PAYING THE PRICE FOR REVIVAL: PRAYER

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” - Jeremiah 33:3

There is a price to pay for every worthwhile thing in life. Of course, salvation is an exception to this, but it is among the few exceptions. While I believe that revival is a sovereign work of God in the lives of His people, I think a proper study would reveal that nearly every revival began with a small remnant of believers seeking God in prayer.

In a previous blog message, I wrote that most Christians want the benefits and blessings of revival without paying the price required for revival. Certainly this is true when it comes to prayer.

Most believers would admit that prayer is important. Most Christians would say that they are praying people. However, prayer is often a minor aspect of life for American Christians. They pray when there's a crisis. They pray when we get bad medical news. They pray when a family member suffers. To be rather blunt, the average Christian has a superficial prayer life.

What ever happened to prayer meetings in our churches? Quite honestly, you can't get most church members to show up for a prayer meeting. These days, church members have taken the role of spectators. They show up at church, take a seat and hope to be entertained for an hour or so. When challenged to participate, most people would rather stay home. Although most Christian leaders would disagree, I tend to think that the best gauge of spiritual vitality in our churches is not the size of the Sunday morning congregation, but the number of people who regularly attend and participate in the prayer meeting.

For many people, prayer does not have much glitter and glamour. Prayer is hard work. Prayer requires faith and discipline.

If we really want to see revival come to our churches and a widespread awakening occur in our nation, believers need to get on their knees and seek God. We need to pay the price on our knees before God.

1. PRAY PASSIONATELY

First of all, we need to pray passionately. Don't be half-hearted in your prayers. Pray as if lives depended on it! Put your heart into your prayer. Pray passionately for a mighty move of God!

2. PRAY SPECIFICALLY

Secondly, be specific in your prayers. Pray for revival in your church. Pray for the prodigals. Pray for the indifferent church members. Pray for the lost. Pray for your community. Pray for those who are slaves to their addictions. Pray for more laborers to enter the harvest field. Pray for your enemies. Pray for your neighbors. Pray for those in leadership. If you want to receive specific answers to prayer, pray specific prayers.

3. PRAY EXPECTANTLY

Next, pray expectantly. Expect God to answer. God may not answer the way you want Him to, but He WILL answer. Pray with faith. Depend upon God to answer your prayers.

4. PRAY DILIGENTLY

Finally, pray diligently. Keep on praying. Even if others quit praying, keep praying yourself. Though your church stops praying, stay faithful in prayer. Though you are tempted to quit, continue praying until the answer comes.

Do I believe revival comes when God's people pray? Yes, I do. Although at times revival may break out at a church or in a community, there are times that the revival falls just on those who were praying. Those who pay the price are often the ones who enjoy the greatest rewards.

If there has ever been a time that revival is needed, it is today. If there has ever been a time in our nation's history that we've needed a spiritual awakening, it is right now. The need has never been greater. The future of our country hangs in the balance. The future of souls is at stake. Someone needs to pay the price for revival.

Will you pray?

DO WE REALLY WANT REVIVAL?

“And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.” - Acts 5:11

It may seem odd to ask the question, “Do we really want revival?,” but I am convinced that a large portion of church members are not interested in revival. In fact, there are some who aren't even concerned enough to go to church themselves, yet alone experience revival. Some of the church's harshest critics are its own members. Many complain about the laxity of the church, but do very little in the church themselves.

The big question is this: do YOU want to see revival? The main problem with Christians is the core belief that revival is about “others.” It is easy to see sin in the lives of others, but we tend to overlook our own sins.

Here are several reasons why most believers are very apathetic about revival:

1. THE PURPOSE OF REVIVAL

Many aren't excited about revival because they aren't passionate about God's glory. You see, revival is a sovereign work of God, changing lives for His glory. We live in a self-entitlement society. Most Americans are selfish, proud and impatient. Americans tend to pursue pleasure and comfort instead of the things of God. Even in church, members tend to have an inward focus instead of having a passion for God's glory.

2. THE PROCESS OF REVIVAL

Secondly, many aren't excited about revival because of the process of revival. Revival may take time to unfold. Certainly, the day of Pentecost was a mighty move of God, but it was preceded by a long period of praying and waiting. In America, we are used to overnight delivery, speedy drive-thru restaurants and self-service gas pumps. We tend to expect immediate results. Revival may include waiting on God, trusting His promises and enduring persecution. Most people aren't interested in this.

3. THE PRICE OF REVIVAL

I believe that the greatest reason that people aren't interested in revival is because they aren't willing to pay the price for revival. Truly, revival is a work of God; an act of grace. Yet revival tends to fall on those who have prepared themselves for revival. In the coming weeks, I hope to deal with this subject more deeply. To say the least, revival can be messy.

