Longing for Revival: A Vision for Mercer
As we take a short break from our Romans series this season, we’ve turned our attention toward something that’s been stirring in many of our hearts—revival. With Easter around the corner, it feels like the right time to consider what it truly means to be renewed by God.
To begin, let’s go back—way back—to 1738.
Imagine you live on the outskirts of Philadelphia in a world without electricity or screens, where news spreads by word of mouth and printed pamphlets. Life is hard. Church attendance is sparse. Spiritual vitality feels low. And yet, the town is buzzing—because a man named George Whitefield is coming to preach.
Out of curiosity, you walk into town with your family and find yourself surrounded by over 1,000 people. It’s astonishing—your town barely has 200 residents! You listen as Whitefield passionately calls for repentance, for hearts to be made new, for people to be born again. And something stirs in you. You walk away thinking, Do I know God like that? Do I even know where I stand with Him?
Whitefield wasn’t the only preacher of his time, but God used him and others to ignite what we now call the First Great Awakening. It’s estimated that 50,000 people came to faith in Jesus during that time—a massive number when the population of the colonies was only around 300,000. That would be the equivalent of 54 million people coming to Christ in America today.
What is Revival?
Revival isn’t something we manufacture. It’s something God does. It's a spiritual reawakening, a divine stirring that brings hearts back to life. The passage we explored this week—Ezekiel 36:22–32—shows us that revival starts not with our efforts, but with God’s initiative.
“It is not for your sake… that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name…” (Ezekiel 36:22)
God makes it clear: He brings revival for His glory. He doesn’t move because we deserve it. He moves because His name is worthy to be known and worshiped.
Revival Starts With God
There are twelve “I will” statements in Ezekiel 36. Twelve reminders that it’s God who gives us clean hearts, God who renews our spirits, and God who changes lives.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” (Ezekiel 36:26)
That’s the heart of revival—transformed people, living with softened hearts, walking by the power of the Spirit. It’s not about trying harder. It’s about surrendering deeper.
What About Today?
If you’re anything like me, maybe you’ve found yourself longing for something more. Maybe your spiritual life feels a bit stale. Maybe you’re burdened for your community, your school, your friends.
Mercer needs revival. We all need revival.
So what can we do? We pray. And we seek God in Scripture. That’s how revival has started throughout history—from George Whitefield in the 1700s to the Haystack Five in the 1800s—young men huddled under a haystack in a thunderstorm, praying for missions, only to realize God was calling them to go.
Imagine Revival in Mercer
Let’s dream together. Mercer School District includes around 10,000 people. If revival came on the same scale as the First Great Awakening, that would mean 1,600 people coming to Christ over the next 10 years. Can you imagine the impact? Every church would be overflowing. Discipleship groups would multiply. Families would be transformed.
But revival doesn’t start with numbers. It starts with you and me, prayerfully committing to share the gospel and show Christ’s love.
What if each of us committed to pray for one person this year? Just one. What might God do?
A Call to Action
Revival requires more than emotion—it calls for confession, repentance, and obedience. In Ezekiel, God promises to cleanse His people, to replace their hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and to fill them with His Spirit so that they can follow Him.
He still does that today.
So let’s ask:
To begin, let’s go back—way back—to 1738.
Imagine you live on the outskirts of Philadelphia in a world without electricity or screens, where news spreads by word of mouth and printed pamphlets. Life is hard. Church attendance is sparse. Spiritual vitality feels low. And yet, the town is buzzing—because a man named George Whitefield is coming to preach.
Out of curiosity, you walk into town with your family and find yourself surrounded by over 1,000 people. It’s astonishing—your town barely has 200 residents! You listen as Whitefield passionately calls for repentance, for hearts to be made new, for people to be born again. And something stirs in you. You walk away thinking, Do I know God like that? Do I even know where I stand with Him?
Whitefield wasn’t the only preacher of his time, but God used him and others to ignite what we now call the First Great Awakening. It’s estimated that 50,000 people came to faith in Jesus during that time—a massive number when the population of the colonies was only around 300,000. That would be the equivalent of 54 million people coming to Christ in America today.
What is Revival?
Revival isn’t something we manufacture. It’s something God does. It's a spiritual reawakening, a divine stirring that brings hearts back to life. The passage we explored this week—Ezekiel 36:22–32—shows us that revival starts not with our efforts, but with God’s initiative.
“It is not for your sake… that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name…” (Ezekiel 36:22)
God makes it clear: He brings revival for His glory. He doesn’t move because we deserve it. He moves because His name is worthy to be known and worshiped.
Revival Starts With God
There are twelve “I will” statements in Ezekiel 36. Twelve reminders that it’s God who gives us clean hearts, God who renews our spirits, and God who changes lives.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” (Ezekiel 36:26)
That’s the heart of revival—transformed people, living with softened hearts, walking by the power of the Spirit. It’s not about trying harder. It’s about surrendering deeper.
What About Today?
If you’re anything like me, maybe you’ve found yourself longing for something more. Maybe your spiritual life feels a bit stale. Maybe you’re burdened for your community, your school, your friends.
Mercer needs revival. We all need revival.
So what can we do? We pray. And we seek God in Scripture. That’s how revival has started throughout history—from George Whitefield in the 1700s to the Haystack Five in the 1800s—young men huddled under a haystack in a thunderstorm, praying for missions, only to realize God was calling them to go.
Imagine Revival in Mercer
Let’s dream together. Mercer School District includes around 10,000 people. If revival came on the same scale as the First Great Awakening, that would mean 1,600 people coming to Christ over the next 10 years. Can you imagine the impact? Every church would be overflowing. Discipleship groups would multiply. Families would be transformed.
But revival doesn’t start with numbers. It starts with you and me, prayerfully committing to share the gospel and show Christ’s love.
What if each of us committed to pray for one person this year? Just one. What might God do?
A Call to Action
Revival requires more than emotion—it calls for confession, repentance, and obedience. In Ezekiel, God promises to cleanse His people, to replace their hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and to fill them with His Spirit so that they can follow Him.
He still does that today.
So let’s ask:
- Do we want to see revival in Mercer?
- Are we willing to pray for it?
- Will we seek God through His Word, trusting Him to move?
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