What if the problem isn’t that we’re not praying enough, but that we’re praying in the wrong order?

In today’s message, “Steadfast in Prayer,” Part 7 of Pastor Dan Harrison’s State of the Church — Romans Series, we’re challenged to examine the role prayer plays in our daily lives, our decisions, and the mission of the church.

Drawing from Romans 12:12, Pastor Dan reminds us of the Apostle Paul’s instruction:

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

But what does it really mean to be constant, faithful, persistent, and steadfast in prayer?

Too often, our natural response to life’s challenges is to act first and pray afterward. We react, make decisions, develop plans, and sometimes even panic before bringing our circumstances before God.

Pastor Dan challenges us to reverse that order.

Pray, then act. Pray, then respond. Pray, then plan.

Throughout the Book of Acts, we discover that the early church didn’t simply include prayer in its activities. Prayer was the foundation of everything it did.

From the disciples waiting for the Holy Spirit to the appointment of church leaders and the spreading of the Gospel, believers remained devoted, steadfast, faithful, and persistent in prayer.

Prayer wasn’t their last resort. It was their starting point.

But this message goes beyond the importance of prayer in church leadership and ministry. Pastor Dan also addresses the personal struggles that can interfere with our relationship with God.

What happens when serving becomes more important than spending time with the Father? What happens when we begin finding our identity in what we do rather than in who God says we are?

And perhaps most importantly, what happens when we’ve prayed for something for years, but the answer still hasn’t come?

Pastor Dan reminds us that prayer isn’t simply about getting what we want from God. It’s about developing a relationship with Him, learning to trust His heart, and remaining faithful even when circumstances don’t change.

Through Romans 12:12, Acts 1:14, Acts 2:42, Acts 6:4, and Colossians 4:2, we discover how persistent prayer transforms our priorities, strengthens our faith, and prepares the church to accomplish God’s purposes.

Lean In

As you listen to today’s message, lean in to what Pastor Dan has to share. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak directly to your heart.

Is prayer the driving force of your life, or has it become your last resort?

Are you allowing God to direct your decisions, or are you asking Him to bless plans you’ve already made?

And is there someone or something you’ve stopped praying for because the answer hasn’t come?

Today’s Takeaway

Put prayer first.

Before you react, pray.
Before you make your plans, pray.
Before you give up, pray again.

And when the answer doesn’t come immediately, remember that God may be doing something in your heart while you’re waiting for Him to work in your circumstances.

Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop trusting. Don’t stop believing in the faithfulness of God.

Because a transformed church begins with believers who are devoted to prayer.

There is always hope.

In Part 4 of Pastor Dan Harrison’s “State of the Church” Romans Series, Pastor Dan continues exploring what happens when the Gospel doesn’t simply inform what we believe but actually transforms the way we live.

In today’s message, “Results of Transformation,” Pastor Dan draws from Romans 12, where Paul describes a transformed community of believers living differently because of what Jesus has done. The message centers on the powerful command of Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

But what does biblical hope actually mean?

For Paul, hope isn’t wishful thinking. It isn’t crossing our fingers and hoping circumstances eventually work out. Christian hope is rooted in what Jesus Christ has already accomplished through His death and resurrection and in the promise that He is coming again.

That means our circumstances don’t get the final word.

Pastor Dan reminds us from Romans 8:36–39 that believers are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” and that nothing—death, life, the present, the future, or anything else in creation—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

That is why we can rejoice in hope, even while walking through uncertainty and tribulation.

The church doesn’t need gimmicks to manufacture hope. People facing pain, loneliness, fear, hopelessness, and questions about their purpose need something far greater: the transforming reality of the resurrected Jesus.

When the Gospel has genuinely transformed our hearts, that transformation should become visible in the way we love, serve, endure hardship, pray, use the gifts God has given us, and live together as the Body of Christ.

As you listen today, lean in to what Pastor Dan has to share. Ask God to quiet the voices telling you that your circumstances are hopeless and allow Him to speak His truth into your heart.

Today’s Takeaway: What voice are you allowing to define your future—your circumstances, the people around you, or the promises of God?

Whatever you’re facing today, remember:

Rejoice in hope.
Be patient in tribulation.
Be constant in prayer.

Because in Jesus Christ, there is always hope.

