Awakening

Where there are hearts that are open, we know that God will fill the void. In a time in which so many are lacking hope and seeking for it, we can be confident in our faithful God, who gave of Himself so we can know Him. Isaiah 57 states:
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made.
17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him And to his mourners.
19 "I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near," Says the Lord, "And I will heal him."

In this passage, we can see God as a God of revival, who wants to bring a fresh awareness of His presence to those who are humbled before Him. He has promised healing and comfort for our hearts, and has come to bring us peace with Him.  Through our submission to Christ, we can experience that right relationship, so that we might know Him in a more deep and full way, so that our lives might be energized by the power of God.

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As the presence of God is expressed in our individual lives, our churches, and throughout our communities, we can anticipate that He will do mighty works so that Jesus will be made known. In Hosea 6, we can read this:
1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.
3 Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

One of the common tools that is used by community evangelistic crusades is to go into local schools for an assembly, where a speaker will present a positive message that is consistent with the Bible and invite those attending to come to a meeting that night, held in a local church.  In Huntington, West Virginia recently, it seems, such an assembly which was meant to be "voluntary" was misunderstood by two teachers to be mandatory.  And, that has caused the school district to be in legal hot water.

The opportunistic Freedom from Religion Foundation was all over this situation. The Christian Post highlighted the facts in the case, stating:

Students allege that the assembly sponsored by the school’s FCA club and led by evangelist Nik Walker sought to convert students to evangelical Christianity. Students were reportedly asked to assemble in prayer and if they wanted to give their lives to Jesus Christ or risk going to Hell.

Jedd Flowers, Cabell County Schools director of communications, had previously told The Christian Post that the assembly was voluntary. However, two teachers had mistakenly taken their entire classes to the event even though there was a sign-up process in place.

According to the story, a couple of weeks ago, about a hundred students actually walked out of classes, complete with chants, such as, "My faith, my choice."  The lawsuit was filed this past Thursday.

Now, I know enough about the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to know that there was no compulsory attendance for this school assembly. The Post quoted from an earlier FCA statement, which said, "One way that FCA shows all individuals respect is by welcoming all people to FCA events on a voluntary basis...Coaches, athletes and students are free to choose or deny participation in any FCA event.”

Some of the articles on this story seemed to indicate that there was a school district allowing an evangelist to force Christianity on an unsuspecting student body. This is clearly not the case. And, there's another, much bigger story, at play here that I discovered.

Nik Walker, who is based in Tennessee, has been conducting revival services at a local church, Christ Temple Church, for now over five weeks. In spite of opposition, which certainly can occur because the enemy wants to thwart the work of the Lord, people are coming to know the Lord.  The ministry's Facebook page reports that there have been almost 675 water baptisms over the past four weeks, in addition to numerous answered prayers, and that the revival meetings have now entered their fifth week in Huntington.  Last week, there was this post:

Something was deposited in the city last night…

Absolutely no words for what Jesus Himself did in the room last night. No preaching. No formal altar call. Just Jesus. We continue tonight with an increased anticipation at what Jesus wants to do next. You don’t want to miss it!

There's the story - people touched, lives changed, Jesus showing up in a powerful way.  It has been described as an "awakening." Christ Temple Pastor Chuck Lawrence told the website, Charisma News: "True revival brings hope, and it brings revitalization. I think that's what you're going to see here," adding, "There's going to be a vibrancy that's going to come from this."  He also stated:

"This area has been inundated with a lack of hope. Drug addiction has been paramount and the suicide rates are unbelievable. Young people have run into one thing after another, and life has not brought them what they have hoped for. But the gospel of Jesus Christ can change all of that. I think what they are seeing is that there is hope for them. They sense God's presence; it's real to them. They're not experiencing religion right now but relationship. It see it in their eyes, that hope has arrived. That's what God is doing right now."

The article referenced comments from Shawn Maynard, a former pastor at Christ Temple Church, stating: "Maynard says what is taking place in the Huntington area is 'phenomenal' in a time when many schools across America are experiencing chaos and turmoil—including bitter disputes between parents and boards of education surrounding their children's school curriculum and the toxic cultural atmosphere that is being spread."

My first impression of this story was that some preacher went into a school and broke the rules - that would not be a surprising narrative perpetrated by the mainstream media.  But, there is certainly WAY more to this story.  Because the work of God is being done, and it is so thrilling to report to you about community-wide transformation when it occurs.  We have seen that through such events as Fire in the Field and other large-scale crusades that have been staged in our area throughout the years, producing fruit for the kingdom through changed lives.  

Beginning this coming Sunday night, the dramatic presentation, Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames will be returning to the area for a three nights in Greenville at First Assembly of God; check our Community Calendar for more information.  The drama is presented by a team from Reality Outreach Ministries, which says on its website that, "For 40 years in over 100 countries the message of Jesus Christ has been presented using this drama. Millions of people have given their lives to Jesus!"

So, it appears that revival has come to Huntington, West Virginia.  The question for each of us has to do with revival coming to our own hearts.  We have to make sure that our hearts are open to the work of God in our lives and that we are growing spiritually. If our love for Him has grown cold, or we seem to lack the fervor for Christ we once had, it's important that we ask God to forgive our sins and fill us with His Holy Spirit.  

Finally, a friendly reminder: don't jump to conclusions. You know, there just may be a God story that is there.  When we see headlines regarding religious activities, it is important that we are discerning, but we also can consider there just might be something we are missing.