A Burden To Pray For Revival

here today with you and everyone that's joining us from across America and the world. I really am very grateful to always take the word of God and God's truth and lift up Jesus and call his bride back to him to be all that he wants us to be, all for the purpose of taking the good news of Jesus around the world. Last night I was able to listen in to Carter Conlon and his message and so that was a great word and I'm so thankful for him. What a phenomenal church he comes from and I was able to preach there last September, one of the great churches of America. Very grateful and Dan, I heard some of your message tonight. Thank you for calling us back and holding the standard high. Thank you for having a burden to do this. One of the things I'll never forget is Dan seeing me in Dallas one time at a conference that we were speaking at for the Family Research Council at Preston Wick Church and Dan wanted to meet with me for a few moments and laid out his burden for revival, for prayer, for awakening and I've never forgotten that Dan. I'm really thankful for what you do for the cause of Christ and thank your son and for helping you through this technological challenges that comes with all of this and everyone else who's made this happen here today and so I want to encourage you today to really zoom in and think through all that you've been through. Those of you that have been through the entire journey, may the Lord bless you and I'm going to take all of that and put it right here in this final message for you. Also those of you that are perhaps just now listening in, just like Pastor Dan talked a moment ago, I mean he's had some phenomenal preachers on this ministry format and I'm really thankful for that and to close after some of these guys is just really a big challenge but I'm here in our home and I'm really grateful to be able to join you today and to open up the Word of God with you today. I really want to call your attention today to something that we believe is so very very imperative in our walk with Jesus Christ. You know a lot of books have really ministered to me through the years but one of the great books was written by a man by the name of Martin Lloyd-Jones. If you've never read it, it would be a worthy read for people who have participated in this solemn assembly gathering and the book is entitled Revival. J.I. Packer wrote the foreword because that tells you the strength of it biblically and theologically but it's a phenomenal book that really challenges us to go up in our walk with Jesus Christ. One of the statements that he made in that book has stayed with me over the last several years since I read the book and I probably read the book probably around 2014-2015, something in that regard but these words come straight out of this book called Revival and I quote, And in movements of prayer, in movements of the spirit, the first thing that happens and which eventually leads to a great revival is that one man or a group of men suddenly begin to feel this burden and they feel the burden so much that they are led to do something about it. Now think about the power of those words here today. Think about the powers of the movements of the spirit. One of the first things that happens that leads to revival is that one man or a group of men, one woman or a group of women suddenly begin to feel the burden, the burden and they feel it so much that they are led to do something about it. You know this is why this solemn assembly has been occurring across the United States of America and the world. God is up to something. Pastor Dan talked a moment ago about the importance of all that is already going on across our nation and is expected to go across our nation. I mean all of the movements of prayer, I mean it's amazing what is happening in our day and unquestionably God is up to something great. You see all must lead, everything you've heard this weekend, all must lead to the message that I'm about to bring to you because if it doesn't lead here, let me share with you where you're going to end up in your life. You're going to end up in a ditch. You're going to end up in theological imbalance and you will end up with spiritual vertigo because you can only talk about this so much and this so much and this so much and this so much. Sooner or later you have to really, really put it all, all of your energy, all of your emphasis right to where I am leading us to go tonight. The message that I'm bringing tonight is a message that I'm going to begin in the book of Joel and not that I'm going to preach all the way through the Bible, but I am going to take us into a New Testament passage and passages that will strengthen what we're about to learn in the book of Joel, but I want to speak tonight on finishing the task. Finishing the task. I want to bring your attention tonight to the book of Joel in the second chapter and in Joel chapter 2, we read these words. I'm reading from the Christian standard Bible in verse 28 through verse 32. Listen to the words. After this, after this, I will pour out my spirit on all humanity. Then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions, and I will even pour out my spirit on the male and female slaves in those days. I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem as the Lord promised among the survivors the Lord calls. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his word. I want you to focus in with me tonight to a very, very important, a very, very important phrase that is found in chapter 2 of Joel. Look at it with me in verse 28. After this, after this, after what, Ronnie? What are you, what are you saying? After what? Well, I want to bring your attention back to the book of Joel earlier in chapter 2. And many of you, obviously, are very familiar with this. In fact, I'm pretty confident that probably someone in this solemn assembly has mentioned or has preached the very passage I'm talking about here tonight just for a brief moment. And I'm only reading this to show you something in direction towards finishing the task. But in chapter 2 of Joel, verse 12, even now, this is the Lord's declaration, turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning, tear your hearts and not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him. So you can offer grain and wine to the Lord your God. Look in verse 15, blow the horn in Zion, announce a sacred fast, proclaim an assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the aged, gather the infants, even babies, nursing at the breast, let the groom leave his bedroom and the bride her honeymoon chamber, and let the priests, the Lord's ministers, weep before the portico and the altar, and let them say, have pity on your people, Lord, and do not make your inheritance of the grace of object of scorn among the nations, and why should it be said among the peoples, where is their God? Now what is he saying over in chapter 2, verse 28, in this phrase, after what? After the events of chapter 1 in Joel, all the way through verse 27 in chapter 2 of Joel, one of the things we need to always do is to keep scripture within the context in which scripture is given, and that's so important in everything we ever choose to do, and so what I want to do right here for you is that I want to spend a few moments, and I want to help interpret the context of the book of Joel, because all of this strengthens the call tonight to finish the task. In order to understand what I just read in chapter 2, verse 12 through 17, here's what you need to understand within the context of the entire book. In Joel chapter 1, through Joel chapter 1, verse 14, there was a crisis occurring where, listen to this, God was judging his people for their sinfulness, judging them for their sinfulness, and notice what he took away. He took away their provision, he took away their protection, and he took away their personal joy. In Joel chapter 1, verse number 15, through Joel chapter 2, verse number 11, there was a future crisis that was predicted to occur, and Joel called it something, and listen to what he called it, the day of the Lord. Now, the day of the Lord is a time of judgment occurring apocalypticly, meaning a judgment that is going to occur at the end time, and Joel was saying, if you think the present judgment is bad, you need to understand the present judgment where you've lost your provision, you've lost your protection, you've lost your joy is nothing even in comparison to the judgment that will come at the day of the Lord. In fact, the scripture makes an enormous declaration here. It says what? It says who can endure it? No one can endure it, Joel said. So what did they do? The people of God responded to God's warning of judgment, and they came to God in Joel chapter 2, verse 12 through 17, and notice what they did, listen carefully, they returned to God, and notice what Joel says they did. They returned to God in prayer, in fasting, and repentance. We're seeing much of this right now across our nation, prayer, and fasting, and repentance. Thank God for that. Sure, it needs to be more, but hey, let's rejoice with where we are, because I'm telling you, there is more praying now, and more fasting now, and more repentance now, than perhaps we've seen in a long time, or even in a lifetime. But then I want you to see, then I want you to see what happens in Joel chapter 2, verse 18 through 27. I'm not going to read it, but I want you to understand what he's saying. Then after they prayed, after they fasted, after they repented, then God answered their prayer, and he saw the change in their heart, and the change in their lifestyle, and you know what God did? God lifted the judgment. God lifted the judgment. It's so important today that we understand that he lifted the judgment to such a degree that once again, notice what he did. He provided for them, and notice what he did. He protected them, and notice what he did. He gave them joy again. Now listen, this is very, very important for us to grab a hold of, and to obtain, and to receive tonight. It's important because of this thing right here. Judgment took away their provision. Judgment took away their protection. Judgment took away their joy. Oh listen, I wonder, I wonder what is God saying to us about today? What is he saying to us right now? But notice what happened when they fasted, when they prayed, and when they repented, which should be the response of the church in our day. What happened? The Bible says God stepped in. God heard their prayer. God answered their prayer, and notice what God did. Once again, he provided for them. He protected them, and he granted them joy, joy back to their lives. Oh listen, the urgency and call from God was for his people to return to him in total surrender, complete humility, and to bring a new attitude toward God. God told them it was not good enough to simply rip your garments. It was not good enough to simply act like you're broken. No, God said, I want your hearts broken. I want you returning to me, and I want you to do it with praying, and fasting, and weeping, and mourning, and God did amazing things in response to the people's prayer. Oh listen, he called them to do this now. How? With urgency, even before, even to such a degree that he said that even the newlyweds would leave the bridal chamber before they consolated their marriage together so they could repent and turn to God. That is urgency. Oh, I believe with all my heart that God is right