What happens when you’ve prayed, cried out to God, and the answer still hasn’t come? What do you do when your faith feels small and the situation in front of you seems impossible?

Today we’re grateful to welcome Pastor Bill Donovan back to share God’s Word with us. Pastor Bill served in ministry for more than 40 years, including many years as a lead pastor. He and his wife have now returned to their home church here at Ravenna Assembly of God.

In today’s message, “Faith, Little or Great, Does It Matter?”, Pastor Bill takes us into two powerful encounters found in Matthew 15:21–28 and Matthew 14:22–33.

In Matthew 15, a desperate Canaanite woman comes to Jesus pleading for her daughter. She refuses to walk away. Her desperate faith becomes persistent faith, and her persistent faith becomes unwavering faith. Jesus ultimately responds, “O woman, great is your faith,” and her daughter is healed.

Then, in Matthew 14, we see Peter step out of the boat and walk toward Jesus on the water. When Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and begins to sink, he cries out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reaches out His hand and catches him. Peter may have had “little faith,” but even that little faith was enough to step out of the boat and walk toward Jesus.

Through these two stories, Pastor Bill reminds us that faith is ultimately about trust—who we place our trust in. Whether your faith feels desperate, persistent, unwavering, or even very small, the answer remains the same: keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Keep trusting. Don’t give up.

Maybe you’re praying for a prodigal child, struggling in your marriage, battling an addiction, facing difficulties at work, needing provision, or carrying a situation that seems impossible. Jesus knows where you are, understands what you are facing, and invites you to keep walking with Him through it.

As you listen today, lean in to what Pastor Bill has to share. Ask God to quiet the distractions around you and speak directly to your heart through His Word.

Today’s Takeaway: Identify the situation where you are most tempted to give up. Instead of walking away discouraged, bring it to Jesus again. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Hold on to Jesus and choose to trust Him—even when you cannot yet see the answer.

Your faith may feel small today, but keep walking toward Jesus.

What happens when the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us begins to change the way we live outside the walls of the church?

In today’s message, “Internal Fire, External Focus,” guest speakers Chuck and Wilma Lormis challenge us to tend the fire God has placed within our hearts—and allow that fire to impact the world around us.

Chuck and Wilma serve as Missions Cultivators, helping local churches grow a heart for missions and encouraging believers to take part in reaching people with the Gospel both near and far. After decades of pastoral and missionary ministry, they now work to strengthen the missions foundation of the local church and help believers embrace their role in the Great Commission.

Beginning in Leviticus 6:12–13, Chuck points to God’s command that the fire on the altar was to be kept burning continually: “It shall not go out.” God started the fire, but the priests were responsible for tending it.

That same picture challenges us today. God ignites the fire, but we must continually tend our relationship with Him through prayer, His Word, worship, repentance, and time in His presence.

Wilma takes that picture further through Acts 1:8 and Acts 2:1–4, reminding us that the fire of the Holy Spirit was never intended to remain contained within us. The Holy Spirit gives believers power to become witnesses for Jesus.

Using the three elements necessary for a physical fire—oxygen, heat, and fuel—Wilma gives us a powerful picture of maintaining our spiritual fire. We need time waiting in God’s presence, the power and leading of the Holy Spirit, and a willingness to place ourselves on the altar and surrender our desires to Him.

But an internal fire must produce an external focus.

If the Holy Spirit is truly transforming our hearts, it should affect our families, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, communities, and ultimately the world. As Chuck reminds us from Jeremiah 20:9, when God’s Word becomes like a fire within us, eventually we reach the place where we simply cannot hold it in.

What could happen if every believer began tending their own spiritual altar? What could God do through a church filled with people who arrive already hungry for His presence and ready to carry the Gospel beyond its walls?

As you listen today, lean in to what Chuck and Wilma have to share. Ask God to speak directly to your heart through this message. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything that may be weakening the fire within you—and give Him permission to rekindle it.

Today’s Takeaway: Don’t depend on someone else to keep your spiritual fire burning. Tend your altar. Seek His presence. Surrender what needs to be surrendered. Then take that fire beyond the walls of the church.

🔥 Keep the internal fire burning—and let it create an external difference.

What do you do when God tells you to go—but doesn’t give you all the details?

