As an introduction to this message I want to ask you some questions:
After listening to 3 messages about revival, with the knowledge of what Revival is, knowing that the church has lost the Life of God and that Revival comes to restore life and all the things that are dead in the church.
My question for you is:
What has changed in your life after hearing these 3 messages?
What areas of your life have you identified as dead and in need of revival?
How has your prayer life changed?
How has your personal relationship with God changed?
Are you deeper in love with Jesus, have you returned to your first love for Jesus?
Are you in unity with the Body of Christ as the early church used to be? Because they used to be always together in love and unity, they were together in the temple, in the homes, in prayers and for meals.
What has changed in your life?
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
James 1:22 NLT
We must not only be listeners, but give an answer to God based on the word we have received from Him. I want to challenge you to cry out to God for revival over your life and the church of Jesus.
Please let the Habakkuk’s Prayer be your prayer: Revive your work in the mist of the years, revive my life, revive your church!
Before continuing to talk about Revival, I want to ask you, WHAT IS NOT REVIVAL?
1- Revival IS NOT a program scheduled by the church.
Revival is not the action of the Church, but of God. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. The church cannot make it, it does not promote Revival, nor can it schedule the date of Revival.
The Church can only seek Revival and prepare the way for its arrival. The church does not produce the wind of the Spirit. Revival is the work of God, but the sovereignty of God does not cancel out our responsibility.
Revival cannot be organised, but we can set our sails to catch the wind from heaven when God chooses to blow upon His people once again.
—G. Campbell Morgan
Revival will never come if the church does not prepare the way of the Lord. Revival will never come if the church does not humiliate itself. Without clamour and prayer, the Rains of God will not come down. Without obedience to God, there will never be a down-pouring of the Holy Spirit.
Many christians in the church have no experiences with God because they do not have a life of prayer, do not thirst for God and do not want to pay the price of Revival! They prefer to stay in their homes and in their comfort than to seek God. (Yesterday we Had 12 hours of prayer and few people attended and also few people came to the two hours of praise and worship God.)
Who determines when the Revival will come it is God, but we are the ones who prepare the way of the revival.
2- Revival is not noise, shouting, dancing or emotionalism.
I am Pentecostal, Shalom is a 100% Pentecostal church, but many confuse Revival with “Pentecostal noise”.
What is a Pentecostal church? It is a church that believes that the “supernatural” gifts of the Holy Spirit can manifest themselves in the church. Speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy, baptism in the Holy Spirit etc. are some pf these gifts, and we are Pentecostal and believe the Holy Spirit and in all the gifts of the Spirit.
But there are 2 types of extremes in churches: churches where the Holy Spirit is not free to move – these are usually the traditional churches and they are totally “quiet” and on the other hand there are the “noisy churches” but empty from God.
There are churches which think that revival is all about screaming, jumping, swirling, becoming hysterical without emotional control. Remember that empty vessel makes a lot of noise, and Revival is not about noise as so many confuse it for.
3- Revival is not the super spiritualisation of life.
Many people in search of Revival leave the reality of life, exclude themselves from social life and create a “monastic spirituality” (like the priests who lived in the monasteries and far from the world).
They make it so spiritual that they can’t live a normal social life, they isolate themselves, and live a “cave life”.
“I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.” John 17:15 NLT
Many Christians want to leave the world completely and are not interested in family, work, studies, or even involvement with the Church.
However, Revival will lead us to relate even more to the lost and also to the Church.
The church is a place of confrontation, where we are helped and we grow in love. It’s easy to isolate yourself but it’s difficult to live together with each other.
We can live in the world, without being part of the world and without loving the world. I grew up spiritually while still living in the world and in the church.
You are in the world to be light, to save your school friends, to save your colleagues and you live a church life to grow, to mature, to learn how to love and respect people that are different from you and be trained as a leader in the house of God.
We have seen what is NOT Revival, now let’s read some texts of the word of God that talks about revival:
“Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.”
Acts of the Apostles 2:14-18 NLT
In the first Revival of the New Testament, the apostle Peter said that in the last days God would anoint His servants man and woman.
The thirsty ones will be visited by God!
The last and great revival will be the fulfilment of the prophecy described in Joel 2: The Spirit over His servants. God will pour out His power on the Church to witness Christ.
In this context, We will see the global engagement of the Church, mass salvation of souls, intense movement of prayer and mission in all nations.
The Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached all over the world, thousands and thousands of people will be transformed by the power of the Gospel, being born again.
Certainly, revival is not something “romantic”. When we look at the history of the early Church, Christians were seen as “men who have caused trouble all over the world,”
“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
Acts 17:6
This “upside down”, in fact, is revival. It is the Power and Glory of God will be manifested to men through the Church.
Great revivals in the Bible
There are several biblical passages that tell us about great revivals:
- King Asa’s decision to dedicate the country of Judah to God: 2 Chronicles 15:8
- The repentance of the people of Niniveh, with the preaching of Jonah: Jonah 3:4-5
- The celebration of Passover (Feast of unleavened bread) in the reign of Hezekiah: 2 Chronicles 30:21-23
- Repentance and renewal of the covenant with God during the rule of Nehemiah: Nehemiah 8:10-12
- The day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples: Acts of the Apostles 2:2-4
In all these cases, revival has generated a change in behaviour and a transformation in people’s lives.
Those who were revived dedicated themselves to God, abandoned sin, praised with great fervour, felt the presence of God and were full of courage to follow God’s orders! These are some of the main signs of a revival.
Biblical Revival is when people seek God with more willpower, surrender to Him again and their lives are transformed, both individually and in groups.
Revival means a renewal of faith in God, driven by praise, prayer and the preaching of the Word.
Revivals can start for several reasons, such as impactful preachings, healing experiences, miracles or even the action of the Holy Spirit through worship. But the main cause of Revival is when our prayer life is revived.
Every mighty move of the Spirit of God bringing revival has had its source in the prayer. —E.M. Bounds
What are the preconditions for revival?
The preconditions needed for revival is an open heart, thirst and receptiveness to the actions of the Holy Spirit.
We cannot force God to bring revival into our lives, but we can prepare ourselves to be revived by God.
Revival happens through the grace of God and our openness and response to His work in us.
Revival is something that happens from the inside out. When revival happens, the Holy Spirit touches people’s hearts in a special way.
This transformation of the heart is reflected in our life and actions, with a greater dedication to the things of God, such as evangelisation, justice and love of for our neighbours (Acts 4:31-33).
True revival not only restores our relationship with God, but it also strengthens the relationship between brothers and sisters.
“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;”
Isaiah 44:3 NKJV
God’s promise is to pour out His anointing on the thirsty, the thirsty will be visited by God and will experience the supernatural of God.
I will pour out water and FLOODS on dry land! – it will be a big, abundant thing – that is, God will not bring a drizzle, but floods, it will be an avalanche!
God has something big for us, much bigger than we can imagine, or expect.
One of our biggest problems is to limit the work of God with our own knowledge, experience and ability.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”
Ephesians 3:20 NKJV
God has something bigger for us! He can pour out His Spirit in great abundance. He is Powerful to do more than we ask through the power of the Holy Spirit!
Revival produces extraordinary results for the church.
“They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.’”
Isaiah 44:4 NKJV
The first result of a Revival is a large numerical growth. I believe that God will bring many people to this place! I have prayed and asked the Lord 10% of this Town and I believe that God will give it to us!
Can you imagine, what could happen when the people of this Town discover that the Holy Spirit is acting powerfully here within our church.
When God pours out Revival, descendants will sprout and multiply along the watercourses.
I crave and I wish for it!
“One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ And name himself by the name of Israel.”
Isaiah 44:5 NKJV
The second result of Revival is the testimony of all believers!
Everyone will get up and say: I am the Lord’s!
Each one of you at work, at school, in stores, hospitals, in factories or on the streets saying with all your might: I am the Lord’s!
This statement will reach the houses and families of our city and spread throughout our nation.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to have boldness, intrepidity and power to preach this name, the name of Jesus.
In the past when I used to work in a factory, I took many of my friends to Jesus, and it was not because of my eloquence, my wisdom, but the power of the gospel, the power of the Holy Spirit!
Open your mouth and speak of this name! Don’t be quiet! Speak of Jesus!
Revival is a visit of God which brings Christians who have been sleeping back to life and restores a deep sense of God’s presence and holiness.
From there a conviction of sin is born and as well as a profound exercise of heart in repentance, praise, and love for God.
I want to challenge you to seek revival, to pray for Revival for the rest of your life, because I believe that only the wise virgins who have oil in their lamps will enter the Lamb’s wedding! (Matthew 25:1-13)
May God bless you and revive your heart