What happens to a life or a church when Jesus shows up?
Don’t get me wrong. Jesus is always with us, but when we speak of certain circumstances or events in life, we tend to say, “Wow, God showed up!” That’s the way we speak about a powerful worship service at church or a youth retreat when a record number of students commit to Christ. That’s even the way Forrest Gump described a hurricane that made him the most successful shrimp boat captain on the Gulf coast: “God showed up!”
Almost 275 years ago, the early American pastor and scholar Jonathan Edwards wrote a book called A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God. It was a template for judging when genuine revival had come to a life or a community. He was trying to answer the question, “What does life look like when Jesus shows up?”
That’s what I think we can learn from Matthew 21. There we read of three dramatic acts: Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, he casts merchants out of the Temple, and he curses a fig tree. The first story is about our loyalty, the second story is about our worship, and the third story is about our productivity.
Those are the evidences of revival.
A revived believer has a fresh loyalty to Christ’s authority, a renewed commitment to worship, and a visible increase in fruitfulness. That, praise God, can happen anytime!
Maybe even this Sunday.
Join us this Palm Sunday at 10am for a study of Matthew 21. We’re not calling it a “revival service,” exactly. But we pray for revival to fall. Be pleased, Lord, to grant it.
Tom
P.S., thanks for participating in last week’s Winning Ways survey. I’m working on a series of short books called “Treasured Bible Passages.” I asked you which treasured selection of scripture you most wanted me to write about. Twenty-eight percent said they wanted a book on the Armor of God, 19% asked for a book on Romans 8, and 17% wanted to see a book on the Beatitudes. I’ll keep you updated!
Tom Goodman serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, sign up here to receive Tom’s weekly devotional in your email inbox.