now calling us to return to him right now, to turn to him in deep repentance of our sin, in brokenness over our sin, dealing with our pride, dealing with our selfishness, and doing everything we can as far as it depends on us to return to God. Return to God with complete humility, and the boasting, and the ego, and the pride that goes on in our lives, in our churches, and even in denominations across the United States and the world is completely unacceptable to God. You see, what we need to understand is this is not about any one of us, and what God is doing today is far bigger than any one church, far bigger than just one denomination, far bigger than just one group that has a network and is not affiliated with a denomination. No, we're talking about something that is big, a kingdom moment, and the disunity in our churches, the disunity that goes on within Christianity among men and women is so wrong, and it's so sinful, and I'm telling you tonight we need to turn, we need to repent of that, and we need to return to God. I mean, we're seeing it all over, right? We're seeing it all over these years, the dismal baptism numbers from churches, the numbers of churches in America that are declining, the numbers of churches in America that have plateaued, and even the numbers that are closing, and now in the midst of our own economic selfishness, everything has been equalized due to a virus, due to a global pandemic. What is God doing? I believe this is a divine shutdown, a time when God is stealing the church, and stealing the nation, where everything, everything is contingent on God and what His will is for our lives. You see, finishing the task, which is my assignment tonight, will never recur because we move a little bit of the church furniture over here, or remove a little bit of denominational furniture over here, or we oil the machinery of our structures. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Jesus said He only gives new wine, and you put it in new wine skins, and right now we're in a day, in an hour, in a time when we don't want the old wine, the old ways. No, we want God's new design for us in this generation right now, so we can accomplish His will. We need to do everything we can to cast off our criticism, our caustic cynicism that comes through rhetoric and writings. We need to treat not simply the symptoms, but the roots of our sin, which would be based in sin and carnality and pride. The rhetoric needs to cease, and the repentance needs to begin, personally and corporately. Hear me now, we must repent of our sins, and we must return to God. You see, I believe that our number one need is to return to God in deep repentance over our sinfulness, and experience, listen to me, a fresh wave of the Holy Spirit of God that comes upon our lives, that comes upon our churches, that comes upon our ministries, listen to me, and even comes upon our work as networks or denominations across the United States and the world. Oh, we need a fresh and compelling vision, a fresh and a compelling vision, which will only come when we're right with God, and when we have ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the church in our generation. I take you back for a moment to Joel chapter 2, verse 28 through 32. He said, After this, after this the Lord gave him a word, listen to what happened, that the Holy Spirit would come one day, and he wouldn't come and be there for a moment and then leave, oh no, he would come and he would dwell with the people everywhere, and Joel prophesied that the Spirit of God would be so powerful that supernatural and miraculous things would happen in our midst. In fact, the scripture says that also one of the great indications and fruit of what will occur is that there will be an initial fulfillment of Joel 2, 28 through 32, that will begin on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, but the nearer we get to the Lord's coming, we will see the fulfillment of this occur when we're near the return of our Lord. You see, Joel not only said that God would pour out His Spirit upon all people, but he said that He would pour out His Spirit upon all people and spill out of His Spirit in the final days. In fact, I want you to notice a phrase Joel says in chapter 2, verse 18 through 28 through 32, Joel says in those days. He denotes something very specifically in those days, those days just prior to Jesus's coming, that there would be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit released as the gospel increased and is shared prior to the coming of the Lord and before the final judgment. I want you to listen to something very carefully tonight, and I'm telling you, I want you to know that I believe it. I believe we are on the brink of the mightiest outpouring of the Holy Spirit to have ever occurred in the world in our generation. It may be the mightiest outpouring of the Holy Spirit to have ever occurred in the world since the day of Pentecost. You see, the revival of the church is beginning to occur in parts of our nation, some across the world, and guess what? Here's the good news, Pastor Dan. We could be on the brink. Hear me, Pastor. Hear me, all of you pastors. Hear me, spiritual leaders in your church, wherever you are living here in America, across the world. We may be on the brink, of the next great spiritual awakening in the United States of America, and when and if that occurs, it will usher in evangelism. It will usher in finishing the task like we have never seen before, and what everything appears now to be gloom and doom and despair, God could be turning it into the next great move of the Holy Spirit that will result in gospel explosion in our generation in a supernatural way, and that needs to happen. Don't