DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
Occasionally I’m asked about the timing of revival and evangelism. Does revival take place in our lives — and then we become effective witnesses for Christ? Or do we first begin to share our faith in Christ, and that results in revival in our lives? The answer is no, but yes. Let me explain.
Often a renewing of our faith begins when we understand we have become apathetic in our walk with God or we get a keen realization that we have not been living the way we ought to. That’s the first step toward revival. We’ll never be able to share our faith with others unless we get honest and repent of our sins. God is a holy God, and we can never become intimate in our relationship with Him while things in our lives displease Him.
In Psalm 51, David confessed his sins. After he had become totally honest with God, he asked God to cleanse him and renew him in his walk with God. Only at that moment does David say, “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you” (v. 13). David first needed to experience a personal revival. Then he would be enabled to reach others with the good news of God’s love. He understood he could never be effective in his outreach until he was right in His fellowship with God. Like David, we must first confess our sins. Then we will be able to reach others with the message of Christ.
But part of our sin can be an unwillingness to share our faith with others. We must also understand we cannot stay in our “holy huddles” and expect God to send revival. To a certain extent, revival depends on our obedience to the commission of His Son, Jesus. He told us to go into the whole world and tell of the good news of God’s love for sinners. How can we walk intimately with Him if we disobey His commands? It’s impossible. Often revival begins within us when we begin to reach out and share our faith.
Revival has most often come on the wings of being broken over our sins or becoming broken over the sins of the world around us. The question of when renewal takes place within us doesn’t have an either/or answer. David also said in the Psalms, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (51:17). Revival comes when we are broken before God. It doesn’t matter if our hearts are broken over our sins or over the sins of a lost world. God’s heart is touched by broken hearts. He heals and revives broken hearts.
The answer to my original question is both/and. We must deal with the sins in our lives, and at the same time, we need to have a passionate desire to reach the world with the message of Christ. Reaching others is the result of revival in our lives, and it’s also the reason for that revival. If we are going to have an intimate, victorious walk with Christ, we must reach out to others with the wonderful message of God’s love for sinners.
John : Chapter 11
32) When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33) When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34) “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35) Jesus wept. 36) Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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