Wednesday, 19 May 2021

Revival

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Here are my gleanings from my studies on revival and from my experiences.

1. Revival is much more likely when a people are prepared to long for revival. How does this happen? By preaching that centers on revival, first the biblical texts and then the stories of revivals and what happened and can happen again. Fostering this longing in a growing group of prayer partners and in congregations often precedes the revival.

2. Revival preachers are keys to revival. They are able to call people to repentance and dedication. This does happen as a product of revival, but there is also a pre-revival preparation. I think that having revival and ministers that moved in the power of the Spirit was a key to what was produced in the 1990s in our midst. We encouraged people to visit where such outpourings were taking place and also sought to bring it to our community. We would not make our desire for Jewish indigeneity and identity be a barrier to this. We also embraced manifestations that some would question as really normal historically. We did not shut down what made us uncomfortable. We prepared out people for this. (See psychiatrist John White, When the Spirit Falls in Power.)

3. Then, we have to know and prepare for revival so the fruits of revival will not be lost. I am sure many think they would like to see a revival but are not aware that the revival will upend their lives if they submit to what God wants to do during such times. Evenings will be taken up in power evangelism with signs and wonders and gatherings in meetings together. Some people will be so touched by the Lord that they will spend hours in his presence, sometimes on the floor and not able to move. Signs and wonders will be part of the meetings. We see this in the ministries of Jonathan Edwards, Ludwig Von Zinzendorf and the Moravians, John Wesley and the Methodist revivals, Peter Cartwright, Evan Roberts and the Welsh revival, Azuza Street and the Pentecostal revival and movement, the Latter Rain movement from Canada, and so on. Randy Clark in his book, There is More, gives a good summary. The parallels in all these revivals are quite amazing.

4. I think God is more likely to send such a revival when there is preparation for stewarding it. This includes the fact that we will have to teach large groups of new believers. Teaching them the Bible and how to walk as believers can take place in larger meetings, but will also be in small groups like the Methodist Bands. This was the Acts 2:42 model. Maybe God does not send the revival because He knows that people will not pay the price that receiving the Glory will entail.

Yes, the greatest revivals did produce social transformation. More than that, however, they ended making great gains for the spread of the Gospel and the multiplication of congregations.

This excerpt is from my article.