Topic : Revival

Finally, there are no shortcuts when it comes to revival. The church desperately needs revival, but it is not going to come by quick and easy methods. Evan Roberts prayed for eleven years before the Welsh Revival broke out, and his ministry during that remarkable time broke him physically. More than one hundred thousand people were converted to Christ during that mighty awakening, but it was not the result of manufactured meetings (they were spontaneous) or manmade promotions. True revival goes deeper than that.

Warren Wiersbe, God Isn’t In a Hurry, Baker Books; Grand Rapids, MI, 1994, p. 14

1. Pray the prayer of the psalmist: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).

2. Be totally honest as you answer each question.

3. Agree with God about each need He reveals in your life. Confess each sin, with the willingness to make it right and forsake it.

4. Praise God for His cleansing and forgiveness.

5. Renew your mind and rebuild your life through meditation and practical application of the Word of God.

6. Review these questions periodically to remain sensitive to your need for ongoing revival.

Genuine Salvation (II Corinthians 5:17)

1. Was there ever a time in my life that I genuinely repented of my sin? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Was there ever a time in my life that I placed all my trust in Jesus Christ alone to save me?
Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Was there ever a time in my life that I completely surrendered to Jesus Christ as the Master and Lord of my life? Yes ˜ No ˜

4. Is Christ lived out in my home and have I physically confessed Him Lord at home. Yes ˜ No ˜

God’s Word (Psalm 119:97; 119:140)

1. Do I love to read and meditate on the Word of God? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Are my personal devotions consistent and meaningful? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Do I practically apply God’s Word to my everyday life? Yes ˜ No ˜

4. Do we as a family discuss God’s Word often? Yes ˜ No ˜

Humility (Isaiah 57:15)

1. Am I quick to recognize and agree with God in confession when I have sinned? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Am I quick to admit to others when I am wrong? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Do I rejoice when others are praised and recognized and my accomplishments go unnoticed by men?
Yes ˜ No ˜

4. Do I esteem all others as better than myself? Yes ˜ No ˜

5. Do I rejoice when others in my family succeed? Yes ˜ No ˜

Obedience (Hebrews 13:17; I Samuel 15:22)

1. Do I consistently obey what I know God wants me to do? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Do I consistently obey the human authorities God has placed over my life? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Do I consistently obey and honor my parents? Yes ˜ No ˜

Pure Heart (I John 1:9)

1. Do I confess my sin by name? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Do I keep “short sin accounts” with God (confess and forsake as He convicts)? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Am I willing to give up all sin for God? Yes ˜ No ˜

4. Do I repent and confess my sins to others in my family? Yes ˜ No ˜

Clear Conscience (Acts 24:16)

1. Do I consistently seek forgiveness from those I wrong or offend? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Is my conscience clear with every man? (Can I honestly say, “There is no one I have ever wronged or offended in any way and not gone back to them and sought their forgiveness and made it right”?)
Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Is my relationship right with each family member? Yes ˜ No ˜

4. Do I go to bed at night with unresolved conflict with others in the family? Yes ˜ No ˜

Priorities (Matthew 6:33)

1. Does my schedule reveal that God is first in my life? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Does my checkbook reveal that God is first in my life? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Next to my relationship with God, is my relationship with my family my highest priority? Yes ˜ No ˜

Values (Colossians 3:12)

1. Do I love what God loves and hate what God hates? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Do I value highly the things that please God (e.g., giving, witnessing to lost souls, studying His Word, prayer)? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Are my affections and goals fixed on eternal values? Yes ˜ No ˜

4. Are Biblical values reflected in my selection of music and T.V./movies? Yes ˜ No ˜

Sacrifice (Philippians 3:7,8)

1. Am I willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to see God move in my life and church (time, convenience, comfort, reputation, pleasure, etc.)? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Is my life characterized by genuine sacrifice for the cause of Christ? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Do I have a servant’s heart at home? Yes ˜ No ˜

Spirit-Control (Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 5:18-21)

1. Am I allowing Jesus to be Lord of every area of my life? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to “fill” (control) my life each day? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Is there consistent evidence of the “fruit of the Spirit” being produced in my life? Yes ˜ No ˜

“First Love” (Philippians 1:21,23)

1. Am I as much in love with Jesus as I have ever been? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Am I thrilled with Jesus; filled with His joy and peace, and making Him the continual object of my love? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. How would others in my family view my love toward God on a scale of 1-10

Motives (Acts 5:29; Matthew 10:28)

1. Am I more concerned about what God thinks about my life than about what others think? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Would I pray, read my Bible, give and serve as much if nobody but God ever noticed? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Am I more concerned about pleasing God than I am about being accepted and appreciated by men? Yes ˜ No ˜

