The Path to Revival?

Is this the right path?

I have been forced by Scripture and other books I have read to revisit this question – What is true revival? 

Let me begin with this – the evidence of revival is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a church that results in numbers of Christians growing in their faith and service and the church growing by unusual numbers of additions of lost men and women coming to Christ.  Accepting that definition, here are some of my own observations regarding revival:

1.       When revival happens, the fact is not recognized as such by the people involved.

2.       Revival is not a corporate enterprise, but is the evidence of one or more individuals who are filled with the Holy Spirit and sold out to the service of Jesus Christ.

3.       Revival does not come to a church or congregation by being sought as revival.  Praying for revival doesn’t start a revival.

4.       When a church begins to view itself as exceptional because of the work of the Holy Spirit, the work ceases to be blessed by the Holy Spirit and its effectiveness and growth begin to decline – revival over.

From these observations, I conclude that revival is the infectious filling by the Holy Spirit of a believer to do the work of Jesus Christ.  My conviction is that revival is first of all an intensely personal and individual experience and responsibility.  If the Holy Spirit chooses, that individual filling may become infectious spreading to other Christians.  If one accepts that definition and observation, then the key to revival is the individual believer’s being filled by the Holy Spirit.  The problem in churches is not simply the lack of revival.  That is only a symptom of leadership and congregations that operate apart from the power and filling of the Holy Spirit.

Remedy – individual believers, you and I, must be filled with the Holy Spirit.  To be filled with the Holy Spirit, we must come to the place where our lives and wills meet the following:

1.       No unconfessed sin in our lives – no sin for which we have not honestly repented.  This includes both actions and attitudes.

2.       No expectations of outcome – we cannot be filled by the Holy Spirit if we expect the Spirit to accomplish some set of predetermined outcomes such as:

a.       Expectation to remain in or attain to a specific ministry or service either by position or physical location

b.      Expectation to maintain or expand one’s current lifestyle

c.       Expectation to retain relationships – personal, professional, social – one must love Jesus more than anything or anyone

d.      Expectation for specific performance or “blessing” of one’s ministry whatever that ministry may be

3.       An unreserved desire to know Jesus through His word and by obedience to His will

4.       A realization that “all hell will break loose” literally and biblically, but also assured that the believer has the armor to face the enemy

I have come to the place where I know this, but knowing it scares me to death!  But, I am determined to be deliberately Christian knowing the price for saying so.