What is revival?

What is revival? (and what it is not)

Revival is commonly seen as a supernatural and uncommon intervention by God’s Holy Spirit in which large numbers of people repent and come to faith in Jesus. Some people prefer the word “awakening” to describe such a revival. But in both cases it is commonly seen as something that God does of his own free will and with little (if any) human involvement. Others point to the external trappings of past revival (e.g. a series of tent services) and calls any such activities “a revival” – in this case, mostly something that happens as the result of human effort. However, I am convinced that both of these viewpoints are missing something vital, mistaking the results of revival for real revival itself.

The word “revival” does not occur in the New Testament at all. It does occur in the Old Testament (“Will you not make us alive again” = “revive us again” – Ps.65, Hos.6), and the idea is found throughout Scripture including the last book of the New Testament, Revelation. Why would revival be important if it is such a small part of the Scriptures? Or rather, if revival is of such importance as many seem to believe (myself included), why is it not mentioned more in the New Testament?

I believe that there is a good reason for this and it has everything to do with what revival actually is. Revival is not mentioned in most of the New Testament, because most New Testament churches did not need revival. The clue is in the very word that is used. Only something or someone that has died or is almost dead, can be revived. And almost all the churches in the New Testament period were alive and growing – there was no need for revival! Because this is the most important prerequisite for revival: unless the church is dying or almost dead already, it has no need for revival. Revival implies something coming back to life: “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.” (Rev.3:1-2). By the time of Revelation, we are confronted with a number of 1st century churches who were indeed in need of revival. Can we really say that our situation is all that different today? Do our churches look more like that of the first church in Jerusalem, or rather similar to most of these we find in Revelation? “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.“

Revival is the body of Messiah on earth becoming alive again and living the life to which He called us. It is not simply an unusual and supernatiral temporary “visitation by the Spirit of God”. It is the restoration to the normal Christian life in the church, the life that we find described in the New Testament. And yes, there were many people coming to repentance and the Holy Spirit working in power to bring the lost to Messiah (just read Acts). But this was a result of what the Holy Spirit had done within the congregations of disciples. For this reason, I am convinced that true revival is not something that should ever stop. It is not the will of God that his church should die again and that this death should be called “normal”. Yes, even within the New Testament church there are different seasons – a time of rapid growth in numbers followed by a time of deeper spiritual growth (being built up in love, knowledge and grace) or a period of persecution and testing – but it does not (and should not) be followed by a season of being dead, where the church looks no different from the world and often only keep the outer trappings of previous revivals, “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2 Tim 3:5).

Will you pray with me that God would open our eyes to see his church through his eye? Will you pray for mercy and the Spirit of repentance and new life within the church? Jesus told those first century churches in Revelation that He would remove their lamps if they did not repent (for most of them that is exactly what has happened – those towns in Muslim Turkey have been without a Christian church for centuries). How long do we think He will allow our luke-warm and spiritually dead western church to survive and spatter mud on his holy Name? Yes, like in Revelations there are congregations that do not need revival because they are already alive and growing in the power of the Holy Spirit. But is this not the exception rather than the rule today?

What do you think about revival? Is it something we need today? Why (not)?