Moral Purity (Ephesians 5:3,4)

1. Do I keep my mind free from books, magazines, or entertainment that could stimulate fantasizing thoughts that are not morally pure? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Are my conversation and behavior pure and above reproach? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Do mom and dad approve of my friendships? Yes ˜ No ˜

Forgiveness (Colossians 3:12,13)

1. Do I seek to resolve conflicts in relationships as soon as possible? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Am I quick to forgive those who hurt or wrong me? Yes ˜ No ˜

Sensitivity (Matthew 5:23,24)

1. Am I sensitive to the conviction and promptings of God’s Spirit? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Am I quick to respond in humility and obedience to the conviction and promptings of God’s Spirit? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. Am I sensitive to my parent’s desires? Yes ˜ No ˜

Evangelism (Romans 9:3; Luke 24:46,48)

1. Do I have a burden for lost souls? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Do I consistently witness for Christ? Yes ˜ No ˜

Prayer (I Timothy 2:1)

1. Am I faithful in praying for the needs of others? Yes ˜ No ˜

2. Do I pray specifically, fervently and faithfully for revival in my life, my church and our nation? Yes ˜ No ˜

3. How much time do we spend as a family in prayer? Yes ˜ No ˜

From the Book of 750 Bible and Gospel Studies, 1909, George W Noble, Chicago

Revival is always marked by an overwhelming sense of Christ’s presence in the church. For example, if Jesus were to physically make His presence known, Sunday after Sunday there would be:

• Increased and renewed participation in Worship.
• An outpouring of Love among God’s people.
• A heightened awareness of Holiness with confession, repentance, and restitution.
• An eagerness for Christian Service.
• Anointed preaching of and individual interest in the Holy Word of God.
• A growing boldness in Prayer.
• A remarkable ease in witnessing to and Evangelism of the non-churched community.
• All-out involvement in Spiritual Warfare.
• An unusual Sense of Well Being or wholeness.

Our objective is to facilitate revival by teaching God’s people healthy spiritual habits in these nine basic areas of Christianity that always characterize any genuine time of true spiritual awakening.

Mainstay Church Resources, Wheaton, IL, November 19, 1997

Revival is the visitation of God which brings to life Christians who have been sleeping and restores a deep sense of God’s near presence and holiness. Thence springs a vivid sense of sin and a profound exercise of heart in repentance, praise, and love, with an evangelistic outflow.

Each revival movement has its own distinctive features, but the pattern is the same every time.

First God comes. On New Year’s Eve 1739, John Wesley, George Whitefield, and some of their friends held a “love feast” which became a watchnight of prayer to see the New Year in. At about 3 a.m., Wesley wrote, “the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground.” Revival always begins with a restoration of the sense of the closeness of the Holy One.

Second, the gospel is loved as never before. The sense of God’s nearness creates an overwhelming awareness of one’s own sins and sinfulness, and so the power of the cleansing blood of Christ is greatly appreciated.

Then repentance deepens. In the Ulster revival in the 1920s shipyard workers brought back so many stolen tools that new sheds had to be built to house the recovered property! Repentance results in restitution.

Finally, the Spirit works fast: godliness multiplies, Christians mature, converts appear. Paul was at Thessalonica for less than three weeks, but God worked quickly and Paul left a virile church behind him.

Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986, page for May 30.

A U.S. Lutheran bishop tells of visiting a parish church in California and finding a stirring red and orange banner on the wall. “Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!” it declared in words printed under a picture of a fire burning. The bishop was also interested in the sign directly underneath the banner which said: “Fire extinguisher.” So much for that parish’s commitment to spiritual renewal.

One World, May, 1982, WCC

Although the apathy of some Christians and the wickedness of society are discouraging, we should pray and remain confident. William Wilberforce was a great Christian philanthropist and vigorous opponent of the slave trade in England during the early 1800s. As he surveyed the terrible moral and spiritual climate of his day, he did not lose hope. He wrote, “My own solid hopes for the well-being of my country depend, not so much on her navies or armies, nor on the wisdom of her rulers, nor on the spirit of her people, as on the persuasion that she still contains many who love and obey the gospel of Christ. I believe that their prayers may yet prevail.” Within a few years after he made this statement, the country he loved experienced one of the greatest revivals in modern times, bringing salvation to thousands and producing widespread social changes.

Those who are students of revival are encouraged because hey see a divine pattern repeating itself. Robert Coleman of the Association of Church Missions Committees noted in a recent interview that he feels we are on the threshold of revival due to three developments: (1) the increase of citywide concerts of prayer; (2) the gathering together of pastors in concerted prayer; and (3) the growing concern for revival among our young people.

