Intro: The other day I passed a church with the word revival on their sign. It gave the time, dates and speaker. But revival isn’t something you can put on a sign, revival comes from God. It isn’t carried in the evangelist suitcase, it is found in a secret closet with God. It is a God work, and no program or plan of man will ever achieve the true and lasting work of revival, unless the Lord build the house we labor in vain that build it.
Revival is personal, purifying, powerful, passionate
A Cry For Revival
Psalms 85:6-wilt thou not revive us again so that thy people may rejoice in thee.
Revival defined: a drawing nigh to God, God drawing nigh to us. All revival starts with prayer, communion with God on a daily, consistent order.
1. you will never receive a blessing from God that you are not pursuing. Revival is intentional. Receiving from God come through deep desire for more of Him.
Ask and it shall be given thee, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto thee.
2. Revival must be personal, individual. The church is as strong as the individual person. As one walks with joy, as one walks with zeal, as one walks with power, it strengthens the cords of the entire group. One may say, I don’t count as much as another, but the church will be stronger as the individual life is made strong.
3. Revival must be purifying—a true revival changes the heart, only the pure in heart will see God. As the church becomes lukewarm, individuals loose personal holiness. As the church is on fire, each individual begins to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
4. In the last days I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh. There is a promise of last day revival. Ye shall be endued with power from on high. Revival is truly a work of the Spirit of God. They were in one place, in one mind and in one accord when God visited them. For Revival to take place, people must come in faith, with a heart of expectancy. We will not receive it, until we believe it. Revival isn’t accidental, but when people purpose in their hearts.
5. The zeal of thine house has eaten me up---until we are passionate for God, we will never experience revival. On our priority list, God must be first, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness—all these other things must be second. Anything that gets between us in God becomes our God. Idols are statues in the house, but places in the heart. David had a heart after God, revival is always a matter of the heart. The thing we desire most will become our treasure and where the treasure is, so is the heart also.
Close: as we stated at the start: you can’t put revival on a sign, you can’t bring it with a preacher, no program will ever do. Revival starts in a secret place and grows to an open space. If my people who are called by My Name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face—it is a humbling thing to man, that revival is reserved to God alone. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, without him we can do nothing.
May God give this world Revival, may America see it, may each church be visited by the Spirit of God.
