Those that have turned the world upside down have come here also. Those were the words spoken to a rag-tag bunch of nobodies who changed the known world with the gospel long before tv and social media.

I am saddened and sickened by the state of America, yet the blame lies solely at the feet of the church. I grew up in Pentecost; I heard the stories during my ordination process of men running on the backs of pews, I heard stories of Holy Ghost fire, yet we weren’t seeing those same things happen. I believe the answer to what plagues America is the Message preached in the great awakenings. We need strong and passionate gospel preaching again. We don’t just need the love preached, but the law that exposes sin so that the goodness of God can lead to repentance.

I’ve had a heart for revival for years, and like you, I’ve grown discouraged; I’ve become disillusioned with the Pentecost and Charismatic understanding I grew up in. We were a people birthed from revival, yet where is the fire now? Baptists were known for the gospel, and now, well, let’s talk about the answer.

I want to see a change in this nation. We’ve tried the gimmicks, the lights, the TedTalk model, but it hasn’t worked. We have become a prayerless church; I even battled a season of prayerlessness last year. We need to cry out personally and corporately for new brokenness, a fresh hunger, and a fresh baptism of the Holy Ghost.

I refuse to give up my heart’s cry and passion for seeing a revival. However, I don’t believe revival is signs and wonders and people rolling around on the ground. No, that’s not revival. Revival is brokenness, repentance, and hardened hearts being busted up by the pure and powerful preaching of the Word of God. Our modern-day prophets need to be like the prophets of old and carry a message of warning and repentance. Let us return to the Pentecostal belief in the soon return of our Lord and have our lamps ablaze for the salvation of our nation. The Holy Ghost has got to be more than goosebumps to us; we must receive His empowerment.

I pray for a fresh baptism and a fresh Pentecost to hit the Church as we enter Pentecost in ten days. Can I encourage us to reread the book of Acts? Will you pick a book from the past to read to stir your soul? I pray that reading the book of Acts and revisiting some books from past revivals will stir our hearts. I pray the Lord will shake us out of complacency and that we will contend for an awakening in this nation once again.