DIVE IN AND THRIVE IN 2025

It will be a year to dive into the Word of God, His presence, and focus more than ever on the things of God so that we and those around us can thrive in the power of His Spirit. We won’t settle for just His omnipresence; we need His Manifest Presence. There is a movement happening around the country called “Presence Movement.” More on this in just a bit.

Things are going to be quite different in 2025. It will not be church as usual, as we've always known it. Therefore, we must prepare for the harvest that God has for us. Ask yourself, what do I want my church to look like twenty years from now and what am I called to do to help facilitate that?

Let's start off with a familiar scripture.

^“ Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17 NKJV)

Referring to this scripture, Pastor Todd Coconato said, “We cannot remain in the old thing and expect to thrive in the new year… God is calling us to lay down our old ways, old habits, old mindsets so that we can fully receive the new thing He is pouring out into our lives and in our ministry ….”

 That brings to mind the question how can we “dive in” so that we can “Thrive in 2025?” Let’s take a dive into 2025 in these four ways.

Diligent – “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV)     

We must be diligent in our pursuit of the Lord. Oftentimes we are quick to quote verse 11 before reading verse 13. We all want that “good plan “God has for us. But instead of seeking Him for what He can do for us, let's seek Him in prayer and worship more than ever before. Then, we will know what He wants us to do not what we want to do.

Look at 1 John 2:15-17 for reminder to not live for ourselves but for the Lord ready to not follow the ways of the world but the ways of the Lord.

Intentional – ^“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

In this next year we are going to need to be more intentional about being aware of the needs around us to reach lost and hurting people. That means we need to make an effort to reach out to initiate conversation with others. Some folks argue that If the Holy Spirit wants to reach a particular person, He can do it all on His own. There is a truth to that however one of my favorite quotes by author Henry Blackaby says, “God chooses to work through people. Look to see where He is moving and join him.”

Here is another scripture to look at later - Ephesians 5:15-16.

Vigilant - No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:4 NKJV)

Using the word vigilant here I'm not saying to be riotous or anything like that. What I am saying is let's be bold and take a stand for truth. In Acts 28:31, look at what is said about the Apostle Paul – “boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.”

One more verse – “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;” (1 Peter 3:15 NKJV)

Read and study your bible, join a study bible group to prepare to have biblical answers for those who ask.

Oh, in case you're concerned that you won't know what to say, check out Matthew 10:19,20.

Embrace - To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

We start off here with a common scripture that is often quoted but are we truly ready to walk it out? Look again at Matthew 9:17 ^“Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Another scripture – “Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:9 NKJV)

I often say, change, even when it's for the good it's not always easy. We're living in a very different society today. Our churches need to have a vision to prepare for a harvest of hurting, broken people. Some adjustments are needed for reaching the people in our churches and communities. The message never changes but sometimes the methods do. Sadly, many churches have drifted away from foundational doctrines, the importance of discipleship and being prepared to have something to offer to show people the path to repentance, forgiveness, transformation, and hope. I once heard a pastor say, “The way you birth them is the way you have to keep them.“  We must be prepared to show them the truth to a transformed life. People don’t need gimmicks; they need an encounter with God.

Talking about the year 2025, Bible teacher Mario Murillo says the following: “The fastest growing churches in America will feature the presence of God, true worship, deep repentance, signs and wonders, and a focus on preaching the doctrines of the Bible. For the first time, they will grow faster than the attraction churches.”

As I close one more thing to address is a phrase I mentioned in the very beginning. The phrase is “Presence Movement.“ It is happening especially among the younger generation, but really in all ages. People are hungry for the presence of God. They are hungry to be in an environment where Holy Spirit power is present to give them hope to be transformed and set them free.

We need to make worshiping Jesus a priority and realize the power of praise and worship in spiritual warfare. Mario Murillo mentioned deep repentance along with signs and wonders. That happens when Jesus is the focus of our worship, and we experience His manifest presence. It’s not about how hip the band is. Rather, are they fulfilling their biblical responsibility as a modern-day Levitical priesthood to lead the people into the inner courts of worship. This means we need to get back to the altar. The altars need to be open during worship and we need to get back to the altar calls that call people to repentance, transformation, and hope.

Well, I’ve shared a lot in this blog. Friend, are you ready to be a part of the next Great Awakening? Let’s be Diligent, Intentional, Vigilant, and Embrace the new as we Dive in and Thrive in 2025!