The Light in REVIVAL by Paul De Vera

It was exciting news when we caught a sneak peek of the 2014 plans for Friday Night Light. We all looked forward to a lot of things, but none can match the excitement for the first series for the year:

PRAYERS OF REVIVAL.

Revival, defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the growth of something or an increase in the activity of something after a long period of no growth or activity”, is close to the heart of FNL as a ministry. In this family, we have seen broken people come and be “revived”. People who seemed so down and discouraged they can never smile again, and yet after hearing God’s words and experiencing His presence, deep joy becomes all of sudden real to them. I am a testament of such ­– there is indeed a power of transformation and revival in the presence of the Lord. And so we all felt it was a very relevant series – exciting, awe-inspiring, and to say the least, convicting.

Early in January, we kicked off the series with BEGINANEW: The Upward Call to Breakthrough. It is quite normal to think that REVIVAL is all about waiting for the forthcoming breakthrough, that all out game-changer moment that comes to pass and sweeps one off his or her feet. We all wait for things like that – an improvement in one aspect, a confirmation for a desire, a healing of whatever it is that was broken and needed mending – and as we witnessed the prayer of Habakkuk, we were treated to a lesson we sort of, kind of, missed along the way:

GOD IS THE BREAKTHROUGH.

We always attribute victory, revival, and blessings when the trials have passed. But Speaker Mike Yap shared something that hit not just me but most of those who were with FNL on its first Friday for 2014: we can be victorious even in trials, because we know God is sticking with us through the battles. There’s a promised victory after every trouble, a silver lining on every dark cloud, a rainbow after every storm. It was a message filled with so much hope--an appropriate light starter for the whole series and for the whole year as well.

I then gave the second message for January 24, CHANGE OF HEART: Sparking a True Renewal. In the message we shifted the view of “praying for revival”. Often, we cry out to God and hope for the better days but one prayer of revival in the Bible did not cry out for such a thing. Instead it was a prayer of humility – of confession and repentance – without asking for anything in return.

Such is the prayer of Ezra, one character unknown to many, including myself. Deep-diving into his ministry for God brought so much realization to me: revival happens when we get a change of heart. Sounds easy, I know, but when we broke it down to its details, we saw how difficult it was for Ezra’s people to keep up with rules, obey, and stay out of trouble. Good thing a true renewal is sparked by the coming of Christ in one's life and ways.

At the end of it all, CHRIST IS ALL. He is all we need for that change of heart. His blood has already sparked a true renewal, and living a life in submission to His will definitely gives birth to REVIVAL.

Just last Friday, Friday Night Light celebrated its 2nd Year Anniversary, and timely that we tackled a prayer of revival uttered by no less than Jesus (The Lord’s Prayer). Entitled THY KINGDOM COME

FNL was treated once again to a Christocentric approach to revival, this time focusing on accepting the will of God. The Kingdom of God is both present and future, as the speaker shared. It was Jesus, when He came to this world to redeem us. It is His kingdom coming back and redeeming us from all evil, something that we pray will happen when we shout:

"MARANATHA", which means 'Come Jesus, come.'

That night was so special because we commemorated FNL’s humble beginnings by asking servant-leaders to give one-liner testimonies of how they were able to overcome through Christ in their struggles. A lesbian, a porn addict, those sexually abused, those who struggled with identity and insecurity, and yes, even those who have done it all – spoke and encouraged the attendees. It was indeed all through Christ that has enabled a true revival in all of our lives.

We worshipped with knees bent, with hands raised up to the heavens, and I can personally attest that it was one of the most meaningful times of worship we’ve ever had in Friday Night Light. Indeed, God is moving and indeed God is present!

There are more Prayers of Revival to be tackled in the coming Fridays, so I do invite you to journey with us as we look into the Scriptures for the countless prayers of revival interceded by God’s chosen people. There is no better way to understand REVIVAL that to see it happening, and see that it has happened in history countless times as well.

Join us every Friday at CCF Makati, A. Venue Mall, 8PM at

Friday Night Light: Prayers of Revival Series.