“True revival is the offspring of lives transformed.” – Luke Oakes
It is being reported that a revival has started at Asbury University. It is too early to tell if this revival is authentic or not, yet those of us who do not live in Kentucky can only hope and pray that what is starting is a holiness-filled movement of the Spirit of God.
America is in desperate need of a revival. Therefore, I wanted to briefly share what a true revival in America may look like. For it is not just the emotional experience in a chapel service that cultivates revival, it is the drastic lifestyle changes in the lives of those who fully surrender to a holy God in all aspects of their lives; for the closer our relationship to the Father, the farther away from the ways of this world we should find ourselves. Our country needs to embrace a new thought, and that is what the true meaning of repentance is. True revival transforms lives, and lives transformed manifest as righteousness and personal holiness.
Scripture tells us, 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. Titus 1:15-16
Therefore, if revival is taking place at Asbury, we should begin to see the fruit of God’s holiness beginning to flow out of that place as it transforms those who surrender to Christ. And what would that look like? Here is just a small list of things that may happen in a real revival.
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True revival will be taking place if…
1. People surrender their entertainment choices to the Lord. This includes what video games they play, what they watch on TV, and how much time they spend being entertained.
2. People change their mindset from “living to eat” to “eating to live”. With Christ in control of their diet, they will find healing to many strongholds in this life.
3. People submitting their hobbies to the Lord. We can have fun, yet we can’t let our fun come before the Father.
4. People would crave to be fed by the Word of God and they would prioritize scripture reading and study. Worship would take place more organically and not just in a sanctuary.
5. People would strive to earnestly pray and develop their intimacy with God. They would sit in the stillness and find their rest in Christ.
6. People would surrender the desires of their culture and heritage to take on the Kingdom culture.
7. Those who are gender confused or sexually immoral would repent and surrender to God’s plan for sexuality and gender.
8 People would stop seeking after counselors for therapy using worldly philosophy and psychology and would once again allow Christ to free them from their past wounds and infirmities.
9. People would gather into fellowships that invested in each other’s lives and used their funds to support those who God is calling to ministry and those who are in need.
10 People will limit social media use, the need of personal vanity in the documentation of memories, and the amount of money they devote to being connected to various platforms.
11. People would love their children enough to show it in discipline and in praise and would train their children up in the Lord as there first and utmost priority. This includes sheltering them from a sinful world.
12. People would forgive their enemies and restore broken relationships in their families and marriages.
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So what would a fake and manufactured revival look like?
1. It would focus on feelings and be rated by length, attendance, and signs and wonders.
2. It would create a pyramid scheme of power and influence based on how close someone was involved at a specific event.
3. Music would be played continuously to keep people in the mood and people would be edified to giving up real life to remain at an event.
4. People would drive from miles away for the sole reason of being able to say that they were there.
5. They would create a separate class of power and holiness for those who received the direct anointing at a specific place.
6. People would profit from the event by creating programs, writing books, or speaking in churches.
7. A wicked and perverse generation seeks after signs and wonders. Therefore, if prophecy and healings are found without a lack of personal holiness and transformation, we can know that those spiritual manifestations are not of God.
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In short, America needs a true revival. We need to see the transformation “of the hearts of people” in the Church to be a true light in the darkness. I pray that what is taking place in Asbury University is real and authentic. And I pray that people will not misuse the presence of God for their own personal gain. Are we seeing the beginning of a powerful movement of the Spirt? Only time will tell.
Therefore, let us not get caught up in the numbers of people or the length of a service or the signs and wonders that take place in the sanctuary. True revival is the offspring of lives transformed. Show us a movement toward personal and corporate holiness. Show us a group of people fully surrendered to God in every area of their lives. Show us that those living in true holiness are bearing fruit in the lives of others who are struggling in darkness. We want to see “Christ in us”…
May the Lord be with us and with those at Asbury University. And may true revival be the outcome as dry bones come back to life.