessary quality for believers, even when the visible results of their efforts may not be apparent. The script contrasts faithfulness with the desire for visible fruit or results, emphasizing that God's timing and ways are beyond human understanding.

💡Preparation

Preparation, in the context of the video, refers to the act of equipping oneself with knowledge and understanding of the gospel to be able to share it effectively. It is mentioned alongside the guidance of the Holy Spirit, indicating that while divine guidance is essential, human effort in learning and understanding the gospel is also important.

💡Privilege

Privilege, as used in the script, describes the special honor or advantage given to believers to share their faith with others. It is presented as a positive aspect of evangelism, suggesting that having the opportunity to spread one's beliefs is a blessing rather than merely an obligation.

💡Obligation

Obligation in the video is the duty or responsibility believers have to share their faith, stemming from their understanding of God's command to evangelize. It is discussed alongside the concept of privilege, indicating that while sharing the gospel is a special honor, it is also a necessary action for believers.

💡Fear

Fear in the context of the script refers to the apprehension or anxiety that believers may experience when considering sharing their faith with others. The video discusses overcoming these fears as part of the process of growing in faith and evangelism, suggesting that fears are natural but can be conquered through faith and reliance on God.

💡Transformation

Transformation in the video is the profound change that occurs in individuals, communities, or nations when the gospel is embraced and lived out. It is used to describe the desired outcome of revival and the impact of the gospel, as seen in historical examples and as prayed for in the present, with the hope that it will lead to widespread spiritual awakening and societal change.

💡Prayer

Prayer is a recurring theme in the video, representing the act of communicating with God and seeking His guidance, intervention, and blessing. It is presented as a fundamental practice for believers, essential for personal spiritual growth and for the advancement of the gospel. The script emphasizes the importance of prayer in asking for God to open doors for the gospel and to initiate revival.

Highlights

Sharing our faith is both a privilege and an obligation.

Overcoming fears of sharing faith and considering people's responses.

Loving our neighbors as a part of sharing faith.

Recognizing that saving people is ultimately God's work, not ours.

Matthew 9:37: 'The Harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers.'

Luke 12:11: 'Do not worry about what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you.'

Importance of preparation in sharing the gospel, but relying on the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 4:3: 'Pray for us that God may open a door for our message.'

Example of Dr. William Leslie's mission in Congo, which seemed like a failure but resulted in a thriving network of churches.

Historical revivals, such as those led by George Whitfield and John Wesley in the 18th century.

The Welsh Revival in the 19th century, where thousands were saved and churches were filled.

The Isle of Lewis revival in 1951, where deep conviction of sin led many to seek God.

Revival starts with the church and individual believers turning to God in prayer and repentance.

2 Chronicles 7:14: A call for God's people to humble themselves and pray for healing and revival.

Isaiah 64:1: 'Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down' - a prayer for God's powerful presence.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi everyone and welcome to another of

