The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. 

—Proverbs 11:25

Scripture:

Proverbs 11:25 

Show me a church that doesn’t have a flow of new believers coming in, and I will show you a church that is stagnating. New believers help older believers stay on their feet spiritually. New believers are the lifeblood of the church.

The Great Commission not only involves going out and preaching the gospel. It also includes making disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:19–20).

This means that to the best of our ability, we seek to lead people to Christ and help them grow spiritually. New believers will ask you questions about things you’ve forgotten. They’ll motivate you to study your Bible as never before.

And, of course, newer believers need older believers to temper them, keep them strong, and help them develop a good foundation in their faith.

I have found that as I give out to others, God replenishes me. When you think of someone else, when you share the Word of God with them and encourage them, you will find that God refreshes you in the process.

The first-century church understood this. It was an evangelistic church. As people watched these believers learning, caring, worshipping, and praying, it drew them in. The Bible tells us that “each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47 NLT). And they helped young Christians grow in the faith.

There was continual evangelism in the early church, and there was no apology for it. This is the church that turned their world upside down.

Yet it seems to me that nowadays, the world is turning the church upside down. It seems to me that the world impacts us more than we impact the world because we are ashamed to be the church.

Let’s be what we are without apology: thankful that God has called us to be a part of it.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them 

—Matthew 18:20

Scripture:

Matthew 18:20 

I came to Christ initially because I saw a bunch of Christians worshipping the Lord on my high school campus. I was just a kid who was into drugs, and I had no direction in life. But one day as I was walking across my high school campus, I noticed a group of Christians sitting on the front lawn and singing songs.

The very weirdness of it interested me. Why were they singing songs about God at lunchtime on the front lawn? I sat down far enough away to avoid looking like I was one of them. But I made sure that I was close enough to eavesdrop on what they were doing. And as I watched them sing their simple songs about God, I was moved by it.

Something extraordinary happens when God’s people get together and sing His praises. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20 NKJV).

Jesus wasn’t saying that God only shows up when people worship. God is omnipresent; He is everywhere. But God manifests His presence in a special way when His people lift up His name in praise and worship.

The first-century church was a worshipping church. Acts 2 tells us “they worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people” (verses 46–47 NLT).

It is a powerful testimony to the world when a Christian can praise God despite hardship. Christians face the same hardships that nonbelievers face. But when they see us praising God despite adverse circumstances, when they see us honoring the Lord, that is a powerful testimony. Our worship can be a witness.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 

—1 John 1:3

Scripture:

1 John 1:3 

When I find a good restaurant, I want to take my friends or family there. I also like suggesting the best things to order because I like to see them discover what I’ve discovered.

In the same way, when we’re learning God’s Word and receiving a blessing from it as a result, we want to share it with others. Fellowship is more than socializing. We may talk about all kinds of things at church, but our primary reason is to talk about the things of God.

Acts 2 tells us that the first-century believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer” (verse 42 NLT).

The word “fellowship” comes from the Greek word koinonia, which we could translate as “partnership,” “communion,” or “fellowship.” Its meaning is quite expansive. But the idea is that as these followers of Christ learned the Word of God, they wanted to share it with others.

God likes it when we talk about Him together. Malachi 3:16 says, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said” (NLT).

God pays attention when we speak His name. He bends down and listens.

Fellowship is praying together. It is serving together. It is growing and aging together. These are the fibers of fellowship. The apostle John wrote, “We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3 NLT)

When you’re walking with God, you will want to spend time with God’s people. But if you are not walking with God, then you probably won’t want to be around God’s people.

Fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers go together.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer 

—Acts 2:42

Scripture:

Acts 2:42 

Luke, the author of Acts, could have brought a lot of things to our attention about the early church. After all, first-century believers were vibrant and joyful, and the church was rapidly expanding. But he made a point of reminding us that they studied God’s Word together.

In chapter 2 he wrote, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer” ( verse 42 NLT).

It could have been a temptation for the first-century believers to look back with great fondness on Pentecost and say, “Why can’t every service be like Pentecost? Remember the Spirit coming upon us and the divided flames of fire? Remember all the languages we spoke in?”

Though Pentecost was the explosion that started the engine, it was time to drive the car. And the early church reveled in the Word of God.

