Hello, BRN Family! It’s good to be with you today.

Last week, Larry Anderson, the BRN’s director of church health and evangelism, challenged us to use the Easter season as a dedicated time of evangelism. I wanted to affirm that challenge today. I believe God is preparing hearts to be ready for Him!

In Psalm 85:6, the psalmist asks, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”

Richard Owen Roberts defines revival as “the extraordinary work of the Spirit of God that produces extraordinary results… [Revival] is God’s way of reminding us what heaven is like and bringing us back to holiness and righteousness and her great task of making disciples of all the nations.”

One look at today’s world will show you that we are desperate for God’s touch. School shootings, devastating tornadoes, even an explosion of a factory here in Pennsylvania. We never know what tomorrow will bring. It is important that we are ready to face our Maker, for whenever that fateful day He comes to take us home.

I want to ask you: Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you ready to meet God? The Bible tells us how to be ready to meet God before it is too late.

FIRST, WE ASSESS OUR SPIRITUAL CONDITION.

The Bible tells us “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10 CSB). No matter how good we try to be, none of us does right things all the time. Our sins demand punishment – the punishment of death and separation from God. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Until we deal with this issue of sin, we are not ready to meet God.

BUT, GOD ASSISTS US BY PROVIDING THE SPIRITUAL SOLUTION.

God loves you more than you can ever imagine! Because of His great love, God sent His only Son Jesus to die as the punishment for our sins. Jesus is the solution to our sins! Romans 5:8 says, “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

THEN, GOD ACTIVATES OUR FAITH, AND WE HAVE A SPIRITUAL CELEBRATION!

It’s God’s grace that allows you to come to Him, not your efforts to “clean up your life” or work your way to Heaven. You can’t earn it. It’s a free gift from Jesus! We have every reason to celebrate God’s goodness. And we do just that, through our prayers to Him, asking Him to save us, and through our public celebration of our new faith through baptism. All you have to do is to receive the gift that Jesus is holding out for you right now.

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

LASTLY, WE ADVANCE GOD’S BLESSING THROUGH SPIRITUAL REPRODUCTION.

We know this gift is too good to not share it with others! If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please let us know. We want to rejoice in what God has done in your life and help you to grow spiritually. Even more importantly, it’s a great time to tell others about Jesus. Your enthusiasm and love will change the lives of people all around you!

Consider what the psalmist said in Psalm 40:10, “I did not hide your righteousness in my heart; I spoke about your faithfulness and salvation; I did not conceal your constant love and truth from the great assembly.”

This Easter, may all our BRN churches truly experience the reviving power of the resurrection. May we all be found sharing His good news. Please know we are praying for you! Thanks for listening in today, and God bless you!