On Saturday, Dennis Miller shared an analogy at breakfast that really made sense. If we want a burger and we head to Burger King to get one, we don't sit out underneath the sign and expect burgers to appear. We head inside because the sign is only pointing to something else. We often get caught up in the signs that signify the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Signs matter, they help guide us to our destination. Brands help us understand and name things. But they are not a destination.

I keep making signs my destination. It's so much easier to tell people about my church than it is to tell them about Jesus. It's so much easier to talk about Revive Indiana than to talk about Jesus.  I've been struck in the last few weeks at how focused God is on keeping undivided attention to Himself throughout the Bible.  The first few commandments from the 10 Commandments call us to give our undivided attention to the real presence of God. Don't substitute other gods, don't use His name carelessly, don't make images.  All of these, even the name of God itself, can begin to become a vain substitute. The living presence of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit continue this movement toward only focusing on His presence.

Did your church change your life? Did Revive Indiana change your life? Did the person who witnessed to you change your life? Did your cultural background change your life? Did your country change your life? They might have helped you find your way, but they aren't the source of what really matters, our true freedom, what really deserves our praise and sole adoration. 

What is the secret? Pay attention. Not to signs, but to Jesus. Every revival begins because we pay attention to Jesus in a new way. Over time the forms and culture begin to build around the revival, and we to lose our focus. We wonder who's showing up? Who's not showing up? There's only one place that we need to show up: before Jesus. 

On my better days, there is a prayer that starts my day. It simply is "God, who and what do you have for me today?" And then I continue that prayer throughout the day, listening for what God has given me.  Freedom isn't free. It is given to us by God alone through the sacrifice of  Jesus Christ. Only He deserves the credit. Don't give credit to anything else. 
-John M Troyer

Join us for a day of celebration and jubilee! Since January 12, Revive Indiana has been organizing prayers teams to go out and bless others. God's favor has rested on this effort as many have made decisions to be disciples of Jesus Christ, many have been healed, and many have found God's direction and voice. We eat together, pray together, go out together, and celebrate and worship together. The plan is to do this for 52 days and this period will end on March 4, 2015.  

That entire day will be a day of celebration, as thousands gather to go out into the streets with singing, trumpets and prayer. We will celebrate God's deliverance and healing in our community, eat together, and worship together.

Celebrations and feasts were a part of the fabric of Jewish life from their beginning. The evening of March 4th also begins the Jewish Feast of Purim.  This festival celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman's plot to destroy them. God accomplished this through a young woman named Esther who had the faithfulness and courage to go before the king with boldness to make her request. 

We will also celebrate in northern Indiana for the deliverance God has given us from our spiritual impoverishment and malaise. We will celebrate the small acts of courage and boldness by many people as they faithfully went out and prayed and spoke words of healing and hope to the surrounding community. But most of all, we will celebrate Jesus, the one who is faithful, active, and present in our community. 

You can prepare for this by making sure you clear your schedule and ask off from work or school.  Prepare with prayer and fasting on your own. Join us in the days leading up to March 4th to come and see what God is doing. We'd love to see you join us, whether from near or far.
-John M Troyer

Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), tells the story of how they first began the Mercy Ship ministry. They felt God's call and provision to purchase a particular boat. Money was flowing in and excitement was building. But as quickly as it started, it stopped. No more money, no more peace.  They prayed and fasted together to understand why this happened.  They received a clear answer: they had become more excited about the thing and lost sight of the refreshing sweetness of Jesus' presence.  In the end, they lost that boat, along with the money for the down payment. But they learned to keep their focus on God and He continues to sustain their ministry.

I am struck by how easy it is to do this. When God moves and miracles happen, we talk about the miracles. When we've developed our systems and theology in a way that makes sense, we talk about our systems and theology. When something exciting and new happens in our church, we talk about our church. When a new event or movement of God happens, we tell people about the new event or movement.  We invite people to come and see the thing rather than staying focused on the King.

I have been grateful for the burden I see in Revive Indiana leaders to continue pointing toward Jesus. Jesus is the One who heals us, delivers us, and saves us. The prayers, going out each day, the events, the miracles, and the music exist only for the purpose of engaging with Jesus and inviting others to see Him.  The favor of God is clearly resting in a new way on northern Indiana. He is doing things I never imagined He would do. The Revive Indiana team and the area churches have been faithful stewards of this movement. I don't know exactly what God will do next. But I do know this: If a church fails, if something negative happens with Revive Indiana, God's movement here in this area is bigger than any of our organizations.  God will carry forward with whatever it is that He wants to do.

This movement of God is dramatically changing lives, especially in our youth. Pretend kings are being dethroned as the One True King is placed on the throne. These acts of God are breaking down the preconceived ideas of every denomination and church about how God will get things done. For seasoned people of faith, we cannot plan or anticipate this. But we can get involved. We can pray. And we can test everything with the scriptures. Too many times we reject new things because they don't fit with what God has done in our lives in the past. But the witness of scripture is so much bigger than our own theology, traditions, and experiences.

Last Thursday, I was able to participate in an historic, multi-racial gathering of pastors in Elkhart. Why did it happen? It wasn't because of elaborate planning on anyone's part. It happened because God decided it was time for it to happen.  And as a result of a few people saying yes to God's timing, walls are starting to break down.  

So please come and see.  Come and see because we need your help. If you're keeping your distance because you're afraid this thing will go off the rails, come and see. Pray, test it with scripture and help us stay true to the way of Jesus. If you don't live in this area. make plans to come.  We'll get plowed out of our snow storm by the end of the day and we'll have room for you. We need you. Not because we want to glorify Revive Indiana. But because we see the glory of God in our midst. We think you'll see it too.
-John M Troyer