Do We Really Want Revival?

Do we really want revival?

8/14/2004

Lamentations 3:40-42 (NIV)

40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. 41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: 42 “We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)

5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

Introduction… Do we really want REVIVAL?

Is it something that we as Midway Baptist Church and we as individuals really want to see?

We say we do…

We claim we do…

We pray for revival…

But do we really want to see revival in our midst?

Next Sunday, we are going to start a six day series of Revival services…

And I ALWAYS say revival services because I think so many people today are somewhat confused about what revival really is…

These services in and of them selves will not be a revival!

But wait just a minute… Every good Baptist knows what a revival is don’t they?

Every Christian knows what revival is… right?

As a matter of fact, even those that have never professed to be Christians, know what a revival is don’t they?

Many evangelical Churches have a revival once or twice a year…

You see, to most Christians and even non Christians today, a REVIVAL is the series of meetings where a guest preacher comes in to preach and the church as a whole puts an extra emphasis on bringing in non Christians and seeing them make a profession of faith…

There were recently flyers up all over town for a two week long revival in town under a tent…

That’s how many people picture revival, as a meeting under a tent…

And I don’t know about all denominations, but many Churches have gimmicks to promote this evangelistic effort…

I have a book at the house which is entitled “Revival planbook for the local church”

It has some good ideas and suggestions in it, but it also gives some of the gimmick promotional ideas such as ;

High attendance day,

Battle of the banners,

Pack-a-pew night,

Hot dog night,

Children’s night,

Youth night

Family night,

Good neighbor support or prospect night,

Friendship night,

Patriotic night,

Old fashioned night… and on old fashioned night I have heard of people who have had there ties cut off with the scissors if they wore a tie to Church that night…

Doesn’t that sound like fun….

Now, there is nothing wrong with having fun…

But we should try to bring in everyone we know each and every night…

Every night should be youth night, every night should be pak a pew night, every night should be bring a friend night….

but lets not get away from what true revival is all about…

Lets not get away from the reason for the services to begin with…

And yes, I know that not all churches use gimmicks for their revival services, but most churches do put the emphases on reaching the lost, and then a less substantial emphases is put on bringing in “backslidden” members, or those who have fallen away from coming to church on a regular basis….

But is that what REVIVAL is all about?

Even the tenth edition of the Miriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary has fallen into this trap…

As a secondary definition of the word revival, they have

“a period of renewed religious interest…” and “an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings”

But, if you were to back up to the original definition.,.. it says

“ an act or instance of reviving : the state of being revived”

And if you look at the definition of revived you will see that it comes from the Latin word reviver and it means “To live again”

“To bring back to life or consciences”

And if we were to take this and apply it to the church today, it would mean a process by which the spiritual life and power of Gods people is once again brought back, or restored to them…

So if we look at the word revival, we can determine that the act of revival is to deal with the existing deadness within the church, NOT the much emphasized and publicized act of bringing the lost to Christ…

As Henry Blackaby once put it, you can not revive something that has never been vived, or, born to start with. Accordingly, revival should be understood as referring to a return to spiritual health and vitality after a period of spiritual decline into sin and broken fellowship with God…

Friends, it is crucial for us to realize that true revival involves restoring spiritual life and power within the Christians who make up the membership of any particular church.