SEARCHLIGHT
What would you like to happen at your funeral?
SCRIPTURE
May the God of peace himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. God, who called you to become his child, will do all this for you, just as he promised. 1Thessalonians 5:23,24 Living Bible
SPOTLIGHT
As a pastor, I will never forget thinking, “This is how I should pray about the future deaths of all the members of my congregation!” It happened one Sunday morning during a World Missions emphasis service. The missionary was Rev. Charles Pearce from South Africa. He told how this woman who had lived a life of sinful horror was totally transformed by Jesus Christ. She was so divinely changed that people could not help but see her life of Godliness and holiness. Never did she take the credit. She always lived to honor Jesus Christ, her Savior and Lord. In turn, many people became Christians. But the best was yet to come.
As the missionary spoke, he described her funeral. “We couldn’t get her in the ground. The burial service was five hours long. We had a revival. People accepted Christ as Savior. Others recommitted their lives. People kept getting saved because of the testimony of this woman.”
Please remember that I am a pastor. I wake up, live, and breathe pastoring, preaching and teaching. As I was sitting on the platform, attentively listening to this missionary’s story, I found myself smiling and thinking, “Now you know how to pray for your congregation. Pray that they would so love Jesus Christ and live to honor Him now, here on earth, that you won’t be able to get them buried. Their funerals will cause revivals, and many people will become born again Christians.” So that’s what I began doing. I asked God to “sanctify all the people in the church I was pastoring, through and through, that they would have a whole spirit and their soul and body be kept blameless” (I Thessalonians 5:23,24). That’s how Paul prayed for the Thessalonian congregation. Their testimony for Jesus Christ was known all over the then-known world. Just read the above Scripture focus.
Revival at burial! Why not? People experiencing a spiritual awakening to personally knowing God, their Creator, as Savior and Lord. What a celebration! Now that I think about it, why don’t you pray that the Holy Spirit bring a revival and spiritual awakening at your funeral? What a celebration! REVIVAL AT BURIAL!
SOMETHING TO DO
You need to begin to prepare for your funeral today. How do you do it? Pray the following prayer.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, You are the God of peace. Make me entirely pure and devoted to You; and may my spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when You, Lord Jesus Christ come back again. Lord God, You have called me to become Your child so I am confident You will do all this for me, just as You have promised. AMEN