What is true of the church should be true of us as individuals. If you have no interest in the Bible, if you find it boring, then maybe you should ask yourself whether you know God as you really ought to.

The Bible is alive and powerful. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (NLT).

Martin Luther said, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.”

A trend in the church today is to disregard or marginalize the study of Scripture. The first-century church, however, studied doctrine. And if we’re not careful with our doctrine, we might end up loving the wrong Jesus or believing the wrong things.

The early church loved the Word of God. And so should we.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 

—1 Peter 2:5

Scripture:

1 Peter 2:5 

Some are saying that we need to reenvision the church for today. I disagree. I don’t think we need to reenvision it; I think we need to rediscover it.

We don’t need to redefine what God already has defined. We need to get back to the way church was in the beginning because this is the church that turned the world upside down.

Some people are anti-church. They say things like, “I don’t believe in organized religion. I’m just a very spiritual person. Besides, there are so many hypocrites in the church.” If that is your attitude, then the devil’s ploys have worked very effectively in your life.

Jesus told a story, or parable, about the wheat and the tares. A farmer planted a crop of wheat, but in the evening his adversary came along and planted tares among the wheat. Tares initially look just like wheat, but as time passes, they actually can uproot the wheat.

Wherever there’s something genuine, there will be an imitation. Whenever something has been done well, someone else will do their version of it. Yet imitations remind us that the genuine is out there.

As we look at the first-century church, we see they had hypocrites too. They had heresies. They even had some pretty radical immorality being practiced in their midst.

Yet we should know that Jesus Christ is committed to the church. It is the only organization that He ever started, and there is really nothing in the world like the church. The church has many critics but no rivals.

The secret of the early church was that every Christian believed they were called to do their part. Every person mattered.

We shouldn’t be spectators in the church; we should be participants. It’s easy to play armchair quarterback. But it’s another thing altogether to be on the field as part of the team. That is where God wants all of us to be.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 

—2 Peter 3:9

Scripture:

2 Peter 3:9 

When I became a Christian in the early 1970s, everyone was talking about the return of Jesus. We were praying, “Lord, come back!” I’m sure that everyone who has come to Christ since the 1970s is glad that God didn’t answer that prayer.

The first-century church had a job to do, and so do we. Jesus said, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7–8 NLT).

Jesus gave this statement in response to a question from the disciples: “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” (verse 6 NLT). Many of the people, including the disciples, had a misguided notion about Jesus. They thought that as Messiah, Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God on earth at that time.

That’s why it seemed like a mistake when Jesus was crucified. So they were saying, “Okay, Lord, we’re so glad that You’re alive again. Are You going to establish the kingdom now?”

In effect Jesus told them, “I’m not going to establish My earthly kingdom right now. That’s coming later. Stop focusing on when I’m returning and instead focus on what you are to do until I return.”

We, too, need to focus on what we’re supposed to be doing while we await Christ’s return. Bible prophecy should not inflate our brains; it should enlarge our hearts. And if we really understand what Bible prophecy is about, then it should cause us to want to live godly lives.

Jesus’ words in Acts 1:7–8 were not exclusively for first-century believers. We are still called to tell people about Jesus everywhere.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 

—Matthew 5:16

Scripture:

Matthew 5:16 

A Sunday school teacher said to her class of young students, “Can any of you tell me what a saint is?” One of the girls in the class thought about some stained glass windows of the apostles that she saw. So she said, “Those are people that the light shines through.”

That is true. We might be tempted to put people like Peter, James, John, Matthew, and Paul on pedestals. When we read about them in the Bible, they seem like superhuman individuals. But they were ordinary people like us. They made mistakes, and the Bible is honest about the mistakes they made.

But they also were saints. And if you are a Christian, then you’re a saint too. Saint is simply another word for a follower of Jesus Christ.

The greatness of the disciples wasn’t because of who they were. It was because God’s hand was on them. The apostle Paul wrote, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful” (1 Corinthians 1:26–27 NLT).

These weren’t perfect people; they were ordinary people. But God did extraordinary things through ordinary people. God seems to go out of His way to choose unexpected people to go to unexpected places to do unexpected things.

Jesus did not call the apostles because they were great; they were great because Jesus called them. It is not the instrument but the One who holds the instrument. Before we can change the world, Jesus must first change us. Then God can take us, despite our flaws and shortcomings, and use us for His glory.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

—Ephesians 5:15–16

Scripture:

Ephesians 5:15-16 

There never was a dull day for the first-century followers of Jesus. In fact, it seems that wherever Paul went, there was either a conversion or a riot.

