Pastoral Vision (12)

Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Acts 6.7

In Acts 6 the church in Jerusalem appears to have been slipping into a bit of complacency, at least, lethargy, in caring for its needy.

But the apostles and the people together renewed their love for the Lord and one another in such a dramatic and visible way, that the Word of the Lord kept increasing beyond the church, and many of its most ardent detractors became obedient to the faith.

Part of any shepherd’s vision for the church must include a desire to see God work like this in our day. Put another way, our vision and ministry must include seeking the Lord for revival, renewal, and awakening.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was no stranger to revival, and in his book, An Humble Attempt, he explained why he believed Scripture leads us to hope for revival in our day: “Thus after the inhabitants of many cities of Israel, or of God’s professing people, have taken up and pursued a joint resolution, to go and pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts, others shall be drawn to worship and serve him with them; till at length many people and strong nations shall join themselves to them; and there shall, in process of time, be a vast accession to the church, so that it shall be ten times as large as it was before…”

Sadly, evidence suggests that we do not believe that praying for revival is needed or useful in our day. How many shepherds do you know who gather regularly to seek the Lord for revival? Is praying for revival part of your ministry? Are you joining with others to call on the Lord to do what He has done so often in the past and promised to do when we pray?

When God revives His Church and renews His people in His love, the effect of that will necessarily impact everyone and everything in their lives. Revival, in short, leads to awakening.

But only prayer can lead to revival.

Resources for Shepherds
What does revival look like? How can we begin to prepare for it? We offer several books to help you begin seeking the Lord for revival and preparing your church for that great work of God. Revived! explains why we need revival and how to prepare for it in prayer. Restore Us! offers guidelines and resources for seeking the Lord for revival. And Preparing Your Church for Revival explains why and how we need to be preparing our churches today for what we will do when revival comes.

Men, we invite you to join men from around the country to seek the Lord for revival every Tuesday morning at 10:00 Eastern via Zoom. Using a psalm to guide us and joining our voices together after each prayer, we have been seeking revival for nearly 20 years now. We invite you to join us for 30 minutes of heartfelt, encouraging, and visionary prayer. Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I’ll make sure you receive the link.

Men, join us for our May Kingdom Conversation on the topic, “Understanding the Times.” The mighty men of Issachar were an integral part of David’s team because they understood the times and knew what Israel must do (1 Chron. 12.32). If we are to fulfill our calling to the Kingdom and glory of God, we must understand our own times so that we can create initiatives and responses that will advance the Kingdom of God in our world. Our discussion will be built on our book, Understanding the Times, but reading it is not required. Discussion questions will be sent out in advance. You can order a copy of Understanding the Times either in book formor in a free PDF. We will meet Thursday, May 23, at 8:30 pm Eastern.

From the Celtic Revival
Our Crosfigell series on Irish high crosses is well underway. We’re about to finish a general overview of these great teaching tools, and then we’ll begin parsing some of the images featured on the crosses. We’re following the guidance of experts in the field. Here are samples of how they are leading us:

In those days men needed little external pictorial stimulation to make them identify all their lives with the inner meaning of pictures. These pictures served not only places of worship but also places for exegesis and for preaching to the community assembled around the cross. It is known from English sources that the Irish missionaries in Northumbria set up wooden crosses at whose foot they preached the Gospel.

 - Streit, Sun and Cross[1]

It appears that high crosses stood outside the small churches but within the monastery walls. Thus they served several purposes. They could be used as teaching devices—pictorial Bibles in stone, as it were—for the education of the illiterate local community.

 - Powell, The High Crosses of Ireland[2]

Here’s a link to the article in which these quotes appear. Perhaps our tour of Irish high crosses will help us regain some sense of the role of the arts in enhancing our walk with and work for the Lord. You can follow this study, every Tuesday and Thursday, by subscribing to Crosfigell. Update your subscriptions or start a new one by clicking here.

We have prepared several free resources to give you a look into the period of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD) and to challenge your faith and ministry with the example of our Christian forebears. Click the links below to check out the following:

The Celtic Revival: A Brief Introduction
Living to Rule: An Introduction to Celtic Christian Spirituality
Lives of Irish Saints: A Tribute
Columbanus: A Devotional History
Colum Cille: A Devotional History

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] Streit, p. 142.

[2] Powell, pp. 10, 11.