There are two sides of life.
Poverty or prosperity. Sickness or health. Disappointment or fulfilment. Barrenness or fruitfulness. Striving or thriving. Doubt or faith. Stagnant or progress. Destruction, exhaustion, impoverishment or REVIVAL!
God invites us to the right side of LIFE!
To the side of godly passion, purpose, and mission.
To the side where His Kingdom comes, His will be done.
To the side where the Church is strong, bold, and courageous in prayer and deed.
To the side where the supernatural power of God moves prevalently in our modern world.
To the side where cities and nations are transformed by the power and love of God.
Going to the other side is not a suggestion. It is a mandate, an instruction, a journey of growth, a matter of destiny. It’s about advancing the kingdom and making disciples of all nations. Revivals of the past tell us to get moving, to get off the side of stagnation, and get to the other side!
What will it take to get to the side of revival? Let’s glean a couple of truths from Mark 4:35-40, where Jesus told his disciples to “go over to the other side.”
It requires the willingness to follow God. Jesus had a good teaching session going with the crowds. But “when evening came” it was time to move. It was getting late. It was probably not the best time to set sail. It would have been logical to stay on shore and set off the next morning. Don’t let our human logic stand in the way of divine orchestration.
Is God calling you to fast and pray? Do you look at your calendar and see how many appointments you have and try to plan for a good time to start fasting and praying? Or will you decimate your schedule to make way for Jesus? There’s never a right time. But there’s a Kairos time – a time that requires a response, an action to move accordingly.
It requires leaving the crowd mentality behind. The crowds that followed Jesus and the disciples comprised of different people. Some were curious while others were just consumers, enjoying a good Word with no devotion, engagement, or transformation. Don’t settle for being part of the crowd.
Someone once said, “You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular the pastor is by who comes on Sunday night. But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting.”
The church isn’t a weekend club to belong to. Don’t be a consumer of services – enjoying the great worship and fellowship. Instead, be people of commitment. Be a disciple who loves God wholeheartedly and desires His heart to become yours. Serve the house of God with your time, talent and treasures. Be at church prayer meetings!
It requires us to see Jesus is with us. When the storms came, the disciples saw a sleeping Jesus and drew the conclusion that Jesus didn’t care. Fear obliterated their faith in God and nullified the teachings and miracles they witnessed Jesus do in chapters before.
Expect storms when we follow Jesus! We will have pushback when we go out to reap a harvest. We will have opposition as we repossess land occupied by the enemy. In Mark chapter 5, as soon as they got across, a demon-possessed man confronted Jesus.
Is the fear of storms and spiritual confrontations holding you back from going to the other side? Recognize that Jesus is with you! He’s not on the other side waiting for you to arrive. He’s in your boat. He rides the storms with you. He’s with you as you enter unchartered waters.
Finally, it requires us to recognize there are others with us. Mark 4:36, “There were also other boats with him” That day, all who were on the lake with them witnessed the storm stopping at voice command. Your faith that manifests miracles in the storm will be witnessed and experienced by others around you.
Regardless of where you are right now, be willing to follow God to the other side. Leave the crowd mentality behind, and abandon the pew warming post. Get on the boat. There’s no storm He can’t calm, no confrontation He can’t silence. May our journeys to the other side stir the greatest revival in our time, releasing mighty manifestations of God all across our world.
到复兴的那岸
生活有两岸。
贫穷活富裕；疾病或健康；失望或满足；贫瘠或丰盛；劳苦或兴旺；怀疑或相信；停滞或进步。毁灭、疲惫、贫困或复兴！
神邀请我们活在正确的那岸！
在那里，有对神的热忱、属神的目标和使命。
在那里，我们看到神的国度降临，神的旨意成就。
在那里，教会是坚固、勇敢的，在祷告和行动上毫不胆怯。
在那里，神的大能在这个现代世界普遍运行。
在那里，城市和国家被神的爱和能力转化。
去到复兴的那岸不是建议。它是使命、指示、成长之旅和命定。它是神国度的推进，并使万民作门徒。过去的复兴告诉我们要行动起来，不再停滞，要到彼岸去！
我们需要怎么做，才能到复兴的那岸？让我们从马可福音4:35-40发现真理。耶稣吩咐门徒“渡到那边去”。
跟随神需要一颗愿意的心。耶稣当时教导了群众。天黑了，是离开的时候了。天色不早了。那个时候应该不太适合开船。留在岸上等天亮了再开船会是更有理智的选择。不要让人类的逻辑思维阻碍神大能的运行。
神是否在呼吁你禁食祷告？你是查看日历，看看你有几个预约，然后安排一个好的时间禁食祷告吗？还是为了耶稣减少你的日程呢？对人来说，生命里总没有最适当的时刻。但是，神有Kairos的时间，是适时的，决定性的行动时刻。
我们需要摆脱群众的心态。跟随耶稣和门徒的群众里有形形色色的人。有些只是好奇，其他人抱着顾客心态，享受听道，但没有生命的转化，没有灵修，也没有跟神建立关系。我们不要只做群众。
有人曾经说过：“要知道一间教会有多受欢迎，只要看看星期天早上有多少人来。要知道一个牧师有多受欢迎，只要看看星期天晚上有多少人来。但是要知道耶稣有多受欢迎，就要看看祷告会多少人来。”
教会不是周末俱乐部。我们不要做享受服务的顾客，享受美好的敬拜和团契，而是要做委身的人。让我们做全心爱主的门徒，渴慕拥有神的心跳。让我们付出时间、才能 和财物事奉神的殿。让我们参加祷告会！
我们需要看到耶稣与我们同在。当暴风雨来袭，门徒们看到耶稣在睡觉，总结出耶稣不管不顾。恐惧抹杀了他们对神的信心，结果，他们在前几章中听过耶稣的教导，看过耶稣行神迹，全都忘得一干二净。
当我们跟随耶稣时，要做好遇到风暴的准备！当我们出去收割时，会遇到阻力。当我们收回被敌人占领的土地时，将遭到反击。在马可福音第5章，他们一渡到对岸，就有一个被鬼附的人前来与耶稣对质。
你对风暴和属灵争战的惧怕是否阻碍了你去渡到另一边去？你要知道耶稣与你同在！他不是在对岸等你。他在你的船上。他陪你度过风雨。当你进入未知水域时，他与你同在。
最后，我们要知道有人在我们身边。马可福音4:36写道“有别的船和他同行”。那天，所有和他们一起在湖上的人都目睹了风暴在耶稣的命令下平息。在风暴中，你周围的人会目睹和经历神迹。这个神迹是透过你的信心彰显的。
无论你现在在哪里，我盼望你愿意跟随神到对岸去，摆脱群众的心态，不再做只来参加聚会的人。请你登上船。没有耶稣不能平息的风暴，没有耶稣不能止住的属灵争战。愿我们过到对岸的旅程激起这个时代最伟大的复兴，释放神大能的彰显遍布世界。
