I have entitled our message for this morning, “Experiencing Revival Fire.” The sermon title is partially inspired by a book called Revival Fire, authored by the great 1800’s revivalist named Charles Finney. As you well know, our Fall Revival begins in a few weeks, and this morning’s sermon is intended to prepare our hearts and help us begin anticipating a move of God.
Henry Blackaby, the author of Experiencing God, tells us, “I am very, very convinced that God has begun a movement of revival and that we’re seeing things happen . . . that we have not seen in our lifetime.”(1) In response to his observation, I have some questions for you this morning: “Do you think our Fall Revival will result in true revival – with repentance and genuine life-change – and do you believe the timing is right for God to move in this community?” I believe revival can happen right here and right now, as long as we make preparation in our hearts. This morning we’re going to consider some things we can do to prepare our hearts for revival.
The Promise of Revival (Acts 1:4)
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me.”
Here, we see what could be called “the promise of revival.” After Jesus was resurrected, He walked the earth for forty days, being seen by the apostles and hundreds of eyewitnesses. Before He ascended into heaven, He approached the disciples and told them to wait for the “Promise of the Father.” The promise He mentioned was the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 15:26-27, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
The Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, as seen in Acts chapter 2, which says, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (2:1-4a).
The day of Pentecost was a day of great revival. All the disciples were filled with God’s Spirit, and Peter preached the resurrection of Jesus to the people gathered there in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14-40). As a result of this one glorious day, the Bible says, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41).
This incredible revival did not conclude and cease at day of Pentecost. Pentecost was only the beginning, and from that moment Christianity began expanding through the missionary efforts of the apostles. This revival did not die out; for the flame of revival was rekindled over and over again during the lifetime of the apostles, and carried to numerous lands and peoples.
Now that we have briefly observed the great revival at Pentecost, the question I have for each of you is this: “Do you want to experience a revival such as this one?” If so, then what is the key to revival? Well, I am sorry to say there is no single key, but there are some common elements that have been observed in many great revivals throughout history; elements which we will learn about today.
Responding to the Promise (Acts 1:12-14)
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
As we saw back in Acts 1:4, Jesus gave His disciples what could be called “the promise of revival.” So, how do these verses say the disciples, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, responded to the promise of revival? They “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (v. 14). They were all anxiously awaiting God’s manifest presence, and they were praying for it to arrive. So, they responded to the promise of revival with prayer. I am going to take some time to share some real-life illustrations about the connection between prayer and revival.
A man once came to Gipsy Smith, the celebrated English evangelist of an earlier time, and asked him how to have revival. Gipsy asked, “Do you have a place where you can pray?” “Yes,” was the reply. “I’ll tell you what to do. Go to that place, and take a piece of chalk along. Kneel down there, and with the chalk draw a complete circle all around you – and pray for God to send revival on everything inside the circle. Stay there until He answers – and you will have revival.”(2)
There’s a song in The Baptist Hymnal called “Lord, Send a Revival,” by B. B. McKinney, in which he writes these familiar words: “Lord, send a revival, and let it begin in me.” Prayer represents revival in the life of an individual. Before revival will truly come to a community, the people of God must be committed to personal prayer and experience revival in their own hearts.
Thom Rainer tells us in his book Giant Awakenings that “seventy-one percent of [growing] churches report an increased emphasis on prayer over the past several years as compared to only forty percent of churches which continued on the plateau.”(3) Rainer also tells us how “Earle E. Cairns notes with profound simplicity that ‘prayer ranks first in the coming of revival’.”
“In his study of prayer and revivals from 1726 to the present, Cairns notes that each renewal began with organized prayer groups. ‘Prayer preceded the Scottish revival of 1742 and 1839; [and] Moody, Chapman, and other nineteenth-century persons had many organized prayer groups praying for their work.”(4) Allow me to share an illustration concerning the great revivalist Chapman:
Dr. Wilbur Chapman often told of his experience when, as a young man, he went to become pastor of a church in Philadelphia. After his first sermon, an old gentleman said to him, “You’re pretty young to be pastor of this church. But you preach the gospel, and I’m going to help you all I can.” Dr. Chapman thought, “Here’s a crank.” But the man continued: “I’m going to pray for you that you may have the Holy Spirit’s power upon you. Two others have covenanted to join with me in prayer for you.”
Dr. Chapman said, “I didn’t feel so bad when I learned he was going to pray for me. The 3 became 10, the 10 became 20, and 20 became 50, the 50 became 200 who met before every service to pray that the Holy Spirit might come upon me. I always went into my pulpit feeling that I would have the anointing in answer to the prayers of those who had faithfully prayed for me. It was a joy to preach! The result was that we received 1,100 people into our church by conversion in three years!”
Here’s another illustration: In 1849 God began to use Charles Finney in revival in London. At times 1,500 to 2,000 people would respond to an invitation to receive Christ. This renewed passion for the Lord eventually carried over into America; and the great revival that swept America in 1858-1859 was called the revival of the united prayer meetings. Some call it “the greatest revival the world has ever seen” with at least 600,000 people coming to faith in Christ.(5)
Listen as I share one more illustration on the importance of prayer in revival. Five young college students were spending a Sunday in London, so they went to hear the fames Charles Spurgeon preach. While waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man who asked, “Gentlemen, let me show you around. Would you like to see the heating plant of this church?” They were not particularly interested, for it was a hot day in July. But they didn’t want to offend the stranger, so they consented.
