God has made it clear that we must experience a revival if we are to endure the time of trouble that is accelerating toward us. Through years of ministerial experience, I have settled upon three components that facilitate revival. God, obviously, must attend all these efforts for them to be successful and effective. There are, however, a few things that we can bring to the revival table as humans so we may cooperate with divinity.
Bibliocentric preaching. Now, this sounds as though this should be taken for granted since most Christian sermons given in churches seem to come from the Bible. Let me remind you that simply because a presentation quotes a Scripture does not qualify as a Bible centered sermon. For example, if the sermon subject is of minor importance to your salvation, it could be that you are witnessing little more than sophistry. I once had to endure forty minutes of "pretend Bible preaching" upon the subject of "ketchup." True story. True Bibliocentric preaching finds its origin in the Scripture, finds its soul in the Bible, and finds its life applications as a result.
Thematic Sabbaths. This may be a more familiar subject to some of you. I recently heard that 40% of all people who declare membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church are non-attending within one year. In another conversation I listened as a church member expressed great concern about the loss of the young people within the church. Although there is no panacea to remedy all the ills of our churches, this one component has great promise. In my experience, when rightly presented and correctly implemented, Thematic Sabbaths had encouraging results: Attendance increased, participation increased, and visitor numbers increased.
Soul Winning Training. This is crucial to revival. It releases the pastor as the sole captive of the soul winning entity of the church. Members are empowered rather than harangued into reacting to a guilt trip. I must ask, why should pastors have all the exquisite fun of seeing people give their hearts to Christ? Members are taught not only how to give Bible Studies, but the basics of soul winning.
These are the three components we at loudcryministry present to churches wishing to be revived. January 22nd, in Columbia Seventh-day Adventist Church, situated conveniently off Interstate 20 in West Columbia, we will deliver this training. We are planning on the city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania in February if the present pandemic permits. Our church needs a revival. For our members, it is essential that they experience a renewal to prepare them to take the last warning message to a world soon be visited again by its Creator. Thousands will thank you for being alive in Christ and for bringing them into the household of God.