Youth Revival 2009
By Lucky Adike
The previous call for preparation was followed by a period of consecration on Monday - children of God fasted and prayed as they 
sought the face of God. On Tuesday, Bro. Oludare Owolabi continued on the revival preparation topic, as he taught on “the formula for revival.” This three-segmented formula had as its first division, Humility. Matthew 5:3 & 5 which reads “blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” and “blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” allude to this seemingly trivial but very important attribute of Christian life.
This message was supported by a skit, which highlighted the expectations that we should have regarding to the revival. One of the two characters in the skit felt that he had a pure heart and was hence indifferent about the revival. While the other had a filthy heart and was anticipating the revival for he hoped that God would cleanse his heart and make him whole. The first step to solving a problem is accepting that the problem exists! The second segment is Unity, which is a direct consequence of humility. The benefits of unity can be found in the actions of the disciples of Jesus, before the descent of the Holy Spirit. Having gathered in the upper room, they prayed and waited on the Lord, in one accord (Acts 1:14). This unity of purpose and unity of spirit resulted in a mighty revival, which was the kind that we were to expect for the ongoing revival. After humility and unity have been achieved there needs to be an exercise of faith, which was the third segment. There needs to be faith in the ability of God to revive the soul and faith in the power of God to perform miracles.
The Word came forth on Wednesday through Sister Blessing Mbang who reminded the church of the hope that awaits God’s children in heaven. The message entitled “Our Spiritual Rest” was taken from Luke 15:11. It was the famous story of the prodigal son, who asked for his portion of his father’s wealth with which he departed and squandered in a far country. The prodigal son, after his living conditions had degenerated so badly, realized his mistake, resolved to be reconciled and returned home to a father who was happy to receive him. The Lord Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28, to come unto him in order to receive rest.
The minister then cited a dream that she had about a woman in a hopeless situation, who was surrounded by death and poverty, but who had been admonished “to stop fighting on the outside, for [she] was exhausted.” The woman was in a battle that needed to be fought on the inside but had been fighting on the outside. She likened this situation to the lives of children of God. They spend time on the outside (physical) and ignore the root of the problem which is on the inside (spiritual). That physical fight could get so fierce that the fighter would be exhausted. The minister warned the youth about the condition of their spirits. Have they been so engrossed in trying to look right on the outside that their spirits have died? We should emulate the actions of the prodigal son in order to obtain rest. Even saved souls need to perform restitutions that have been pointed out by the Holy Spirit in other to receive lasting rest. The minister closed by asking the church to focus on the spiritual issues of their heart, and obey God in other to receive and retain the rest that only God can give.
Thursday’s message by the guest speaker, Brother John Wyatt Jr., “I know who I am”, came with such fervency. It is imperative that we understand our importance to God. Mark 1:9-11 described the story of Jesus’ baptism and God’s proclamation of his relationship with Him. At some point in our lives, we humans desire to understand who we are and why we are here on earth. We then live the rest of our lives trying to fit into the model created from the answers to those questions. These models increase in number as life progresses because of the various roles that we have to fulfill. The minister used himself as an example: he had to be a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a son to his parents. The expectations imposed on us by others sometimes unconsciously force us to live in such a way as to satisfy those expectations. Jacob, having stolen his brother’s birth right lived for 21 years trying to please his brother until he was accosted by God, and was asked the question, “Who are you?” Sarah and many others in the Bible dealt with this question too. The minister affirmed that it is not who anybody says we are, that we should be concerned about, but who God says we are. Jesus knew that He was the son of God and acted accordingly. The knowledge of who we are in Christ will allow us to walk in the will of God. The Bible says that we are children of God and that God loves us. Knowledge and acceptance of this relationship should move us to greater dealings with God. We need this knowledge to afford us freedom in the Lord. This knowledge makes seeking God a joy and not a chore. We need to know that we are “sons and daughters of the most High God.”
The final message of the week was delivered by the guest speaker Brother John Wyatt Jr., on the subject “Look Up.” The text which was taken from 2 Chronicles 21: 1-17 recounted the story of King Jehoshaphat of Judah who, being threatened by the Moabites and Ammonites cried unto the Lord and was delivered. In today’s technology-driven world, there is a need for competency, skills and knowledge in order to remain relevant and competitive in the workplace. This increase in knowledge creates a crisis for the child of God, who on one hand desires to rely solely God and on the other is forced to not rely on God but on the knowledge and technological advancements of today’s world. As a solution to this problem, some Christians have resorted to being sacred only on Sundays. However, we need to be “reincarnations” of God everyday and everywhere we find ourselves: on our jobs, campuses, neighborhoods and in church. Jehoshaphat found himself in a dire situation and chose to look up to God for the deliverance of Judah. God is waiting for us to cry out to Him. We should not be hindered by the knowledge that we have acquired or the advancements of today’s world but rely solely on Jesus.
The close-out message on Sunday was also delivered by Brother John Wyatt Jr., and was centered on the call to “Know God for Yourself.” The message which came from Exodus 2:23 was the story of Moses’ encounter with God via the burning bush. Brother Wyatt called on the youths to desire to know God personally and beyond the testimony of other people. God is waiting on us to seek this relationship with Him. Sometimes our situations get so dire that it directs us to recognize God in our lives and be reconciled to Him. These situations could be our finances, school, family or our even our jobs. Our God is a covenant-keeping God who always fulfills His end of the bargain; the onus is on us to seize the opportunity and discover God. The “Lord will not descend from the mountain to reach us, but we have to climb the mountain to reach God.” We need to be sanctified and set apart in other for God to reveal Himself to us. The formulas used by others can only but take us so far. Moses needed to encounter God and hence know Him beyond the testimonies of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
See more Youth Revival 2009 photos here!