On this last point, David McKenna, president of Asbury (KY) Seminary, reached a positive assessment of the future based on his study of what God has done and is doing among young people. His conclusion is found in the title of his latest book, The Coming Great Awakening, J. Edwin Orr summarized for me in one sentence his 60 years of study on prayer and spiritual awakening when he wrote: “Whenever God is ready to do something new with His people, He always sets them to praying.” This was certainly true during the First Great Awakening.

In 1746, Jonathan Edwards published a book on “concerts of prayer”—a term used in his day and repeated in subsequent prayer movements over the last 250 years. Well aware from biblical and historical accounts that united prayer was the only way to sustain the spiritual awakening that already had begun in the colonies, Edwards called for Christians on both sides of the Atlantic to pray for revival. The title of his book summarizes what is happening throughout the Body of Christ at this hour in the growth of the prayer movement: “An Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God’s People in Extraordinary Prayer, for the Revival of the Church and the Advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on Earth.” Edwards’ book, along with such classic texts as Andrew Murray’s “Key to the Missionary Problem” and Timothy Smith’s “Revivalism and Social Reform,” suggest there usually are five phases in every historic revival:

1. Intercession—God’s people begin to unite in prayer for revival;

2. Revelation—God answers prayer by pouring out a fresh new manifestation of the person of Christ; (

3. Consecration—as a result, God’s people consecrate themselves to Him, and each other, and to the work of Christ in the world;

4. Revitalization—ministries are purified and rejuvenated and become more fruitful, both locally, nationally, and beyond;

5. Expansion—out of revival the gospel is advanced further, the church makes a greater impact upon the surrounding culture, and a general spiritual awakening takes place on many levels.

National & International Religion Report, Special Report, 1992, pp. 2-3

• David (1 Chron. 28:1-29:25)
• Asa (1 Kings 15:9-24; 2 Chron. 14-16)
• Elijah (1 Kings 17-18)
• Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 17; 19:1-20:33)
• Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chron. 29-32)
• Josiah (2 Kings 22:1-23:30)
• Others: 2 Chron 7:14, Psa. 80:18-19; 85:6; Isa. 32:12-17; 35; Jeremiah 33:23; Lamen. 3:40-50; Hosea 6:1-3; 14:1-2; Habakkuk 3:2; John 7:38

Touch the World Through Prayer, W. Duewel, OMS, pp. 171ff

• In an eyewitness report of the great Welsh revival of 1904, G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “The horses are terribly puzzled. A manager said to me. ‘The haulers are some of the very lowest. They have driven their horses by obscenity and kicks. Now they can hardly persuade the horses to start working, because there is no obscenity and no kicks.’” - D.J.D. Our Daily Bread, September 26.
• Lady asked Billy Sunday: “Why do you keep having revivals when it doesn’t last?” He asked her, “Why do you keep taking baths?”
• The 19th century evangelist Charles G. Finney said, “Revival is the renewal of the first love of Christians resulting in the conversion of sinners to God. It presupposes that the church is backslidden, and revival means conviction of sin and searching of hearts among God’s people. Revival is nothing less than a new beginning of obedience to God.” - Source unknown
• Dr. J. Elder Cumming contended that “in almost every case the beginning of new blessing is a new revelation of the character of God—more beautiful, more wonderful, more precious.” - J. O. Sanders, Enjoying Intimacy with God, Moody, p. 14
• Revival is an invasion from heaven that brings a conscious awareness of God. - Stephen Olford
• Revival is that sovereign work of God in which He visits His own people, restoring and releasing them into the fulness of His blessing. - Robert Coleman
• Revival cannot be organized, 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 is the people of God living in the power of an ungrieved, unquenched Spirit. - James A. Stewart
• The kingdom of God is not going to advance by our churches becoming filled with men, but by men in our churches becoming filled with God. - Howard Spring
• A genuine revival without joy in the Lord is as impossible as spring without flowers, or day-dawn without light. - C. H. Spurgeon
• A true revival means nothing less than a revolution, casting out the spirit of worldliness, making God’s love triumph in the heart. - Andrew Murray
• A revival means days of heaven on earth. - D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
• Revival is the church falling in love with Jesus all over again. - Vance Havner
• In revival, the minds of people are concentrated upon things of eternity, and there is an awareness that nothing else really matters. - Brian Edwards
• Revival restrains the righteous anger of God, restores the conscious awareness of God, and reveals the gracious activity of God. - Stephen Olford

Sources unknown

• Seven Laws of the Learner, B. Wilkinson, ch. 7

Jesus taught that we should always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). Let’s follow the example of others who prayed until revival came. In the spring of 1904 a young Welshman named Evan Roberts was repeatedly awakened to pray from 1:00 to 5:00 a.m. By November a powerful spiritual awakening was spreading through Wales.

