We recently had the privilege of sitting down with Keith Nix, Lead Pastor of The Lift Church, and hearing his heart for revival! Check it out!
Caleb:
Everyone in here knows you as the Lead Pastor of The Lift, but your platform reaches much farther. Tell us a little about your background in ministry; how long you’ve been doing this and some highlights from your journey thus far?
Pastor Keith:
Well, Good morning! Good to be with you. The place to start is in Ephesians where it says “We were chosen with Christ in God before the foundation of the world” but that is a little farther back than you wanted to go, right? (Laughs)
When I was just five years old I had an encounter with Jesus that marked my life forever. I was baptized in the Holy Ghost at age nine, and actually preached my first message at 15. At age 16 I had a weekly radio program I preached on, and was known in school as the “High School Preacher”. God gave me a measure of influence, they even did a front page news story on me.
Caleb:
Wow – at age sixteen?
Pastor Keith:
Yes, around that age. We’ve tried finding the article but have not been able to with it being a little more than a decade ago. (Laughs)
In 1996 I went into what we call “full-time” ministry. I hate those terms because I believe everyone is a full-time minister. Kayla is a full-time minister at her school. Buck is a full-time minister where he works. I use that vernacular because we understand it, but we want to be part of the generation that changes the culture. By God’s grace I have preached on four continents since those early years, in dozens of nations, and have probably made fifty to seventy-five trips overseas. I’ve preached in large churches, small churches, no churches (Laughs), and I have seen God do some amazing things.
Caleb:
This is cool! I mean, c’mon at age sixteen he had his own radio program. At sixteen I was rolling houses. (Laughs) You have been following God for almost your entire life!
One of the things I am most excited to hear you touch on is what you see happening next. There are a million voices out there saying a million different things about what they think God is going to do next. While I think their intention is to help point people in the right direction, at times it seems to pull the church farther into the fog. One minute you hear Jesus is coming soon and then you hear there is going to be a great outpouring. Which is it? What would you say to help cut through the fog? What do you feel God is actually about to do?
Pastor Keith:
I firmly believe the next thing on Heaven’s calendar is an awakening of Revival. But right now we are in a season of preparation. Matthew Henry said in his commentary many years ago, and I paraphrase: The church never brings revival, but when God gets ready to bring revival He awakens His church, so that when the awakening comes, the church will not be embarrassed. Basically he was saying that it is not the church that is the catalyst for revival, it is God moving by His Spirit, but He begins with us. Peter said judgment begins in the House of God. So, in saying all of this, I am convinced the next thing on Heaven’s agenda is an Awakening.
I firmly believe the next thing on Heaven's calendar is an awakening. @KeithNix Share on X
Our generation, made up of all ages, but especially yours, needs to see a great awakening. I am talking about a real move of the spirit that shakes us and challenges us to get out of the ordinary; out of the norm. We haven’t seen that. We’ve seen pockets of God moving and some wonderful things take place, but what I’m speaking of is something generation-wide that cannot be ignored. Something more than a “One Day Headline”. The “Jesus-movement” was probably the last thing our nation experienced that was even close to what I’m talking about.
I don’t want to get too far off topic, but I am a little surprised that I keep hearing people say we need the “Third Great Awakening”. I’m surprised because the 1st great awakening happened in the 1700’s and was a part of the founding of our nation. The 2nd great awakening happened in the 1800’s. I personally believe that the 3rd great awakening was Azusa Street, happening in the early 1900’s, more people are walking in the life of the spirit as a result of what happened there 110 years ago. My point is, I believe there has already been more than two great awakenings in our nation. But we are contending for another great awakening. I believe the Jesus Movement was a great awakening. I was born right at the end, but it was a phenomenal movement. Thirty thousand people were baptized in the pacific ocean on one Saturday afternoon. TIME had put out a magazine “God Is Dead”. A year or two later they had another magazine with a picture of Jesus on it that said “The Jesus Movement”. That was truly an awakening and what God did then, I believe He wants to do now. The similarities are in place, yet I believe this awakening will be even greater than the former.
Caleb:
Over the years you have taken some heat for putting such a strong emphasis on ministering to young people. You’re clearly gifted and well able to minister to people of all ages, so I must ask the question, Why is it that you have focused so diligently on this generation?
Pastor Keith:
Well, first of all because God called me to. At a younger age I received prophetic words about preaching to thousands of young people. To be honest, when I was younger I did not want those words to be of God because I was raised up under the misconception that youth ministry was only a stepping stone to “real” ministry. That’s stupid but that was how people viewed it. That was what I thought as well, but I now realize that youth and children’s ministry is the real ministry.