you agree? Now, why is this important? Let me tell you why this is important, because people need Jesus, and people need Jesus now. In fact, I'd like for you to look at something with me tonight, and I want you to think about this with me tonight, regardless of what town you live in, what city you live in, what country you live in, what state you live in, or what territory you live in in another country. I want you to think about the lostness of the world. Did you know that according to leading missiologists, more than 75 percent of Americans, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, do not have a saving faith in Jesus Christ like probably the vast majority of us in the solemn assembly have. We could name the time we met Jesus as Lord. We could talk about that experience to some degree. Some could talk about it much more clear than others, but you know what? If you have been saved, you know you have been saved, because you're not saved by joining a church. You're not saved by being baptized. You're saved through the grace of Jesus Christ, and you may not remember the day you got saved, but you will never forget the place you got saved. You'll never forget that church or that campground or that friend who led you to Christ in a restaurant or that someone who knocked on your door one day years ago, and they led you to faith and trust in Jesus our Lord. Oh listen, you never forget that. What leading missiologists here in North America would tell us is that with over 329 million Americans, there is a tremendous need to preach and advance the gospel of Jesus right here in the United States. In your town, in your city, in your county, in your state, people need Jesus. And people need Jesus now. But not only does the lostness of the United States grab our attention, think about the lostness around the world. I mean, think about this tonight. It's so very important. 7.7 billion people in the world today. 7.7 billion, and out of that 7.7 billion, we recognize and know that at least four and a half billion people are unreached. Unreached. Coming from 7,068 people groups across the world. Now what do we mean by unreached? That means that less than two percent of this four and a half billion people are evangelical Christians. In other words, they would believe that there is a definitive time in your life when you meet Jesus, and he changes your life. He forgives your sin. He gives you heaven when you die. He gives you purpose for your life. Missiologists tell us that there are four and a half billion people in the world that are unreached. They don't get that part. It's very rare in any of those nations. Those ethnicities would know Jesus the way we know Jesus. Now, God's bigger than we know, and he's bigger than missiologists and people who study things around the globe. But here's what I know. This world needs Christ, and how in the world can they ever believe, Paul said in the book of Romans, unless they hear about him? And here we church, how in the world can they hear without a preacher? That's what the Bible says in Romans. So how can we justify? How can we rationalize before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ one day and tell Jesus, Jesus, I was just so occupied that I saw no need for our church to go the extra mile to take the gospel to the world. May I remind you of some of the words of Jesus over like, for example, in Mark 16, verse 15, go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. It's pretty clear. Preach the gospel to all creations throughout the entire world. That's the calling of the church is to make disciples of all the nations. And you can't make a disciple if you don't win disciples. So what has happened to us that we are more motivated in many of our churches and more passionate to retreat to the side streets that divide us or end up on a cul-de-sac where we want to go deep on something that is really not ultimately important and it doesn't contribute to really taking the gospel to the world? Oh, it might make you feel better about how intellectual you are or how much you think you can blog and somebody gets impressed by it or how many shares you can get on Facebook or how many people will retweet you on Twitter. Big deal. What matters is one thing. What are we doing to take the gospel of Jesus to the ends of the earth, beginning in our own town, cities, nation, and even our states in which we live? I love the heart of the apostle Paul in Romans 15 verse 20. You remember what he said? He said, my aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named. That's a big goal. Is that your aim? Is it your aim in your town to take the gospel where the gospel's never been before? Oh, it's comfortable taking the gospel of the same people every week. What about taking the gospel into places where the gospel has never been before? Stop imagining America as this evangelized nation where everybody's Christians. I mean, surely you read the newspaper. Surely you get on the web every now and then or you wouldn't be here today with us. Surely you understand what's going on out there. I mean, listen, people need Christ. They need Christ now. In fact, it's time for us today and in our future meetings in existence that we never forget and we need to always be motivated by what the apostle Paul says in Romans 10 verse 14 and 15. He said, how can they call on him in whom they have not believed in? And how can they believe without a hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. I'll point you back to Joel chapter 2 verse 28. That's the turning point of Joel. He said, after this, after the people of God prayed, after the people of God fasted, after the people of God repented and returned to God after this, then this happens. And