By Elana Stockman, Guest Columnist
An elderly woman approached me and said, “I’ve been attending church since I was a little girl and I’m now 90 years old.”
She began to shake with emotion as a tear trickled down her cheek. “In all those years, until the Korean intercessors gathered around me, laid their hands on me and prayed, I had never been touched and prayed for like that. I had never felt the presence of God, sensed
His tender love for me.”
Smiling through her tears she concluded, “I’ll always remember their love and God’s love that I felt in that moment.”
Hunger for His presence. We all have it even if we’ve buried it deep within. Jesus said that those who hunger will be satisfied. God longs to come to those who desperately call upon Him out of their hunger and great need.
In the spring of 1999, the Sentinel Group released a documentary entitled Transformations. Within six months of its release, over 50 million people from around the world would be inspired by its content. Over 1,000 communities contacted Sentinel asking this question: “How can we see transforming revival come to our community?”
Today, after 15 years of research into nearly 1,000 contemporary and historical accounts of transforming revival, Sentinel has a message for the church: “We cannot create a revival. Only God can do that. But history and Scripture will bear out that we can prepare for a visitation from God and make our lives and churches an incense that draws Him.”
The research bore evidence that there were common elements in all authentic revivals. This is encouraging. The fact that they were present in every revival speaks to God’s ways, His principles.
Would you be interested in learning these truths? On Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 9, MountainView Church, 169 Smith Hollow in Murphy, will host a distillation of that research called a Discovery Weekend. The two days of teaching will inform, inspire and give the participants a clear understanding of transforming revival. The teaching addresses four questions:
1. Do we need transforming revival? 2. What is transforming revival? 3. How do you prepare for transforming revival? 4. What is the personal cost (sacrifice) to see transforming revival in my community? This conference will give you hope that there is a path that leads to powerful and pervasive change for both church and community and stir within you a deeper hunger for God and His presence in your life, home, church and community.
Pastors and leaders in our community hope you would participate and encourage others to attend. There is not a charismatic or non-charismatic slant to the teaching. When transforming revival comes, secondary labels melt away in His overwhelming presence.
Details: Call, text or email Ron or Elana Stockman at 727-487-3124 or elanastockman@gmail.com.