For two years, the world has had to deal with the effects of the pandemic. It left a toll on many people, Christians included, and an atmosphere of tiredness. Based on what I have been hearing and reading, church physical and even online attendance has dropped worldwide compared to pre-pandemic times. We need to revive our zeal for God again. The fact is that the Israelites had many dry seasons too, and there are many lessons we can learn from their account in the Bible.

Last Sunday, Rev Gwen Choo shared an encouraging and much-needed message about reviving our hearts. The sermon is part of Glad Tiding PJ’s Breathe 2022 theme for this year and their Full Life sermon series. It is in line with the church’s belief that God will breathe afresh on us again this year with His spirit, anointing, and resurrection power. 

The hope is that we as a community will open our hearts to experience the fullness of life that God has in store for us through His presence, joy, and living word.

 

 

The Message

Rev Gwen’s message – titled Revive My Heart – took Psalms 85:6-9 as its inspirational text:

 

Psalm 85:6-9

New International Version

6 Will you not revive us again,

    that your people may rejoice in you?

7 Show us your unfailing love, Lord,

    and grant us your salvation.

8 I will listen to what God the Lord says;

    he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—

    but let them not turn to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

    that his glory may dwell in our land.

 

Rev Gwen conveyed that you can feel the despondency palpably through the psalm. The interesting thing to note is that this psalm was written during a time when the Israelites had just been freed from captivity to the Babylonians. They were on their way back to Jerusalem but what greeted them was not the splendid city they had known before the captivity. Jerusalem lay in ruins; the Israelites were already set free but they were not revived. How many of us are familiar with this struggle? Christ Jesus has delivered us from death and sin, but we often still struggle with our emotions and fragile nature.  

 

Delivered and Revived

Speaking on the Biblical context of deliverance, Rev Gwen imparted that the Hebrew word is teshuah which is laden with the connotations of help, safety, salvation, victory. The issue for the Israelities was that the address had changed but they were still bound by their former circumstances or environment. They were physically in Jerusalem, but their hearts were still in Babylon.

‘Sometimes we have been in a situation for so long that even after God has delivered us, we still remain in the former attitude,’ Rev Gwen conveyed. The issue was not about deliverance. When Christ came to set us free He didn’t do it for us to live partially; He came so that we can have life to the full and in every aspect of it. 

The word Revived in the Hebrew language is chayah. It means “to live” and comes with the connotation of, among others, consciousness, recovery, regained life, new strength and energy, restored interest, and improved position or condition. Revival has a deep connection with the condition of the heart. The Bible rightly recognises this; it is the source and the center of the person’s life and everything springs from it. The key to revival is in reviving our hearts.  

 

Keypoints to Reviving Our Hearts

The sermon encompasses several key points about revival on a personal level. These key points were presented through an illustrative approach, making them engaging and relatable. Among the key points include our positioning for revival, getting rid of the things that stand in the way of our position with Christ, and our total surrender to God. 

Revival happens when God touches our hearts. We need the move of God to flow in our nation again. God has done it before, and He can do it again. 

 

 

Note: This is not a complete coverage of Rev Gwen’s sermon but is meant to share about a message that I feel will bless and hearten us once again. The complete sermon as well as many others, including in the same series, can be viewed on Glad Tidings PJ’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDcDKRpTGyu7G3n9pjsFaUw

This news article is the independent impression of the writer and is not affiliated with Glad Tidings PJ.    

 

The full message can also be followed through the YouTube video below:

 

|Share The Good News|