this out there is the gospel will be taken to the ends of the earth. And the gospel is what the power of God is to everyone who believes. I mean, how in the world can any spiritual Christian ever get away from these words found in the book of Acts? But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Acts chapter 1 verse number 8. How can we not know that we have been empowered by the Spirit of the Lord to share the gospel with all of the world? And then when did Joel chapter 2 verse 28 through 32 initially be fulfilled? It was fulfilled initially over in Acts chapter 2. Look at it. Verse 1 through 4. And when the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. And they saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. And then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tones as the Spirit gave them ability for speech. And then if you would look at chapter 2 verse 41. Look at chapter 2 of Acts verse 41. What does he say? Listen to the reading of the word of the living God in chapter 2 of the book of Acts in verse 41. Forgive me, I turned to chapter 4. No wonder it didn't have that many verses. But look at here. It is in chapter 2 verse 41. So those who accepted his message were baptized. And that day about 3,000 people were added to them. That's the day the church was born. The church was born by the rebirth, the born-again experience of people coming to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And look at Acts chapter 2 verse 47. The movement of God was so great. The Bible said they were praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And every day the Lord added to the number those who were being saved. Every day. Oh listen carefully. What began in the book of Jerusalem or what began in the city of Jerusalem, God takes to the region of Judea and Samaria and eventually to the rest of the entire world. Let me give you an observation today. And this is all over the book of Acts. And it has everything to do with what we're talking about tonight. When evangelism is prioritized in the church, it always progresses beyond where evangelism began. In other words, when a church gets really serious about following Jesus and a church gets really committed to the purpose of evangelism, touching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, then the gospel progresses beyond where it began. Let me show you how and why. In Acts chapter 1, they strategize. Jesus gave them the strategy how the church should share his message with others. This is Jesus's way. And we even see this lived out in the book of Acts. And notice what the book of Acts teaches us. See this become clear. Acts chapter 1 through chapter 7. The gospel went throughout Jerusalem. In Acts chapter 8 and Acts chapter 9, the gospel went to Judea and Samaria. And in Acts chapter 10 through Acts chapter 28, it went to all the peoples to the ends of the earth. Oh listen, where evangelism is prioritized in the church, it always progresses beyond where it began. And pastors and church leaders, listen, that's why we need to teach the gospel and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's why we need to tell people what God's word says the gospel is. That Jesus died for our sins. He was buried. On the third day, he was raised from the dead. That's the gospel. And when we believe that our sins are forgiven, we receive purpose in our life, and we're promised heaven when we die. And that's why the first, beyond anything else we do, we are called to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world. Let me ask you today, are you preaching the good news of Jesus to the whole world, beginning right there in your town, beginning right there in your county, beginning right there in your state, beginning right here in our nation, and beginning even at parts across the world? A statement that really has dominated my life the last six months or so is something the Lord just impressed upon me greatly one day, that we are called to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. That, ladies and gentlemen, that is the great commission. That's what it's going to take to finish the task. We've got to reach every person for Jesus Christ. Say, Ronnie, we're never going to reach every person. It's our goal to take the gospel to all people. We're supposed to be faithful to plant the seeds of the gospel. Jesus is the Savior. We're not the Savior, but God's called us to take the seed of the gospel to all of the world. And we are called to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, your town, small, big, your city. You say, I'm in a city with a million people. How am I supposed to take the gospel? You have an area around your church. You have a region you live in. You have an area where you are, and that's the place of trying to reach your city. And you know, one church can't do it anyway. That's the problem. We're too isolated. We don't need to be as isolated. We have to understand this is not about the promotion of my church. This is about reaching the town, reaching the city, reaching your state, and reaching the nation. Your town, your city, your state, your nation, all nations. The Bible tells us in Mark chapter 9, the words of Jesus, when Jesus said to his disciples, the harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. Oh, I love that verse. Two powerful verses. Look what it says, that there is an abundant harvest that's going to come, but we've got to have workers in the field. And what must we do? Listen, pastors, we're supposed to pray to the Lord of the harvest. And what are we asking him to do? We're asking him to send out workers into his harvest. Hey, churches, let me ask you, who is your church sending out? You say, well, my church is real