“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, LORD, and grant us Your salvation.” (Psalm 85: 6-7)
We are hearing about the moving of God to stir the Spirit of revival in our nation and around the world! Miracles are occurring in the Moslem countries and in Iran and even China. God is seeking to draw men and women and boys and girls to Him to accept Jesus as Savior and to perfect and complete His Church. God is wanting to do a deeper work of the Spirit in Christians. J. Edwin Orr, the great historian of revival, once remarked that we really don’t understand what we are praying for when we pray for revival—we think we are praying for ecstasy, and yes, joy is a by-product of revival. But true revival doesn’t begin in ecstasy, it begins with agony. It doesn’t begin with laughter but with tears. The unmistakable sign of revival is repentance—not feeling sorry for our sin but with the Lord’s help seeking to remove it as far as we can from our lives.”
The first question we must ask our self is “What is Revival?” Revival is an increased awareness of God and a passion to host His presence. In every worship setting there will be three groups—the one being worshipped (the Lord), the worshippers and the spectators. How can you tell if you are a spectator and not a worshipper? Because you will be critical of how other people are worshipping, without realizing you aren’t worshipping at all! Lord God, we ask You to give us a biblically accurate understanding of revival and of our deep need for it.
Revival must begin within each of us if we are to experience God’s presence that we may rejoice in Him. Revival begins with repentance—seeking God’s face:
Ask God to draw us to the Cross, and to keep us there. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin, and also a deep, genuine repentance. Pray for a receptivity to the Scriptures. Pray that the fire of God’s word would burn in our hearts. Pray for pure and holy hearts as a result of the deep work of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to enable us to live in revival—so that our daily living would be transformed by the Holy Spirit and there would be no tolerance of sin. The greatest enemy of revival is a religious spirit. While revival is a genuine expression of the love of God, a religious spirit results from man-made works of the flesh. A revival is not an “event” but a life-changing experience whereby we are refreshed and filled with God’s Spirit in a deeper and more real way.
The question is “Do you want revival?” Far too long the Church has been asleep and depending upon and relying on pastors and church leaders to share the Gospel. Paul sounds an alarm in Ephesians 5: 13-17: “Wake up, O sleeping ones! Rise from the dead, and the Lord will shine on you. So pay close attention to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise. Make the most of your time because the days are evil.” Don’t sit back and be a spectator—be active. Share Jesus with someone today.
Prayer is the catalyst and sustainer of every revival. Dwight L. Moody tells the story of an 80 year old widow named Mary Ann Adeland who had read one of his sermons in the newspaper and begun praying every day that God would bring D. L. Moody to her church. He was perplexed to receive a call that revival had broken out at that church and beckoned him to come and for 10 straight nights he preached and over 400 people came to the Lord. He did not know until later about Mary Ann’s prayers. We might well wonder what this thing is about prayer…especially prayer in the secret place. How does it work? A little old widow’s love and concern for her spiritually dead neighbors inspired her to pray relentlessly and specifically, and a harvest of souls occurred! Believers pray because they love. How many spiritually dead neighbors do you have? If you see them with spiritual eyes, and you truly love them, consider how the Lord channeled one of His trusted servants right into her neighborhood for a local revival.
We are instructed by the Lord to occupy until He comes. The devil has millions of people trapped in his deceptions. The Church of Jesus Christ must mount the greatest evacuation effort in history, seeking to save those who are lost. We need to remain vigilant so that our focus isn’t diverted by breaking news! Let’s live with a sense of urgency regarding the Lord’s work until He comes!
It is time for the Church to be the Church—to be the Church triumphant—alive and well! The words of that Bill Gaither song ring true today:
Listen child of God, it’s alive. Discouraged pastor, it’s His Church and it’s still alive. Lonely missionary, sow that seed with confidence. The Church is still alive. Old saint, you’re not alone or forgotten. The Church is still alive. It’s alive my broken-hearted friend, it’s still alive. Busy mothers, just keep trusting in Jesus, the Church is alive. You’re not alone out there, just keep looking to Jesus. The Church is alive. And faithful fathers, there’s rest in the Lord. God’s Church is still alive. So family of God lift your hands, lift your hands and praise the Lord! The Church, God’s Church triumphant is alive, it’s alive my friends, Alive and well! May Your people rejoice!