our community group Bible studies and

throughout this term we've been looking

at how we uh can grow in sharing our

faith with others we've seen how sharing

our faith is both a privilege and an

obligation we've seen how we can

overcome our fears uh of sharing our

faith and How might people people

respond and last time uh we looked at

how we can love our neighbors and in my

planning I thought those three sessions

would take us up to the end of term and

obviously uh I made a mistake and

there's one more session and uh and as I

was thinking and praying about okay what

should I cover in this in this uh final

session I was thinking how we focus very

much on our part uh in Evangel ISM and

of course that's not wrong we we all

have a part uh to play we all have an

obligation uh to play and and so that's

important but the danger is that we

might assume then that saving people is

all down to us it's down to our work our

effort our cleverness our persuasiveness

and it isn't so just listen to these uh

Bible verses uh for a moment

uh in Matthew chapter 9 and verse 37 uh

Jesus says to his disciples the Harvest

is plentiful but the workers are few ask

the lord of the Harvest therefore to

send out workers into his Harvest field

we're certainly to pray but it is God

who sends us out with the gospel Again

Luke 12 and verse 11 Jesus said to his

disciples do not worry about what you

will say for the holy will holy spirit

will teach you what you should say now

of course that's not to say we shouldn't

take time to be prepared to explain the

gospel clearly and to give good answers

to people's questions we should and

that's why we're doing the big questions

kind of teaching series but in the end

the Holy Spirit teaches us what to say

Paul writes in Colossians uh chapter 4

and verse three he says

pray for us that God may open a door for

our message and of course when Provine

was recently uh with us from India he

spoke from Revelation 3:8 where Jesus

says I have placed before you an open

door that no one can shut it's not our

cre creativity in having great events or

or our speaking skills that open the

door for the gospel now of course we

want great events we want speak

well but we must pray that God opens a

door in our town uh and in this region

for the

gospel again the Apostle Paul summarizes

it like this in one Corinthians chapter

3 where where in the church Christians

were playing off one Leader's Ministry

against another and Paul says when one

says I follow Paul and another I follow

AP

are you not acting in a worldly way

after all what is Apollos what is Paul

only servants through whom you came to

believe as the Lord has assigned each to

his task I planted the seed Apollos

watered it but God has been making it

grow and so neither the one who plants

nor the one who Waters is anything but

only God who makes things

grow again and again the Bible makes it

very clear we have a part to play and to

not to overstate it we are disobedient

if we never bother to share our faith

with others because we are commanded to

do so

however at the same time we must

recognize it is God who saves it is God

who calls people it is God who draws

people

and down through history there are

people who who Faithfully pray and

Faithfully share the gospel and there's

not much fruit and there are other

Seasons where people pray and share the

gospel and there's Revival and hundreds

respond and hundreds are

saved for instance uh this is a picture

of the Canadian Dr William lesie who

supported by the American uh Baptist

missionary Union in

1912 went to a remote corner of the

Democratic Republic of

Congo and after traveling around and

preaching the gospel and teaching the

people for 17 years he returned to the

US and he died nine years later

believing that the mission had failed

and the that he had had completely no

impact

but then in

2010 a team went out to this same area

this same remote area of jungle

expecting to find an unreached tribal

people and yet in fact what they found

was a network of Christian churches

across a group of villages with a

cathedral if you like in the main

village and a Congregation of over a

thousand

people in his day he thought it he had

failed but God had been working God's

ways and God's timings of course are not

ours our call is to be

faithful however I wouldn't want us I

wouldn't want myself to settle for

simply being faithful because history

shows us that actually

sometimes God answers prayers and sends

a huge

Revival so as Jesus uh began his min

Ministry there seemed to be another

Revival obviously under John the Baptist

many had come to Faith then now Jesus

comes and and new life seems to break

out of the the religious

places another Revival again at

Pentecost a there was a a renewal

amongst God's people the preaching of

the gospel and thousands are added into

the

church such kind of events and

experiences have repeatedly occurred in

the life of the church and we want to

pray for such a move in our

day in his journal in December 1738

George Whitfield

wrote there seems to be a great

outpouring of the spirit and many who

were awakened by my preaching a year ago

are now grown strong men in Christ by

the ministrations of my dear friends and

fellow laborers John and Charles Wesley

I am every moment employed from morning

till midnight there is no end of people

coming to me and they seem more and more

desirous like newborn babies to be fed

with the sincere milk of the

word what a great work has been wrought

in the hearts of many within this 12

month that was in the December then in

the January of the following year the

Wesley and the the W George Whitfield

and other clergy they gathered together

for prayer until actually about 3 in the

morning and John Wesley then says the

power of God came mightily Upon Us in so

much as many cried out for exceeding Joy

many fell to the ground as soon as we

were recovered a little from awe and

amazement at the presence of His Majesty

we broke out with one voice we praise

you God we acknowledge you to be the

Lord and Whitfield wrote again in his

journal we parted with a full conviction

that God was going to do great things

among us and so began the the Revival of

the 18th century where tens of thousands

of people were saved not just in Britain

actually around the world in

particularly in America too and

thousands were saved the me Methodist

Church was launched and actually the

nation was

changed then about a hundred years later

Charles Spurgeon addressed a a wine MCA

gathering on January the 4th in

1859 and he said this we must confess

that just now we have not the outpouring

of the holy spirit that we could wish

the spirit is blowing on our churches