The young men were taken down a stairway, a door was quietly opened, and their guide whispered, “This is our heating plant.” Surprised, the students saw 700 people bowed in prayer, seeking a blessing on the service that was soon to begin in the auditorium above. Softly closing the door, the gentleman then introduced himself. It was none other than Charles Spurgeon.
In James 5:16 we read, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” The word fervent means, “Having or displaying a passionate intensity.” We must dedicate adequate time in intense, passionate prayer for our Fall Revival if we wish to see genuine revival to come to this town. This is the reason why we are having organized prayer meetings. I wish to encourage people to step up to host a prayer meeting as well as join in on our prayer meetings in the coming days. God will do a great work as His people get serious about prayer.
The Season of Harvest (John 4:35)
35 Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest?” Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
Our Fall Revival may be set for the opportune moment. It appears that the season is right and the fields are white for the harvest. There have been many jobs lost recently, and a lot of people are hurting and in despair. There are those who have to get up early and drive 50 to 100 miles a day in order to go to work, which is stressful and hard on families. And the overall state of our country is posing a number of financial challenges. These things will eventually result in people becoming tired of life and its hardships, and they will start looking for answers. In Jesus they can find help and stability in the storms of life if they only hear about Him.
Another trend in great revivals is that they occur during times of crisis and hardship. Thom Rainer says, “After each era of social and moral decline, a new era of church awakening was ushered in by God.”(6) For example, the revivals of John Wesley took place around the chaotic time of the French Revolution.(7) If you have ever seen the musical “Les Miserable,” which had its setting during the time of the French Revolution, then you will understand why the musical was called “The Miserable.”
In the 1850’s secular and religious conditions combined to bring about a crash . . . The third great panic in American history caused factories to be shut down and vast numbers to be thrown out of employment . . . A zealous businessman by the name of Jeremiah Lanphier took up an appointment as a City Missionary in downtown New York . . . Burdened by a need, Jeremiah Lanphier decided to invite others to join him in a noonday prayer meeting, to be held on Wednesday once a week.
In the first week of October 1857, it was decided to hold a meeting daily instead of weekly [because great numbers of people were turning out] . . . Within six months, ten thousand businessmen were gathering daily for prayer in New York, and within two years, a million converts were added to the American churches.
If it is true that many great revivals have been the result of people becoming fed up with economic and moral problems, then the harvest is truly ripe for a great revival in our church, our area and even our nation. Perhaps we are only on the leading edge, and things have to get far worse before people will start turning to Christ; but we must not give up hoping, praying and searching for the lost.
The Mark of Genuine Revival (Acts 5:35-39)
35 “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it – lest you even be found to fight against God.”
Back in Acts chapter 2, we learned about a great revival, with the arrival of the Holy Spirit, Peter preaching in great power, and there being over 3,000 people coming to faith in Christ. In Acts chapter 4, we read about another 5,000 people coming to faith in Christ. When we arrive at Acts chapter 5, Peter and the apostles were still preaching in power as a result of the Pentecost revival; and they are now being put on trial for heresy, as they have been shaking up the religious establishment.
Most of the Sanhedrin wanted to kill the apostles, but a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in their defense, and gave some wise advice. Gamaliel told the Sanhedrin that if what the apostles were preaching was sound doctrine and truly of the Lord, then it would last. It would not die out like the teachings of some of the other rebel rousers and zealots; meaning, that if fires of revival that had been brought on by Pentecost were of God, then the fire could not be extinguished.
This principle can be applied to revivals. If a revival is truly of God, then it will continue to thrive like the revival at Pentecost. It will have long-lasting effects that will be felt many years down the road through the changing of people’s lives. If a revival is not of God, then many of those in attendance who made a decision will eventually revert to their former ways. It has been stated that all of Charles Finney’s converts from the 1849 London revival, which included many thousands of people, were still standing strong ten years later.(8) That’s really saying something.
If we are holding a Fall Revival because tradition dictates that we hold revival services every fall and spring, or if we’re holding revival services to fill an open spot on our calendar, or to show off to the community, then we’re holding revival services with the wrong motivation. If this be the case, then time will tell all. But if we are holding revival services, because we truly desire to see a move of God; and if we have prepared our hearts by praying for ourselves, our community and for the lost, then the winds of revival will sweep through this place as a blazing fire that cannot be quenched; a fire that will spread throughout this community and region.
Time of Reflection
Before we attend the Fall Revival, we need to seek the Lord in prayer and earnestly pray that souls will be genuinely changed. We need to pray that a fire will be lit in the hearts of those who do not know Christ, and also in the hearts of those who do. We need to pray that people will come to know the Lord in a genuine way, and that they will not be deceived by emotion. We need to pray that our revival will not stop after the evangelist leaves, but that it will continue in our church and community for years to come, and that it will spread to the entire state, nation, and the world.
The first week of November could be the time that many people will be saved and come to know the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ; but also, today can be that day. If you are experiencing heartache over the ways of the world, you can find freedom in Christ, for He is not of this world. If you will receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, then one day you will go on to be with the Lord in a better place where everything will be made anew. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Come and receive Jesus and be saved today.
NOTES
(1) Thom Rainer, Giant Awakenings (Nashville: Broadman, 1995), p. 21.
(2) Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), pp. 305-306.
(3) Rainer, p. 26.
(4) Ibid., p. 24.
(5) Wesley L. Duewel, Ablaze for God (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989), p. 67.
(6) Rainer, p. 24.
(7) Duewel, p. 56.
(8) Ibid., p. 67.
