Summit

Wow. Here I am at the Summit. This is an honor for me. I am a second generation GB Church planter. My Dad Roger Daniel Planted churches in Michigan in the early 80s. God has blessed me with fantastic heritage that I am so proud of. Here is my family from back in the day (Pic). We Were in church every Sunday…Morning, Night, preservice, after service, Once I fell asleep in one of the pews and was misplaced by my parents so I stayed way after service. My Mom passed in May and she was very proud of me. Which was good because I gave her moments like this (Pic 2). To God be the Glory.

MY wife and I have also been very blessed. We have 6 beautiful kids. that are healthy. They range from 19 yrs to 19 months old. We just walked through adoption of our youngest. To God be the Glory.

I am not going to blow you away with anything new today I hope to challenge you and in encourage you to step forward. It is my prayer that you leave here with some tools to go home and kick the hinges off your church door and proclaim that Jesus is still saving souls and hell has no victory in our churches. So here we go...

So backstory….Elijah call out the false prophets of Baal and Asherah. Tells them to meet him on the playground after school. Stacks the deck in their favor. 2 bulls…lay them on the altar…pray…and the god who answers with fire wins. Pretty simple right? Baal and Asherah they struggle so what do you do when your opponent is struggling? You smack talk…HE can’t hear you, maybe he’s daydreaming, maybe he had to use the men’s room, maybe he’s asleep. They try harder…screaming louder, dancing badly, cutting themselves to the point that blood gushes from them.

Then it was Elijah’s turn. . And Elijah I believe gives us the recipe for revival in the text… The recipe for being a Church that brings Glory to God.

And Elijah I believe gives us the recipe for revival in the text….

1. Get Close

a. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him...

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him.

You cannot have Revival without first deciding to come near to God. You can stand on the outside edges and experience the overflow of someone else’s revival and it is good. I mean I have been in ball games where I get freaked out, stressed out and nearly thrown out because of the intensity of the moment. But being there watching the moment is different than having the moment yourself or being the catalyst for the moment.

ou cannot have Revival without first deciding to come near to God. You can stand on the outside edges and experience the overflow of someone else’s revival and it is good. I mean I have been in ball games where I get freaked out, stressed out and nearly thrown out because of the intensity of the moment. But being there watching the moment is different than having the moment yourself or being the catalyst for the moment.

God is calling you closer to the moment. He wants you near to him in a way that you haven’t been in a while. He knows life happens and it gets busy. HE knows the kids have so much going on. HE knows work is stressful, but He also knows there is something great “near Him” so His call hasn’t changed…Come over here! Get in close. Let me ignite the fire in your heart again. Let me heal the broken pieces.

2. He remembered

a. … And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord...

And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord.

-How many of you have been blessed by God? Do you remember the last time He showed up in a mighty way in your life? Elijah is trying to get the children of Israel to remember what God has done for them. Don’t you remember…The parting of the Red Sea, The fire by night, the manna from heaven, God constantly reminds me of His provision.

-You ever start to complain about your problems now and then remember where you were? I remember at the Pawn shop we had one toilet. Unisex bathroom, 12 parking spaces, and chairs with stickers from every church in town. We had Baptist chairs, episcopal chairs, Pentecostal chairs, Lutheran chairs. And the other day we were debating on the 10year foam or the 25 year foam in the new chairs for the building going up next week. Remember what God has brought you through. Remember the times when you had no one but He showed up.

3. Get to work.

a. … And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood.

And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood.

-Revival isn’t going to show up because you hope it does. Elijah went to work preparing for something. You are going to have to make some choices in your life then be willing to follow through with those choices. Have to work at those choices, put in some sweat equity. Your friends and family won’t meet Jesus because you want them to…Go to work. Your bible is not gonna get read because it should…go to work. Your marriage isn’t miracously going to heal itself…go to work.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

-Revival isn’t going to show up because you hope it does. Elijah went to work preparing for something. You are going to have to make some choices in your life then be willing to follow through with those choices. Have to work at those choices, put in some sweat equity. Your friends and family won’t meet Jesus because you want them to…Go to work. Your bible is not gonna get read because it should…go to work. Your marriage isn’t miracously going to heal itself…go to work.

-Now once you’ve asked God for direction, you’ve remembered all he has done for you, you’ve put in the work then you get to…

4. Believe for the impossible

...And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

What is your impossible? Maybe it isn’t a what it’s a who. Who do you want to meet Jesus and you’ve just told yourself they never will. What have you just accepted as fact even though you haven’t invited the God of the impossible into the situation. Some of you are hear today because you became the focus of prayer and believing. (Bob). Call on God

36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

What is your impossible? Maybe it isn’t a what it’s a who. Who do you want to meet Jesus and you’ve just told yourself they never will. What have you just accepted as fact even though you haven’t invited the God of the impossible into the situation. Some of you are hear today because you became the focus of prayer and believing. Call on God