The early church didn’t have modern technology at their disposal. Yet in a relatively short time, these believers changed their world. They permeated their culture.

Tertullian, a Christian leader and a contemporary of these early followers of Christ, said of the church, “We are but of yesterday, and we have filled every place among you—cities, islands, fortresses, towns, marketplaces, the very camp, tribes, companies, palace, senate, forum—we have left nothing to you but the temples of your gods.”

He was pointing to the fact that the church had infiltrated everything. There were even Christians in the palace of Caesar. This is what we need today. We need Christians to go out and make a difference. We need Christians involved in the arts, making great films and creating graphic design. We need Christians in places of authority, because the Bible says that when the righteous rule, the people rejoice (see Proverbs 29:2).

We need Christian doctors, lawyers, and businesspeople. We need believers to let their light shine in this culture today.

Religious leaders in Thessalonica had this to say about Paul and Silas: “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6 NKJV).

G. Campbell Morgan said, “Organized Christianity which fails to make a disturbance is dead.”

Believers in the first century made a disturbance because they understood that God had called them to do their part. They took risks. They left their comfort zones. In the Book of Acts, we see their fearless preaching, their expectant prayer, and their willingness to obey God.

Twenty-first-century believers should be living like these first-century believers, impacting our culture. We should be making a difference. We should be turning our world upside down.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call upon Your name. 

—Psalm 80:18

Scripture:

Psalm 80:18 

We can’t create a revival. We can’t organize a revival. But we can agonize in prayer for a revival. A revival is a supernatural invasion of God. It is something that God does for us and not something we do for Him.

One person defined revival as a community saturated with God. Richard Owen Roberts, who wrote a great book called Revival, described it as “an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing extraordinary results.”

A. W. Tozer defined revival as that which changes the moral climate of the community.

Revival is nothing more or less than a new beginning of obedience to God.

And really, nonbelievers don’t need revival; they need salvation. The church needs revival. Revival is for believers only, but evangelism is for nonbelievers.

Charles Spurgeon said, “To be revived is a blessing which can only be enjoyed by those who have some degree of life. Those who have no spiritual life are not, and cannot be, in the strictest sense of the term, subjects of a revival. A true revival is to be looked for in the Church of God.”

I don’t think most Americans have heard an authentic, biblical gospel presentation. In fact, I think we have a lot of “almost Christians” in our nation today. They know a little about the gospel, but they don’t understand it fully. They haven’t responded to it or embraced it.

For example, when the apostle Paul presented the gospel to Herod Agrippa, the ruler said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28 NKJV).

One of the greatest revivals in human history started with one man, Jonah. Initially he ran from God, but ultimately he came to his senses. God has called us, like Jonah, to go and preach the gospel. The question is, are we doing it?

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed! 

—Jonah 3:4

Scripture:

Jonah 3:4 

It was a stunning spiritual awakening. An entire city of about one million people turned to God. They even turned from their sin of violence, which they were known for. God spared Nineveh and sent a nationwide revival.

Amazingly, they turned to God after they heard this simple message from Jonah: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:4 NLT).

The very fact that Jonah gave them a warning was somewhat hopeful. For instance, when God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, He didn’t send a warning. There was no prophet walking through their streets. Judgment came suddenly.

But in Nineveh’s case, Jonah warned them. And the Bible tells us that “the people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow” (verse 5 NLT).

This reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God. These people were exceptionally wicked, yet God saved them.

Do you know someone who is a sinner with a capital S? You can’t imagine, in your wildest dreams, that they ever would come to faith in Christ.

God can save that person. Remember, Saul of Tarsus was converted. He hunted down, tortured, and killed Christians. Yet God took hold of him. So, start praying for that unbeliever by name.

I think sometimes we prepare for failure, not success. A young preacher once complained to Charles Spurgeon that whenever he preached, no one came to Christ.

“Do you expect people to come to Christ every time you preach?” Spurgeon asked.

“Well, of course not.”

“That is your problem,” Spurgeon told him.

