Better Than Revival

Our subject, Better Than Revival will quickly demonstrate that our views on revival powerfully affect many other aspects of our relationships.

Your views on revival will shape your approach to prayer

•  where revival is defined as an unpredictable divine visitation then prayer will be focused on fervent pleading for God to act, but where revival is seen as a product of fulfilling the Great Commission then prayer will be focused on the Lord prospering the evangel.

Expectations from God

•  one view leads to a fatalistic crying out to the Lord for showers of mercy; the other leads to a bold seizure of all the resources that are available in Christ, thus ensuring that his missionary mandate is fulfilled (Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15-20).

Ministry goals

• where revival is seen as a more or less arbitrary act by God, ministry tends to be focused on patiently keeping the church together until God chooses to send a “revival”; but where revival is measured by successful evangelism and church planting, then ministry tends to be focused upon confident outreach, with an expectation of continuous life and blessing.

Attitudes towards yourself

• the first view tends to create constant introspection, based upon a belief that “revival” cannot happen until the church becomes “holy”; the other leads to an acceptance of righteousness in Christ, and to confidence that God will use the church as it is.

Concepts of the church

• the first view is prone to see the church as weak, helpless, and unable to fulfil the demands of the evangel unless a “revival” first happens; the other sees the church, with all its faults, as fully competent to rise up in Jesus’ name and reap the waiting harvest.

Concepts of the world

• the first view tends toward a ghetto complex, where the church is huddled together against the world, which it sees only in terms of enmity and corruption; the other looks upon the world more positively, with strong confidence that brave preaching of the gospel will attract a fruitful response.

Ideas on church polity

• the principles upon which the local church is based, its organisational dynamics, its style and emphases, its expectations and attitudes, will all be deeply influenced (whether consciously or unconsciously) by its philosophy of revival.

There is, then, hardly any area of personal or congregational life that remains unaffected by the concept of revival held by the local church. Which view should we adopt? I make no claim to infallibility, nor to the final authority, but you will at least find here some ideas that deserve to be carefully considered.

This book is now also available as an eBook from Smashwords  Better than Revival - E-book version