Revival Prayer

Throughout the Bible we see examples of God’s people turning to him to request things in honest, heart felt prayer; and we see God answer those prayers in amazing ways.

From Genesis at the very beginning of the Bible.

Change slide

 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

Through to Revelation, the very last book of the Bible.

Change slide

 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

These types of prayer are often called petitionary prayers.

These petitionary prayers can be defined as prayers in which we make requests of God.

This demonstrates our dependence upon him.

Throughout scripture there are many times we are encouraged to bring our requests before God.

Be they requests for a closer relationship with God.

Change slide

 ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Or reassurance that what we ask for will be given to us

Change slide

 (Jesus said) Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mk 11:24 (Jesus said) Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

We see time and time again people in the Bible petitioning God and God answering their prayers in amazing ways.

In the Old Testament

We see plagues and whole seas being split and held back so people can walk through them to safety.

We see armies being raised from piles of bones.

In The New Testament

We see the lame walk and the blind given sight.

And these miracles are done not only by Jesus but by his disciples as well!

Ordinary people just like you and me.

But that was nearly 2000 years ago, does God still answer prayer like that?

And what about The Salvation Army?

Does he still answer the prayers of us as a movement?

It seems when we read about the early Salvation Army that many of our ancestors in faith were accustomed to seeing amazing things happening at their meetings, be they in their halls or out on the streets.

Change slide

People were often over come by the Holy Spirit, with sometimes up to 100 people at once having “Holy Fits”

People were often over come by the Holy Spirit, with sometimes up to 100 people at once having “Holy Fits”

A strong proponent of 'faith healing,' Mrs. [Catherine] Booth wrote many defenses of the practice in the early War Cry, and the editor entertained occasional testimonies to the salutary effect of faith-healing services.

Miracles of healing were also recorded as well.

A strong proponent of 'faith healing,' Mrs. [Catherine] Booth wrote many defenses of the practice in the early War Cry, and the editor entertained occasional testimonies to the salutary effect of faith-healing services.

A strong proponent of 'faith healing,' Catherine Booth wrote many defences of the practice in the early War Cry, and the editor entertained testimonies to the effect of faith-healing services.

William Booth said :

But do miracles like that happen today?

“I do not believe there can be a corps of The Salvation Army, at home or abroad, in which some signs and wonders have not been wrought. Have we not seen men and women and little children raised up from the borders of the grave, and restored to health and vigour, in answer to the prayer of faith?”

But that was still over 100 years ago and leaves us wondering if these things till happen.

Does God still answer our petitions and requests?

As the a movement do we have

I am reading a book at the moment called Dirty Glory, it is by Peter Grieg, the man who started the 24/7 prayer movement nearly 20 years ago.

It is full of stories and examples of modern day miracles.

The Salvation Army even gets a mention

Read pg 119

When I first read this extract I was offended.

Who is this person who has nothing to do with our Church to say that we are dying and nearly dead.

But the more I thought about it the more I realised it was true.

Certainly here in the UK.

And lets be really and painfully honest, here in Twickenham as well.

Because if we do not seriously turn this Corps from decline to growth, then I very much doubt it will be here in 5 years time.

That is a very tough thing to hear, but it is true.

Because if we do not seriously turn this Corps from decline to growth, then I very much doubt it will be here in 5 years time.

And me saying it comes with a warning… we cannot burry our heads in the sand about this fact.

At our previous Corps people refused to accept that if things did not change then the corps would be closed and eventually no matter how much hard work clare and I put in, it was closed because the corps .

BUT and this is a big BUT, there was such potential here at Twickenham the Salvation Army moved us here.

I truly believe that God is waiting to start a revival here in Twickenham, but stage one of that revival has to be the honest and heart felt petitionary prayers of the members of this church here and now.

Again in Dirty Glory Pete traces the history of the Hebridean revival between 1949 and 1953.

Listen how it started

read pg 62 and 63

One of the biggest revivals the UK has seen in recent history was started by two old ladies who were faithful in prayer.

Two old ladies who to the world and modern day thinking would seem past it, not useful, they couldn’t set up the chairs before church, they couldn’t lead a service or go out onto the street evangelising due to their health.

But what they could do was trust in God and petition him trusting that what they asked for would be given to them.

This was just the beginning of the revival, the small start, and next Sunday were are going to look at how their prayers laid the foundations for an explosion which rocked the world.

But we need to start where they started, in prayer.

Together as a church community.

Praying DAILY in unity for the things we discussed earlier.

Making them a priority in our prayer life.

I am asking each and every one of you today to commit to earnestly and faithfully praying for the aims we discussed earlier each and every day.

Knowing and trusting the promises we find in the Bible in 1 John

 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

If we do so I am convinced that God will listen too and answer our prayers and petitions and will use us in ways we can only dream of to extend his kingdom here in Twickenham.