Missionary William Carey said, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” That’s what we need to do. Could God send another spiritual awakening to America? I believe that He could. I believe that He can. And I pray that He will.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights 

—Jonah 1:17

Scripture:

Jonah 1:17 

Tarshish is about as far away from Nineveh as you can get. Yet that’s where Jonah went when God told him to go to the city of Nineveh and preach. He boarded a boat going in the opposite direction.

As a result, God sent a storm that was so bad, it even alarmed the seasoned sailors. They tried to figure out why this storm had come and realized the culprit was a passenger named Jonah. They brought him up on deck and asked him what was going on.

Jonah told them he was an Israelite and served the Lord God of Israel. This was the miracle-working God, the same God who parted the Red Sea, drowned the entire Egyptian army, and sent supernatural food from Heaven. So they said to Jonah, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?” (Jonah 1:11 NJKV).

Jonah told them that if they threw him overboard, the storm would stop. They kept trying to row to land with no success, so eventually they threw him overboard. Then a great fish swallowed Jonah.

Now, was this God’s way of getting even? Was He saying, “All right, Jonah. You messed up. It’s payback time”? That is how some people see God. But God doesn’t deal with people that way, especially His own children.

This wasn’t about getting even. This was about disciplining one of His own kids. Because God loves us, He will discipline us when we go astray. God’s discipline is preparation for a future task. His discipline tells us that He has something more for us to do. And if you are one of God’s kids, He will discipline you.

God was preparing Jonah for his greatest work yet, and He revived and recommissioned Jonah.

In the same way, revival starts with you. It starts with me. And nothing can happen through us until it has first happened to us.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me. 

—Jonah 1:2

Scripture:

Jonah 1:2 

One of the largest spiritual awakenings in human history swept one of the most wicked cities ever, the city of Nineveh.

The people of Nineveh were so bad that they effectively stunk to high heaven. The first chapter of Jonah tells us, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me’” (verses 1–2 NKJV).

We could translate the phrase “their wickedness has come up before Me” to say, “Their wickedness has reached the highest pitch.”

The Ninevites’ cruelty was legendary. Historical records include graphic accounts of how they treated their captives. When the Ninevites plundered a city, they burned children alive, tortured adults, and even skinned people and hung their skin on the walls. They built monuments out of the skulls of those they beheaded.

We can see why the city stunk to high heaven.

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, a superpower of the day. With the strongest military power, Assyria had essentially ruled the world for two hundred years. But things were about to change. A more powerful military was about to overtake Nineveh and Assyria. Effectively the days of this nation were numbered.

Every nation’s days are numbered. We know this historically. Every nation has a moment when it is born and a moment when it dies—or is diminished dramatically. And that is true for the United States of America.

We know that judgment is coming. It is only a matter of time. So, let’s pray that God will send at least one more spiritual awakening to our nation before judgment comes. If God could bring a mighty revival in Nineveh, then certainly He could do the same for the United States.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death 

—2 Corinthians 7:10

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 7:10 

Sometimes we confuse remorse or regret with repentance. The person who gets caught in a lie is sorry. The criminal who gets arrested is sorry. But are they repentant? I don’t know. Maybe the person who lied will just be more careful the next time. And the criminal will plot his next crime with more foresight. But that isn’t repentance.

For example, Exodus 9 tells us that Pharaoh, who was hardened in his sin, acknowledged the sin existed. He called for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked” (verse 27 NKJV).

That’s good, but then he continued to sin against God, and ultimately God judged him. He never came to faith.

Saul, the king of Israel, said at one point, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:24 NKJV). But does that mean he changed his life? No. He continued as he had been living, and he threw his life away.

The Bible also tells us about a rich, young ruler who approached Jesus, wanting to know how to have eternal life. Jesus gave him the answer, and he went away sorrowful but not repentant.

Even Judas Iscariot was sorry because he betrayed Jesus. But he didn’t do anything with that sorrow. His sorrow did not lead to repentance.

It isn’t enough to be sorry. We must do something about it.

The Bible says that “godly sorrow produces repentance.” Repentance means that we are willing to change. Repentance means being sorry enough to stop.

It is not enough to be sorry. God’s people need to repent of the sins they have committed. Are you ready to turn your back on sin and follow Jesus? He will give you the strength to do what He has called you to do.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear. 