When D.L. Moody was dying they asked him, if able, what would he have done differently in his ministry. He saw thousands and thousands come to Christ, yet in response to that question he stated he would devote his entire ministry to children. Now you must realize, Moody was the Billy Graham of his day. Can you imagine Graham saying that? Moody’s wife asked him one night as he returned home from a crusade how many got saved, to which he responded two and a half. She laughed and said “Oh, two adults and one child.” He said “No honey, two children and one adult. The adult has already lived half their life, the children still have all their life to go.” So, through hearing testimonies like these, God turned me around and caused me to realize the value of ministering to young people.
Fifteen years ago God birthed a dream inside of me of the Josiah Generation. He showed me just as Josiah, a young man, was the last godly king before judgment, so now there will also be a Josiah generation before Christ’s return. They will not keep judgment from coming to America and the world, but they will lead the greatest revival this world has ever seen. That’s my passion; that’s my heart. We have taken a little bit of heat for it, but it’s worth it all.
Caleb:
Was there a moment that you distinctly remember “the lights coming on” and you realized you had been marked for the purpose of awakening?
Pastor Keith:
The answer to that is yes and no. There were moments when I was young that I think that light began to dawn upon me. I couldn’t describe it then, but I remember hearing stories of how God would move in the past and it awakened something deep within me that God had put there. I’d hear stories of mass healings and miracles, stories of A.A. Allen and H. Richard Hall meetings and I’d excuse myself to go outside. They all thought I was playing, but actually I didn’t want them to see me cry. I remember looking up to heaven numerous times saying “God, I want to do that.” At first I don’t know that my motives were totally pure but as I’ve grown older God has worked to purify my motives. I just want what people consider abnormal christianity. I’ve read the book of Acts and I know that it is really Normal christianity. What we’ve been experiencing is abnormal. I want to get back to biblical Christianity.
Caleb:
You’ve been burning for God since you were a little boy. We’ve all seen those who were once on fire for a short period of time and then went back to their old life of compromise and complacency. How have you avoided that trap? What practices have you developed to keep the fire burning?
Pastor Keith:
That’s a great question. First you’ve got to be intentional about it. If you’re going to keep the fire burning then you’ve got to recognize that it is the tendency of fire to go out. Practically speaking, what that means is what Pastor Margie shared a couple of weeks ago. I am living by passion, not excitement. Passion is deeper than emotions. It’s a call. When you are intentional about the call it will motivate your prayer life and all other aspects of devotion. I stick to the basics: daily bible reading, daily prayer, meditation…there is a reason these are basic – they work. You must have oil in your car. That’s a basic. You need gas, right? You need air in your tires? Those things can get a little mundane, and you hear about needing them all of your life, but does that mean you are going to stop putting gas in your tank or air in your tires? You never say “You mean I’ve got to pull up to a pump again and go through that same old routine?” We don’t say that because we know we have to have those basics to operate the vehicle. It’s no different in our christian walk. There are things that are basic, but the reason they’re basic is because they work. It’s not about meeting a quota or checking your list. It’s about relationship. I acknowledge God first thing in the morning. He is my priority. Another thing I do very intentionally is listen to the preaching of the word. Not just leadership podcast or interviews, but the preached Word. I am also very international about a running conversation with the Lord. When I pray in the Spirit I build up my faith. The Word is primary. The Word is first priority and final authority. To be able to go where we need to in the anointing I must keep my attention set toward God or my ear will become dull.
To keep the fire burning you’ve got to recognize that it is the tendency of fire to go out. @KeithNix Share on X
Caleb:
We want to be respectful of your time, so as we get ready to wrap up, what is the next big thing we can expect to see coming from Keith Nix? What is “in the works” that you are most excited about?
Pastor Keith:
Hopefully Josiah Generation, the book. I’ve got to set time aside to get away and do that! There are other things as well. I believe God has called us to be a catalyst in this movement among your generation. I want to find some practical ways to come alongside your generation to challenge, comfort and disciple. The book, Josiah Generation, however is the number one thing.
Caleb:
Pastor, we are so excited hearing all these things! We so much appreciate your time and are all better for it.
COMING UP:
Our generation needs a revolution of purity! Got questions about dating, sex and love? We want to help! CLICK HERE to anonymously ask your questions and check back in following weeks to hear more about The Rules of Romance Before Marriage.
Caleb and Ali live in East Tennessee where they serve at The Lift Church. With boldness and conviction, their deepest desire is to see the church revived and the world awakened. Learn more about The Lift by visiting theliftchurch.tv.
