Revival

Wednesday, March 10th

Many churches hold revivals. They set dates and invite a special speaker. These gatherings are not really what the Bible understands as revival. Revival in the Bible is never staged by men. Revival is sent by God. That's why the Bible gives us prayers like, "O Lord, revive your work" (Habakkuk 3:2). God must send revival; he must pour out his Holy Spirit upon his church.

This is what happened to the first Christians. The church in Jerusalem, consisting of about 120, was hiding in an upper room. "Suddenly, there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:2, 4). When the Holy Spirit came, revival came. The members of the church were suddenly outside in the streets speaking of the mighty acts of God. And there were added, that day, about 3000 souls (Acts 2:11, 41).

Before the Revolutionary War in the 1740s there was a tremendous religious revival in this country. Historians call it the Great Awakening. Huge crowds gathered to hear the Gospel. Thousands were awakened to their peril before God. They feared eternity; many received the grace of God. They turned to Christ to save them from their fear of death. We need this kind of awakening in the church today. We need to pray, "O Lord, revive your work" (Habakkuk 3:2).

To help you understand this better, please click here and listen to a message called, "And Grace, my Fears Relieved."

Listen to a sermon on the same subject on SermonAudio.com