1979 was the last part of the Jesus Movement in America. Jan and I were in our late twenties, with a toddler and a newborn. I’ve previously shared that we found a church in Eugene, Oregon called Faith Center, where our hearts were touched and changed. 

Our pastor, Roy Hicks Jr., made a statement in one of his sermons that caught our attention. He had noticed two elements necessary for revival: confession and repentance. 

Up until that point, neither of us remember seeing an open and transparent relationship like that modeled. We didn’t witness parents or teachers or adults, for that matter, ask for forgiveness when they were wrong. Without demonstration, spiritual teaching and instruction are limited to knowledge without experience. 

There is no power unless we practice what we preach. As leaders and teachers, we are held to a higher standard. If we teach and preach the truth, but don’t live it, our very words judge our actions and the people we care for are harmed. Those who have been given authority and power to govern in a home, a community of faith, a state, and nation are held more accountable.

May our eyes be opened so that we can receive something that only Jesus can give us: a turn from darkness to light; a turn from the power of Satan to God. We receive forgiveness of sins. We receive an inheritance—to be set apart with Him, one with Him, in communion with Him (Acts 26:18).

To practice these basic, foundational acts of confession, repentance, and forgiveness is to declare the Lordship of Jesus. Simple obedience brought a personal revival to us. It has also changed millions of people across time. As we pray for revival, it begins personally with each one of us, until the groundswell overtakes the soul of our nation and reaches to the ends of the earth.

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God” (Matthew 3:8).