What does it actually look like when God moves in a life? Not the idea of it. Not the talk of it. The real thing. This past Sunday, Pastor Chip Dean launched a brand new series called The God of Revival, and he brought a message that was equal parts honest and hopeful. Here is a recap.
We Want the God of Revival, Not Just Revival
Pastor Chip opened with a moment from his own home that stopped the room. His seven-year-old daughter Brooklyn woke up at 5:30 in the morning and her first words to her three-year-old brother Cruz were, “Cruz, do you want to give your life to Jesus?” Cruz looked at her and said, “Bro, I am just too tired to give my life to Jesus.”
The room laughed. But Pastor Chip turned it into an honest question. Sometimes we feel like Brooklyn. Full of the Spirit, ready to go after people for Jesus before the sun comes up. And sometimes we feel exactly like Cruz. Too tired to even think about it.
Before he opened the Bible, he asked five questions worth sitting with. How are you sensing the presence of God in your life? How are you loving Jesus and feeling his love for you? How is your connection with God when you pray? How is God’s word actually transforming you? And how is your compassion for people who do not yet know Jesus?
Pastor Chip was upfront. He needed this sermon as much as anyone else in the room. Not because of some hidden sin or spiritual collapse, but because revival is not something you arrive at. It is something you keep pursuing.
And that is exactly what this series is about. Not chasing a feeling called revival. Chasing the God of revival.
What Is Revival?
Pastor Chip gave a simple definition worth writing down. Revival is when God awakens you to want all of him and to give him all of you. When you get all of God, you give God all of you.
The series is anchored in 1 and 2 Chronicles, books of the Bible that retell the story of Israel not just historically but spiritually. They ask the same question this series is asking. What does God want to do in your life to bring you back to full, alive, burning faith?
Ten Signs You Are Experiencing Revival
Pastor Chip walked through 1 Chronicles 16 and pulled out ten signs that revival is actually happening in your life. He was clear that these are not a checklist to earn revival. They are signs that you already have it.
Presence of God. The ark of the covenant in the Old Testament was the symbol of God’s presence, power, and promises. Israel kept losing it, mishandling it, and learning to live without it. David refused to do that. He brought the ark back to Jerusalem because he would not lead and would not live without the presence of God. The first sign of revival in your life is that you cannot help but be aware of and hungry for God’s presence.
The Gospel. The burnt offerings in this passage pointed forward to the one sacrifice that would cover everything. Jesus. Revival always runs through the gospel. It is when your soul is awakened again to who Jesus is and what he has done that you want more of him and want him to have more of you.
The People of God. The peace offerings were shared meals. Families, friends, and priests eating together around what God had provided. Revival does not happen in isolation. It happens in community.
Generosity. David distributed bread, meat, and raisins to everyone. The bread was provision. The meat was strength. The raisins were joy. When you are living in the presence of God, you cannot help but be generous with what he has given you.
Identity. David appointed the Levites as priests. And the New Testament says that every believer is a royal priesthood. One of the biggest questions of life is who am I. Pastor Chip gave three options. You are who others say you are. You are who you say you are. Or you are who God says you are. Revival happens when you stop living by the world’s labels and start living out of the identity God has given you.
Invocation. To invoke means to recall out loud what God has done. You say it. You speak it. You declare it over your own life so that you can remind yourself, encourage others, and let the enemy know exactly who you belong to.
Thanksgiving. When you are in the presence of God, gratitude is not forced. You cannot help it. You see clearly that you deserve nothing and yet you have everything in him.
Praise. Pastor Chip made this one personal. The word praise in this context carries the idea of bragging. Not on yourself. On God. Revival is when you cannot stop talking about what God has done and who God is.
Worship. God gave us a voice not just to speak but to sing. Music was created for worship. When the presence of God is real in your life, worship is not something you do out of obligation. It is something you cannot hold back.
Blessing. After everything was done, David went home to bless his household. When you are experiencing the blessing of God, it flows outward. To your spouse. Your kids. Your neighbors. Your coworkers. You cannot keep it to yourself.
How Do You Experience God’s Presence?
Pastor Chip closed by answering the most important question the sermon raised. If revival flows from the presence of God, how do you get more of his presence in your life?
Four ways. Get in the word of God. Pray and ask God specifically for his presence. Worship him both personally and with the church. And stay connected with the people of God, because the church is where God loves to show up.
He closed with the story of Evan Roberts, a young man in Wales in 1904 who started praying one simple prayer: God, bend me. As he prayed it, his church started filling up. Then churches across the city. Services went for hours not because anyone was performing but because nobody wanted to leave. Bars emptied. Courtrooms emptied. Crime stopped. Families were restored. People were confessing sin to one another out loud and asking for forgiveness because they had encountered God in a way that changed everything.
Pastor Chip looked at the room and said plainly. If God can do it then, he can do it now. If he can do it in them, he can do it in you.
There’s a Seat for You
Whether you are desperate for more of God or just starting to wonder what a life with his presence really looks like, you belong here. We are a church that believes revival is not a moment in history. It is available right now.
Plan Your Visit and come be part of what God is doing. Or take your next step and Get Connected with our church family. We would love to have you with us.