A NEED FOR REVIVAL

Growing up in West Virginia every year we would go to Camp Meeting at Union Grove Camp Grounds. What a wonderful time we had each night for a week of services. One of the first things I would do each night was to hit the trick tracts rack and get a few of the new tracts. "Holy Joe" is my favorite with "This is Your Life" (the first tract that started it all) a close second. Another track I always enjoyed was "Why No Revival." If you want to save yourself some time (and not read this article) you can get a copy of "Why No Revival" or the updated 2011 version "Still No Revival." In the original tract it looks at the many reasons why there is no "revival" in the land. As cartoonish and funny as the tracts are they do express an ever sadder picture of society, culture, and the church. The answer to the problem "Why No Revival was no broken Christians. In the Book of Revelation John writes to the Church at Ephesus, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." (Revelations 2:4-5) Here we read where the Christians at the Church of Ephesus have left their walk with the LORD and are in need of repentance. They once walked with the LORD, but now their relationship was slim to none they have left what they once knew and the love of God. Now here is the question; will a revival help them and bring them back? This will be the main thought I hope to explore in this article. Now I like the need for repentance because we know repentance is always the first step in coming to the LORD, but how about a revival? I hear America needs a revival. On Christian TV I hear about the great revivals sweeping around the world, but of the countless contacts I presently have I hear nothing of the broadcasted good news of revival. What is most talked about on Christian TV is the great end-time revival coming (sometime), but the Bible I read talks nothing about it. I read on church signs, "Spring, Fall, Summer, or Winter Revival" well one thing for sure if your church is really being revived by the LORD there will not be a need to put a sign outside everyone within 100s miles will know by word of mouth and people will be beating down the doors. Did you know the word "revival" is not found in the Bible, but as such the experience is there and so is the idea. This concept is found in an impressive variety of more or less synonymous expressions employed in prayer and promise. Here are some examples: “Will You not revive us again?” (Psalms 85:6), “Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years” (Habakkuk 3:2), “They shall revive as the corn” (Hosea 14:7), “To revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones,” (Isaiah 57:15), and “When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). When you get a chance I encourage you to take a prayerful review of these Scriptures. These Scriptures are about a process of a move of God within our heart and not some service we add to our very busy church schedule two or three times a year. It is the LORD working in our lives. In these and other expressions the idea has to do with bringing one to a previous state in relationship with God by some form or measure of divine intervention. Strictly speaking there should be no such need. Whenever we speak of the need of "revival" we indict either ourselves or others (frequently both) as having backslidden at least to some degree. Nevertheless where such backsliding has actually occurred this indictment constitutes a desirable confession of failure as an initial requisite to restoration. It should be obvious to everyone that the LORD's plan is not a continuous cycle of sinning and repenting, backsliding and restoration, but a steady growth in the LORD and a constant walk with the LORD on an ever-ascending path. However, since fallen nature with its innate propensity to gravitate away from the LORD is what it is, this ideal is unfortunately not the experience of a multitude of people as amply evidenced by the history of Israel and the Church of today. Israel’s apostasies in a many times repeated cycle of sin, judgment, repentance, and restoration were due to her failure to keep her covenant relationship with the LORD. Therefore a so called "revival" was the only means to arrest Israel’s drift away from the LORD and to restore her to divine favor in whatever possible degree for however temporary a period. But as miracles are not God's best for man (obedience to His word is) revival too is not God's best. While Israel was still gravitating toward national disaster (like America) a course which these revivals only temporarily interrupted, but does not ultimately prevent. On more than one occasion these revivals gave Israel periods of peace and prosperity sometimes of considerable length, but the end in time was the same. The failure of these revivals to keep Israel from relapse and provide a permanent cure lay in Israel’s failure to abide by divine Godly principles as a remedy not in the failure of the remedy itself. The story would be entirely different if they had maintained after a move of God the same consecration which brought them into a so called "revival." The LORD was certainly not pleased with their defection, but He was with their return. The very same principle applies today in the history of the Church; denominations manipulation and Christians not really knowing the LORD in any tangible way. God’s people should