—Psalm 66:18

Scripture:

Psalm 66:18 

I wonder whether people even know what shame is anymore. The things that once embarrassed us are being proclaimed as virtues today. Everything is upside down. Wrong has become right. Right has become wrong. And we’ve forgotten how to blush.

This is what Daniel was describing when he prayed, “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You” (Daniel 9:8 NKJV). And Daniel personally repented.

Throughout the Book of Daniel, we don’t read of Daniel sinning. That doesn’t mean he lived a sin-free life, because he was human like the rest of us. But Daniel lived a godly life. And this man of God thought it was necessary to personally repent because he didn’t want unconfessed sin to get in the way of his relationship with God.

This reminds us that the closer we get to God, the greater the sense of our own sinfulness will be. Just about the time you think you’re reaching spiritual maturity, God will show you a little more of your heart, and you will realize how far you have to go.

The more you know of the Lord, the more you will see that you still need to change. There isn’t some spiritual plateau where we finally will be above it all. It isn’t going to happen in this life.

The more you grow, the more you will realize that you need to grow more. The more you learn, the more you will realize that you need to learn more. But it’s a great pursuit.

Is there any sin that you need to repent of? Is there any area of your life that is displeasing to the Lord? Don’t allow it to get in the way of your relationship with God. Get rid of it. Let it go.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 

—Revelation 2:5

Scripture:

Revelation 2:5 

When we talk about the need for revival in our country, we must first individually ask ourselves these questions: Am I personally revived? Am I living as a committed, on-fire follower of Jesus Christ?

If we are not, then we’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Here’s what Jesus said to the church of Ephesus in the Book of Revelation: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (2:2–4 NKJV).

It’s clear they weren’t lazy. They were discerning, persevering believers. And they were making a difference. But Jesus was saying, “That’s all great, but we have a problem here. You have left your first love.”

What does that mean? It means that in spite of all their activity, they had lost that first passion when Jesus was their highest priority. They still believed. They hadn’t abandoned their faith. But they were spiritually drying up. They were leaving their first love, and they needed to be revived.

Jesus went on to give them the three Rs of revival: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (verse 5 NKJV).

Remember. Repent. Repeat. Remember from where you have fallen. Repent and do the first works. And repeat. Go back and do what you did before.

Let’s remember the three Rs of revival and put them into practice, because we need to be revived before God. We need a personal revival.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. 

—Jeremiah 6:16

Scripture:

Jeremiah 6:16 

The first-century church, the one that Jesus started, turned their world upside down. They set their world on fire.

On the other hand, the church of today, which is much larger than the first-century church, has considerable resources and technology to use. Yet it seems as though the world is turning the church upside down.

Why aren’t we setting the world on fire? It’s because we need a revival. We need an awakening.

Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, God said, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16 NKJV).

Historically, revivals often began with one person who decided to do something. For example, in 1857, businessman Jeremiah Lanphier decided to start a prayer meeting on Fulton Street in downtown New York. Only a handful of people showed up to pray at the first meeting on September 23.

But Lanphier was persistent, and they kept meeting for prayer. Then something dramatic took place. The stock market crashed, and suddenly the prayer meeting grew. Then prayer meetings began popping up throughout New York City. And within six months, ten thousand people were gathering for prayer throughout the city, calling on the name of the Lord.

Within eighteen months of that first prayer meeting on Fulton Street, an estimated one million people had come to faith in Jesus Christ. It wasn’t orchestrated. It wasn’t a campaign planned by people. Rather, it was a work of God in which He poured out His Spirit. We need to see that today.

Any genuine revival will bring about repentance in the lives of the people, a change in the community, and evangelism en masse.

Jeremiah Lanphier was not a preacher. He wasn’t famous. He was an ordinary person who decided to pray. And you can do the same.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 

—Psalm 51:12

Scripture:

Psalm 51:12 

At my house we have electronic gadgets, like most people do, and each one has an alarm. The microwave signals when my food is ready. An alarm on the dryer lets me know that it’s time to take the clothes out. The printer signals when it’s out of paper.

And all these gadgets also have error codes. When an error code appears, I have to consult the user’s manual to find out what’s wrong. Then I’ll try to correct the problem.

I think there are multiple error codes flashing across the United States today. We’re standing at a crossroads. We have never been in worse shape morally. Crime continues to explode. Families continue to splinter. And the fabric of society continues to unravel.

