Have You Experienced The Joy Of Revival?
Good Morning Friends,
If you are a Christian, a follower, a disciple of Jesus, then you have already experienced the good tidings of joy He has brought into your life. You have the joy of knowing that Jesus died for you. You have the joy of knowing your place in Heaven is assured because of what Jesus has done for you. You have the joy of knowing your sins, past, present and future have already been forgiven. You have the joy of knowing that you are in a relationship with a God who loves you and cares for you and has a plan for you. You have the joy of knowing that the Holy Spirit resides in you, leading and guiding you to bring honor and glory to God. But, Have You Experienced The Joy Of Revival?
Scripture: all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12 (NRSV)
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.
Luke 10:1-12 (NRSV)
Rejoice always,
1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NRSV)
Message: In today’s lectionary selections, we see how the work of evangelism results in the rewards of the joy of revival. First, we look at the Old Testament scripture. Here the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah demonstrates the importance for people to realize that they need to return to God. And the occurrence of this happening was not in the Temple but at the City Gate… The Water Gate. As Ezra read scripture, the people listened for hours, desiring to know more and being struck in their hearts with an initial response of repentance followed by sorrow. But they were instead instructed to enjoy the joy of what God was doing and had done in the simple things of life. They were to remember their time in the desert. Here we too are to experience and celebrate the joy of the Lord and realize the importance of God’s word and work in our history as a key in the process of spiritual renewal. We are to discover joy in our recovery from storms and earthquakes and even events such as what occurred in Las Vegas. To others who are watching, our response to God serves as their invitation for recovery and revival. It is really a bit cruel to tell a person suffering to smile and be happy but it is entirely appropriate to help them connect to the joy of God’s presence and provision. And friends, it is to be joyful from the inside out even in the face of tragedy. Now you may know the shortest verse in the Bible as Jesus wept and it is in the English but in the Greek the shortest verse is “Rejoice always.” Happiness may evaporate in times of suffering, but joy frequently intensifies in times of suffering. In the middle of Lamentations is the joy of God’s faithfulness. In the life of weeping prophets and the sorrow of life is the joy of the Lord. Joy is like character. It is from the inside. Whereas happiness registers our condition, joy regulates it. True happiness is rooted in joy. Joy is the proof that what we have is real and is satisfying. And get this, it is attractive and necessary for evangelism to succeed and for revival to take place. Friends, when the 70 assigned messengers in today’s scripture from Luke returned from their mission of responding to the Great Commission, they were joyous and excited. We too must experience this joy to be successful in our assigned missions.
Pray we have the joy of knowing Jesus and in sharing the joy. Pray we understand the joy comes from the inside out. Pray we understand that joy is eternal and that happiness is fleeting. Pray we get the connection between joy and revival. Pray we realize that worship of God can occur anywhere. Pray we rejoice in a cleansed life confident of God’s provision. Pray we rejoice in the Lord forever and always. Pray we understand the role of joy in people accepting Christ as their savior. Pray that in our communion and call we have a joy that brings revival.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 