Beyond the Weekend: Saved
Your Past, Present, and Future Rescue
The word "saved" gets used a lot in church. But what does it really mean to be saved?
In this series, we look at how salvation works. It's not just something that happened to us in the past. It's something God is doing in us right now, and something he will finish one day.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Revival Begins with Us
This year in Beyond the Weekend, journey through different biblical models of prayer—one each month. September’s focus is Corporate Prayer: praying together as the church.
Read: 2 Chronicles 6-7 | Listen: 2 Chronicles 6-7
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
After Solomon completes the Temple, he gathers Israel to dedicate it to God (2 Chronicles 6). Solomon kneels before the altar and prays, praising God for his faithfulness. Solomon knows the people will stray from the Lord in the future and asks God to forgive, restore, and show mercy to his people. God responds with his presence, reminding Solomon that he hears the prayers of his people. At the center of his answer, God calls his people to humble themselves, seek him, and turn from their sin.
Just as God called Israel back to himself before promising to heal their land, he calls his people to that same posture today. Revival does not begin with everyone else changing. It begins when “my people” turn back to God. Through Jesus, we are now part of that people—the church, the “holy nation,” and “people of God” gathered from every nation (1 Peter 2:9–10). It’s easy to point to problems around us: leaders, laws, division, or culture. But God calls us to look at our hearts first and seek him with humility, prayer, and repentance. When we surrender our lives to him, he works through us, his church, to bring his truth, love, and hope to the world around us. To see revival, let’s begin by praying, “Lord, start with me.”
TODAY: Set aside five minutes. Ask God to search your heart. Confess anything he brings to mind. Ask God to begin his work in you and use your surrendered life to bring revival.
