Songs for Sunday, September 22, 2024 @ Christ Community Church

Lord, send revival!

Tomorrow morning, our sister church — The Foundry in Winona — is beginning revival services, and we are, too, by proxy. This is a good thing.

Revival services do not bring revival because revival can only come from the Lord. There is nothing magical about them. No, these services are us seeking the Lord and asking Him to bring revival — asking Him to wake us up and renew us — asking Him to revive the Life He put in us and fan the flames of His Spirit within us.

Being saved is not a religious thing; it is God moving us from dead in sin to alive in Him (Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13). It is a transformation (2 Corinthians 5:17). It brings us to life in Christ in the midst of a fallen and dying world (John 5:24; Philippians 2:15). It makes us different, more and more like Him (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18), and the world grates against that—our flesh and sinful nature grates against it (Galatians 5:17; 1 John 2:15-17). But we need to remember that the One who saves us is the One who is going to make all things new (Revelation 21:5).

In light of this, especially in thinking about revival, I am reminded of Isaiah 57:15:

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

In this passage, we see God Himself, Him whose “name is Holy”, talk about what it is to be revived. This is a big deal and a challenge to us for how we need to proceed in seeking the God of revival to revive us. God is holy and above us. He is perfect. He is all-powerful. He is wholly something else, nothing like us or this world. Yet He has decided to be with those who are “contrite” and “lowly”.

The word “contrite” here is like humble, but it is more in the past tense. It means to be humbled—brought low by the reality of our sin and pursuing the God who saves, forgives, and redeems (Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 57:15). This is why we are “lowly”; we understand our position in relation to God. He deservedly is “high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1; Psalm 99:2). In fact, He is God Most High—the Almighty (Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 91:1). This is the position of seeking revival: we know that He has given us new life in Him (Ephesians 2:4-5); we know that we need to continually repent and seek Him because our hearts and desires are sinful (Jeremiah 17:9; James 4:8-10); and we pursue Him, seeking His face and His Spirit’s strength and guidance to live the life He has given us (Psalm 51:10; Galatians 5:16).

So, I challenge you, Christ Community and Foundry faith families. Humble yourself before the Lord (James 4:10). Repent of the sin that we so foolishly cling to and run to the Savior (Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 John 1:9). Ask Him to give you His strength and empower you to serve Him (Isaiah 40:29-31; Philippians 4:13). Ask Him to revive you—to renew your spirit (Psalm 51:10) and to plug you into His Kingdom work (Matthew 6:33; Ephesians 2:10).

Tomorrow is Sunday. I’m excited. But I need more than a church service. I need God Most High to revive me and meet with me. I need Him to wake me up and grant repentance. I need His strength to live this life He has given me.

I need Him.

Won’t you pray with me?

Tomorrow, Bro. Wayne Hudson is going to open God’s Word and challenge us to turn to and trust the Lord. Our pastor, John Goldwater, has been proclaiming the Word to us and challenging us in preparation for this. Our praise teams are going to lead us in reading and singing the Word.

Won’t you gather with us and seek the Lord?

Everyone is welcome! Come and gather with us as we seek the Lord — and seek Him yourself!

Here are our Scriptures and songs:

Scripture | Titus 2:11-15 —

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹²training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. ¹⁵Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Song | Graves Into Gardens —
Scripture Inspiration: Psalm 34:10, Isaiah 55:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Luke 15:11-24, Romans 6:23, John 6:26-35, Revelation 7:13-17, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 John 4:8, Psalm 51:10, Jeremiah 24:7, Ezekiel 36:26, Romans 12:2, Psalm 37:4, Exodus 8:10, Deuteronomy 3:24, Jeremiah 10:6, 1 Samuel 2:2, Isaiah 40:18, Romans 5:6-8, Psalm 138:8-9, 1 Kings 8:39, 1 John 3:20, John 15:15, Psalm 139:7-12, Hebrews 4:13, Psalm 30:11, Isaiah 62:2, Galatians 2:19-20, John 14:6, 1 Corinthians 15:20-49, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Exodus 14:1-31

Song | Great I Am —
Scripture Inspiration: Psalm 73:28, Philippians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 15:54-56, Revelation 5:9-13, Psalm 113:1, Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8, 1 Samuel 2:2, Revelation 5:4-6, Revelation 15:3, Revelation 11:17, Exodus 3:14, John 8:58, Psalm 145:18, 1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:13-18, Proverbs 8:13, Psalm 119:63, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Isaiah 64:1, James 2:19, Luke 8:31-33, Luke 10:17, Psalm 76:7

Scripture | Ephesians 2:11-13 —

¹¹Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— ¹²remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.