small. It doesn't matter what size your church is. I was called to preach in a church that ran 30 to 40 people every Sunday. I grew up with only a bivocational pastor, several of them through my time at that little church. And I want to tell you something, had that pastor not understood that there may be people here who God is calling, he may have not, he may have never ever even extended that call, but God used him to plant that seed. My heart was to be a football coach. My heart was to do everything I could to be the best. But I want to tell you, God changed my heart and God called me to the gospel ministry. You see, Jesus' instructions are clear. We're to pray for the Lord of the harvest. And we're to ask the Lord of the harvest, Lord, send out your workers into his harvest. Send out people all over the world. And I'm telling you, I'm pleading with all of you tonight, due to the lostness in America and across the world, I just want to make sure you understand this. We need more missionaries. We need more churches. We need more ministers. We need more missionaries being called out of our churches and equipped to do the ministry of the gospel and to do gospel ministry and the great commission with great effectiveness. And why do we need that? I'll tell you why. People are lost. Evangelism is urgent because Jesus is coming again. I've said this already twice tonight. People need Jesus and people need Jesus now. And the hour is late and we must live and breathe gospel urgency. Does your church live and breathe gospel urgency? You as a Christian, do you live and breathe gospel urgency? I mean, how in the world can we quit until the task is completed? How do we rest until that task is done? These words of Jesus continually challenge me. They continually consume my heart. I can't get away from them. It's been this way for years. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. You know what Jesus is calling us? He's calling us to personally be involved in this. We cannot escape our responsibility. We cannot delegate this to another generation. We've got to finish the task because Jesus' calling is powerful. There's no way in the world we can finish this in our power. There's no way in the world we're going to turn around our nation in our power. There's no way we're going to see the world move anywhere, do anything outside of what we're doing, outside of the power of God. Listen carefully. The world has seen for too long what man can do. It's time now the world sees what our God can do. This calling of Jesus is personal and powerful. It's progressive. Not progressive in a liberal way, but progressive in the sense that we must begin where we are in our town and city and we don't rest until that gospel progresses around the entire world. You see, it's just undeniable. People need the Lord and pastors and lay persons, church leaders, churches. We need to finish the task. It's on us to finish the task. It's what we've been called to do, to finish the task. We've been in the huddle too long. We need to finish the task. Tonight, I want to call each of you to have a clearer focus and a greater intentionality to do everything you can to leverage your life, to leverage your leadership, to leverage the resources that God has entrusted to you personally and as a church, to do everything you can to have such a passion and a heart and a vision that we must reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. That's why I'm humbly calling every pastor, every church leader, every local church to prioritize, to elevate and accelerate their commission, their commitment to finish the task and to finish it locally, regionally, and statewide and nationally and internationally. You say, we must finish this task. I believe this with all my heart that whatever the cost, whatever the risk, this worldwide mission thrust must be our priority. Do you believe that today? I do believe that today. You know what? I do my best. I do my best every day. Before the sun comes up, until absolute exhaustion ends my day, I give my life to finishing the task. I want to thank all of you that do that right where you are. I want to thank all of you that pay the price to make that done in your town, in your city, in your state, in your nation, in the world. But we also know we're not doing all we could do, many of us today. There's always something left in us that we can give more. Every ounce of our day, every thought of our day, the attention of the hour needs to come in that regard. You know, I know that we've all been going through a very challenging time. God knows it's been a challenging time for me. Some days have been fine and some days have been extremely challenging and quite honestly, even discouraging. But I tell you what, the Lord is seeing us through every day. And all I need every morning in my life are new mercies, new mercies. They come every morning, the book of Lamentations says. But I wonder what is God teaching you through this global pandemic? Have you thought about that? I have. In fact, I thought I would conclude before I leave you in prayer tonight with what God's teaching me. Because it all has to do with finishing the task in some way or another. I'll tell you what God's teaching me. I mean, it's just unashamedly what the Lord's teaching me. And it's this truth. Now listen carefully what it is. We need God more than ever before. Boy, I tell you, I know that now more than ever. I mean, you think about all the people around this country, in this world who have died. Some doctors, some nurses, wealthy, Hispanic, Latino, African-American, Anglo, Asian. Oh, listen, there's no respect for persons regarding death. And it's a very clear image today. We need God more than ever before. And