REVIVE US AGAIN: A REASON AND A SEASON FOR REVIVAL!

[NOTE: This is a reprint of my sermon from Sunday, July 10, 2005, after REVIVE US AGAIN: THREE (3) NIGHTS OF POWER, a revival series. When things really started to get "weary" in my spirit, I asked the Lord for a sign. The same day, I went outside to my Jeep, and there was a dove on the roof of the building beside our church parking lot. That dove returned EVERY DAY for 3 weeks, and left THE DAY BEFORE THE REVIVAL, when it stormed. The dove has not returned since.]

GET UP UNDER THE ‘TENT’
Psalms 91

“LORD SEND A REVIVAL!”

Those words got uttered for various services in the season before mega-churches and an edifice on every street corner in the urban city. Truly a revival is not an urban phenomenon. A revival, or a tent meeting, would come through rural areas, where renowned pastors from the larger neighboring towns would travel and bring a word to the local townspeople. Also, churches that were growing or on the move would hold revivals when they didn’t have a large enough sanctuary to house people for an ongoing series of worship services, and a tent meeting provided more space.

When mother called out to God to “send a revival,” it also meant often that times felt troubled and she needed a renewal, an uplifting, a few ongoing nights to tarry with the Lord, so that she could run on to see what the end would be. Those successive nights of praise and prayer, singing and shouting, would give her power. Sometimes it was a different preacher each night. Sometimes it was the same pastor, on fire nightly, bringing a word. Whatever it was that called the people into revival, once there, they knew that fire would fall, because the presence of the Lord was there AND because they had asked for it. They had asked for the power and the majesty of God’s anointing to come on through and bless them, in the fields and in the land; that’s when they didn’t always have a church building to go to revival in on a nightly basis.

Yet, we do.

Here, with 4 walls and ongoing ministries, we still call for Revival. Why? Because somebody needed some sanctuary. Why? Because somebody needed some strength. Why? Because somebody needed a hiding place.

Go with me to Psalms 91 and let’s see what the word of the Lord says about a hiding place:

(Read Full PSALMS 91)

I’d like to offer you a word today, to close out this week of Revival, and that word is:

GET UP UNDER THE TENT!

Let’s read these first 4 VERSES together. Listen to them and see if you can hear what the Lord, through David, is saying to us about Sanctuary in the Lord.

He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress; my god; in him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust; His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.



Let’s spend a moment, if we can with that word:

DWELLETH.

To dwell means to reside, to exist in a given place, to fasten one’s attention on…See you can’t just do a spiritual drive-by with God and expect to be blessed and feel safe. You can’t just be a Christian on Sunday and then try to slip from under in by Wednesday night. You can’t put on the whole armor of God when you get in trouble and wiggle out of it when its feels like too much to carry all day, every day. You’ve got to be willing to LIVE there—UNDER GOD’S WING, IN THE SECRET PLACE, SAFE, PROTECTED AND EMPOWERED.

And while you are there, secretly safe, you get tried and trained, so that you can indeed walk in the world, on a daily basis, with that whole armor on and KNOW that you are protected. In order to DWELL, to live freely, under the wing of the Most High, you have got to come to God knowingly and WILLINGLY and prepared to submit yourself and renew yourself and help yourself.

First, up under the TENT, you have got to be REPENTENT:
Read verses 5 and 6

Then, you have got to be RESISTENT:
Read verses 7 and 8

Then, you have got to be CONSISTENT:
Read verse 9 and 10

Then, you have got to be PERSISTENT:
Read verses 11 through 13

Then, and finally, you have got to be INSISTENT:
Read verses 14 through 16



When you are living with God, you know that NO hurt, harm or danger can trouble you!

When you are living with God, you know that nothing can bring you down or take you off the mark.

When you are living with God, you know that you know that you are supposed to have goodness and mercy following you all of the days of your life, as you what DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER!

When you live with God, not visit God, not stop by God, not call on God, but when you LIVE WITH GOD, you know that you are safe.





