Why Is Genuine Revival Important for the Church in our Generation？
Don Longworth emphasizes that genuine revival is crucial for restoring God's glory in the church and passing on a powerful spiritual legacy to future generations.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of revival for the current generation, highlighting two key reasons. Firstly, the need for God to receive the glory He deserves from the church, drawing parallels to the story of Samson's loss of strength and the mockery faced by Israel. Secondly, the significance of passing on a legacy of God's power to the next generation, ensuring that the works of the Lord are known and carried forward into eternity.
Full Transcript
Revival is important for our generation, I think, for two reasons. Number one, God isn't getting the glory that he should out of our church, out of the churches. I think of the church now in our generation similar to how Samson was in his baldness, being grinding grain, going in circles, and the Philistines looking at them making a mockery of Israel and the name of the Lord was brought into disrepute.
The world doesn't ask like they once asked of Samson, what is the secret of your strength? God isn't getting his glory. When I read in Joel, you know, that famous passage that talks about rending your hearts and not your garments, return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. And the question says, who knows, he may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing.
What are those blessings? Grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God. In other words, the point is that we want to bring something to God. We want to glorify him.
What do we have? But before all this generation and the godlessness of this generation, no one is asking, what's the secret of your strength to the church? And the church isn't bringing anything to God in this generation. No drink offerings, no grain offerings to the Lord. And the other part of why it's important that there should be a revival in this generation is that every generation passes on to the next generation a legacy of the power of God.
And if we do not, I think of our lives like a rock that is thrown into a river or a pond. It's gone and all that's left is ripples. We're not trying to make history.
We're trying to form eternity. And what we pass on to others, this is why Moses said, teach these things to your children, that they would know the works of the Lord, so that we can pass on things into eternity, make a difference in eternity. So for our generation, this is important.
And for the sake of the glory of God, revival is important.
Sermon Outline
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I. The Lack of God's Glory in the Church
- Church compared to Samson in his weakness
- World no longer asks about the church's strength
- God's name brought into disrepute
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II. The Call to Genuine Repentance and Revival
- Reference to Joel's call to rend hearts, not garments
- God's gracious and compassionate nature
- Hope for God's blessing through revival
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III. The Importance of Offering to God
- Grain and drink offerings symbolize glorifying God
- Church currently offers nothing to God
- Revival restores offerings and worship
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IV. Passing on a Legacy of God's Power
- Each generation must pass on faith
- Life compared to a rock creating eternal ripples
- Teaching children to know God's works
Key Quotes
“God isn't getting the glory that he should out of our church, out of the churches.” — Don Longworth
“We want to bring something to God. We want to glorify him.” — Don Longworth
“We're not trying to make history. We're trying to form eternity.” — Don Longworth
Application Points
- Seek genuine revival in your personal life and church to restore God's glory.
- Teach and pass on the knowledge of God's works to the next generation intentionally.
- Offer heartfelt worship and service to God as a response to His grace and compassion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Don Longworth say revival is important for our generation?
Because God is not receiving the glory He deserves from the church, and revival is needed to restore that glory and pass on a spiritual legacy.
What biblical example does the speaker use to illustrate the church's current state?
He compares the church to Samson in his weakness, grinding grain in his baldness, symbolizing a loss of strength and purpose.
What does the passage from Joel emphasize in relation to revival?
It calls for heartfelt repentance and highlights God's gracious and compassionate nature, offering hope for blessing if the people return to Him.
What is meant by 'grain offerings and drink offerings' in the sermon?
They symbolize the church's offerings to God, representing worship and glorification that revival seeks to restore.
How does the speaker view the legacy passed to future generations?
He stresses the importance of passing on the power of God and faith so that the impact of this generation extends into eternity.