It Isn't That We Need A Revival;
It Is, Do We Want One? 
 

A weakened church is a strengthened enemy. That means that the influence of our Lord Jesus and His Kingdom through the church to affect the world and for the the lost to be brought to salvation is compromised. Satan gains influence in the affairs of men, governments and society. This can only result in sorrow for all.

Can we bear to see Satan have his way, glorying not just over individuals whom he exercises his will, but whole nations that give into his deceptions and fall into more unrighteousness? A law goes into effect that says in the absence of a holy church you will have an unholy nation. In the absence of Jesus being truly King in the church you will have a nation of every man doing what is right in his own eyes, even to the extent of changing the word of God to suit ones selfish ends.

So it is not will the church have a revival, but when will the revival come. A further question to the church is do we want a revival? Or are we keeping our heads buried, ignoring the condition of the church and the world? So, to the question of do we want a revival, there is only one answer.  We must want it because we need it.

History is on our side. It has shown us that all great revivals coordinate with national crises. Or if the revival is limiited to a church or small region, the conditions are such that only a revival will restore the church to God's glory.

In 1857 our nation was facing major economic collapse. Prior to that, it was noted by Dr. J. Edwin Orr, a famous historian on revivals, that the spiritual life of America was falling apart. He noted 5 factors contributing to the moral decay.

1. Greed which created a gap between the rich and poor, resulting in more crime.
2. Hunger for the supernatural, thus opening the door to spiritualism and the occult.
3. Immorality and a "free love" society.
4. Corruption in business and government.
5. Growing indifference to religion, its laws and ethics.

Sound familiar?

A great revival was preceded by a great season of prayer. Jeremiah Lamphier, a businessman with a burden for the lost, the state of the church and the nation, began a prayer meeting at noon on Wednesdays at the Dutch Church on Fulton Street in New York. What started without much notice and only a few in attendance soon became an everyday prayer meeting with 10,000 all over the city seeking God to pour out His Spirit.

So began a massive revival lasting for years and stretching into the Civil War era. Thousands of troops came to the Lord, some before the war and some during. Within the first couple of years of this revival, millions were saved on both sides of the Atlantic and it was estimated that 50,000 a week were coming to Christ in the height of the revival.

Powerful ministries were birthed (as is most often the case when revivals impact church and society), such as D. L. Moody, Hudson Taylor, Catherine and William Booth (founders of the Salvation Army), and the China Inland Mission. The American Red Cross began and much human suffering was eased. With the restoration of faith in God, and the turning from sin, society became more righteous. The great social need of nations, the poor especially, was rectified. This was a history making time for the Lord.

Revivals are designed to bring glory to our Lord. It is His time to step center stage. Men stay behind the curtains because God is doing what man could not. 

The revival jumped the Atlantic and touched down in Ireland, then Scotland, Wales and England. Millions were saved, to say nothing of the impact revival had on society. Society always benefits from revivals. Things that could not be changed under any circumstances or any means employed by men, were changed for good. The outpouring of God's Spirit has no equal in influence on the souls of men and women along with all their agencies and efforts.

But sin must be repented of, and much prayer must be made before God will pour out His Spirit. He is not obliged to do so under any other conditions (see 2 Chron. 7:14). This is an unequivocal truth because sin got men and society into their present awful state. And sin must be removed from God's people in order to heal a sick church and mend a broken society.

Sin is only removed by repentance. In most revivals, repentance is preceded by prayer. Once the Spirit falls on saints crying for God's mercy, the atmosphere is like a holy canopy where men and women coming into His presence become like Isaiah and are constrained to confess sin in the presence of a Holy God.

Sometimes confession is silent, sometimes public. But no matter, the work of the Holy Spirit is to change people from unrighteous to righteous. The penitent doesn't think about what people think of him or her. There is only a desire to be right with God and the brethren.

Not all churches and not all saints will give themselves to the kind of intense, desperate prayer that brings revival. Many will not humble themselves to admit their sin and ask for forgiveness, at least not initially. God begins with those few who are willing in the day of His power. They provide the impetus for others who join as the Spirit begins convicting more and more of the desperate state of things in the church and the world, and they, too, join the concert of holy prayer ascending to the throne.

Prayer is preparation for revival. It is our part in God's plan to revive the church. The burden to pray comes from our Lord. So does the energy to persist in prayer. Is it possible God is giving you a burden to pray for revival?  If so, God will provide you with the grace to pray till He comes with healing in His wings.

Greg Manalli
www.folchurch.org