In today’s message, “Even Though, Go,” guest speaker Rusty Nottingham takes us into Acts 8:26–39, where Philip receives a simple instruction from God: go down the desert road. Philip isn’t given a complete plan, a timeline, or an explanation. He simply obeys—and his obedience places him directly in the path of an Ethiopian official who is searching for answers.

That divine appointment becomes an incredible reminder that sometimes God gives us clarity after we take the first step, not before.

Rusty challenges us to consider how often we may miss what God is doing because we are waiting for every detail to fall into place. We want the complete plan. We want certainty. We want to know where the road leads before we start walking. But faith often requires us to move while we are still unsure of what comes next.

As Rusty puts it, our responsibility is obedience; the outcome belongs to God.

Rusty Nottingham serves as the President of CitiReach, a ministry based in Akron, Ohio, that exists to reach people far from God with the hope of Jesus. CitiReach serves overlooked and underserved communities through outreach events, food initiatives, mentoring programs, youth programs, dinner church, creative arts, and relational ministry—walking alongside people and sharing the love of Jesus in tangible ways.

During this message, Rusty also shares how CitiReach has been living out this very principle. After sensing God calling the ministry to expand without knowing exactly where that would lead, they began preparing and saying yes. Through a remarkable series of confirmations and relationships, God opened the door for CitiReach to begin expanding its ministry into Kenya, partnering with local believers to reach children, youth, and families with the Gospel.

Maybe God has already been nudging you toward something.

Maybe there is a conversation you need to have. A person you need to reach out to. A ministry you need to serve in. A step of faith you need to take. Maybe your struggle isn’t that God hasn’t spoken—it’s that you’re still waiting for all the details.

As you listen today, lean in to what Rusty has to share. Ask God to quiet the distractions around you and speak clearly to your heart through this message.

And here is today’s challenge:

What is the “go” God has placed in front of you—and what would happen if you simply said yes?

Even though you may not understand everything.
Even though you may feel unqualified.
Even though the timing may not seem perfect.
Even though you cannot see the entire road ahead.

Go.

Take the first step, trust God with the outcome, and see what He can do with your yes.

What if church was never meant to feel like something you attend—but like a family you belong to?

In “Family System,” Part 5 of Pastor Dan Harrison’s State of the Church: Romans Series, we continue through Romans 12:9–13 and focus on Paul’s command to:

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” — Romans 12:10

Pastor Dan explains that the word Paul uses for this kind of love is rooted in family affection. It goes beyond friendliness, politeness, or simply seeing familiar faces on Sunday morning. Paul is calling believers to treat one another like family.

That message would have been especially powerful for the church in Rome, where Jewish and Gentile believers—people from dramatically different backgrounds—were worshiping together. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, people who normally would not have shared the same table were being brought into the same family.

That raises an important question for us today:

How big is our circle?

We naturally surround ourselves with people who are familiar, comfortable, and similar to us. But Jesus repeatedly challenged people to expand that circle. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, He showed that loving our neighbor often means making room for someone we never expected to include.

The same is true of the Church.

There are people looking for Jesus who may first be looking for something much simpler: a place to belong. Some have experienced church hurt. Others have little family support. Some simply need someone willing to say, “There’s room at my table for you.”

Pastor Dan also challenges the consumer mindset that can easily creep into church life. Consumers leave bad reviews and walk away when something disappoints them. Families have conversations, work through conflict, and become part of the solution.

The question becomes: Am I merely consuming church, or am I helping build a healthy church family?

Lean In

As you listen to “Family System,” lean in and ask God to speak directly to your heart. Ask Him to show you where your circle may need to grow, where a relationship needs reconciliation, or where He is asking you to move from being a consumer to becoming an active, loving part of His family.

Today’s Takeaway: Find one person outside your normal circle this week. Learn their name, invite them into a conversation, share a meal, send a message, or simply make room for them. Ask God to help you become the kind of person who makes others feel that they truly belong in the body of Christ.

The Church becomes powerful when people who normally would never sit at the same table discover that, through Jesus, they are family.

#FamilySystem #StateOfTheChurch #Romans12 #ChurchFamily #BodyOfChrist #ChristianCommunity #BrotherlyLove #ChristianUnity #ChurchGrowth #AuthenticRelationships #PastorDanHarrison #RavennaAssemblyOfGod

Join us as we welcome Pastor Jaipaul Singh in his first sermon as the Next Generation Pastor at Ravenna Assembly of God. In this powerful message, “Soul Reset,” Pastor Jaipaul challenges us to rethink what true rest really means.

