Why We Must Learn What Revival Is Not
Revival is not an event that comes and goes but a movement that will change our nation, city and community. It’s like a river that goes out of the church building, spills out to the streets and spreads all over the arterial roads and eventually will saturate the whole city with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We have seen revivals over the past few decades, and we have seen what the Holy Spirit can do when people are hungry and expectant for a mighty visitation. Nonetheless, I feel as though we haven’t learned the lesson of what revival is not.
Many want a revival, but they want to manage it and turn it into something that will benefit their own agendas. God, in His mercy, will pour our His Spirit, but when revival is met with self-agenda, it is like when water is poured over the fire: The fire will quench, and the revival will be short-lived.
God wants to do more than just visit our churches: He wants to transform our lives, churches, cities and ultimately our nation. His desire to dwell with us far exceeds the desire to visit for a little while. Heaven’s goal is to make out of us “disciple-makers.” And that, my friends, takes more than a visitation of God but rather having a habitation for God!
Revival without discipleship can’t be sustained for long periods of time; neither can it have longevity when we only expect to be filled by His Spirit rather than be discipled by God. Revival is more than an event, conference or a weekend of meetings. Revival is not a word or a fancy title for a book or a conference; it’s a cataclysmic movement that can potentially shape the destiny of our towns, cities and even our nation!
Revival without evangelism will often lead to great meetings where many will enjoy a touch from heaven but where fruit will be scarce. Ultimately God’s desire is that everyone who is exposed to His glory will come to the knowledge of His Son Jesus and get saved.
For too long we have heard teachings and even great preaching on revival itself but not so much on what God desires to build when He decides to visit with us. Too many revivals have been transient, and only a few have ended up good. Many have turned into great events of ongoing meetings where we see too much “handling of men” rather than the glory itself. This can be a dangerous turning point in any revival and often will lead to the end of it.
One of the factors why revival is often short-lived is because God will never share His glory with anybody. The moment where pride, sin or self-ambition meets a revival is like when a Category 5 hurricane is met by a cold system and diverted into the ocean. That Category 5 hurricane has the potential to make history, but if the system encounters mountains or cold fronts, it will dissipate and most likely become a tropical storm.
Revival is not destructive like hurricanes, but it will change and shape our destinies. It will bring down the evil thrones and will change the atmosphere in our cities. It can also spark a great fire that has the potential to ruin all the men-run church programs and replace them with divine meetings where heaven will saturate the ground and where miracles become daily realities.
Do you still want it?
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