Read: Nehemiah 8:1-10 (KJV)
1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Message:-
In the past two days, we have examined what causes the need for revival and the divine template God has established for obtaining revival from heaven. The question we will be considering today is this: Does the Church of the 21st century need revival? I strongly believe the answer to this question is yes. You may wonder why I believe so. When you critically look around you with the eyes of the spirit, you will observe several things that have resulted in the Church falling short of the glory of God in this modern generation. You will also observe that it is increasingly becoming difficult to uphold biblical principles in the public arena in many nations of the world, especially in the western world. The mention of the Bible, reading of any portion of Scripture, and the observance of devotional prayers are outlawed in academic institutions at all levels, in offices, and in other public places in some nations that were previously proud to be identified as Christian nations just few years ago. The Church has consequently toned down the commandments of God and stepped down Bible doctrines in many places whenever it is opposed by the acceptable culture and popular opinion of the people. The church, including some very big denominations, has clearly departed from biblical doctrine on issues relating to salvation, mercy-killing, marriage, divorce, remarriage, abortion, homosexuality and many more issues.

As seen in today’s memory verse, in every generation, God is always seeking for watchman who will speak His mind to the people, irrespective of the circumstances, warning them against doing things that are contrary to His will. Many Christians, including prominent Christian’s leaders, have openly abdicated this responsibility in public places because of the fear of losing face. If we will please God, we must stand firm in the sound teaching of His word (Ezekiel 3:17-21). This is where the problem lies: many preachers and teachers of the word are no longer warning the Church against apostasy and wickedness because of the fear of losing “valuable” members. Our Lord Jesus Christ sent messages of warning to the seven Churches in Asia, and we also must do the same today (Revelations 2-3). We must stand firm on genuine repentance as demanded and witnessed in Proverbs 28:13, Acts 3:19, 2nd Samuel 12:13 and Psalm 51:3-4.