What is Revival?
Used to be that the subject of revival drew little interest in the nation.
It was thought by most to be irrelevant, given the current popularity of a more subdued, rational approach to the Christian faith.
A few ridiculed the notion, based on the unfortunate excesses that have attended most of the history of true revivals.
Others dismissed the idea as the wishful thinking of people they labeled as “restorationists” -those who seem to want to return to romantic notions of recapturing a faith of yesteryear.
Who wants to live in the past when new wineskins are available today? That’ll preach!
But with all that said, I sense a growing disease amongst many of God’s people with the spiraling deterioration of our culture and our world. What can we do about any of it? Putting our heads in the sand isn’t an option. The rapidly declining number of true Christ-followers in our nation make political solutions unlikely. There no longer is a “moral majority.”
And the battle is quickly coming to a Christian home near you!
Let me give you an example. One of our pastors with a son in a local public high school came home recently to report a “no-travel’ period that day, where no student was allowed out of their classroom, while the whole school was forced to view a video promoting LGBTQ lifestyles and issues. The pastor subsequently attended a seminar sponsored by the school district for parents and educators where curricula and text books were presented, and received with frequent applause, promoting LGBTQ issues, including reading books for kindergartners with titles like, “Joseph’s New Dress.”
Our state legislators just debated a new law that would prohibit anyone with a state license to counsel from recommending therapy for LGBTQ patients wanting to leave that lifestyle.
The day has passed when we could withstand this kind of freight train through political means.
George Barna’s research indicates that there is now not a statistically significant difference in beliefs and behavior between the people inside our churches and the general public.
It is sadly apparent that the Church has little spiritual power to reverse the moral decline of our nation. In fact, I would suggest that the condition of the nation is precisely because of the condition of the Church.
Do we have any option but to pray, to have faith for and work for revival?
I don’t think so.
Revival is the overwhelming sense of God’s presence that falls powerfully on a Christian people who have become dead and lethargic in their faith, restoring life to those things God intended to be normal for the Church.
When you study historical revivals, and I would include the Jesus Movement in this country in the 1970’s, you quickly see the presence of what it is that God intended to be normal for His Church. You realize how desperate we are for revival in our day.
Here they are for you to pray over in your life, your church, and, please Lord, in our nation:
- The fear of the Lord among believers results in deep conviction of sin and repentance.
- Worship becomes spontaneous, joyous and authentic.
- The Word of God comes alive among believers resulting in renewed obedience to God.
- A new love for one another result in relationships among believers being restored.
- All revived believers exercise their ministry gifts inside and outside of the church.
- Authentic personal and corporate prayer ministry is revived.
- Revived believers are a powerful witness and unbelievers are strikingly converted, significantly impacting everyday life in the community-at-large.
Can we agree that this is what we need today?
(Go to Church Awakening website or join our mailing list to find out how you can join with us in calling the pastors and churches of our nation to revival.)
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