Revive-al Some Things Running Through My Mind

I was reading a thread and it prompted me to ask this question. Where did the term revival originate? What does it mean and when did we start using it? What I discovered made me think about the nature of what we are often seeking for and some of my past experiences.

I think that every one of us, at least I hope, has a great desire to see the power of God manifested in His church. We long to see people who are lukewarm begin to burn hot for Christ. We long to see people who live compromised lives begin to put the flesh to death and live in and for the Spirit. But this is where the definition of the word comes in.

The term revival means to bring back something that is old. It was used, often, of plays or performances brought back to the stage after a period of time. It would be a bit like a re-run on television suddenly becoming popular again. It seems, if what I found is true, that the term was first applied to the church in the 1660's.

As I grew up, I can remember many "revivals", usually one each spring and one each fall. A minister from some other place would come in for a week of services. The idea was that we were pretty stale and bored of our normal fare, and that a week of "church" services with a different speaker would somehow bring back the power and move of God in our church. While some people did receive from God and were renewed in these meetings, the results were not permanent, and we would again need another "revival" in the church. I think this is a microcosm of the church as a whole.

I have even seen us reach a place where we remembered that one service when sister Jones sang that one song that absolutely ushered in the presence of God and we had one of those powerful services. So when things seemed dry, we would try to have sister Jones sing that same song, hoping to bring back that same power, or at least the emotion that accompanied it.

But why do I have the desire to bring back that which is old? Why would I want a rerun of anything? I don't want another protestant reformation. I don't want another Welsh revival or another Cain Ridge, or another Azusa Street. I want the current power of the Holy Spirit living through me. I want rivers of living water to be flowing out of my own belly. I want to do the things that Jesus did, and greater things because of the power of the Holy Spirit in and through me. I want to have the heart, mind, and love of Christ motivating every word and every deed.

You see, God never intended any one of us to have any need of being revived. When He gave us the Holy Spirit, He gave us the greatest source of life, power, victory, and joy the world has ever know. Our rebirth was meant to restore us to that vibrant and vital intimacy that Adam and Eve once knew before the fall.

But this all comes at a cost, and there is where the rub takes place. Rebirth is impossible without death. If I want to walk in what God has planned for me, I am going to have to die to myself. I cannot live for me anymore. God is going to constantly call me closer to Him. He is going to constantly ask me to surrender more of me to have more of His power operational in my life. But so many of us are not willing to pay the price to have our wineskin refashioned. We would rather maintain the old wineskin and hope to refill it with the old wine that we used to find so much pleasure in partaking of.

But this will never work if we want to go on with God. I wonder, how much of our search for revival is really a hope that we can somehow get God to move like He used to move, but within the confines of our old wineskin? I wonder if we so often fail to experience the continuing move of God because we are not willing to allow Him to fashion a new wineskin to contain the ever increasing work that He longs to do in our lives.

Just some thoughts as I meditated on revival. Lord, let me be ready to change ANYTHING in my life that You ask me to change so that I might walk in the continuing power of your presence, growing and changing from glory to glory as you transform my life.

Very thoughtful. It also seems to me that revivals in history had less to do with what God did in the lives of believers and more to do with a great number of conversions. Revival, I think, is when God is pleased to bring many into the kingdom in a short period of time as compared to a few over a longer period of time (which seems to be his default). There can also be revivals of doctrines long-neglected, and this no doubt aids in a boost in our sanctification, but will also often convert many people.

Travis, have you ever studied the Chronicles? I suggest anyone interested in revival to do that. In it you will read of the rise and fall of people's love for God...very insightful.

Sandra

"But why do I have the desire to bring back that which is old? Why would I want a rerun of anything? I don't want another protestant reformation. I don't want another Welsh revival or another Cain Ridge, or another Azusa Street. I want the current power of the Holy Spirit living through me. I want rivers of living water to be flowing out of my own belly. I want to do the things that Jesus did, and greater things because of the power of the Holy Spirit in and through me. I want to have the heart, mind, and love of Christ motivating every word and every deed. "

Amen Travis! We as believers need to
be continuously filled with the Holy
Spirit and power.

Revival hardly ever comes in the way
that we expect it to, and when it does
come many saints are blessed by the
Presence of the Lord, and some are
offended even attributing it to the work
of the devil.

True revival will bring such
conviction on backsliders and the lost
that many will return to the Lord and be
saved, and the whole atmosphere will
be changed by the glory and presence
of the Lord.

Get rid of socialism. Stand up in the pulpit and preach that everyone on welfare should get off of welfare or be barred from entering the doors of the church. That will get everyone's attention.

Joe, et. al.: I know you are speaking tongue in cheek, but lately God has really been turning me upside down and inside out. He has really been working on me personally in many areas of my life. I want to try to share this so that it makes sense. Here goes.

I am realizing that revival is not necessarily something that comes and goes. In my opinion, it does us no good to pray, "Lord send revival." It is a prayer that I have never seen in scripture. But, I must explain.

