Revival: a place of no barriers
God’s heart has always been for face to face fellowship with us. We see it in the Garden, before the barrier of sin emerged. King David in His passion for the Lord, caught this same heart, and brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, leaving the Tabernacle, with all it’s rituals and barriers in Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39).
It seemed a breathtakingly presumptuous thing to do, yet, the Lord delighted in David’s desire. The Lord was worshipped in Jerusalem in a simple tent which David had prepared for the Ark. The people came without fear into His Holy Presence. The Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) provided the covering. Through David, the Lord heralded in a revival for Israel that saw them reach the fullness of His promises for them.
David’s prophetic heart exploded in a burst of praise;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous works among all the peoples! (1 Chronicles 16:23-24).
God’s glory could not be contained in Jerusalem, or even in Israel. Once the barriers come down the whole earth would see the wonders of the Lord. Amos prophesied that the Lord would restore this kind of worship that drew the nations to Him in the last days (Amos 9:11).
When the Gentiles (the nations) started coming into the early Church, James the leader, recognised that Amos’ prophecy was being fulfilled;
‘And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
“‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old’ (Acts 15:15-18).
Jesus’ death had removed the barrier of sin once, for all. His resurrection sealed His authority, and His Spirit poured out on the day of Pentecost, and ever since, meant His glory filled everyone who put their trust in Him. The glory of God could be seen in His people, and so the nations were drawn to the love of God that was manifest through His Church. We now call this revival, but it was simply life as it was meant to be led. No barrier between God and His people, no barriers between Jew and Gentile, male and female, rich and poor (as those with resources laid them at the apostles feet).
This costly place
Jesus gave everything so that we could come into this place with no barriers, into the very Holy of Holies. We can enter freely through His enormous sacrifice. However, to stay, to abide in that place will cost us everything. It is the holy of holies. Our lives must change. It’s easy to rush in and out of His presence, but to see revival, He is looking for those who will abide. It will mean different things for each of us, but for all of us, it means allowing Jesus to be Lord of every aspect of our lives.
How we need Him! We cannot do this in our own strength. No might or power of will can enable us to abide, but His Holy precious Spirit will teach us.
The vision of Celebration for the Nations is about removing barriers and unblocking wells. The Lord clearly showed us that worship is key to that. As we worship we open ourselves to see the Lord in all His glory. Our desire is that Jesus would see in us the fruit of His prayer;
‘The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me’ (John 17:22-23).
Oh Lord, may we abide in You, and display your glory in a unity of purpose, that the world may know who You are!
Pray with us
1) For good and strong relationships with Church leaders especially in South Wales.
2) For the right worship leaders to join us from different nations.
A worship leader and possibly his team are praying about joining us from France.
We would really like a German team too.
We are so grateful for faithful worship teams from Korea who are coming.
We would love as many nations as possible to join us, especially those who were affected by the Welsh Revival of 1904.
'The Welsh Revival ...affected the whole Evangelical cause in India, Korea and China, renewed revival in Japan and South Africa, and sent waves of awakening over Africa, Latin America and the South Seas.' (J. Edwin Orr. 1975)
It also affected Europe, particularly Northern Europe.
3) That we would be able to buy our own sound equipment for the Celebration. It will actually work out cheaper than hiring good equipment, as we have those who are already qualified sound engineers willing to help us.
Celebration for the Nations 5-11 August 2024
Selwyn Samuel Centre
Park Cres, Llanelli SA15 3A
Thanks for your fellowship in this journey towards revival.
Keep worshipping!
Gail and the team for Celebration for the Nations.