Get up under the tent:

THE REPEN-TENT
THE PERSIS-TENT
THE RESIS-TENT
THE CONSIS-TENT
THE INSIS-TENT!

Get up under the TENT and know that God will guide and protect you, lead and direct you, walk with you, be with you!

Get up under the tent, because you were called to this week of revival to get out of being PARKED ON LIFE’S HIGHWAY. You realize that you have been idling and trifling with your power and your joy and your peace and peace of mind and you want to drive on, walk on, move on to see what the end will be.

Get up under the tent, because you are finally ready to GRIP IT! STRIP IT AND RELOAD…you want a new thing, in you, for you and all around you.

Get up under the tent, because you are WANTING, WAITING and WILLING to move in God and let God move in you!

GET UP UNDER THE TENT because you have finally come to a place where you are sick and tired of being sick and tired and worn and weary and you cried out LORD, SEND ME SOMETHING NEW! SEND ME A SIGN THAT THIS IS WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE! SEND ME A WORD THAT IS JUST FOR ME! SEND ME A MESSAGE THAT WILL SHAKE MY FOUNDATION AND CHANGE MY MIND!




LORD, SEND A REVIVAL!

WELL, HERE IT IS, PEOPLE OF GOD!!! NOW, WHILE STORMS ARE RAGING, TAKE REFUGE UNDER THE TENT! WHILE HAIL IS FALLING AND HELL IS CALLING, TAKE REFUGE UNDER THE TENT! WHILE DARKNESS LOOMS, TAKE REFUGE UP UNDER THE TENT!

LIVE HERE!

DON’T JUST RESIDE HERE, BUT HERE, UP UNDER THE TENT YOU CAN HAVE LIFE AND THAT MORE ABUNDANTLY! THERE IS A DIFFERENCE INDEED BETWEEN LIVING HERE AND RESIDING HERE!

SHE THAT DWELLETH IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH SHALL ABIDE UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY! ONE OF THE DEFINITIONS OF ABIDE IS TO CONTINUE TO BE SURE…OR FIRM! IF YOU ARE UP UNDER THE TENT…IF YOU ARE UP UNDER THE WING…IF YOU ARE THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY, YOU HAVE GOT TO KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE SAFE. SAFE TO SOAR! SAFE TO DANCE! SAFE TO MOVE AND HAVING YOUR BE!

WHEN YOU LIVE SOMEWHERE AND ITS YOURS, YOU AIN’T AFRAID TO JUST WALK AROUND AS OPEN AND NAKED AS YOU PLEASE! IT’S MY HOUSE AND I LIVE HERE! IF I WANT TO SHOUT IN MY HOUSE, IT’S MY HOUSE! IF I WANT TO SCREAM, IT’S MY HOUSE!

UP UNDER THE TENT, WHERE YOU LIVE AND MOVE AND PRAY AND FAST, YOU HAVE GOT TO LET EVERYTHING ELSE GO!

HERE, YOU DON’T NEED ANYTHING ELSE, BUT THE KNOWLEDGE THAT GOD PROMISED THAT GOD WOULD NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU!

SAFE!

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM MY LOVE!

SAFE!

I AM NO RESPECTOR OF PERSONS!

SAFE!


I MADE YOU AND NOT YOU YOURSELF!

SAFE!

YOU ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!

SAFE!

UP UNDER THE TENT!
UP UNDER THE WING!
UP UNDER THE SHADOW!

THERE, SAFE, THERE, PROTECTED, THERE, PAID FOR, THERE, BLED, SUFFERED AND DIED, THERE, REDEEMED, THERE, RENEWED, THERE, RESTORED, THERE, EMPOWERED, THERE, THERE, THERE, UP UNDER THE WING OF THE LORD, YOU ARE WELCOME!!!

NOW ACT LIKE YOU KNOW AND GO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE, WHILE YOU ARE DWELLING IN YOUR BEST SKIN…SAFE!





REVIVE...REJUVENATE, RENEW, REJOICE, REJOLT... GET UP AGAIN AND ACT LIKE YOU KNOW!

Power, Rev. Kev