What is Revival?

In recent days we have been hearing reports of revival springing up on Christian colleges across America.  Many are asking, "What is revival, anyway?"  It is nothing new, although it might seem new to us, because the U.S. has not seen anything like this in 50 years.  Throughout church history there have been seasons of revival that have transformed society and revived the church.  Some have been small and localized, others last many decades and spread like wildfire.  You may want to do your own research on this topic, but for now the question remains, "What is revival, and is it found in the Bible?"  In the days of Solomon, God appeared to him in a dream and gave this promise:

"If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Ch 7:13–14 NASB95)

IF…

• "My people, who are called my My name…  At the time of Solomon, they were followers or Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Today we are followers of Christ.  We are called by His name- Christians.  The promise given in 2 Chronicles 7 is given to a certain category of people- Christians.  If Christians do the following things, God promises several results.  What must Christians do?
• "Humble themselves"… Put an end to self-reliance and pride.  Realize how little we can control in this life- the weather, disease, the economy.  Acknowledge God as sovereign over the affairs of men and nations.  Take man off the throne.  Let Christ reign in our hearts and lives.
• "And pray"… Turn from self to God.  Trust Him for the solutions needed in our world.  Get on our knees and really pray.  Express our deepfelt needs to almighty God and expect His good, merciful, and gracious response.
• "And seek My face"… As we pray, we draw near to God.  Our desire is so much more than simply answers to prayer, it's experiencing the love of God in a deeply satisfying way.  Like little children sitting on their father's lap.  We seek so much more than His gifts, we seek Him, to truly know Him and love Him.
• "And turn from their wicked ways" Repent.  Acknowledge to God our sinfulness.  Admit the ways we have offended Him by our attitudes and actions.  Remember sins of omission as well as commission. Change directions.  By an act of the will determine to live to please God in all things. Claim His love and forgiveness.  Confess on behalf of yourself and your people.

Then…

• "I will hear from heaven"… God always hears the contrite and repentant.  If we are serious about humbling ourselves and turning to God from sin, then He always hears us.
• "Will forgive their sin"… Forgiveness and repentance comes first.  There are many in our day talking about prayer.  They may be missing the most important step, cleaning up their act.  Times like these serve a wonderful purpose.  They can bring times of cleansing and refreshment to our walk with God.  Sinners can be converted to Christ. Broken relationships can be restored.  There can be healing in the land.
• "Will heal their land."  Our land needs healing, and needs it badly.  It's far more than climate change or a dangerous virus, it's the divisiveness, the lying, the greed, the immorality.  I'm writing from America.  Much of this is true no matter where you live.  The world is desperate for a touch from God. A strong touch.  Let's pray toward that end. Let's really pray! 

But it starts with you…

 

• We must break up the fallow ground in our heart… Over time a deadly crust forms over our heart and life.  Once we walked closely with Him and enjoyed intimate fellowship.  Now we are distant and cold.  For heart-felt repentance to occur, we must take action within. True honesty with God.  We must stop hiding our sin and rationalizing.  Deep personal confession involves repentance.   

Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. (Ho 10:12, NASB95)

 

• Times of refreshing will come…

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; (Acts 3:19, NASB95)

When people tell the stories of revival, they often mention the times of refreshing.  After deep personal confession we will feel incredibly clean and free of the guilt and shame that has become a part of our everyday experience.  We will feel open and candid with others in the revival.  That sense of fellowship can be so very comforting and rewarding.  But most importantly, there is a noticeable change in our walk with God.  He will feel very close to us.  It can almost feel atmospheric, like God's very presence is all around us.  We may be overwhelmed by a sense of his love and forgiveness or experiencing the fear of the Lord in a new way.  We will want to please him and not to displease him.

Revival can begin in the privacy of your own room.  It can begin with you.  But it usually does not end with you.  Personal repentance and refreshing tends to spread from one person to another.  And corporate repentance can result in significant revivals.  This is what we have seen throughout history.  Now we are seeing it on Christian colleges.  Hopefully it will spread like wildfire.  Let's pray toward that end.

Revivals can be a bit like a train passing by.  Don't criticize it, don't analyze it, pray for it, and jump on board.

Key writers on the topic of revival include but are not limited to: Leonard Ravenhill, Stephen Olford, J Edwin Orr, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Charles Finney, and Jonathan Edwards.  Please do your own research on the topic.

Questions to consider:

1. Are you in need of revival?  Why or why not?
2. When you hear stories of the Asbury Revival, what is you immediate response?  Why?

Related Posts:

Why Repent?