Jesus said something interesting in the parable of the sower, the parable of the talents, and in John 15. He said something to this effect. "To whomever had, much more will be given, but to whomever has not, even that which he has will be taken away." It has taken me years to truly begin to get revelation on what that means. John puts it this way. "If you keep my commandments you shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love."

Paul prayed in Ephesians that we would get a true revelation of God's love for us. We find in scripture that faith works by love. We find that without a revelation of God's love, we cannot be filled with His fullness. (Eph 3:19).

The revelation of His love is the key to relationship with Him. You see, the purpose of salvation, of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, was not just so we could be forgiven of sins, walk in blessing, and go to heaven. It was to restore us to right relationship with God through Christ. It was to make us sons of God, brother's of Christ, partakers of the divine nature, and to restore in us the image of God that we were always created to bear.

So many believers are what we used to call, "saved and stuck." Their lives do not look substantially different after their "conversion" than they did before. They believe that they are assured of an eternal reward for the prayer they prayed and the decision they made. They might go to church regularly and believe that they are, "Saved to serve", but that is about as far as it goes.

But this was never God's intent. He wants us to have such a revelation of His love that we run full throttle after Him in every area of our lives. He wants us to have such an intimate relationship with Him that He can pour out His fullness in, upon, and through us.

This is what is meant by the statement from the parable of the sower, the talents, and John 15. Obedience, right response to the word of God, abiding in Him (walking daily in total intimacy and communion with Him) is the key to His fullness. When we draw night to Him, He draws nigh to us. When we run after Him and have intimate fellowship with Him, He heaps upon us greater and greater revelation of His will and of His ways. He literally opens Himself up to us in divine revelation because of the intimacy we share with Him. To Him that hath, more shall be given.

But to the person who hears the word and allows other things to steal the revelation, even what He has will be taken away.

Revival is found in and through us. Do we want to see another great awakening? Do we want to see God move in our city, our nation? We must ask ourselves this question, "Do I want to see it so badly that I personally will run after it with everything that I have?" Most of us would, I have to say from my own experience, say that we will pray for revival, but we do not do the things that a person with a true revelation of God's love for us does. That is to fall madly in love with such a God and run after Him with everything we have, personally.

How to I know this? Because I am watching God begin to do this work in me. He is literally turning me inside out. It is entirely uncomfortable at times, and it challenges everything that is lazy and comfortable in me. But I have had a glimpse of the fruit, and I like what I see.

Who was it that said if you catch fire the whole world will come watch you burn?

That is the foundation of revival.

The one is a so-so believer who is organizing prayer meetings, hoping to see revival. The other is a man on fire, whose heart joins God's in crying out for souls, and who burns so brightly that he cannot be hidden. Subtle, yet very different.

I hope that communicates my heart. I want to walk so close to Him that I literally think His thoughts and have His heart and mind. (Read 1 Cor. 2. It's there, and possible.) Then revival will take care of itself.

Brother Travis wrote:"You see, the purpose of salvation, of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, was not just so we could be forgiven of sins, walk in blessing, and go to heaven. It was to restore us to right relationship with God through Christ. It was to make us sons of God, brother's of Christ, partakers of the divine nature, and to restore in us the image of God that we were always created to bear. "

Yes dear brother, this is the selfsame our Lord has been patiently revealing to me as well.

Brother Travis wrote;"He wants us to have such an intimate relationship with Him that He can pour out His fullness in, upon, and through us."

Not to mince words.... but (in my understanding) He already has poured out His fullness, and we either become partakers by faith or we don't.

(In every translation I can find, it's past tense- which should make our faith all the more certain)

2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

In either case I very much am blessed by your words dear brother:)

Not to mince words.... but (in my understanding) He already has poured out His fullness, and we either become partakers by faith or we don't.

Fletcher: I believe that is made available to us by God and what we experience or receive can be two very different things. I find it interesting that the apostles upon whom the Holy Spirit had already been poured out in Acts 2 prayed in Acts 4 that God fill them with His Holy Spirit and He did, and the place was shaken. We are changed from glory to glory into His image. It is not He who changes, but us. We grow into spiritual maturity. Full maturity does not happen in an instant. We grow in power and in revelation. It does not happen in an instant.

But then again, we might be crossing up meanings when we talk about fullness. Am I totally saved and made righteous in a moment? Absolutely. Did He pour out His Spirit fully on the day of Pentecost? I believe He did. Do we continually hunger and thirst for more of Him and through intimacy receive a greater revelation of His fullness and as a result of this revelation begin to walk in a greater measure of His Spirit than we did before? In my opinion we do.

Yes Amen!

We are of one heart and mind in this:)

You are also correct in your assessment that I had taken the word "fullness" in a different context- thank you for helping me to better understand dear brother ~

Bless you brother! Interesting, I am just now prompted in my own study to look at the term fulness in scripture. Powerful if you start reading the context of the scriptures where this word is used.

Praise God.