Nick Palmiotto - Greater Things Revival
I've been a part of CityTakers for as long as I can remember. My solid foundation in Christ that has never left me is due largely in part to them and their leadership. Unfortunately, there was a time where I stopped caring about church, I wasn't praying except when it suited me, and I wasn't going to CityTakers. I remember when I heard God calling me back at a CityTakers service when they sang Reckless Love. There began a long journey of repentance and eventually revival, and I found myself in a baptism pool one Sunday with Pastor Scott Free at a service I wasn’t even planning on attending. It was that moment when God began to equip me to take the message of the Gospel that saved my life to the rest of the world, starting with my community.
That summer I was approached by a mentor who told me I needed to take my re-discovered passion for God to my high school, which he himself graduated from. I had no idea what I was doing, but through the example and leadership of the CityTakers community, I began to formulate a plan, God put that plan into action, and since then it has been like nothing I could have ever envisioned or planned out. God created something far bigger than a club or a Bible study, but a movement… a revival. Much like CityTakers, I not only used it for the part of the Gospel that deals with individual salvation, but also the Gospel as it relates to diversity and absolute unity. We named it Greater Things Revival.
God spoke to us through the first chapter of the book of John (John 1:50 NLT) that we are made for so much more than the low standards that we set for ourselves and every miracle or ministry that you can envision, God wants to do more. He's waiting on us to wake up.
Greater Things Revival has had its share of rough patches and this spiritual war has not been an easy one. However, through the mentorship of people at CityTakers, I learned how to lead effectively and be radically dependent on God.
The Greater Things leadership team also learned boldness in Christ at a level we never thought possible. We learned that you can’t turn Yeshua into a product to sell. We certainly learned that God values souls more than numbers. There was one meeting where we had three people. But Pastor Scott and the CityTakers never left my side in prayer. Through the prayers of CityTakers and wisdom of OGs like DJ Radikal and DoubleATL, I quickly realized that these valleys were not setbacks, but setups for much greater things. God destroyed every single one of our idols until we could radically depend on Him. Now we have a consistent 15-20 people who show up to our meetings and a little over 150 Instagram followers. We have events happening and events on the way, and we continue to grow from the remnant God called out of Kennesaw Mountain High School and Greater Things Revival. As we spread across the school and community, we teach disciples to be bold and unashamed, and we have open dialogue with non believers creating a culture of honesty and truth.
Without the consistent prayer and the constant pouring out from my family at CityTakers, I don’t think this ever would’ve happened. I’ve never been more excited about what lies around the corner. God brought us back to our roots, a lot of which was planted by the CityTakers, and now we continue to grow because those roots stood firm.