I believe most church members want the product of revival. We want to believers get reignited, unbelievers converted, churches growing and mass baptisms. While most would like to see the product of revival, they aren't necessarily passionate about the true purpose of revival. They aren't inspired by the process of revival. They certainly aren't willing to pay the price of revival.

If revival depended upon your devotion, evangelistic fervor and prayers, would revival ever come? If every church member was exactly like you, what kind of church would you have?

Despite our belief to the contrary, often the biggest hindrance to revival is the person seen daily in the mirror.

WHY AREN'T WE SEEING REVIVAL TODAY?

“Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of...” - Judges 6:13

We are living in the best of times --- and the worst of times. When we consider technological and medical breakthroughs that we've seen, we must admit that we are living in the best of times. On the other hand, when we think about the rapid ethical, moral and spiritual decay that is unfolding, we must admit that these are the worst of times.

When it comes to Christianity in America, we see so many positive things. We have Christian bookstores, Bible software, and the abundance of resources freely available on the internet. Furthermore, there's nearly a church on every corner, many of them led by good, sincere leaders. In spite of all that we have available, America is in desperate need of a spiritual awakening.

There are many churches that are growing and doing well. Statistically, most churches in America are either plateaued or losing members. Most churches aren't seeing real revival occurring right now.

Why is that? Why aren't we seeing revival in America? The need is greater than ever. The resources are abundant. The opportunities to spread the Gospel are available. So why aren't we seeing revival?

Many may give statistical data to explain this, but I don't think the issue is a statistical problem. It is a spiritual problem.

Although I am not an expert on any subject, let me give you the reasons why I believe we're not seeing revival in America right now.

1. A LOT OF DISTRACTIONS

First of all, there are a lot of distractions. Social media, television, sports, shopping, hobbies and politics are among the distractions that divert our attention away from God. Have you ever driven on a freeway at night? Although your eyes should be on the road, the lights, marquees and lit billboards can grab your attention. On the highway of life, our eyes should be on Jesus but the enemy has placed all kinds of distractions along the way to keep us preoccupied with unimportant things. Are we spending our time on the things of eternal value? A thousand years from now, it won't matter who won a certain election. It won't matter how many “likes” you received on a Facebook post. All that will matter is our relationship with Jesus and what we have done for him. Distractions are keeping us from experiencing revival these days. Most churches can't even get most members to attend on Sunday, yet alone for any revival or evangelistic meeting. It is time for us to recognize the distractions and keep our focus on spiritual matters.

2. A LAXITY OF DOCTRINE

A second problem that is keeping us from revival is a laxity of doctrine. Most people are interested in hearing jokes, a colorful story and a motivational speech from the pulpit, but there is a lack of hunger for God & His Word. It is sad that many church members derive their spiritual understanding from a slick, polished TV minister rather than the man of God who pastors their church. In some circles, church has been reduced to a music band, comic plays and a feel-good message. We need to hear from God! If we don't get our doctrine from the Word of God, the enemy will surely feed us doctrine that is false. We cannot separate genuine revival from Biblical truth.

3. A LACK OF DESPERATION

Finally, there is a lack of desperation. Desperate people live differently from others. Desperate people bombard heaven with sincere intercession. Desperate people tend to take desperate measures, especially in prayer. Spiritual matters are of utmost importance to desperate people. Sadly, we are in desperate times and most people fail to realize it. Most will angrily respond to political or social issues, but few recognize the real spiritual need that is responsible for the woes we face. We need desperate men and women to get on their knees and cry out to God for mercy and revival. Look at the history of revival and you'll find that revival often came in response to desperate people seeking God.

We need a mighty move of God in America and it must begin in our churches. It is time that Christians turn to God in genuine repentance and seek His face. Sure we can “do church” without God. But we are only fooling ourselves to play this game. While a generation of people are quickly headed to the pit of hell, we need believers to get serious about their salvation and stand in the gap for souls.

Will you join me?

ONE DIVINE MOMENT: REMEMBERING ASBURY

“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” - Psalm 85:6

I am posting this message on February 3rd. 49 years ago on this date, a real revival broke out on the campus of Asbury College in Willmore, Ky. Although many churches "schedule" revivals, the event at Asbury was a spontaneous revival. It was a mighty move of God. It began in a regular chapel service.  But then the Lord made His presence known.

The college president was away on a trip on February 3rd. Instead, the dean of the college conducted the chapel service. Rather than bringing a sermon, he simply gave his testimony. Later, he opened the floor for testimonies. At the insistence of another, the dean gave an invitation.

Holy Spirit conviction fell upon Hughes Auditorium that morning. Students, and even faculty, began to experience conviction. Sins were confessed. Altars were filled with people seeking God. Sinners were getting saved.

That chapel service, which was scheduled to only last an hour, went much longer. In fact, it lasted nearly a week. It was a week of revival without one sermon. Yet God did more in the hearts of people in that one week than typically occurs in a lifetime for most Christians.

The main outcome of the revival was personal repentance. Personal repentance leads to changed lives. Personal transformation occurred on a large scale.

When news reached surrounding communities, it prompted the local news media to investigate. Even the news reporters were impacted by the event when they came to witness it. Other colleges and churches requested Asbury students to come and share what was happening. When the Asbury students would testify, revival broke out in the churches and colleges they visited.

Youtube has more than one video about this revival. After all these years, those who were involved are still impacted by what God did during that week.

Why did revival come to Asbury College in 1970?

1. GOD SOVEREIGNLY BROUGHT REVIVAL

The revival was not a scheduled event. It was a sovereign move of God where He generously poured out his grace upon needy people.

2. A REMNANT HAD BEEN PRAYING

A small group of students had been praying for a mighty revival. Biblically and historically, revival is preceded by the fervent prayer of a small group of believers.

3. PEOPLE RESPONDED TO THE SPIRIT

These days, many churches and colleges are resistant to the Spirit's move, especially when it comes to personal conviction of sin. The young people at Asbury fell under conviction and got right with God. Faculty members were even transformed by the power of God that week.

4. GOD WAS PRAISED

The revival would have stopped immediately if those in attendance sought to brag or seek attention. God was always praised for the work He did that week in the hearts of those at Asbury.

Just like today, 1970 was time of great civil unrest and uncertainty. The war in Vietnam was very unpopular. It wasn't uncommon for college campuses to have demonstrations and violence. America was in turmoil in 1970. It is wrong to assume that God must have ideal circumstances in place before He does a mighty work. The Asbury revival in 1970 is a classic example of God bringing revival when it was needed most.

On that cold Tuesday morning, the Lord made His presence known at tiny Asbury College. That one divine moment has caused Christian historians to classify that event as one of the greatest revivals of the 20^th century.

We need such a divine moment in our land today!

THE CREATOR AND HIS CREATIVITY

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” - Romans 11:33

We serve an awesome God. Our finite minds can't fully grasp how great He really is, yet His Word reveals much about Him. It is important to often remember His attributes. He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. We know He is immutable (never changes). He is honest, fair and just. He is holy and righteous and yet He also shows love, mercy and grace. What a mighty God we serve!

We tend to overlook something about God. Our God is creative! Think about the creative things He has done. He created the universe. Astronomers are still investigating the vast nature of our universe. He created our world. Some celebrate the seven wonders of the world, but honestly, all the world is a wonder. Think about this: no two mountains are exactly alike. The oceans and rivers are all different. Even if you carefully study botany, you'd realize that each plant is different in its own way. God was creative when He placed animals upon this earth. Each animal is unique and amazing to study.

Consider the human race. Each person has DNA that is the completely different. DNA was discovered in recent years but has always existed in humans. Some say that DNA is the specific code of each person. Who wrote that code? God did. Each person is unique. In Psalm 139:14, David wrote, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Furthermore, the fingerprint of each person is different. How creative our God really is!

Think about how He works in our lives. No two days are exactly the same. Even the boring, mundane days of life are unique in their own way. One day you may receive a phone call that you don't receive on another. Sometimes we have unusual and even exciting experiences. He brings different people our way to enrich our lives. He teaches us lessons that are unique.

Consider the matter of conversion. Every Christian has a conversion testimony, yet each conversion is unique. Saul of Tarsus was the only person to meet Jesus after being struck down by a blinding light on the Damascus Road. Although you may have been converted along with others in a church service or evangelistic crusade, God had uniquely worked events in your life differently than He did with others.

Have you ever read the Old Testament? If so, you'll quickly learn that when God gave a military strategy to Israel, it was different from battle to battle. The strategy God gave Joshua for the conquest of Jericho was far different than the strategy He gave Gideon when the Midianites were defeated. God creatively parted the waters of the Red Sea for Moses and caused the sun to stand still for Joshua.

The creativity of God gives us another reason to worship, honor and praise Him.

Our creative God has passed creativity on to humans. Some people are able to craft an exciting novel. Others can inspire others with a speech. Some can impact a culture with their music. There are those who show their artistic expression on a canvas. Some have the ability to solve difficult problems through creative thinking. Then there are those who demonstrate creativity through architectural design or furniture craftsmanship.

Like any good thing, the devil has corrupted what God has designed for good. Human creativity can be used for evil purposes. Computer viruses are an excellent example of corrupted creativity. It is hard to believe that intelligent people strategize ways to create these viruses and cause them to infect computers. As humans, we have the responsibility to use our creativity in ways that honor and glorify God. It is wrong for us to be jealous of the creative gifts that others have. Our job is to discover our own creative gifts and utilize them fully.

I am grateful for creativity. I feel alive when the creative juices flow in my mind. Creative moments should remind us that our creativity is a gift from a creative God.