The Makings of Revival

I suppose a good place to look for that answer is the book of Hebrews. Paul (who I believe is the author) wrote the letter to a church in desperate need of revival. Take a look at what he says:

“So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.” — Hebrews 12:12–13

So, here we have a tired, weak, and lame church. A church that Paul desperately wants to see become strong. A church that needs to be revived. Interestingly enough, Paul prayed for churches just like this one elsewhere in the Bible:

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources, he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” — Ephesians 3:16–19

Here you see revival occurring, both Biblically and historically, in three stages:

1. Strengthening 
2. Rooting
3. Experiencing

This is the path Bay Hills Church will follow.

Again, throughout history and the Bible, revival has seldom occurred without a season of strengthening or preparation. This stage can be further subdivided into three parts:

1. Raising and refreshing leaders (Exodus 17:11-12; John 21:15-19)
2. Organizing and decentralizing ministry (Exodus 18:9-24; Matthew 28:18-20)
3. Consecrating and preparing the people (Exodus 19:5-11; Acts 1)

In case you haven’t noticed, we have been doing this throughout the latter half of 2022. The mantra “revival is coming” has been a warning shot across the bow of Bay Hills to prepare itself accordingly:

1. A new Senior Pastor has been raised. Senior leaders have been given adequate opportunities to be refreshed after the previous season (with more to come).
2. The church's operations have been organized and decentralized to reach, connect, and grow our community in the East Bay.
3. The preaching has been a direct call to our people for personal revival as means of consecration and preparation for corporate revival at Bay Hills.

If every person at Bay Hills has a next step closer to Jesus, then what is Bay Hills’ collective next step? In 2023, we are preparing to become a more rooted community. Historically, revival requires commitment and stability. Particularly with respect to its people and infrastructure. So, what exactly does it mean to become rooted? While much of this will be revealed throughout 2023, in the simplest terms, it means to be connected. Specifically, connected with:

1. God
2. The Church
3. Your purpose

To accomplish this, you will see a larger emphasis on outreach, discipleship/membership, and equipping in 2023. Or, as already stated, (1) Reach, (2) Connect, (3) Grow. These next steps for Bay Hills will inform our ministry, calendar, and teaching.

Here’s the payoff stage. It's the stage we all want to get to. Seldom do we have the conviction to get there. This is because the previous two stages are prerequisites, and we like shortcuts. But you can't short-cut revival. This is because, historically, revival has been a process, not an event. In the history of the church, the term revival in its most biblical sense has meant a work of God in which many Christians have been lifted out of spiritual indifference and into an earnest desire for more of:

• Jesus and his word
• boldness in outreach
• purity of life
• lots of conversions
• joyful worship 

In other words, you feel God is moving here. And basically, revival, then, is God doing among many Christians at the same time and in the same place, what he is doing all the time in individual Christian’s lives, everywhere. Here's the good news: you don’t have to wait for the previous stages to finish before you can experience it. It's not linear. Revival usually starts to show itself early on, begging to be released. And I feel it here. I've seen it here. So, with that being said…

…welcome to the Revival.