Working or Following, Luke 5:1-11

The chapter break between 4&5 of Luke is a little unfortunate for me because the events of these verses should be seen together and in contrast.  While Jesus spent the night, dark till dawn, healing all who came to Him (4:40-42), Peter, James, and John spent the night fishing and caught nothing (5:5).  How tragic, but how typical! 

While Jesus is at work for the gospel of the Kingdom, we... rather, I am just at work.

Would to God I would listen more to the Voice that calls me to follow and become a fisher of men (5:10).

Revival – what is “true revival”?

In light of my current personal study in Luke, I Googled the words “true revival.” What I found was
quite interesting.

1.     Almost every “revival” link in the Internet is also selling something. Revival seems to
cost money these days.

2.    Revival seems to be an event or condition among churches and church people that is an end in itself. Though no one is quite sure what “revival” is, everybody seems to want one or claims to have one.

In the verse that attracted my attention today, Jesus said, “I must preach the kingdom of God… because for this purpose I have been sent.” The literal reading of this verse would be “to preach the good news of the kingdom of God… for this I have been sent.” The word translated preach is euangelidzo – to bring good news, or as we might say “to glospelize.” Jesus’ ministry was to take the gospel to those who were lost. When His power and message entered a city, the people experienced what today is called “revival.”

So, here is my conclusion.

The people who experience true revival seem to be unaware of the unusual or special nature of the work that God is doing and is accomplishing in them because their focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ and His glory alone. When a person or group set about to wholly follow Jesus Christ in proclaiming and living the gospel, God does His work to glorify Himself in them and through them.

When those who come behind see this and glom onto it, the “glommers” call it revival. The term “revival” has come to describe a condition of the church characterized by growth and power. The name is often given to this experience by people who are seeking to achieve or recreate a similar event of growth and power, but tragically, their pursuit of what they call revival is one of self effort – seeking by themselves to accomplish what God alone has done.