I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.” Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’ Hosea 10:12 (NLT)
To declare that we need a revival invites a variety of responses. Sadly, a common response will be “What’s a revival?” Another might respond that “a revival would be nice, but there is nothing that we can do, it is a sovereign initiative of God.” Discouragingly, far too many Christians will not even recognize a need for revival. “There may be a few problems, but generally life is good.”
When I think of revival, my heart is stirred. I want to see the word of God confirmed with signs and wonders. Lives transformed by the power of the gospel message. In a revival, the pull of the world, along with the distractions and frivolities, no longer have a hold on the child of God.
We cannot manufacture a revival, but we can prepare the soil of our hearts to be receptive to seeds of righteousness. The prophet said: I have heard all about you, Lord. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy. Habakkuk 3:2 (NLT)
When we read about the great movements of God in times past do our hearts grow with excitement, or do we mistakenly think that the days of revival have passed? In either case, we need God to move more desperately than we can imagine.
What Are the Possibilities?
We must not let our doctrine, or our experience put a limit on what God can do. How many Christ-followers are under the impression that the great outpourings of God’s spirit, revivals, signs, and wonders, are relics of the past? They never cry out, like Habakkuk did, “help us again as you did in years gone by.”
Even more regrettable than believing that the days of revival have passed are those whose doctrine is correct yet are content with living with a memory. They proudly point back to Azusa Street but yet have a barely discernible spiritual pulse. Jesus would say of them: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Revelation 3:1 (NLT) They are content with yesterday’s manna.
We should desire to be numbered with the few who will accept nothing less than to live their lives in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We must live with the expectation that God has not changed and that the promise of Pentecost is for us today, and for our children, and our children’s children.
Everyone who goes all in for God will pay a price. Seeking after everything that God has for us will bring charges of fanaticism and extremism. It is easier to just go along with the crowd existing in passive mediocrity. The world needs a church that is alive and on fire. The church needs to know that God still brings the dead to life.
We Think We Have Options
And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.” Luke 24:49 (CSB)
If we have a mindset that considers revival optional, we won’t have revival. A Christ-follower who is not earnest in seeking and praying for revival is selfish and does not reflect the heart of God. The Laodicean church thought that they needed nothing. In their minds, life was good. Reality was another matter.
Revival is always necessary because the world will never be attracted to halfhearted mediocrity. When God’s people are on fire the world will take notice. Jesus commanded the apostles to wait for the fire of the Holy Spirit before embarking on the mission he gave them.
Yes, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church on the day of Pentecost, but time after time, they were renewed and refilled. Revival may warm our hearts, but the primary purpose is so that we will be equipped to be a bright light in a dark world. If we are to be obedient to our commission, there are no options. We need the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Four Points
Evan Roberts, a man used by God in the Welsh revival of 1904-1905 preached a message in the early days of that outpouring of God’s spirit. His first sermon attracted seventeen attendees, but within three months, church membership in Wales grew by 100,000. Here are the four points of his message:
- Confess any known sin to God and put away any wrong done to others.
- Put away any doubtful habit.
- Obey the Holy Spirit promptly.
- Confess Christ openly.
There is no doubt that only God can bring revival, but as Hosea said, we have the responsibility of plowing the ground and preparing our hearts to be ready to receive “the good seeds of righteousness.”
It is a dangerous thing to be satisfied with our spiritual condition. We cannot coast, and we cannot depend upon the blessings of yesterday. We need to continually be in revival because the world desperately needs to know that there is a God that loves them, and a Savior who died to save them from their sins. Desperate times call for desperate prayers. James Alexander Stewart said:
"Every outpouring of the Spirit is preceded by earnest, agonizing, intercession, accompanied by a heartbrokenness and humiliation before God. This is followed by a recognition and honoring of the blessed Spirit. Pastors and flock alike in their churches are deeply concerned about the terrible discrepancy between the heart stirring record in the Book of Acts and the present-day condition of the Church."
Today we need a Holy Spirit revival. There are no viable options or alternatives. “Now is the time to seek the Lord.”
Steve Ekeroth