Don Courville passionately teaches that true revival requires total surrender to God, unity among believers, and a willingness to pay the cost for spiritual transformation in the community. This sermon emphasizes the power of unity, sacrifice, and revival in a community, showcasing how God worked through individuals who were willing to give everything to Him. It highlights the transformation of lives, the impact of revival on a railroad town, and the cost of true revival, which requires surrendering all to God. The speaker shares personal experiences of trials and learning to walk in quiet confidence with God, ultimately leading to a life filled with adventure and spiritual growth.
Full Transcript
Let's go on down all the way. And then the other brother, he moved down with me because his church refused to go on with the Holy Spirit. So we moved down, and we had a ball.
We just literally had a ball. Neither one of us got a salary. God taught me 32 years ago to get my money from Him.
So we didn't get a salary, and so we go out and work on people's roofs, fix their this and that, and we'd be up on the roof praying, having a prayer meeting, having a revival on the roof, and watch what God would do down below. We just had a wonderful time of God working in the community in the area. So we had unity, and we learned you had to guard.
We had to guard our spirit of unity. We had to guard, check with people that come in, find out what was there. And then we had changed lives.
People quit their jobs because they sold liquor here. One young man in the area sold his ranch and went off to seminary and just things like that. He's in the ministry now.
Let me start with this, see how much time we've got here. About six years later, God came back into the area of western Nebraska again, and used a different evangelist, moved into a railroad town. I wasn't involved on that one.
The pastor there, he was the one that sold his ranch. He ended up pastoring over there. He's on the phone every week.
You've got to get back up here. God's come back again. And they went ten and a half weeks out in Alliance, Nebraska.
And at that time, I'd moved down to Missouri to take some time off. Three years later, God came back and told me, drop everything. Just drop it.
Put it on the altar. And we did. We went down to Missouri, and that's another whole story.
So God worked there in Alliance. Ten and a half weeks, a thousand people prayed to receive Christ. Understand how many got saved? Only God knows.
But here's an interesting thing that happened through that revival. It's a railroad town, Burlington. These guys are hauling their junk back they stole to Burlington.
Burlington's ending up with thousands of dollars on their doorstep. These railroaders are bringing back stolen material. It doesn't look too good in the books.
You've got all these thieves working for you. They wrote a special bulletin out. Anybody bringing anything back in the next thirty days, just bring it back, no questions asked.
Revival affected Burlington Railroad out there. We can have it. Well, let me just say a couple of things about some things I learned on it.
The cost. It won't cost you much. It'll just cost you everything you have.
You have to be willing to give God everything. Just a couple years ago, three years ago, I went through something, a tremendous thing. Oh, wow, it was just something.
God was taking me to the cross, and I was mumbling about it one day. It was a horrible thing happening, you know, how those things happen. And He said, what are you grumbling about? He said, you've been praying for years to be crucified in Christ.
You know, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, that's all that's happening. Oh, I see. You know, if we ever get it figured out, that God wants us to walk in quietness and confidence in Him.
He's letting these things happen. In fact, He came back later. He said, you know all the problems you've got and everything? He said, I did it.
I let the devil come in. Oh. He said, by the way, I did it because I wasn't getting the glory anymore.
If you ever experience God coming in, He likes to undo all that stuff so He can rebuild it back. And we're usually complaining, moaning and grumbling. When we get through revival, we get in step with God.
And this is what God did in this time. He got me in step. Twenty-two years ago, it's just been wonderful.
Has it been easy? No. It's sure not been boring, a little too exciting sometimes. But walking with God is one adventure, and revival would be the gateway to get you through there.
So it's going to cost you a lot. The only question I have, are you willing to pay the price to have revival? Are you willing to pay the price not to have revival? Guess which one costs more? You better believe it. Whatever it takes.
Pray. Believe God to do it. Believe God to do it.
I was praying, God, it's revival or... I had no other thing to put there. When I wrote this little booklet, I put down, it's revival or ruin, which is basically what it is. Since then, God has really taught me some tremendous lessons on how Satan gets into our lives, and that's why these men are here to help us.
Brother Shipley is going to come, and they're going to keep sharing things with us. But the enemy has amazing ability to deceive us and to penetrate and invest into our churches and lives. I'm just sharing these things for your encouragement.
How can I help you? How can I help you? Brother Shipley would help you. Brother Vaughn, Brother Kern, Brother Dean, how can we help you? Don't go away discouraged. Go away believing God to do it.
You can have it. It may not be a national revival or an awakening what we'd like, but we can have God come. There are some keys.
God taught me several keys.
Sermon Outline
I
The power of unity in community revival
Guarding the spirit of unity among believers
Transformation of lives through revival
II
The cost of true revival requires total surrender
Personal testimony of trials and spiritual growth
Walking in quiet confidence with God
III
God’s work through revival in a railroad town
The impact of revival on community behavior and morality
The necessity of paying the price for revival
IV
Encouragement to believers to seek revival
The enemy’s tactics to deceive and disrupt
Keys to experiencing revival in the local church
Key Quotes
“The cost. It won't cost you much. It'll just cost you everything you have.” — Don Courville
“If we ever get it figured out, that God wants us to walk in quietness and confidence in Him.” — Don Courville
“Are you willing to pay the price to have revival? Are you willing to pay the price not to have revival? Guess which one costs more?” — Don Courville
Application Points
Guard and nurture unity within your church and community to invite God's revival.
Be willing to surrender all aspects of your life to God as the cost of true revival.
Trust God during trials and walk in quiet confidence, knowing He is working for your good.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of this sermon?
The sermon teaches that revival requires complete surrender to God, unity among believers, and a willingness to pay the spiritual cost for transformation.
How does Don Courville describe the cost of revival?
He emphasizes that revival will cost everything you have and requires giving God your all.
What role does unity play in revival according to the sermon?
Unity is essential and must be guarded carefully as it is the foundation for God’s work in the community.
Can revival happen on a smaller scale?
Yes, Don Courville encourages believers that revival may not always be national but can happen locally and personally.
How should believers respond to spiritual challenges during revival?
Believers should walk in quiet confidence, trust God’s purpose, and not grumble or complain during trials.
Revival Conference 2007 - Don Courville - Part 3
Don Courville
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