The day of Revival is a massive prayer rally organized by the CRL in which we seek the annointing and leading from the Lord for all the works of the CRL in that year. The CRL calender begins from the day of revival and ends in the next in the following year. therefore in order to be certain of the Lord's leading and presence in all our actvities we celebrate each year a day called The Day of Revival in which we bring together all our participants at our weekly and monthly meetings under one roof and spend a day in praise, worship and adoration seeking the face and outpouring of the Lord! Preparation is usually massive, massive not only because we need to home participants close to eight, nine thousand but also because if not for the leading of the Lord, all our activities will become invain.
The theme for this year was
"All who are thirsty come to me; out of your depths will flow rivers of living water".
They key note address was given by his Lordship Bishop Julian Portius (Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney) whose presence was indeed by divine appointment. The Community met him during our mission trip to Australia where he came to inaugurate the four step retreat in Australia. Bishop Portius is a writer who has authored many books and has vast knowledge on revival movements as ours that operate all over the world.
In his message his Lordship shared beauty-fully about the baptism of the holy spirit and stressed on each Christian's responsibility towards evangelizing in taking the living waters to the corners of the world. The Lordship's message did not only give us the wealth of knowledge but spoke deeply into our hearts about the grace and mercy of the Living waters that poured out from Jesus at the cross.
Adoration of the blessed sacrament followed immediately which took the place by storm. It was not wish-full thinking, Jesus was truly present! He was enthroned on the praise of his people and words cant even come close to express the heavenly experience that swept across that place. The most holy sacrament placed majestically on that stage illuminated grace and mercy on all those who gathered.
we invite you to read a few experiences written by those who participated that day! after all words are all we have. May God be glorified!
"All of us came to him thirsty, and he so graciously showered down his living water"
What a day..!! I wish I knew better English, then I would atleast know a few more words than amazing, wonderful and super to explain the experience I had on that day. I have participated in huge rallies and crusades before and have felt the anointing in a tremendous way but the difference I could point out between those experiences and the experience I had on the day of revival is that I had a personal encounter. I met Jesus! Amidst of a crowd that was hungering for more of God it would have been totally normal to have an experience “as a crowd” but not here, it was beyond a common experience it was a personal encounter.
The worship before the holy sacrament was just blissful… I did not want to move as I was too scared that I would lose it! There was Jesus seated on the throne so faithful to his word, he was just there! Alive! The fountain of living water - pouring out his mercy and grace on the people who had gathered there.. and im thinking who am I? what have I done to deserve such a visitation.
With people thronging around in thousands, the king of kings gave me a personal encounter and I know it was not just me. It was the same for every single person. I'm sure every single person who came went back feeling the same. I lack words to describe the outpouring that took place on the greatest day of revival, I have no words to express the joy that I saw on the people dancing away after the anointing service
We can only thank God - Our sovereign King for his grace upon our lives and stand in awe of his majesty. And the theme could not be any better. All of us came to him thirsty, and he so graciously showered down his living water – wait no – he did not shower it down; he came down, carried us in his arms and fed us through a feeding bottle. Such was the intimacy! Such was the love! An individual encounter for each and every person! only after tasting that water am i now convinced that nothing - absolutely nothing else can ever quench the thirst of our hearts!
I know only two languages which are English and Sinhala but I don't think any of these languages has a word to describe that AWESOME experience!! It was "HEAVENLY"
That day only I knew that a man could shed so much of tears because I shed alot of tears from my eyes from the very 1st hymn till the last. There I told JESUS that HE'S too much for me, HIS love is too much for me!! I'm sure I felt about myself sameway how St.Peter felt when JESUS did a miracle heping him to catch fish. Though Lalith thaththa had requested us in advance to do a confession before the Revival Day, I didn't do one because my sinfulness was too big to give it up until the eve of Revival Day. Such was a sinner myself! But the most amazing thing was that JESUS made the very 1st hymn itself to be a confession within me and I cried because HIS love was too much for me!!
It was crystal clear that this experience was entirely driven by the forces in heaven otherwise one event can't be successful this much if it was just a human effort.I'm confident that not a single person went back home without this AMAZING experience!!
I'm an old boy of St.Joseph's College and never imagined during my 13years of college life that I'd experience GOD in a mighty way at the Beira grounds. This was the ground we played cricket everyday during the interval, this was the ground we danced without any true joy when there were carnivals, this was the ground that we had old boys gatherings and matches consuming alcohol and cigarattes and this was the ground that we found and exit to jump out of the school during school hours. I never thought that I'll find my loving JESUS on the same ground in this way. I sang for JESUS and I danced out of joy like king david with true joy!!
Following day morning when I reflected on my thoughts about this event, what came to my mind was that we didn't go on a cruise trip on Saturday, neither we went on a shopping tour to bangkok nor a weekend at Nilaweli beach. We didn't have to spend thousands of money. Yet we experienced a joy that non of these places or our money could offer us! How it happened? I really don't know!! I'm seriously AMAIZED!!
JESUS is alive!! Thank YOU JESUS for loving us so much!! Thank YOU for Sydney Bishop, for Lalith thaththa, CRL and the entire group who was behind this massive success!!
It was real FIRE!!! The FIRE that everyone disires for!!!
FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!
