Do you live in the middle, playing both sides out of fear or confusion? Who will you follow? Learn how to spark revival in your own heart as well as others. It only takes one person, a spark, to start a spiritual revival. God will do the rest.

Will you spark spiritual revival and trust God?

Do you live in the middle?

I believe we are living during a time where we need to once again cry out to God and seek spiritual revival. The past several years have been difficult. The pandemic and loss of life have affected everyone.

Recently we’ve been affected by the economy, gas prices, food prices, the violence on the news and empty store shelves along with tightening finances; not to mention the fighting in Ukraine and threats around the world, just to name a few things. Here in California, the lack of rain has not helped the situation. Heading into the summer, we are told that we might be facing power outages along with restrictions on water use. For some people the future looks bleak to them.

But let me suggest that you focus not on the problem but on the one who can breathe life and revival into every situation.

In 1 Kings Elijah asks the people of God a simple question: “Who will you follow?”

‘Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing’ (1 Kings 18:21, NIV).

Who will you follow? It is a question at the root of how we can look forward in life during difficult times.

What do you believe and how does that belief and that faith motivate you today? If God is LORD, then we should serve him, follow him, worship him and trust him in every situation. Know that he, who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.

In 1 Kings 17 and 18 we find that there is no rain for about three and a half years. Water has dried up; life is hard and Jezebel has had it out for the prophets of God. Many of them have been killed. Elijah calls the people together and tells them, “I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left.” Elijah was not the only prophet of God left in Israel, but he was the prophet of God who God is about to use to bring revival back to the hearts of the people.

God was about to use Elijah to:

1. Confront evil and the worship of false gods.

2. Reveal his power and provide a witness that he alone is God Almighty.

3. Spark a spiritual revival and remove the evil influence at the same time.

There are three different types of people in these two chapters of 1 Kings.

1. First, the devoted servants of God.

2. Second, the servants of evil, the Baal worshipers.

3. Third, those people in the middle who were wavering between two opinions. People who needed to decide what they believed in their hearts and who they will serve with all their hearts.

We must not live in the middle. We need to decide what we hold true in our hearts and live with spiritual conviction no matter what others might say.

In Revelation 3 we find a warning to the church in Laodicea: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

To live in the middle means living without Godly convictions. Living neither hot or cold is living in the middle. Wavering between two opinions is living in the middle. We are not called to live in the middle.

Will you be the spark for spiritual revival?

Let us live as Joshua and serve the Lord with all our heart.

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15).

The two opinions Elijah spoke of in 1 Kings was regarding who the people will believe and serve God or Baal. It is a decision every person will need to make. Elijah confronts evil with this sacrifice, to which God responds with fire from heaven.

If you know the story of Elijah, you will recall how the prophets of Baal did all they could to get their false god to answer but nothing happened.

Elijah rebuilds the altar and prepares the sacrifice. Elijah has a trench dug around the altar and asks the people take three large pots of water and pour it over the sacrifice and wood. The water fills the trench and then Elijah begins to pray.

‘Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” (1 Kings 18:38-39).

The people witnessed the power of God and were no longer quiet. Each responded and fell prostrate and cried out “the Lord he is God!” Spiritual revival occurred that day. The people were no longer sitting on the fence. No longer were the people wavering between two opinions. The people decided that day that God was God and who they would serve, God Almighty.

Notice, God called one person, Elijah, to take a spiritual stand and God did the rest. It only takes one person, a spark, to start a spiritual revival. God will do the rest.

I would like for you to also notice that the people who experienced the spiritual revival that day both participated and witnessed the power of God. They made themselves available to receive from God and some would have helped Elijah to pour the water over the sacrifice. They may have been skeptics regarding God at first, but not for long.

Revival will only happen in a person’s heart if they will avail themselves to the power of God. The person who refuses to believe; the person who is not open or willing to consider God, will not experience a change of heart. They will not be inspired to worship God with all their heart. That person, will not experience spiritual revival in their heart, and they will remain as enemies of God, due to lack of faith. However, if that person places their faith in Christ, they will no longer live apart from God, rather they will become a child of God and experience a spiritual revival within their heart and soul that will change their eternal destiny.

Do you want to experience spiritual revival?

Maybe you have been negatively influenced by the world around you. When asked about revival, when asked if you are a Christian or asked if you follow the Lord, you remain quiet much like those Elijah told us about long ago. Not that you are evil or living spiritually astray, but maybe you are just not enthusiastic and on fire for the things of God. You are not sure how you want to respond. You are not sure how the other person will react. Many Christians today may fall into this area and need to experience a spiritual revival that brings about a burning desire to see God move in people’s lives everywhere. I want that in my life.

I desire an increased passion in my heart, and to see people have an encounter with Christ, and be saved. I desire to see and witness the power of God in the church and families everywhere. I desire to see people on fire for the Lord and lives changed and healed. I desire to see relationships restored; bondages broken. I desire to see people renewed in faith and worshiping the Lord together.

This will happen as we seek the Lord with all our heart and pray for revival. It will happen if we place ourselves in a position to receive from the Lord. It will happen if we participate in preparing for revival and humbly seek the Lord with all our hearts.

Will you fix your eyes on Jesus and inspire others to seek the Lord?

Let us always remain faithful; let us never forget, no matter the cost we are to run the race with perseverance. Let us fix our eyes of Jesus and remove any hindrances and spiritual entanglements that will cause us to stumble. Let us always remember the faith of those believers who are part of the cloud of witnesses and how their faith speaks and encourages us to press on and fulfill the call of God in our lives.

Let us never think lightly the cost Jesus paid for our redemption from the bondage of sin and death. Never forget the spiritual liberty you enjoy by faith in Christ.

May we never shrink back in faith, and never forget to press forward in faith and victory. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6).

Your life and faith in Christ will still speak volumes, even after you have died, and you are with Christ in Glory when you try to:

• Be spiritually inspired each day.

• Pray for spiritual revival.

• Not live wavering between two opinions.

• Live in such a way that you inspire others to seek the Lord with all their hearts. Worship the Lord together.

• Be an active participant in spiritual revival.

• Be a catalyst of spiritual revival.

• Live everyday as the day Christ is returning.

Suggested Praise and Worship

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This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.