never be in need of revival. I like that so much please let me say this again, God’s people should never be in need of revival. There is a far better provision. Now as I said I do not believe in the need for revival, but when such a sense of need finds vocal expression among the people of God it is at least an honest expression of a regrettable fact and a glimmer of hope for a change for the better. Such a sense can only be accounted for by the drawing of the Spirit of the LORD in accordance with the will of God. A conscious need of God and a hunger for God is actually a hunger within us for Himself. When such a drawing and hunger of the Spirit is followed by the correct and a necessary response to the LORD on the part of man He can be revived. God Himself is delighted to respond to man’s response. The Book of Joel tells us of a time when Israel was being drawn back by God and has critical application to us today. The message of Joel is first addressed to the older generation because of their experience and greater observation over a longer period of time. We read, “Has this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?” (Joel 1:2). This older generation had seen what the younger generation had not seen. God’s people suffered a national calamity without parallel in the memory of even the oldest inhabitants. The drought was so severe that the daily sacrifices had come to an end for lack of grain, wine and oil. Now the old are asked to reflect on the present state of affairs in contrast to the past so as to impress the younger generation. The older generations seems to remember deeper and feel stronger than the younger. They seem to have a greater appreciation and respect for God. In Ezra, when the second temple was built, the older men could not rejoice as the younger, but cried. "But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: 13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off." (Ezra 3:12-13) Here there seems to be a wholesome reflection on the glories of the past that the young did not understand. We see this today where the hymns today are being lost to emotional feel good music that have no root or expression just some vibrant tunes. Next in Joel we see an alarm being sounded. “Blow you the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm” (Joel 2:1). There are times when God’s people need to be aroused to an honest assessment of the factual situation because a church beset by increasing worldliness and decreasing spirituality needs to be aroused into a state of alarm. When the people of God substitute entertainment for worship, rhetoric for prophecy, ritual for Godly expression, luxury for self-denial, social media, and the television set in place of family prayer, the approbation of the world for the reproach of Christ, there is ample ground for great alarm. Joel, in faithfulness to his nation and in obedience to the LORD did not play a lullaby on his trumpet to induce a slumbering unawareness of the realities of his day, but an alarm to arouse the people into a consciousness of their need. Next comes the repentance we discussed, “Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn you even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12). True repentance has three major components involving man’s entire personality namely: intellect, emotion and will. Intellectually man sees his wrong, emotionally man feels his wrong, and man corrects his wrongs. Consequently repentance is a change of mind, a change of heart, and a change of deeds. Each one of these three factors are present in true repentance and in that sequence whether we are conscious of them or not. The repentant prodigal son reached the turning point in a far country when he came to himself in the realization of his state and the acknowledgment of his situation and heart condition with God. When he felt in his heart the sting of remorse and the shame of his deed then he returned to his father with confession of sin in humility of spirit. Lastly there must be supplication. “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly… let them say, Spare Your people” (Joel 2:15-17). Now the prophet sounds the trumpet call for collective prayer by old and young, male and female, priest and people, sinner and saints alike. Even the wails of the suckling’s are a part of this prayer meeting which is characterized by earnestness in supplication, self-denial, genuineness in repentance, weeping in sorrow, persistence in intercession and diligence in seeking God. When was the last time you have seen this happen? There is no thought of prayer beautifully phrased and impressively uttered, no delight in mere rhyme and rhythm, no interest in dignified robes and religious paraphernalia, and no clamor for ornate ritual and imposing architecture. The need is too great, the distress too deep, and the cries too loud for the observance of ecclesiastical proprieties and traditional sanctions. Things lose their meaning and men become shadows when God is all that matters. He will restore what was once enjoyed when those things that displaced Him will be displaced by Him, when we pursue again that which interests Him and discard that in which He has no interest. He will be found anew. When we return to our first love. Who needs a revival? No we need not a revival we need to be revived (our choice) every day of our life, something much better.