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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Eddie Lawrence.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

What does it look like when a community becomes so saturated with God that His glory spills into the streets? History shows it has happened before, and there is every reason to believe it can happen again. This is a call to take worship seriously, to press in deeper, and to understand what it truly means to host the presence of God.

What Does a Real Revival Actually Look Like?

Seventy-seven years ago, on the Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland, God moved in a way that few generations have witnessed. It began with two bedridden elderly sisters who interceded faithfully for revival. A farmer named Hector McKinnon and a group of brothers prayed so fervently in a barn that heaven came down and they sensed something: God was about to send someone.

When a preacher named Duncan Campbell arrived, the first meeting seemed unremarkable. But in the middle of that night, lights began flickering on across the island. People woke up, fell to their knees in repentance, and felt a deep pull to make their way to the local church. Three hundred people from different directions converged on the police chief's home to give their hearts to Christ. Sailors on ships, fishermen out at sea, people walking down roads, all were overcome by the glory of God. That revival lasted three years.

Duncan Campbell described revival simply: a community saturated with God.

Why Corporate Worship Matters More Than We Think

When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, she asked a common religious question about the right place to worship. His answer cut through the debate entirely.

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth." - John 4:23-24

Notice that word: must. It is not a suggestion. The Father is actively seeking people who will worship Him this way. Not through intellectual ritual or religious routine, but from the Spirit, anchored in truth.

Paul reinforces this in Ephesians:

"Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." - Ephesians 5:18-19

Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs each carry something distinct. Psalms connect us to the rich worship tradition of Scripture. Hymns teach deep theology through song. Spiritual songs (the Greek word is "pneumatica") are Spirit-birthed, spontaneous expressions that arise when the Holy Spirit is moving. All three together create something powerful when a congregation gathers in unity.

Four Ways to Cultivate an Atmosphere Where God Moves

1. Show Up With a Surrendered Heart

Preparation for Sunday worship should not begin when you walk through the door. It should begin throughout the week. The Hebrew word "barak" means kneeling, bowing, dropping personal demands. In New Testament terms, it means honoring Jesus as King. We are not here to be seen. We are here for an audience of one.

Another Hebrew word, "yada," means extending the hands, casting forth praise, raising open hands in total surrender and complete trust. These are not mechanical gestures to check off a list. They are expressions that flow naturally when a heart is truly surrendered.

A good question to carry into every service: What am I bringing that I can release today? And what will I carry home that I did not bring with me?

2. Unleash Every Instrument and Voice

Scripture is not shy about instrumentation in worship.

"Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals!" - Psalm 150:3-5

God likes the drums. He likes the strings. He likes the loud cymbals. This is not a modern invention. It is right there in the Word. The Hebrew word "shabach" describes a triumphant shout, a bold and unified declaration of victory that joins with the instruments. The instruction is clear: fire up the band and worship God.

When musicians are skilled and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, something remarkable happens. A spontaneous sound can arise, a new direction can emerge mid-song, and the whole room can shift. That kind of worship cannot be manufactured. It has to be led by the Spirit.

3. Turn Up the Joy With Bold Freedom

The Hebrew word "halal" is where we get the word "hallelujah." It means to be clamorously joyful, unashamed, energetically celebrating in a way that forgets self and highlights the Lord. This is not performance. It is freedom.

"Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp." - Psalm 149:3

Banners and flags are not decoration. They are declarations. Red flags speak of the victory won through the blood of Jesus. Blue flags reflect prophetic revelation flowing in the room. Green flags point to growth in Christ. The colors themselves can reflect what the Spirit is doing in a given moment.

Dancing in worship is not a cultural add-on. It is a biblical command. And when people move together in the Spirit, not calling attention to themselves but responding to the same invisible current, something holy is happening.

If you tend to hold back, consider this: when everyone around you is releasing a shout, no one is watching you. There is freedom in that. Let it out.

4. Release the Sound With Faith in God's Word

The Hebrew word "todah" means giving thanks in advance, raising hands and voices in faith before seeing the outcome. This is worship as an act of trust. When your circumstances are heavy and your faith feels thin, you lift your hands anyway and declare what you know to be true about God.

The word "tehila" refers to the spontaneous Spirit-song, the song of high adoration that God inhabits. Psalm 22:3 says He is enthroned in the praises of His people. When a singer steps away from the prepared set and begins to sing something new in the moment, when the musicians follow a sound that was not rehearsed, that is tehila. That is God creating something in real time through surrendered people.

Can We Make God Move?

No. And that is an important distinction. We cannot manufacture the glory of God. What we can do is posture our hearts, remove the hindrances, fix our eyes on Jesus, and do what Scripture says. When He is lifted up, people are drawn to Him.

There have been moments when the glory simply came. A woman with congestive heart failure, told she might need a heart transplant, sat in a worship service and felt what she thought was a heart attack. It was God. She went back to the hospital for six hours of testing that Thursday. The doctor told her there was nothing wrong with her heart. A young man who had suffered back pain for four years was touched and left pain-free. These things were not planned. They happened in the middle of worship when people were simply seeking God together.

That is what becomes possible when a community hosts His presence.

Life Application

This week, do not wait until Sunday to prepare your heart for worship. Set aside intentional time each day to pray, to surrender, and to thank God in advance for what He is going to do, even if you cannot see it yet. When Sunday comes, walk in ready. Bring your praise. Release your burdens. Lift your hands. Open your mouth. Let the joy out.

Ask yourself these questions as you prepare:

  • Am I showing up to receive, or am I showing up to give God my worship?
  • What am I holding back in worship, and what is the fear behind that hesitation?
  • Am I worshiping in Spirit and in truth, or am I going through the motions?
  • What would it look like for me personally to press in deeper this week?

The Father is seeking people who will worship Him in Spirit and truth. The question is not whether He is looking. The question is whether you will be found.