Passion For The Lord’s Presence Spurs College Revivals

In last week’s Connecting Point HERE, Pastor Patrick Eagan spoke about the Revival movemements that have been taking place on College campuses across our nation. The revival began at Asbury University in Kentucky on February 8, 2023, when a number of students decided to stay after a chapel service to worship and pray and seek the Lord’s presence. And those daily almost 24-hour services continued throughout most of February. The fires of awakening have also begun to spread to other College Campuses. Over thirty college campuses in our nation have been affected so far.

What is “revival” and what causes it to occur? A “revival” is a spiritual awakening that occurs when people become so hungry for God they are willing to turn from their sinful lifestyles and pursue the Lord’s presence through extended times of prayer and worship. And when that happens the Lord shows up, and His presence and power is experienced in new, fresh ways.

The bottom line is this – personal and corporate “revival” begins when we want more of Jesus than we currently have. And when we are really seeking after the Lord’s presence, we will find ourselves with a hunger to worship Him personally and collectively with other Christians. We will find ourselves with a desire to pray to Him and read His Word. We will find ourselves with a desire to know the Lord more intimately and powerfully in our lives. And when we have a real passion to encounter and know the Lord in deeper ways than we’ve previously experienced, we will find ourselves connecting with His presence, experiencing His peace, and accessing His power in newfound ways in our lives.

The good news is that we don’t have to travel to Asbury University or any other University to experience personal “revival” in our lives. We can experience the Lord’s presence in profound ways today as we read His Word, pray to Him, and worship Him. And we can experience His presence in even greater ways as we worship Him with other Christians.

A number of our Celebration Campuses are having special Worship and Prayer times tonight. I encourage you to join them if you can. I believe if you do you will encounter the Lord, and encountering God is what transforms our lives, perspectives, circumstances and relationships. And remember what the Psalmist wrote: “In Your presence O Lord is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). We will experience God’s best in and for our lives when we pursue Him as young people on College campuses are doing around our nation.
You can also encounter the Lord in a profound way this coming Sunday as you join us at Celebration Church as we begin our new sermon series, THE GOOD LIFE. In this series we will be learning from the Apostle Paul’s revelation to his protegee Timothy about how to experience God’s best in our lives, even in the midst of difficult times. Be sure to join us this Sunday either in-person or online. And take time today to invite friends and family members to join us for worship services this Sunday at Celebration Church.
This coming Sunday (March 5) at Celebration is also TEAM DAY. This is a day when we affirm and appreciate all of the people who serve regularly in our Church ministries, thanking them for using their time and abilities to serve the Lord and minister to people. And it’s also a day when we want to encourage other attendees to get involved in serving on one of our Church Ministry Teams. You can inquire about our Church Ministry Teams by clicking HERE, and also let us know of your interest in participating on a regular or occasional basis. We’ve discovered at Celebration that the happiest people in our Church family are those who are regularly involved in serving the Lord and others with their time and abilities.

We have some great opportunities for Celebration Attendees in the month of March. 

  • March 10-11 is the Jackie Hill Perry Women’s Conference at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. Tickets can still be purchased by clicking HERE.

  • March 17 is City Park Night for the Celebration Congregation. On this night Celebration attendees and their guests will be able to enjoy the beauty, fun rides and food of New Orleans’ famed City Park at a significantly reduced price. Tickets can be purchased at Celebration Campuses this Sunday or online by clicking HERE. All proceeds from this event will benefit our Crescent City Christian School.

  • March 17-18 is our DiscipleNow Weekend for Jr High and High School Students. This is a great opportunity for Students to gather with Students from across our Church family and from across our Region to really grow closer to the Lord and learn more about His Word, His way and His will for their lives. You can find information about this upcoming DiscipleNow Weekend by checking with your Campus Staff or clicking HERE

This past Sunday we finished our Steps To Success study of the Book of Nehemiah, and announced our 52 CHALLENGE that we are going to be addressing throughout the next 52 days. We’ve chosen the theme 52 CHALLENGE because Nehemiah was able to lead the Jews in Jerusalem to rebuild that city’s walls and gates in just 52 days. It was a miraculous work by the Lord and by God’s people.

So, what is the 52 CHALLENGE? It’s an effort we’re asking every Celebration attendee to get involved in so that we can complete the rebuild of our Campuses that were damaged in 2021 by Hurricane Ida. Essentially we’re asking every Celebration attendee to give generously above your regular Church offerings to our 52 CHALLENGE offering over the next 52 Days. You can do so by giving a large one time gift, or you can do so by giving weekly. You may also have stocks, bonds, jewelry, property or other items that you would like to give towards this effort, so that we can complete the rebuilding of our Campuses. You can learn more about the 52 CHALLENGE from a letter from me that you should receive this week, and by going HERE

When Nehemiah presented the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and gates, the people responded, “Let us arise and build.” May we have a similar faith and determination over these next 52 days, and may we see God do a similar great work in our lives, circumstances, relationships and Campuses as we participate in the 52 CHALLENGE.