It is time to get wound up and make it happen. Crank the music, start running in circles, and get the people excited. Promote and announce it weeks in advance. Start creating the excitement before it happens. Lights, camera, ACTION! Oh, and don’t forget the tent because this is about the reality of revival!
Revival (noun): an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings
Hartley, the writer of a Christian News Source, was at a revival in Virginia. He has another definition and was quoted as saying,
“This is not man-made, charismatic, hyper-spiritual. This is the presence of God that is overwhelming us, that is being released upon hungry people that are tired of just stagnant Christianity and “safe” church.”
Steps To Revival
Let me say that people have a habit of trying to figure things out. If we can figure it out, then we can decide what it is we want to recreate – just follow the steps. And, is it really a revival or is it an awakening? What is the difference between those two? And which one do we really want? What is the reality of revival? Is it really this confusing?
By the way, I searched for “the steps to revival” and I found the following, and everything in between. So here are the steps of revival, and this was just the first page…
- Three Steps to Revival
- Four Steps to Revival, part 2
- Five Steps to Revival
- Six Steps to Spiritual Revival
- Seven Steps to Ignite Spiritual Revival
- #002 Nine Steps to Revival
- 10 STEPS TO REVIVAL (all in caps)
- 12 Signs of Revival (and a bonus)
And then to further complicate it, there are even articles on “the Stages” of revival. I am sure these are all good articles, but can we recreate a moment of a “true” revival by following these well-thought-out steps?
A Few Highlights From the Asbury Revival
You may remember this hitting the headlines. Here’s a few facts from it:
- 16 Days Long
- Student-led
- No Christian Rock Star speakers, bands, or musicians
- No special effects, lighting, smoke machines, or neon signs
- Only used 12 songs over and over, over the 16 days
- Only used a piano, and much of it with only a few chords
- Started with a few students praying together, and then lingering
- Others came in to pray, and they started lingering
- Those who were lingering started calling and inviting their friends
- Leadership? Multiple and nameless (no introductions were ever done)
- It was “clunky and unpolished” but it didn’t matter
- The Grocery Store and Subway (only food in town) ran out of food
- The mayor closed the town with a sign on the highway that said,
Revival Over Capacity
Many Outcomes
There was no preaching, altar calls, or invitations, but many came curious and left changed. People waited in backed-up traffic for hours in a line over 2 1/2 miles long. Then standing for hours waiting to get into the auditorium. Once there was room for people to come in, they would be offered seats but many declined as they just wanted to get to the alter to pour out their hearts.
Before the Revival
The Counseling Center at Asbury, before the Revival, was backed up. If someone called in for therapy the first question asked was, “Are you suicidal?” If the answer was yes, you got right in. But if the answer was no, then due to overload you were put on a waitlist 3-4 weeks out.
After the Revival
The Counseling Center at Asbury started sending out flyers and announcing that if anyone needed help, there were now plenty of openings for counseling.
My Life
If you’ve read very many of my past blog posts, you probably know I was very jaded for years. I was playing Christian with the best of them, but leading a life in another world. The revival took place in my heart in a very unexpected way. I fought it but knew I couldn’t resist. I wanted to give in. And I did.
It happened when my wife came home from a mission trip. Her heart was raw with compassion and in awe of God’s moving. After returning home, she just sobbed with a broken heart as I held her. God assured me, as my heart was breaking, that it was okay for me to stop playing my games and give my life back to Him.
Challenge of the Week
Every God-Centered, Spirit-led revival is unique. But the most important revival is the one that starts with you. What one thing can you do this week to allow the Lord to begin revival in your heart? Pray for it, as many times it starts in the least expected way as it did for me. Let the reality of revival begin today in your heart. So be it!
