Scripture References: Luke 18:9-14; Acts 2; Joel 2:28-29
Intro: We've been exploring biblical metaphors for the church (family, body, bride, etc.). Today, we pause to look specifically at this church's story and future, centered around the theme of "tents" – not just as a biblical symbol, but from personal experiences that shaped our beginnings and inform our prayers today.
Key Points:
- The First Tent (1998): A formative youth ministry experience under a literal tent involved supernatural encounters (healing, prophecy), bold evangelism (preaching at parties), leading prodigals back to vital faith, and seeing God move powerfully. This season sparked a call to ministry.
- Loss and Confusion: Later, losing a youth pastor role led to a "dark night" season – hurt, questioning God's call, and disconnection from the church.
- The Prophetic Word (2004): During that difficult time, a visiting speaker prophesied: "The tent will rise again." This brought profound encouragement and led directly to planting Radiant Church in 2005.
- What the "Tent" Represents: The prophecy wasn't about a physical structure, but the kind of ministry season experienced earlier – a season of revival. Has it been fulfilled? Partially? The ongoing prayer is for it to rise again.
- Marks of Revival (The Tent Season): That original season was characterized by:
- Evangelistic Boldness: Fearlessly sharing Jesus, inviting anyone, expecting God to act.
- Deep Repentance: Honest, raw confession and turning from sin (like the tax collector in Luke 18).
- Spiritual Gifts Activated: Sovereign outpouring, building up the church, pointing to Jesus.
- Revival = Accelerated Normalcy: Revival isn't strange; it's when God pours out His Spirit (Acts 2) causing the normal work of the church (evangelism, repentance, gifts) to surge forward with extraordinary power and effectiveness.
Conclusion: We believe God is setting us up for harvest. Praying "the tent will rise again" is praying for revival – for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to accelerate the gospel's impact through us. It's not about building a tent, but welcoming the Spirit's power.
Call to Action:
- Join us in praying for revival – that the "tent would rise again" in our church and time.
- Pray specifically for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit resulting in:
- Fearless Evangelistic Boldness.
- Deep, authentic Repentance.
- Powerful operation of Spiritual Gifts for God's glory.
- Agree in faith that God wants to do this and contend together for His kingdom to advance powerfully.
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