Source unknown

God worked through the testimony of a young new believer named Florrie Evans. When Pastor Jospeh Evans asked for testimonies, Florrie arose and with a trembling voice said, “I love Jesus with all my heart.” God used this to melt the hearts of many others.

The London Times reported remarkable changes that took place in the public spirit. For example, in Swansea people who had left their parents in the “workhouse” for the poor came to take them out. Entire congregations were on their knees in prayer and “for the first time there was not a single case of drunkenness at the Swansea County Petty Sessions.”

The Bible Society saw orders for Scriptures multiply to three times the level for the previous year. At Bangor

University revival fires were spreading in January of 1905. There were “only a third or a fourth of the students attending some of the classes…Beginning with a spontaneous outburst of praise andprayer among the men students, the movement spread . . at a united prayer meeting…some…broke down sobbing.”

David Lloyd George, who later became Prine Minister of England, saw one of his political rallies taken over by the Welsh revival. On January 11th, 1905, he said the Welsh revival gave hope “that at the next election Wales would declare with no uncertain sound against the corruption in high places which handed over the destiny of the people to the terrible brewing interest…”

The Times reported on January 16th, 1905, that “At Glyn-Neath a feud had existed for the past ten or twelve years between the two Independent Chapels, but during the past week united services have been held in both chapels, and the ministers have shaken hands before the congregations.”

The fires of spiritual awakening crossed the ocean. In 1904 the Atlanta newspapers reported an amazing revival of prayer sweeping the city. On November 2nd the Supreme Court of Georgia closed so people could attend prayer meetings. Stores, factories, offices and even saloons followed suit.

“For two hours at midday all Denver was held in a spell . . . The marts of trade were deserted between noon and two o’clock this afternoon,” the Denver Post reported on January 20th, 1905.

One Kentucky pastor died of overwork after receiving 1,000 new members in two months. Out of a population of 50,000 only fifty unconverted adults remained in Atlantic City, New Jersey!

Revival came to north China in 1932 in answer to several years of prayer. At one point, Norwegian missionary Maria Monsen wondered what good her praying could do. She longed to see God’s river of life flood spiritually dry China. Then she realized that the mighty Yangtze River began when the tiny drops of rain came together in the top of the mountains.

Maria sought a prayer partner who would join her in claiming the promise “that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Mt. 18:19). When she finally found someone she exclaimed, “The awakening has begun! Two of us have agreed!” The rain drops of revival prayer were coming together.

In November of 1930 Maria announced, “A great revival is coming soon and it will begin in the North China Mission.” She was convinced that the missionaries had fulfilled the conditions for revival found in 2 Chron. 7:14.

In 1932 about forty Christians were meeting in a town in North China for prayer four times a day beginning at 5:00 a.m. Believers were convicted of sin. Two men repented of hating each other. Love was strong and deep. Joy abounded.

When revival came more people were born again than in any previous year in North China. One missionary estimated that 3,000 people came to Christ in his town. Pastors, missionaries, and Bible women experienced a deeper Christian life than they had ever known before.

A spirit of prayer was poured out on the church. People loved to pray. Many times prayer meetings lasted two or three hours. The prayers were short, fervent, and sometimes tearful. Children’s prayers led to the salvation of their parents and teachers.

In 1936 revival fires broke out on the campus of Wheaton College west of Chicago. A senior named Don Hillis arose in chapel to voice a plea for revival. Students responded with an all-day prayer meeting on Saturday. Both faculty and students confessed sin and made things right with one another.

The Wheaton campus was touched again in 1943 following a message on confession of sin during special services. The captain of the cross-country team arose to confess that he had violated college policy by leading his team in a Sunday race. Pride, criticism, and cheating were confessed by other students. Lunch and dinner slipped by unnoticed while the meeting continued into the evening service.

“Stop the bus!” a member of the Wheaton College Glee Club shouted. The Glee Club was touring in Florida in 1950. A revival that had broken out on the campus in Illinois had touched this student hundreds of miles away. He confessed he had broken the rules and other students began to turn to God.

God’s promise is still true. If we seek Him with all our heart, we shall surely find Him ready to pour the riches of His grace and love into the lives of His people (Jer. 29:13).

Oliver Price, Revival Insights, Vol. III, No. 4