boy, I tell you what, if the church doesn't learn this in this, I don't know what God's going to have to do to teach us. But we need to learn it and learn it big. We need God more than ever before. Let me show you a second thing. Second thing the Lord's taught me, and boy, I tell you what, this one is, I'm just going to say, it's not quite up to that other level, but it's almost to that other level. We need each other more than ever before. The power of community is sorely missed in American life. I heard a pastor this morning say it, and he said it so well. He said, you know, I never have liked this term social distancing. Because one thing we need to be, we need to be social. That's who God's made us to be. Physical distancing, yes. Through this pandemic, yes, that has been one of the secrets to slowing the spread. But I want to tell you today, we don't need to be socially alone. We need each other more than ever before. Pastors and churches, your communities never needed you more than now. You need to image and live out God's power. You need to lead your church to stop being content to do ministry without the power of God. Do it in the power of God and declare to your town, to your city, we need each other. We need you. You need us. We need to lock our arms together. So here's what we've learned. We need God more than ever before. We need each other more than ever before. But we need to complete and finish the task more than ever before. That's the third thing. I mean, listen, if we have ever had any kind of sense that this thing called this age of grace could nearing the end with the coming of our Lord, it ought to be now in our generation. I mean, listen, Jesus could come again. I mean, we're seeing things now like we have never seen. It has an apocalyptic feel when you're driving down roads in major cities and no one's out. When people are not at shopping malls and restaurants and commuting together and being together, that's just not who we are. Something is happening. And my friends, listen, tonight we need to grab a hold of this moment. This is a God moment like never before. This is something like we have never experienced in our lives. And we need to complete the Great Commission more than ever before. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. We need awakening and we need to take this gospel to the world, beginning in your town and your city, your state and your nation. Why? I'll tell you why. Because here's the task we have to finish. To reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. And right now what I want to do is that I want to lead you in a few moments of prayer together. You've heard the word. My soul, those of you that have been on this, you've heard the word for many, many hours. But where's it going to go? If all it does is lead you to the side street, well, let me tell you what I did this weekend. And it doesn't result in what I just talked about, finishing the task in some way. If you don't leave this without having just a little bit more burden for seeing your town reached, your city reached, your state, your nation and your world reached for Christ, just a little bit. Oh, I hope it's more than a little, but hopefully the Lord just moved to some anyway. I'd say, well, we need to pray like it matters. And we need to act like God wants to use us in ways that's far greater than what he's ever used us before. This is a God moment. Oh, I'm telling you, this is a God moment. They're going to be writing about this, but I would just soon, they not simply write and record one day in history that there was a virus that shut down the United States, the big, bad, powerful United States. But I pray there's another chapter added there. The church of Jesus, they call themselves Christians, rose up like something American life has never, ever seen before. And a wave, they call it the spirit. They say he is a person, they call him the spirit. And a wave of the spirit of God came on this nation called the United States. And things began to happen like we've never seen nor heard ever in the history of this nation. Speaking of history, I close with this. In 1857 and 1858, it was called the prayer revival. Started on Fulton Street in a church, a Dutch Reformed church, Jeremiah Lanphier led that prayer meeting. What began with a few in the course of two years, ended up with thousands upon thousands in New York City and all across the United States that began to pray together. A movement of prayer, a mighty movement of prayer. History records that out of 30 million Americans, that's how many lived in America then, 30 million people, over 1 million came to say faith in Jesus Christ. Just imagine, with 330 million Americans, just imagine, out of 330 million Americans, just imagine, if that same percentile would occur. Millions upon millions would come to faith in Christ over the next two years. I'm telling you, we are in a God moment. We need to pray about that moment. And let's personalize it tonight. And let's put our focus from this point forward on reaching every person for Jesus in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. Will you pray with me now? Lord, as our heads are bowed tonight, we ask you, would you fall upon this gathering and would great conviction occur in the lives and hearts of every person? Now, listen, right where you are, I want to ask you, would you just right now pray that God will give you a heart to finish the task? You say, Ronnie, I'm in my 70s, 80s. Go when you can and you can help send those who can go. That's what you can do. If you're in your 20s, you're a teenager, middle-aged adult, healthy adult, you can still go because it starts right where you are in your town, your city, your state, and your