Revival
October 27th, 2005The subject of revival has been coming up frequently lately. It started out with some friends over dinner, bled into Bible study the following night, and seems to be a thread that is igniting the people around me. I’m starting to think that God has something he wants to speak to us.
The backdrop of a revival begins with the majority of people becoming comfortable and compromising. Where the group of people who have been set apart (sanctified) by God are choosing to blend. But God’s warning against this is clear throughout the Bible:
So what is a revival? Here are the definitions:
- an improvement in the condition or strength of something
- an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again
- a new production of an old play or similar work
- a reawakening of religious fervor, esp. by means of a series of evangelistic meetings
- such a meeting or series of meetings
- a restoration to bodily or mental vigor, to life or consciousness, or to sporting success
At Bible study we discussed how God starts a revival in action, and we looked at the example of Ezra:
So to incite a revival is to dedicate yourself to the following principles:
- Preparing your heart
- Purposing to do God’s commands
- Preaching the truth
Looking at both the example and the definition we can get a glimpse of God’s heart towards changing a generation. As all great things in life, it is put into motion by the Holy Spirit, but God uses his creation to display his glory. People coming to have Life in Him is His greatest glory.
So, where does this put us? Do you desire to be a part of the greatest revival of the century? I do, and no organization or call to action will accomplish this amazing task. But God’s call to us right now is very clear:
