Prayer For Revival In Our Land

Prayer and Revival: Yesterday and Today

Prayer For Revival In Our Land

By Nathan A. Finn

Prayer and revival always go together, whether in the Scriptures or in church history. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, a verse that has inspired countless Christians to pray for revival, the Lord says to King Solomon, if “My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

When God’s people humble themselves, repent of their sins and seek greater intimacy with Him, He brings renewal to individuals, families, churches and even nations. We see this pattern play out over and over again in church history. In this post, I want to recount two of those revivals.

The Teschen Revival

In the 1700s, Central Europe was divided between Catholic states and Lutheran states. As a general rule, the religion of the ruler was the religion of the people. But in Silesia, which is now mostly part of Poland, a Catholic dynasty was forcing all of the Lutheran Pietists in their kingdom to convert to Roman Catholicism.

In 1708, Pietist children in southern Silesia began holding large outdoor prayer and song services. The phenomenon soon spread all over Silesia and included adults as well as children. The children called their prayer services “camp meetings,” a term that was famously adopted by Methodists in America about a century later.

With some military help from Sweden, the Pietists gained religious freedom from their Catholic rulers and planted the Jesus Church in the village of Teschen, which had become the center of the prayer revival. The Jesus Church had between 5,000 and 10,000 worshipers every week and conducted services in German, Polish and Czech.

The Teschen Revival spread to other newly formed Pietist churches in Silesia and then to other parts of Central Europe.

John Wesley in England and Jonathan Edwards in New England followed the Teschen Revival and began to pray for similar outpourings of the Spirit in their lands.

Today, most historians consider the Teschen Revival to be the beginning of the transatlantic awakening that swept across Europe, the British Isles and North America off and on during the 18th century. We call the American version the First Great Awakening.

The Businessman’s Revival

In 1857, America went through its worst depression prior to the Great Depression of the early 20th century. Millions of Americans were without work and seemingly without hope; things were especially bad in big cities.

Jeremiah Lanphier was a lay missionary who worked for the North Dutch Reformed Church in New York City.

In September 1857, Lanphier invited businessmen all over New York to come to the North Dutch Church for one hour during their lunch break every Wednesday to do nothing but pray for revival. The lunch prayer meetings were a smashing success.

By January 1858, similar prayer meetings were being held at churches all over New York City. Some churches were even hosting daily prayer meetings during the lunch hour.

The New York prayer meetings inspired similar prayer movements in other cities such as Philadelphia, Penn., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Charleston, S.C. By the time the revival ebbed in the fall of 1858, around 1 million Americans had converted and joined churches—almost all of them lived in cities.

Between 1859 and 1861, the prayer revival spread to the British Isles, where it is estimated another 1 million people were converted.

Because of the rise of the modern missions movement in the previous two generations, the prayer revival also spread to parts of Africa, the Pacific islands and the East Indies—it was a global revival. The famous evangelist D. L.

Moody and Hudson Taylor, the pioneering missionary to China, each began their ministries during the prayer revival.

Prayer and Revival Today

The Teschen Revival began when God answered the prayers of Pietist children. The Businessman’s Revival began when He answered the prayers of urban businessmen. While pastors became leaders in each of these revivals, they began when everyday Christians prayed for the Lord to move in mighty ways. Before they ended, each of these revivals “went viral” and affected several nations.

I strongly believe we should pray for revival more than we do. We should humble ourselves, seek the Lord’s face and turn from our wicked ways. We should pray for revival in our personal lives, in our families, in our local churches, in our communities, in our nation and, ultimately, among every tribe, tongue and people.

When is the last time you prayed, earnestly and intentionally, that the Lord would bring a revival? Why not pray that way today? The same God who shook the world in 1708 and 1857 can bring a spiritual awakening in our own day.

Nathan Finn (@nathanafinn) is associate professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as a fellow of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture. He blogs at Christian Thought & Tradition, his personal site, and Between the Times, the group blog of SEBTS.

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Источник: //factsandtrends.net/2014/02/20/prayer-and-revival-yesterday-and-today/

Prayer, Revival and the Holy Spirit

Prayer For Revival In Our Land

By Dennis Pollock

Why don’t Christians pray? I’m not talking about praying at the dinner table or at church or on special formal occasions; we do enough of that.

I’m talking about real prayer, prayer that stretches itself out toward God in intense desire and with great expectation.

This kind of prayer is occasioned not by polite tradition but by a heart hunger that says to God, “I will not let you go until you bless me!”

Among professing Christians this kind of prayer has always been scarce. We talk about prayer, preach about prayer, read books about prayer — we just don’t often pray, at least not beyond formal necessity. The reason for our prayerlessness has sometimes been charged to laziness, but I believe there is a deeper reason.

I am convinced that one of the major killers of prayer among the people of God is a problem of unbelief. In many cases Christians just don’t believe that the simple act of making a request of their Father in heaven can really make a difference in their lives. If they had any clue that major blessings could be theirs just for the asking, they would be praying up a storm!

The Common Thread of Revival

When I was a young twenty-something year old pastor, I began a study of revival.

It began with a study of some of the great revivalists and evangelists in church history, men such as John Wesley, George Whitefield, D. L. Moody, and Charles Finney.

The revivals they experienced in their ministries were thrilling to me. I couldn’t help but feel that what God had done in the past He could certainly do today.

As my circle of reading widened, I began reading of other revivals that seemed to occur spontaneously, even without major evangelists associated with them.

I grew more and more intrigued. As I read I noticed a common thread that seemed to be woven throughout almost every account of revival. It seemed that somewhere lurking behind the scenes of every revival was the element of prayer.

All the great evangelists were men who prayed, often with fasting, and often for hours upon end.

Many times revivals seemed to break out in churches or places where a band of faithful prayer warriors had been seeking the face of God for months or years.

The more I read, the more convinced I became that I had found the secret of revival. It was a secret that any experienced minister could easily have shared with me, but it is always so special when you find it out for yourself. The secret I discovered was this: revival comes when God’s people pray! Let me give you a couple of examples.

The Revival of 1800

By the 1790’s, the United States had become a spiritual desert. Atheistic philosophies from the pens of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Thomas Paine had captured the minds of many of the nation’s intellectuals and leaders, and had been particularly embraced by the college students of that day.

A poll was taken at Harvard and not one student would admit to being a Christian. A mock communion was held at Williams College, and anti-Christian plays were common events at Dartmouth. The churches were diminishing and were struggling for their very existence.

Thomas Paine joyfully announced, “Christianity will be forgotten in thirty years.”

It was with heavy hearts that 23 New England ministers met together on a winter day in 1794 to discuss and consider what could be done to halt the flood of ungodliness that had ravaged the nation.

The ministers came to agree that only a divine visitation could breathe life into the dying churches of America.

The question was, what could they do to precipitate such a revival? They had only one answer — pray.

A call was sent out to all churches and all Christians in the nation to pray specifically for revival. The Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists, Moravians, and many other churches adopted the plan.

Soon all America was saturated with the prayers of God’s people. In addition to special days of prayer, covenants of prayer were entered into by many believers to set aside times to jointly seek the face of God for the state of the church and the nation.

Prayer became the main business of the church.

Then the breakthrough came. Revival broke out in Connecticut and soon swept through the country. In town after town the churches began to see converts being added to them at a rate few could have imagined possible. In one New England town, young people at a social gathering suddenly began to weep for no apparent reason. Conversions followed and revival swept the city.

James McGready, who pastored three little churches in Logan County, Kentucky, saw eleven thousand people come to a communion service/camp-meeting.

While McGready preached, some of the sinners who were considered the hardest cases broke down and cried babies.

At Yale University great numbers of students rushed to join the Moral Society, and Christianity became as popular among the college students as Voltaire had been only a few years previously.

This revival, a raging forest fire, swept from one end of our nation to the other. Although it is historically known as the revival of 1800, it lasted for many years and its effects were felt for a generation.

this revival came the resurrection of the church in America, a new emphasis on missions, the beginning of Sunday schools, and a great deal of stability in the previously lawless West. The church once again exerted considerable influence in the United States.

God had surely answered the prayers of His people.

The Prayer Revival of 1857-59

By 1857, bitter division over the issue of slavery and a gradual weakening of the church had brought us to another place of desperate need for revival.

In September of that year Jeremiah Lanphier, a former businessman turned lay missionary, decided that the businessmen of New York City would profit themselves and their city by a weekly prayer meeting.

Distributing hundreds of handbills throughout the city, he invited businessmen to stop in over their lunch hour at the 80 year old Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street for “5, 10, or 20 minutes; or the whole hour, as your time permits.”

There was nothing special about the first meeting. Jeremiah waited alone for the first 30 minutes and finally six men showed up. But the next week there were 14, and then 23.

It was decided to meet every day rather than weekly, and soon the entire church was filled to capacity with 3000 praying businessmen.

Prayer meetings began to spring up in other parts of the city and within six months 10,000 were gathering daily over their lunch hour to pray.

This movement of prayer swept through New England and spread across the nation. Charles Finney, the great Presbyterian evangelist, summed up the prevailing attitude in saying, “The general impression seems to be, ‘We have had instruction until we are hardened; it is time for us to pray’.”

With so much prayer going forth from the lips of God’s people, it was inevitable that great numbers of conversions would soon follow. And follow they did! There were towns in which the people declared it was “almost impossible” to find persons who had not been converted.

Throughout the land, taverns and gambling dens shut down for lack of patrons, and the churches filled up at a phenomenal rate. One man who traveled from Omaha to Boston found continuous prayer meetings the entire length of his journey in the cities which he passed through.

At the height of this revival it was estimated that no less than 50,000 souls were professing their faith in Christ each week throughout the nation. In one year, a population of thirty million, an estimated one million Americans were converted.

This revival was the most intense and rapidly spreading of all the awakenings our nation has seen. From the beginning it consisted of two key elements: much prayer and many conversions.

It was not dependent upon any one man or denomination, but was the result of Christians of many backgrounds uniting to sow the seeds of prayer and reap a harvest of souls.

Once again, God had proven that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Prayer, Rain, & Fruit

Of course, you can find this “secret” in the Bible without too much effort. Luke seemed to know it well. In Luke’s writings (Gospel of Luke, Book of Acts) we find a strong emphasis on prayer and on the Holy Spirit.

Luke has more to say about the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit than all the other Biblical writers combined! Interestingly, he also gives us some insights into prayer that the other gospel writers do not.

It is Luke that tells us what Jesus was doing at His baptism by John: “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened…” (Luke 3:21)

While the other gospels tell us of Jesus’ baptism, only Luke mentions the fact that He was praying as He came up the water. And what followed His baptism and prayer? We read further: “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, ‘Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased'” (Luke 3:22).

Luke tells us that at Jesus’ baptism several important things were happening. Jesus was praying, the heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit came upon Him, and God the Father endorsed Him. Could it be that there is a connection between prayer and the descent of the Holy Spirit?

Consider Luke’s other book, the book of Acts. On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon 120 disciples of Jesus, and the early church was birthed in revival. Was prayer involved here? Any Bible student knows the answer to this. In Acts 1:14 we read: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication…”

Again we find that prayer precedes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. During that assembly of praying saints, God shows up, and we read: “Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind… and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:2,4).

Let us consider one more Biblical source. In James we read: “Elijah was a man with a nature ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:17,18).

In this verse we find the profound link between prayer, the Holy Spirit (as symbolized by rain) and the fruit that Jesus longs to produce in our lives and churches. Prayer brings the power of the Spirit, and the power of the Spirit brings forth the fruit. Both church history and Scripture amply testify to the reality of this.

The Last Days

When it comes to the last days, Christians seem to be divided pretty neatly into two camps.

Many believe that the last days will be a time of great apostasy and spiritual coldness for the church.

They predict perilous times and a “Laodicean” condition for the church prior to the return of Jesus. Others insist that God has promised to “pour out His Spirit” upon all flesh in the last days.

I believe the Scripture supports both views. Clearly there are ominous signs of societal degeneration and a slide into spiritual impotence by many of the professing Christians and churches. When 42% of Americans declare that Jesus Christ committed sins (including one-fourth of those who claim to be born again), something is dreadfully wrong.

On the other hand, evangelism goes on in record proportions. Nations such as South Korea and many of the African nations, which had almost no Christians at the turn of the century, are bursting at the seams with churches and evangelical believers today. In the previous century, any church with 1,000 members was considered enormous. Today we have many churches of 10,000 or more.

Yes the world is growing darker, but the Holy Spirit has not gone into retirement. The Bible gives no indication that the whole world will be converted to Christ before He comes, but it does tell us that the Gospel shall be proclaimed to all nations.

If that gospel is to have a chance to succeed it must be accompanied by the prayers of believers.

Let us join our voices in prayer for our churches, communities, and our nation, crying out to God for a great spiritual awakening as we await the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Источник: //christinprophecy.org/articles/prayer-revival-and-the-holy-spirit/

No Longer Waiting For Revival

Prayer For Revival In Our Land

More than 30 years ago, as a young teenager, I stood up in our church and shared my first prophetic insight.

It consisted of two visions.

The first was of a fruitful land and a harvest. I believed that God was speaking of a future time when the church would flourish and many people would come to faith in Jesus.

The second picture was unusual—it was of a desert. And out from the middle of this dry land rose a pipe, with a tap. I knew that if the faucet were simply to be turned on, then the water would flow, and the desert transformed into a fruitful place.

I believed this second vision concerned prayer and intercession; that through prayer the church would partner with God for this future harvest to take place.

A passion for revival and prayer was birthed in me that has endured to this day.

A Life-long Call

Some ten years later, my husband Malcolm (aka ‘The Hunk’) and I were hosting Asian Christian leaders in our home and hearing first-hand reports of revival in Asia. One leader gave me a prophecy that was simply, ‘Tell Helen to start a prayer meeting for revival.’ [1]

The prophecy bore fruit, as in the years following I was used of God in small ways to start, or ignite, prayer meetings for churches, for leaders and for revival.

When we ministered throughout New Zealand in the 1990’s, I was intensely burdened for the nation. During that time I shed tears of intercession for revival—for a move of God to awaken and empower the church, that would result in the salvation of many—in every town and city that we visited.

And our Father arranged miraculously for us to visit centres of revival in Canada and the USA in the late 1990’s.

In 2002, I carried my passion for revival across the Tasman in our move to Australia.

The name of my blog—‘Enliven’—was chosen because it is a synonym for the word ‘revive.’

My Perspective Has Changed

The reason that I share the above story is to explain that Christian revival is not just a random topic of interest for me.

  • It is a lifelong passion—one in which I have invested a considerable amount of time, pursuit, and prayer.

I still believe in revival, and yet my interpretation of what revival means—in terms of my own call, as well as for the church globally—has changed considerably.

Here are some of the ways my perspective and prayers have changed.

1. From Pleading to Receiving

Two years ago, I encountered God as Father in such a powerful way that it revolutionised the way I perceived everything about my faith.

I realised that much of my Christian service and belief system had been based an ‘orphan spirit,’ rather than the position of sonship that Paul talks about in Gal 3:26-4:7.

An orphan mindset believes and fears that we are separated from the Father and His resources. [2]

But I no longer see the move of God as something to plead for. The open heaven that I once cried out to God for, I now recognise is mine—and the church’s—by inheritance through Christ.

It is the privilege of sons and daughters to ask and receive. (Luke 11:9-13)

2. From Local to Global

For years, others and I sought revival what we knew about it from church history, as well as reports from around the world.

The picture I had of revival was of a season of Divine visitation—accompanied by miracles, signs, and conviction of sin leading to the salvation of many—in a church, city, region or nation.

I do still believe in the value of revivals that are localised outpourings of the Holy Spirit.

However, my present view of revival is best described in this quote from Dr. Vance Havner:

‘Revival is simply New Testament Christianity, the saints going back to normal.’

What excites me now is the way that the church globally is stirring. Christian believers across the earth are awakening to who they are and Whose they are, and acting accordingly.

3. From ‘Not Yet’ to Now

I now believe that I spent much of my life waiting and praying for God to begin something that He has already initiated.

But the prayers and tears that so many of us have offered up over the years have not gone wasted. To our great surprise we see that they have been sown into the Father’s plan, one that is so much greater than we could have imagined.

The revival that I spent a lifetime waiting for is here and now. It is coming as Christians and churches across the earth awaken to our inheritance and to the reality of Jesus’ prayer:

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10)

I believe that the great harvest of people coming to faith in Jesus, and the fruitful church that I envisioned as a teenager is becoming a reality. And God is graciously enabling me both to live it and share it with others.

Notes:

1.  My husband Malcolm was National Director of a mission agency from 1995-2004. We were involved on a volunteer basis for seven years prior to this, which involved serving and hosting overseas visitors.

2. I’m not saying that all prayer for revival is affected by this mindset, but it is something those of us who have prayed for revival for a long time need to be aware of.

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

Enliven Ministries: In the David McCracken Ministries family

Источник: //www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2011/09/28/no-longer-waiting-for-revival/

Revival Fires Can Come Again to America | A 3rd Great Awakening?

Prayer For Revival In Our Land
Summary:  What will it take to ignite revival fires again in America? It will take more than the traditional “revivalism” of earlier years. God offers five simple keys to turning this nation back to God and regaining His blessing upon the land.

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2 Chronicles 7:13-14  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, [14] If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

•• We need revival in America, in our churches, and in our personal lives. America has in the past seen great revivals — the First and Second Great Awakenings, the Cane Ridge revival, the Azusa Street revival, and the Charismatic Movement, to name a few. • America would surely be blessed by a successful return of the great tent revival ministries — with or without the tents! But national revival is not dependent on a resurrection of the revivalism of an earlier era, as good and effective as much of that was.
• Rather, 2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us five keys to revival fires igniting again in America! These are keys that you and I can participate in, with or without the ministry call of an evangelist in our lives.

1) It depends on the response of GOD’S PEOPLE, those who are called by His name — that is, revival depends on the actions of CHRISTIANS!

Psalms 85:6-9  Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? [7] Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.

[8] I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints — but let them not return to folly. [9] Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, THAT HIS GLORY MAY DWELL IN OUR LAND.

•• Revival fires start with revived Christians — “Will you not revive US again?” • Important — revival does not depend on the lost.
• When WE are revived, God’s “salvation is near … [and] His glory may dwell in our land.


• For our land to be healed, it begins with “If my people … called by my name.”
We need to get RE-vived before unbelievers get “vived” in the first place!

2) “If my people will HUMBLE themselves” —

1 Peter 5:5b-6  All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

•• By definition, “revival” [“RE”] is intermittent. • The Bible itself shows many instances of Israel in spiritual decline, needing spiritual revival.
• Church history shows many times of apostasy.   • We will inhibit revival if we look at our nation with a self-righteous, judgmental attitude.

• Daniel fasted, sought God, and repented for his nation AND for himself.
• Graciously, kindly, in sincere humility reach out to our community. “Consider others better…”
• We desperately need God’s grace for revival. Remember, He “gives grace to the humble.

” •• Humble yourselves, and God will “heal our land.”

3) “If my people will…PRAY” —

John 17:20  My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.

Romans 10:1  Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
•• Jesus prayed for the salvation of souls.
•• Paul prayed for the salvation of souls.

•• Do you pray for the salvation of souls?
•• Picture PRAYING CHRISTIANS as pins on a map — Coal Mine Road … South Stage Road … Talent, etc. Then see the Rogue Valley fill up with pins. Then see Oregon filled … then all 50 states.

• “O thou that hearest prayer…”
• If we pray, God will heal our land.

4) “If my people will…SEEK MY FACE” —

1 Chronicles 16:11-12  Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. [12] Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.

•• This is a reminder that: We must humble ourselves and we must pray, but God is the one with the strength and power to ignite revival fires and bring revival. • Remember His wonders and miracles — how He revived entire pagan cities in the Book of Acts.

• Remember His glory shown on Mt. Carmel through Elijah and how Israel returned to the Lord.
• Remember His miracles and healings in Reinhard Bohnke’s crusades in Africa and how hundreds of thousands turned to the Lord. •• America desperately needs God.

• If we seek God’s face, God’s strength, God’s Person, He will heal our land.

5) “If my people…will TURN from their WICKED ways” —

Acts 3:19  REPENT, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
•• That’s what America needs — “times of refreshing … from the Lord.

” • It will not happen unless God's people will turn from their wicked ways.
• We need to repent, to show others how.
• We need to stop watching rotten movies and TV.

• We need to return to modesty in clothing.
• We need to stop divorcing at a rate greater than the non-Christians!
• We Christians need to forsake the bars and taverns.

•• If God’s people will turn from their wicked ways, God will heal our nation.

Summary of Five Keys to Reigniting Revival Fires in America

1) “If my people … called by my name”
2) “…will humble themselves”
3) “…will pray”
4) “…will seek my face”
5) “…will turn from their wicked ways”
“…

then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

With or without specialized revival preachers, America can once again experience revival — Holy Ghost revival at the personal, church, and national level. These five keys can open the door.

A related sermon of interest to soulwinners is Catching Plenty of Fish.

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Study 7 SEVEN STEPS TO REVIVAL – Words of Life Ministries

Prayer For Revival In Our Land

(Scripture Portion: Psalm 85)

In verse 6 of this wonderful psalm, the psalmist prays for revival. Multitudes today are praying a similar prayer, and in this study we shall discover some of the things that God says about revival.

Some of us have seen revivals on a very small scale, where in crowded meetings many souls have been saved, lives have been transformed and there has been a deep spirit of prayer resting upon the people of God; but few of us have seen any large-scale revivals.

We have read sufficient about such mighty movements of the Spirit of God to make us long for the Lord to do it again! But – what is revival? Revival is renewal, restoration –- a fresh inflow of the life, love and power of God. People faint and then, when help is brought, they revive. Flowers droop, and when placed in fresh water they revive.

Christians and churches also droop, faint and need reviving. There are degrees of revival. A sick person may revive and get a little better, and then later be restored to full health and strength. The same is true with Christians and churches.

As we study this psalm let us pray that we may become deeply burdened for God to send a full-scale Holy Ghost revival in our land, and indeed throughout the world. What are the steps that lead to such a revival?

1. We must confess our NEED of Revival

The psalmist’s prayer was a confession of need; it was only when he felt the need that he prayed – verse 6. Think of the need for revival:

  1. 1. In the outside world. Multitudes are without God and without hope in the world (Ephesians 2:12); most of them are outside the churches, and revival is the only key to this tragic situation.
  2. 2. In the Church. Many churches are worldly, formal and lacking in spiritual power and vitality. Only revival can alter this state of affairs.
  3. 3. In our own lives. How powerless we are! How frequently we fail, our testimony seems ineffective, and how little we pray! Revival is our personal need.

There will never be any revival until we are willing to admit our desperate need for it.

2. We must admit the POSSIBILITY of Revival.

Are we convinced that revival is possible? The psalmist was! Six times in verses 1-3 he reminded God of what He had done –- “You showed…… You restored“. And the fact that God has sent revival in the past demonstrates the possibility of revival coming again.

Some people will not admit the possibility of revival coming in our day; for example, the ultra-dispensationalists, and all pessimistic, unbelieving, self-satisfied, worldly Christians will be slow to admit the possibility. But history, plus the promises of God, prove the possibility of revival.

Look up 2 Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 33:3; Malachi 3:10

3. We must recognise the SOURCE of Revival

Where does revival come from? Verse 6 tells us. “You……” –- look up Psalm 62:11. It comes from God; it is not worked up but sent down, and therefore our eyes must not be upon men, methods, churches or denominations –- but upon Him.

      “When we look to man, we get what man can do; when we look to money, we get what money can do; when we look to organisation, we get what organisation can do; when we look to denominations, we get what denominations can do; but when we look to God, we get what God can do.”

Look up Psalm 62:5.

4. We must employ the MEANS for securing Revival.

What is the secret of revival? It is prayer – “Will you not……?” (verse 6) – – passionate, believing, urgent prayer. Has there ever been a revival that was not preceded by prayer? – Pentecost, the Moravian Revival, the 1859 Revival, the Welsh Revival, movements of the Spirit that are taking place in different parts of the world today……Look up 2 Chronicles 7:14 again.

5. We must provide the CHANNELS for Revival.

God is wanting to send revival, but He needs channels –- “us” (verse 6) –- believers, Christians; for –- “Revival is the outflow of the Spirit of God through the regenerated spirit of man” (John 7:38-39). Thus, if revival is to come, you and I are to be ready to receive the full blessing of God and to be channels through whom that blessing can flow.

6. We must remove the OBSTACLES to Revival.

In verse 6 the psalmist prays for revival –- “that your people may rejoice in you.” This indicates fellowship, walking with God, agreement with God (Amos 3:3) –- being right with God. The greatest barrier to revival is sin. Are you right with God? Is there sin in your life? Are you living in disobedience to the Lord? Face up to this!

Many years ago D. L. Moody heard Henry Varley say, “The world has yet to see what God will do with one man who is fully surrendered to Him.” Moody said, “By God’s grace, I’ll be that man!” Will you be another? Will you begin now to pray the same prayer for your church, that the world may see what God can do?

7. We shall enjoy the RESULTS of Revival.

Read the rest of the psalm, and notice several results which are mentioned: salvation (7); peace (8); glory (9); harmony (10); increase (11); provision (12); Psalm 37:23! (13).

Источник: //www.wordsoflife.co.uk/bible-studies/study-7-seven-steps-to-revival/

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