nation, and the nations of the world. Would you ask God to give you a burden to finish the task? Do it right now. Lord, give me a burden. Something I wake up with, something I live with throughout the day, and something I go to bed with at night. Oh, God, give me that kind of burden. Now, I don't know what kind of town you live in. You might live in a town with 2,000 people in it, or you might live in a town with 20,000, or a town with 200,000, or a town with 2 million, a city, or even greater, if you're listening in from across the world, or in certain parts of the United States. Ask God to give you a burden to see your town or your city reached for Jesus. Would you do it now? Ask him, Lord, give me a burden to reach my town. Ask God to give a burden to your pastor to reach that town or that city with the gospel. All of you are a part of a church. Ask God to give your pastor, if you're a pastor, ask God to give your church a burden. When you get back in the same room soon, you start worshiping God together, that there will be an explosion through your life with a new passion to finish the task. Ask God to win your state. What state are you a part of tonight? Some of you might be new like me. I'm new in the state of Tennessee, raised in Texas, lived in Arkansas for 32 years. Now, about nine months ago, I moved right here to Tennessee under the calling of the Lord. Some of you have been in the same state all your life, but ask God to give you a burden to see your state come to Christ. Would you do that now? Oh, God, give me a burden to see this state won. Pray for pastors all across your state. Whether you call them by name, God knows their name. God, give our pastors burdens to preach the gospel. Call people to Jesus. Ask people to give their life to Christ unapologetically. Lord, give us a burden to reach our nation. Oh, listen, pray for our nation tonight, that our nation hear the gospel. We're seeing some phenomenal things happen right now in online services all across the United States. God is on the move. So I hope that you will pray right now. Lord, take the gospel to our entire nation. Build churches, plant churches. Lord, give us new churches. Wake up dead churches. Give revival to churches. To the hot churches, may they become hotter. To the church that's cold, give them enthusiasm when they don't even expect it. Oh, God, wake up your church, that your church will preach the gospel to the world. And then, oh, listen, pray for the world to come to Christ. Pray for the lost. 7.7 million people, 4.5 billion. Most, most, the vast majority of them, all of them, except for a very few, have never even heard the good news of Jesus. Pray for them to hear the message of Christ. Pray for them to respond to God to the level they know God and they've heard about God, or they sense God, or maybe they see God in nature. Point them to Jesus, Father, where they can be saved. Oh, listen, ask God to give it to you. Ask God to send missionaries from your churches, pastors from your churches. Call out those young men and those young women to go to the mission field, Lord. Call them out from professions and vocations all across this United States and send them to the nations that need the gospel. Lord, we ask all of this tonight because you've told us to pray to the Lord of the harvest, that you would send out workers into the field. We're asking you in Jesus' name, Father, send out workers into the field. Yes, we pray for that, Lord. And oh God, I pray for the power of God to fall upon our pastors across America and across the world. Pray for pastors right now across America and the world. Oh God, I pray that when they stand in their pulpits again, when there are people in the room, when they're not preaching the word through the eye of a camera or like I'm doing tonight through an iPad, but Lord, when they're looking at people right in the eye and we're engaged in worship and community worship and being together again in that same place, we look forward to that day. But God, I pray when it happens, it'll be a day of Pentecost. It'll be a day when thousands and thousands and thousands come to Christ, even millions, Lord. And would you do something on that day, whenever it starts in West Virginia or Louisiana or California or Texas or Florida or Georgia, wherever it all starts beginning, Lord, it goes to all of the 50 states where once again the church is meeting all across this United States. Lord, may there be a robust move of the Holy Spirit as powerful and mighty and the kind of movement that, Lord, we never ever get over. And it shapes our generation and it shapes the future of the nation and takes the gospel to the world. God, use us. Use me. And Lord, I say to you, just as Isaiah said, here am I, Lord, send me. Use me. Use Pastor Dan. Use the pastors who preached on this program. Use every pastor in America. Use every pastor across this world. Some of those who are right now on the brink of losing their lives because they preach the gospel. God, I pray that you would use them and preserve their lives for the cause of the gospel. Lord, empower our missionaries to preach the gospel. And Lord, do only what you could do. We pray for this supernatural, mighty move of the Spirit of God like we have never ever seen in our generation. May the age and the Spirit and the ocean of the Spirit of the Lord fall upon this church and wash the church and send out the church. To finish this task. And we will pray this in the glorious, the majestic, the powerful, the name above all names. When there is no rival, there is no equal. His name is Jesus. And we declare it to be so when it's not so in order for it to be so that the world would come to Jesus. And we offer it in His name. Amen. And amen.