by Mark Hodges
Chicago is a lovely place to visit this time of the year, especially if you are from the Sunshine State of Florida. Our National Church Planting Office loan committee met in Chicago the first week of September to approve loans for young churches. I want to say a special thank you to those men who gave of their time and energy to do God’s work for church planting. Those men, Ken Rhoades, Tim Taylor, Archie Emerson, Don Elmore, Dan Lamb, Bob Baker, Dave Shaffer, R. D. Wade, Tim Robertson, Bruce Humbert, Tom Wagoner, and I noted NCPO Director Wayne Guinn and Assistant Director Jason Todd were well prepared with information about the marvelous opportunities ahead for the church-planting arm of our Fellowship. Pastor Bruce Humbert did an awesome job hosting the meeting. Monty Maple also came to make a special presentation to the loan committee.
Monday evening, the Lord was moving in our midst during a stirring discussion about revival, and the discussion concluded with a very special time of prayer. All week long it seemed our thoughts kept coming back to the burden of revival for our Fellowship. I revealed to them that in 2010 we will title the new year for the Fellowship “The Year of Revival.” The February meeting in Savannah, Georgia, will center on the word “Remember” and we will emphasize church planting and growth. Our May meeting in Springfield, Missouri, will center on the word “Rededicate” and we will emphasize integrity and holiness. The September meeting in Richton Park, Illinois, will center on the word “Rekindle” and we will emphasize prayer and preaching.
The revelation of these plans is a little premature, but the Lord is already putting a heavy burden upon the hearts of many pastors who understand the urgency for our Fellowship to experience a revival from heaven. We all understand that there will never be revival in our Fellowship until there is revival in our churches — there will never be revival in our churches until there is revival in the lives of our pastors.
Bill Monroe said in our S3 conference in April, “If you want your church to change, then you must change.” That will be our emphasis the entire year of 2010.
C. H. Spurgeon preached the sermon “What Is Revival” and published it in the December 1866 issue of Sword and Trowel. Introducing the message, Mr. Spurgeon said, “The word ‘revival’ is as familiar in our mouths as a household word. We are constantly speaking about and praying for a ‘revival;’ would it not be as well to know what we mean by it? Of the Samaritans our Lord said, ‘Ye worship ye know not what,’ let him not have to say to us, ‘Ye know not what ye ask.’ The word ‘revive’ wears its meaning upon its forehead; it is from the Latin, and may be interpreted thus — to live again, to receive again a life which has almost expired; to rekindle into a flame the vital spark which was nearly extinguished.”
Later in his sermon, Spurgeon addresses different groups of people, but listen to what he says about preachers: “When a minister obtains this revival he preaches very differently from his former manner. It is very hard work to preach when the head aches and when the body is languid, but it is a much harder task when the soul is unfeeling and lifeless. It is sad, sad work — painfully, dolorously, horribly sad, but saddest of all if we do not feel it to be sad, if we can go on preaching and remain careless concerning the truths we preach, indifferent as to whether men are saved or lost! May God deliver every minister from abiding in such a state! Can there be a more wretched object than a man who preaches in God’s name truths which he does not feel, and which he is conscious have never impressed his own heart? To be a mere sign-post, pointing out the road but never moving in it, is a lot against which every tame heart may plead night and day.”
I believe that every pastor, missionary, and full-time minister who is truly called of God and walks with the Lord desires to see God’s Spirit move in a very special way. There is no room for pride as we seek God for revival. All we can do is humble ourselves before the Mighty One and cry out for His mercy. Psalm 126:5 says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” The promise is sure, if we sow in tears as we pray for revival, later we shall reap in joy as we see the outpouring of His Spirit upon our lives, our churches, and also our Fellowship.