I hear a lot of talk of revival these day. I even hear it in my own house, escaping the mouth of my skeptic-husband. I hear it on street corners and in coffee shops, and from many of my friends, who seem to be seeing the same thing I am seeing… people who were once hardened toward spiritual things (unless the version of “spiritual” was as opposed to the Bible as they were) suddenly open, excited, longing to know what I know about Jesus. It’s like watching a sour, stiff, mealy pear suddenly turn instantaneously ripe! The same thing happened to me 28 years ago. I was once anti-Christ, then suddenly, in an eye’s blink, I was ecstatic to follow Him. I know how amazing this metamorphosis is from the inside out.
A few years ago, some friends and I decided to walk around Athens, praying for revival in our town and country and maybe even world. At the same time, the Lord had sent another group of friends to walk around Athens, praying for the exact same thing. I was stunned when I discovered that it was not simply our group of 4-5 ladies. God, who is sovereign, accomplishes His will, and it was obviously His will to send multiple groups of His people to bathe our community in prayer that we would see revival. Today, Christians all over the world are praying for it. And by revival, I think all we mean a ripe and ready harvest field. As far as I can tell, we are seeing it manifest before our very eyes. It’s like people are poised and ready for the invitation!
However, although I believe we mean to ask for a ripe harvest field, we have been asking for revival… and revival is not exactly the same thing. Revival is needed within the Church, as much as it is outside the Church. In fact, it needs to begin within the Church. I don’t even recall the Lord telling us to pray for a ripe harvest field (not saying we shouldn’t), but rather telling us to “pray to the lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest.” (Luke 10:2). This is what revival looks like within the Church. It looks like awakening us to become passionate about the Kingdom where we’ve been anesthetized by the world. It looks like rising up laborers who are more concerned with holiness than comfort, and joyful servants who are keenly aware that we are not just servants, but the actual Bride of Christ! It looks like getting blood circulation to the limbs that have fallen asleep.
Church, we have become pretty spoiled. We’ve lived in a country where we could easily access all the resources to mature our souls… and we’ve taken it for granted. We are like the kid whose her parents buy her every toy she wants before she could even ask for it, and those toys sit idle in the corner of her room while she complains of boredom. We have become spiritually lethargic. We are more accustomed to our phones than our Bibles. We’ve convinced ourselves we don’t really need to gather with other believers frequently (because heck, it’s inconvenient and people are a pain in the butt!). And why should repent of our sins, if Jesus’ forgiveness is free for us? We leave Jesus sitting in the corner of our room, just so we can say we “have” Him, but not to actually engage Him. Is this really Christianity?
In Matthew 25, there are a couple of parables that ought to work like defibrillator paddles on our spiritual hearts. The first is the ten virgins, only half of which brought oil to keep their lamps bright for the Bridegrooms arrival. The five who didn’t prepare missed the return of the Bridegroom, and thus missed the wedding feast. The second was the parable of the talents, and in this parable we see the one who didn’t really know the character of his Master (and how do we know it when our Bibles are dusty?), burying his talent and being cast into outer darkness at the Master’s return. My deep concern is that this is not speaking to those who have outright rejected Christ, but to those who think they are His, yet living as though His return is not imminent or significant. They are “Christians” who have more invested in the kingdom of this world than the Kingdom of Heaven, which is not a Christian at all.
Years ago, maybe even decades ago, i noticed something spectacular about the great Commission in Matthew 28. It doesn’t say “Go and make converts”. It says “Go and make disciples”. And in fact it takes it a step further and tells us to baptize them and teach them to obey God’s word. This charge for His people is sandwiched between a promise of God’s authority (vs. 18) and God’s unwavering presence (vs. 20)!
We have let a monumental deception creep into the Body of Christ. Most don’t even realize it’s a deception. We have dumbed down the radical deliverance and a changed life that Christ offers us into praying some “magic words” and believing that makes us a Christian. We have convinced ourselves that if we get someone to pray “The Sinner’s Prayer” they won’t go to hell… but we never disciple them to know or follow Jesus. And we don’t teach these “converts” to abide in Christ, or speak to them of the magnificent wonders of walking with Him. We’ve promised them heaven without giving them heaven’s King!
The tragedy is that this poisonous doctrine crept into the Church generations ago, and because we have mentally checked out and aren’t reading our Bibles like we ought, we can’t spot the erroneous beliefs that are deceiving us. You all know what they say about how bankers can spot a fake bill because they have spent so much time analyzing the genuine article. We have “preachers” preaching lies from the pulpit and can’t even spot them because we haven’t spent time with the Genuine Article! This is a big deal, Church!
This is the very tap root of where we, as a Church, need to see revival in our midst! We must pluck Jesus out of the toy pile in the corner of our room, and realize that He isn’t a cheap toy, He is the Reigning King over all creation! When He died and rose again, all things were subjected under His feet! Including us! We were purchased, not so we could merely escape the everlasting pit of burning brimstone, but so we could live abundantly in Him! It says, of those who are His, that “He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14). This redemption and forgiveness for us came with a huge price tag for Him! And what a delight it is for us to have our citizenship transferred to a Kingdom so robust with joy, glory and goodness!
Colossians 1 goes on to say “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church, and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (verses 15-23a).
Maybe we should all read that again! What power! What glory! What a gift!
Church, if we are not walking in the blazing light of God’s countenance, how will we be able to fulfill the Great Commission? If we are not being discipled by the Word and by the Church, how will we disciple others in this great and ripening harvest field we all anticipate and marvel at? How will we suffer well if we don’t know the hope of heaven? The things we are asking for- revival in our nation- often come at great personal expense. We have seen what happens when we have everything we could want handed easily to us. We take it for granted and it makes us numb to what really matters. Are we ready for revival? I believe God has put it on the hearts of His saints to pray for it because He intends to fulfill it. We ought to ready our hearts, minds and bodies for action, and to not only pray for laborers, but pray that we, ourselves, would be some of those laborers!
May we be strong in the Word when the wave hits, so we will have His power upholding us and giving us deep and abiding joy regardless of whether the wave feels refreshing or painful. May we be strong in His Word and in His Church so we could help others stand firm, as well! Let revival begin with us, believers! May we reap this amazing harvest field God has prepared before us with the delight of those who know the treasures we are sharing, and the love to want to share them! Psalm 18:28-36!
