“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. For look, darkness will cover the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lordwill shine over you, and his glory will appear over you.” (Isaiah 60:1–2, CSB)

What I believe I’ve received from the Lord I hereby affirm and declare: 2020 is our year Lifewell Church!

It will be a year when we will live out our original creed to be the city set on a hill, shining God’s light for everyone to see. The world may get darker; the news will be bad, politics more divisive and hate filled. We will become brighter. I will proclaim, and Lifewell will share, radically positive news, the Good News of Jesus, which saves from death, heals from sickness and disease, and delivers from demonically inspired irrational insanity.

The word for 2020 is: Restore.

For 20 years I’ve worked continually and received promises for phenomenal growth, and although we’ve seen periodic growth, none of it has been overwhelming. And in the past it was accompanied by struggle, then more growth, followed by lean years and leaders who left. Where was our faith, people of God? Where was our receptivity to the Holy Spirit’s anointing and urging? Where was my positive faith? “Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. Behold, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19) Perhaps you’ve heard that at the beginning of numerous years. You’ve heard me or another preacher quote it in hope. Do you believe. I do. I do.

Let us repent of our sin and unbelief. Clear away the obstacle that stand in the way of people receiving the positive message of God’s love. My sin has been complaining and frustration, turning to comfort rather than the Comforter, not believing that God loves me fully and personally. Yes, I’ve always believed “God so loved the world,” but only recently have I fully embraced his individual attention and love toward me, his mercy in spite of my sin, his grace in permitting me the privilege of ministering all these years. Where do you need to change? What do you need to confess to the Lord. What are you holding onto that is little more than a surrogate, a substitute for the real thing that your loving Heavenly Father will give. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of his benefits… who fills all your desires with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:1 & 5).

I’ve received promises for restoration of what I’ve lost. Lost love. Lost friends. Lost family. Lost years. I pass these on because they are not for me alone, but for the church I pastor, and for any believer whom the Lord will quicken to receive these words.

“Return to a stronghold, you prisoners who have hope; today I declare that I will restore double to you.” (Zechariah 9:12)

“Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us, for as many years as we have seen adversity. Let your work be seen by your servants, and your splendor by their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands— establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:15–17, CSB)

“Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God, because he gives you the autumn rain for your vindication. He sends showers for you, both autumn and spring rain as before. The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust ate, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust— my great army that I sent against you. You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied. You will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. My people will never again be put to shame. You will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.” (Joel 2:23–27, CSB)

For those of you with ears to hear. Are you paying attention? Do you receive. Don’t wait and see. Believe and see it now. No more financial struggles. No more anger and depression. No more loneliness. No more hopeless, purposeless, boring life. Jesus promised, “I have come to give a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10, NLT). Receive it if you are able. Repent if you are not!

For Lifewell Church this means no more empty seats. No more planning events that few attend. No more striving to get your attention. No more cajoling you to greet and love new people. No more complaining about limited growth. No more visitors who don’t return because people didn’t pay attention to them. Lost leaders have been replaced and more are being raised up! Lost years and lost money will be restored. I believe. It will be.