If there is a word spoken so often among the churches in South Africa, it is the word REVIVAL.
I love the fact that it is being said more often than not at all, and there is a genuine desire to want it to happen. Don’t we all … wow.
This is a blog to help catch our thoughts and hopefully lead us all to focus and intentionally aim for our passion for revival. These thoughts could be vast in discussion … wide in application and even debated for hours? So here we go … These are ‘one – liners’ that should trigger a thought pattern and that you could take further in your own time:-
You can only revive what has once had vitality, – a life that has been sick, weak or apathetic.
I think one of the offenses of revival, in the historic sense is that it cannot be organized or controlled; as Dr. Tozer said, “When revival comes it changes the moral climate of a community”. It is messy, uncontrollable, sudden, fearful, cleansing and mighty – in character.
You can have revival that covers a church – Spurgeon had that. You can have revival that covers a city, and you can have a revival that covers an entire nation. (yet revival does spread like a fire).
Here are some of the points mentioned by “The Heritage Magazine”, printed 1907, on revivals:
- Joyful Worship
- Deep exposition of scripture in the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Prayer – and waiting on God (not half-an hour).
- Increased emphasis on the Holy Spirit Baptism.
- Emphasis on 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ.
- Emphasis on the message of Divine Healing.
- Burning desire to reach the lost.
- Revival cannot be advertised – ‘fire self-advertises and everyone comes to the flames’.
- It cannot be organized – evangelism can,
- It cannot be advertised – evangelism can,
- It cannot be predicted – ‘the wind blows where it will’,
- Revival in the church must come before evangelism from the church – Ac 2 (experience within leads to expression without).
The most devastating situation of our time is – a silent church in this world. Silence is deafening. Lawlessness is as a plague, everywhere.
The most devastating fire of all is not the fire that consumes a building. It isn’t even the fire of hell. The greatest, most devastating fire, is the fire of God. Truth re-ignited.
My hope is we are not just going to gather statistics and information about revival, but that we are going to individually seek personal revival. I am.