In a world that celebrates constant productivity, busy schedules, and endless accomplishments, Jesus offers something far greater: rest for our souls. Through the example of Christ’s own life, Pastor Jaipaul shows that biblical rest is far more than taking a vacation, getting extra sleep, or simply slowing down. True rest is found in surrendering every burden, every success, every fear, and every unanswered question to Jesus Christ.

Drawing from Matthew 11:29 and numerous examples throughout the Gospels, this message reveals how Jesus consistently withdrew to spend time with the Father before major decisions, after great victories, during seasons of grief, and even in His greatest moments of suffering. If the Son of God modeled intentional dependence upon the Father, how much more should we?

Whether you’re carrying the weight of family responsibilities, work stress, financial pressures, ministry, disappointment, or the expectations you’ve placed on yourself, this sermon will encourage you to stop striving and begin surrendering.

Key Scripture:

Matthew 11:29 (ESV)“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why soul rest is different from physical rest.
• The hidden danger of making productivity an idol.
• How Jesus modeled a rhythm of prayer, withdrawal, and dependence.
• Why “Rest Requires Release.”
• The life-changing question every believer should ask:
  “How is it with your soul?”

This message is an invitation to lay down the burdens you’ve been carrying and trust the One who never intended for you to carry them alone.

Lean In

As you listen today, don’t simply hear another sermon—invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Ask God to reveal anything you’ve been carrying that He never asked you to bear. Allow Him to replace your striving with His peace and your exhaustion with His presence.

This week’s challenge:
Take intentional time every day to step away from the noise, surrender your burdens to Christ, and honestly ask yourself:

“How is it with my soul?”

True rest isn’t found in doing less—it’s found in resting in the One who has already done everything.

Results of Transformation | State of the Church, Part 4

What does real spiritual transformation look like in everyday life?

In “Results of Transformation,” Part 4 of Pastor Dan Harrison’s State of the Church: Romans Series, we continue through Romans 12 and look at the practical evidence of a life being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

This week’s message focuses especially on Romans 12:9 and 12:11:

“Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

Pastor Dan explains that Paul’s command to “abhor” evil means more than simply saying we dislike sin. It carries the idea of recoiling from it—recognizing something that can pull us away from God and immediately turning in another direction.

But sometimes repeatedly fighting the same behavior is like driving a car that is out of alignment while constantly pulling on the steering wheel. We may try harder to control anger, addiction, gossip, insecurity, or unhealthy coping habits without ever allowing God to address what is underneath them.

Instead of simply holding the wheel tighter, God invites us to let Him look under the hood.

The Holy Spirit wants to bring healing to the wounds, insecurities, fears, loneliness, and pain that can continually pull our lives out of alignment.

Paul then gives the opposite command: hold fast to what is good. Pastor Dan explains this as something much stronger than occasionally choosing what is right. It carries the idea of attaching ourselves so closely to what is good that we become inseparable from it.

Philippians 4:8–9 reminds us to fill our minds with what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. God is not someone we visit for a few hours on Sunday. The Holy Spirit desires to remain with us through Monday morning, our workplace, our homes, our struggles, and every decision we make.

Romans 12:11 then challenges us not to hesitate when God calls. When the Spirit says go, go. When He says speak, speak. When He asks you to pray, serve, encourage, or step beyond your comfort zone—just do it.

Finally, Pastor Dan points to Romans 1:1, where the Apostle Paul introduces himself simply as “a servant of Christ Jesus.” Paul did not merely serve God occasionally; being God’s servant was part of his identity.

Lean In

As you listen to “Results of Transformation,” lean in and ask God to speak personally to you. Ask the Holy Spirit: Where am I out of alignment? What am I entertaining that I should be recoiling from? What good things do I need to cling to more closely? And where have I been hesitating when You have already told me to move?

Today’s takeaway: Identify one area where you know God has been speaking. Stop delaying. Take one concrete step of obedience this week—and trust the One who designed you to bring your life back into alignment.

#ResultsOfTransformation #StateOfTheChurch #Romans12 #SpiritualTransformation #HolySpirit #ChristianLiving #ServeTheLord #RenewYourMind #FaithInAction #PastorDanHarrison