We keep hearing about revival. Like the wind we find it, yet somehow, we fail to experience it in our lives. We see teenagers fill a stadium and it’s called revival. We see hundreds of people get baptized and call it revival. We see people falling over and shaking on the ground and we assume its revival. Revival, revival, revival… Everyone is seeking it; many are claiming they have it.
Why is everyone calling for revival? It is because deep down we can all see the brokenness that has made its way into the Church and our nation. And no matter how emotional the music makes us or how passionate the pastor speaks; the truth is the presence of the Lord is leaving many churches. We crave revival because we are all hungry to the point of starvation. We desperately seek the presence of the True and living God. And we hop from church to church and online preacher to online priest as we seek just a fleeting moment of the presence we used to feel many years ago when we went to church. Yet we know, deep in our hearts, that without revival our children will fall away never knowing the true power and presence of the King we serve, because without His presence, faith is just a lifeless religion. And that is why we are seeing an entire generation leaving the Christian faith.
I think that when we have a spiritual problem, sometimes we forget that we can find the answer in the scriptures. And that can be said for revival as well. How does the scripture show us how to enter into a time of revival and renewal? Here is the summery of the original revival as God’s People came back to the Lord with new passion. The scriptures are taken from 2 Kings 22:8 through 2 Kings 23:3. It shows what takes place when the Word was found in the temple after an entire generation forgot it was there.
“Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” … And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king… When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes… The king went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.” This should be our formula for revival…
The way to revival has always been the same. As we drift away from the teachings of the Living Word, the presence of God diminishes. And that is because his presence can be found in the living Word. It is that “logos” (Word) that John talks about in John chapter 1. When we move away from the Word of God, we move away from the presence of God. It is that simple. So what do you think is the key to revival?
Can I tell you a secret? Revival is taking place here in America. But it looks very different than the emotional highs and large productions we are made to measure it by. There are pastors and Christians who are re-devoting themselves to the Word of God; those that have left pension and provision to take on His provision. They are done playing Christian and are ready and willing to believe in the Word of God again. Revival is happening, but it is taking place in small fellowships.
Many people are leaving their former denominations that have compromised the Word of God and have changed the love of God into a license to sin. Just think about it? If revival comes by reading and obeying the Word of God, how can a church possess His presence if they choose to do the opposite and call those sinful acts holy and acceptable? Sadly, I see entire denominations of people that are in chains as they feel like they can’t leave the empty religious organization that holds their salvation hostage (through things like baptism, membership, Eucharist and confirmation).
The next few years are going to reshape the religious landscape. We are going to see growing persecution of those churches who hold to the Truth, and we are going to see a great shifting of people as they find new spiritual homes. Just think about it… Denominations are drastically and quickly changing. And most of those changes are leaning toward toleration and acceptance of sin in the body of Christ. We are about to see Christ bring the same type of dramatic shifting in His bride as when the protestant church was originally formed. For the Holy Spirit is calling for people to keep His Word, and many are ready to heed the Spirit’s call. Revival and reformation are here for those who seek Him.
Do we really want revival? If we do, we need to surrender our wants and desires once again to the Word of God. We need to be willing to move our families into fellowships that seek the presence of God before it is too late for our children; churches that promote Christ rather than philosophy. What will the protestants and Catholics call those who have left? Who knows? What I do know, is that those who have faith to seek out the Word of God (and live it out) will find the thing they seek. For God’s presence will always be found in His obedient children. And it will be the Light seen in them that will truly bring revival to this nation and to the world as you can’t separate the Word from His presence.