About reviveFLORIDA

reviveFLORIDA is a movement to unite the many believers and congregations, the Body of Christ, for the sake of seeing the community revived by the power of the Gospel. The Church is gathered together in order to equip the saints through Biblical teaching and leading believers outside the familiar church walls to share the Gospel in the streets of the community. reviveFLORIDA launched on Sunday, January 17, 2016 in Sarasota, and daily training and outreach went through Saturday February 13, 2016. Revival continued to spread and time of outreach and training moved to Manatee County from March 6 - 19, 2016. After Manatee County, we were invited to equip people who attended a Conference in Orlando because of a connection made in Dallas, TX during reviveTEXAS :: DFW in 2017. While in Orlando, we were invited by a man named Rick Deaton, who was at the conference, to come to his community in Tampa Bay region. We then did reviveFLORIDA :: Tampa in October of 2018. After Tampa we were asked if we would consider to do a more concentrated effort in the regions. So then in February of 2019 we did our first regions, Apollo Beach. From Tampa, we met a guy named Pastor Don Hamsher. Pastor Don invited us to Englewood. Check out the schedule for local outreach oppportunities in these areas.

Preparation for reviveFLORIDA began when business owner and Sarasota resident, Ryan Schrag, heard about what God was doing through the ministry of Time to Revive in his hometown of Goshen, Indiana. What began as seven days of prayer in northern Indiana exploded into seven months of prayer and outreach throughout the state, and still continues to spread to neighboring cities and towns. After seeing how God was moving through reviveINDIANA during a visit to Goshen in early 2015, Ryan began talking with pastors in Sarasota asking, "What would it look like for revival to come here?"

Ryan and these pastors began praying together and eventually reached out to Time to Revive in the summer of 2015, inviting them to come help pursue revival for Sarasota, Florida. The Lord confirmed His plans for Time to Revive to invest in Florida during a scout trip in September 2015.

Our Method

As Jesus interacted with people throughout His earthly ministry, we see this pattern emerge in His life: Jesus LOVED, He LISTENED, He DISCERNED, and then He RESPONDED as He was led by the Holy Spirit. As we equip believers to share the Gospel, we follow this pattern modeled by Jesus.

Believers are trained first to LOVE the individual, then to LISTEN to him or her, to DISCERN how the Holy Spirit is working and leading, and then to RESPOND accordingly, whether that’s to pray with the person, encourage them with Scripture, serve them in a tangible way, share the Gospel, or all of the above. Believers are trained to understand and articulate the Gospel in a clear and concise manner that makes them ready to give a reason for the hope they have whenever the Holy Spirit prompts them.

Love

"And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we also do for you." 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Listen

"A fool does not delight in understanding, but only wants to show off his opinions... The one who gives an answer before he listens -- this is foolishness and disgrace for him." Proverbs 18:2, 13

Discern

"Counsel in a man's heart is deep water; but a man of understanding draws it out." - Proverbs 20:5

Respond

"Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person." Colossians 4:5-6

GO and MAKE DISCIPLES

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands His followers to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that I commanded you." Both evangelism and discipleship are at the heart of reviveFLORIDA, and both must accompany each other in order to see true revival.

Evangelism

In Ephesians 4:11-12, Paul writes, "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."

For too long in the American church, we've assumed that evangelism is a specialized gifting or skill, and if you don't have it, you're off the hook. Both the enemy and our culture fuels this apathy with lies like "You don't know enough," or "You're going to offend people if you push your beliefs on them."

reviveFLORIDA models a different approach so that you will feel equipped to share God’s love in a way that brings life into every conversation.

Discipleship

Discipleship is key to the sustenance of reviveFLORIDA. As people encounter Christ through the reviveFLORIDA outreaches, they need someone to walk with them, showing them what it looks like to follow Jesus. They may be brand new believers or existing believers who desire to deepen their relationship with Christ. Following the model of 1 Thessalonians 2:8, it’s our desire to not only share the Gospel with our neighbors, but also our lives, as they learn and grow in their faith.

Every person who requests follow up during a reviveFLORIDA outreach is matched with a local “disciple-maker.” As a disciple-maker, you will be trained, given resources, and connected with a mentor who can help you navigate the discipleship process with your newfound brother or sister in Christ. Are you ready for God to use you to make a lasting impact in His Kingdom?