JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 3, 2015 — Spiritual revival will come if Christians live boldly for Jesus Christ, Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd told Union University students Sept. 2.
Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas, spoke in a chapel service in G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel. He said that prayer and courageous faith can bring spiritual awakening to the university, the city of Jackson and the United States as a whole.
“Three-quarters of Americans do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” Floyd said. “This is a time to advance. You are part of this large group of people: a generation that has the opportunity to change America, and a generation that has the opportunity to change the world.”
Yet no extraordinary movement of God ever began without prayer from his people, Floyd said. Prayer is a Christian’s “greatest action” and it is time to “develop such a culture of prayer” that God’s presence is felt everywhere on Union University’s campus, he said.
“That’s really God’s intention for every one of our lives,” Floyd said. “For us to experience his glory every day.”
Floyd said God has appointed today’s Christians with the opportunity to live in this time and influence the culture, but they must first evaluate the difference they are currently making.
It is time to “wake up,” Floyd said. “You really only have one shot to live, one shot to do something big in your life, and one shot to even do something big for God that will outlast you and outlive you.”
Floyd read Romans 13:11 and 1 Chronicles 12:32 to assure Christians that God intends for them to understand the times in which they are living. Understanding of the culture, Floyd explained, leads to a strategy for action.
“This is the time to rise up like never before in your life,” Floyd said. “And if you’re not careful, you’re going to miss the moment.”
Floyd referred to the lost and hurting world and pointed to God as the only answer. Christians, he said, must be willing to share that answer.
“These are days that are calling for a generation of courage,” Floyd said. “If they scorn us, so be it. If they kill us, so be it. God is greater than all of them.”
In this fast-paced world, Christians must place God at the center of their lives, Floyd said. They must be quick to ask God for their purpose, he said, and be quicker to say yes when God calls.
“God can do more in a moment than you can ever do in a lifetime,” Floyd said. “So sell out, all the way. Let’s give him our all.”
Video of Floyd’s address is available at new.livestream.com/uu/chapel.