Revival! | Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer

What is revival? Who needs revival? How do we experience revival?

Right now revival is a buzz word on social media
College campuses are experiencing something tremendous
Asbury, Lee, Ohio Christian and so many others
People have debated on social media whether this is actually a revival or not since it’s primarily just college kids who are already Christian’s and there is no real impact on the lost at this point
Amazes how many people became experts on revival all of a sudden
So is it an actual revival?
Let’s define revival
When I say revival images pop up: crazy preacher for 4 hours or church all week
Revival - “To give new life or vigor to, an improvement in the condition or strength of something, and an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again.”
Revival is new life given to make something important again
Who needs Revival? Not unbelievers but believers
cannot revive someone who was never spiritually alive
Revival is for Christians who have cooled off
Revival stirs our passion for God, people, church, prayer, worship
Revival makes those things important again
Is what is taking place at Asbury revival?
Absolutely
Think about this
Devil worship lasted 5 minutes on the Grammys and everyone was losing it
And then God shows up and shows out for 2 weeks now on college campuses
The woke generation is awakening to the presence
They are experiencing revival
But that’s not all revival is
Revival is much more than a service but a lifestyle
Revival is:
Being excited to serve God with new vigor
Reading the Word with passion
Not treating your wife life garbage
Being present with your children
Honoring God w/your wealth
Experience breakthrough
Not just going through the motions of what your supposed to do
But being who we are supposed to be as the Church
Revival is not for the comfortable and complacent but the desperate
If our church just becomes a nice one hour production we have missed it
The Church in America has found itself going through the motions
You know what the church in America needs?
We need revival
Revival changes everything
Who is Revival for? Us
Revival is a lot like water
Water is a lot like revival
Revival is like reviving hard, dry soil
Sometimes churches can become dry, hard soil
Not what we are supposed to be
Church in America reminds me so much of a church in Asia Minor about 2000 years ago
Church in Revelation 3 = Laodicea
Laodicea was incredibly rich
Banking Center = Wall Street
4500 shops
Not 1 but 2 theaters
60,000 seat stadium
It had everything except its' own source of water
Revival is like water and water is like revival
Laodicea was located in-between 2 cities; Colasse & Hierapolis (10 mi)
Colasse = Cold Water
Hierapolis = Hot mineral springs
Laodicea channeled these waters
Upon arrival they were neither hot or cold but lukewarm
Geography is important to understand Christ's message
Revelation 3:14-16
Well known passage but confusing
Rather you be hot or cold
Isn't lukewarm better than cold?
What is Jesus really saying?
Context determines meaning
I would rather you be hot or cold
Cold = freezing cold water
Hot = boiling hot water
Laodicea is positioned in-between 2 cities with 2 types of water
Colasse = resort town
Snow would melt and freezing, refreshing water would flow
Hierapolis = hot mineral spring water
Water from Hierapolis = healing virtues
Water from Colasse = refreshing
Jesus had this mind
Context determines meaning
Laodicea had everything but water
Engineering was creative & innovative
Built 1st channel to get water to Laodeicea
From Colossae cold water traveled through stone aqueducts
From Heirapolis hot water traveled through clay pipes
Only problem is during the 10 mile travel it lost its' value
Temp changed
Hot water cooled off
Cold water heated up
Upon arrival it was neither hot or cold but lukewarm
Picked up minerals from stone and clay; chalky water
People were so excited to have the hot and cold water come but when they tasted they spit it out
It was chalky, lukewarm water
No longer hot with healing attributes or cold and refreshing
Take this context and add to what Christ said
"I wish you were hot like the water from Hierapolis that bring healing or cold like the waters from Colasse that are refreshing"
What is Christ saying? You are not what you are advertised to be
Indifferent waters
No longer refreshing or healing
Christ no longer found this church enjoyable
They had a name, sat on a hill, had money
But like the waters that traveled that lost their purpose
We want to be what we are advertised to be
Teach, preach and heal
Sometimes our Spiritual temp is lukewarm
They were disgusting spiritually
Indifferent churches are repulsive to the Lord