now with his genial breath meaning his

friendly his gentle breath and he says

but it is as a soft evening Breeze oh

that there would come a rushing Mighty

Wind that should carry everything before

this is the lack of the times the great

want of our country may this come as a

blessing from the most high and in the

early summer of that year

1859 then spurgeon's desire seems to

have been fulfilled because he wrote

then the times of refreshing from the

presence of the Lord have at last dawned

Upon Our Land and over the next few

months from Summer 1859 through to the

end of the year his congregation Grew

From 200 to over

1200 and a a year later than that he was

regularly Gathering between 5 and

10,000 and not just in London but

actually in other parts of the country

particularly in Wales the Chapels were

starting to be filled to

overflowing uh one Church leader Thomas

Phillips wrote The Awakening influence

at length uh the influences sorry The

Awakening influences uh reach the towns

of abist abon traron and almost every is

every District in the upper middle parts

of Cardigans Shire in Maran uh there is

a glorious work in progress from calan

pen Brookshire glamorganshire and

Monmouth they have not been left

unvisited the services in the churches

and chapels on weekdays and Sundays are

crowded hundreds are coming over to the

Lord's Side and there seems to be an

extraordinary work of Grace going

forward Among Us amazing amazing stories

of what God was doing then another

hundred years after that 100 years so

the Whitfield Wesley and revivals of the

18th century then the the Welsh Revival

and Spurgeon and then 100 years after

that in 1951 One Duncan Campbell visited

the aisle of Lewis and he wrote this I

find it difficult to put down on paper

what our eyes have seen and our ears

have heard this week Revival has gripped

the parish deep conviction of sin has

laid hold of the people and many have

found the Savior as many as 20 in one

meeting men who were never near a

meeting were suddenly arrested by the

spirit of God and had to give up work

and give themselves to seeking after God

places of worship are crowded and

meetings continue until the small hours

of the morning people walk through wind

and rain and we'll wait through three

services between 7:30 and 3: in the

morning we praise our faithful God and

so of course we we could go on many many

stories of

Revival and so on the one

hand we are to play our part in

evangelism serving Faithfully sharing

the gospel where we can sharing uh about

Jesus encouraging people to find

Salvation And yet at the same time let's

not settle for us simply uh just being

faithful obedient it's not settled for

that as good as that is but let's cry

out to God to revive us to revive our

community to transform our land a leader

in the uh Welsh

Revival uh I think was called Evan

Roberts uh he was once asked what's the

secret to Revival and he said there is

no secret ask and you shall

receive in uh many parts of the world

today the gospel is flourishing and yet

here in the west the church broadly

speaking seems in the doldrums now we

are happy for everyone who is saved the

Bible tells us Heaven rejoices over

every individual every person who

repents and believes and and we do too

we Rejoice over everyone and yet we also

long for so much more and our hope our

longing is just as God has done in the

past that he would answer our prayers

that he would shake the church from its

Slumber that he would transform our

nation that he would save thousands of

people and change their lives

2 Chronicles 7 and verse4 is often

quoted as a promise of Revival to to

Britain or to America or to any other

nation and it simply isn't that it is

the application of the law of Moses to

God's people

Israel so the law said if you obey me

I'll bless you if you disobey me I will

curse you so let me just read the

verse and remember it is given to the

people of Israel it's not given to every

believer it's given to the people of

Israel says

this uh is saying to Solomon in verse 12

I've heard your prayer I've chosen this

place for myself as a temple for

sacrifices but when I shut up the

Heavens so that there is no rain or

command locusts to Devour the land or

send a plague among my people that's the

law If my people who are called by my

name will humble themselves and pray and

seek my face and turn from their Wicked

Ways then I will hear from Heaven I will

forgive their sin and heal their

land meaning if the people of God will

turn to God In Prayer then he will

forgive them and heal their domain if

you like and so a better application is

not that this is a promise for God to

heal

Britain but as I say to heal the domain

of the people of God you might say which

is of course the

church and that is where true Revival

begins Revival doesn't begin out there

somewhere it begins in us and it begins

in the

church it's a this is a a promise that

if God's people will pray if God's

people will turn from sin if God's

people will cry out to him then then God

will hear from heaven and he will start

by healing the church now our prayer of

course is that that overflows out of the

church into our community and into our

nation but it begins with

us let's pray that God would do a work

in US change us wake us from our Slumber

wake our church from its Slumber wake

the church in Britain from its Slumber

and its sleepiness that we would cry out

to God that we would share the gospel

Faithfully full of power and full of

Courage let's pray I want to close with

these words from Isaiah 64 and then I'll

pray oh that you would tear open the

heavens and come

down father we want to firstly

acknowledge that we have a part to play

by your grace you choose to use us in

sharing the gospel with others in

proclaiming the name of Jesus and we

want to do that faithfully and so father

we say please come and fill us with your

spirit that we

would Faithfully share the gospel with

those around us and yet at the same time

father our prayer is that you would tear

open the heavens and come down in great

power come down in our church come down

in As We Gather to pray come down as we

uh gather to Proclaim your word God we

ask you for a fresh outpouring of your

spirit that you would begin in US revive

the church and we then pray God would

you revive our nation we cry out to you

for a fresh outpouring of your spirit

Lord that that hundreds and hundreds

would be saved thousands would be saved

by the gospel the powerful gospel the

powerful message of

Jesus Lord we pray come let there be a

new day in our church in this church uh

in the land and Lord in our nation we

cry out for the sake of the lost and we

cry out for the name of Jesus and for

his glory amen

[Music]