Meanwhile, God has given us His user’s manual for life: the Word of God, the Bible. It tells us what to do when a society unravels. And what we need today in America—and around the globe—is a far-reaching, Heaven-sent revival.

The word revive means “to restore to original condition.” A lot of people today like to restore old cars, and they’re sticklers about original paint and original parts. They want the original equipment.

In the same way, to be spiritually revived means to get back to God’s original design. Charles Finney, who was part of a great revival, described it this way: “Revival is nothing more or less than a new beginning of obedience to God.”

A real revival isn’t something that we start or stop; it’s something that God supernaturally does. There are times in history when God has intervened. Each of these divine interventions has come during a very dark time when there was a moral breakdown. Then God, in His grace, stepped in and brought about a spiritual awakening.

We need a real revival today. We need to see God work because our nation needs it as never before.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

—Psalm 139:23–24

Scripture:

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln said, “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. . . . But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.”

One person in the Oval Office, in Congress, or on the Supreme Court cannot get to the deepest part of America’s problems. That is because our deepest problems are spiritual. And the only hope for America is a spiritual awakening.

God gave us His recipe for revival when He said, “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, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV).

There’s an interesting nuance regarding the word “pray.” Of the twelve Hebrew words employed to address this verb, the one in this verse means “to judge self habitually.”

God didn’t say, “If My people who are called by My name will love themselves . . .” We already do that. Rather, God was saying that we need to judge ourselves.

That means we are to come into God’s presence and say, “Lord, if there is anything in my life that is displeasing to You, show it to me.” Like the psalmist, we should pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24 NKJV).

We are to set aside our own aims, goals, ambitions, and desires in life, giving up our own wills. That is what it is to follow Jesus.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 

—Ephesians 4:3

Scripture:

Ephesians 4:3 

When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you become part of the church. You are a part of the body of Christ. And because we’re all together in this new family, we should do nothing to unnecessarily disrupt it.

In Ephesians 4 the apostle Paul used the human body to illustrate the church. He wrote, “For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all” (verses 4–6 NLT).

Paul was saying that we need to keep unity in the church. For instance, all the parts of your body need to work together. Your brain sends signals to your hands, and your hands do thus and so, working together. You don’t want your hands to break loose and do their own thing.

In the same way, the church must work together as a body. We are part of the body of Christ, and we need to cooperate with each other.

However, Paul wasn’t saying that it doesn’t matter what we believe as long as we work together. Sometimes in our desire for unity, we can end up embracing the wrong people and the wrong beliefs.

We do not want to have unity with someone who doesn’t believe in the essentials of the Christian faith. That doesn’t mean we’re rude. We can disagree and still be pleasant.

But unity between brothers and sisters in Christ is a different issue. We might have differing viewpoints on the order of prophetic events or some other thing. But we shouldn’t break fellowship over that. We build our unity on the truth of what we have learned in Scripture, on the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 

—1 John 3:3

Scripture:

1 John 3:3 

I’ve met people who have an impressive knowledge of the Bible, know Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, and have a vast knowledge of history. They dazzle you with what they know. But their personal life is in shambles.

They can’t keep a marriage together. They can’t live right before God. And they’re always falling into sin and different troubles. The problem is they’re imbalanced. They have the knowledge. They have the doctrine. And if you were to sit down and talk with them, they would know far more than you may know. But their life is out of balance.

I’ve seen this sometimes with people who love to study Bible prophecy. It’s almost like a hobby for them. Understand, I’m a firm believer in the imminent return of Jesus Christ. I believe the rapture of the church could happen at any time. But some people, in their zeal to see Bible prophecy fulfilled, jump to conclusions.

With that said, there are Christians who are lopsided in another way. They don’t know much doctrinally or what the Bible teaches on certain subjects, but they’re passionate about their faith in Jesus Christ. You might hear them say things like, “Let’s not quibble over doctrine. I just love Jesus.”

That sounds nice, but it’s a dangerous statement. The Bible clearly teaches that in the last days there will be false Christs, false gospels, and even false miracles. If we’re not careful, we might end up loving the wrong Jesus. We might end up believing the wrong gospel. That is where doctrine comes in.

We need the balance of having both areas working together. The Bible tells us, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3 NKJV).

We can have an understanding and belief in prophecy and facts and figures. But if it isn’t affecting the way we’re living, then we’re missing the point.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie