Recipe for Revival

What is revival?

What is not revival?

Revival is not 2-5 day consecutive church services where you invite a guest speaker to come in preach you happy, have a good time, raise some money, then return back to life business as usual.

What is revival?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines revival as:

1. an act or instance of reviving: the state of being revived: such as

a. renewed attention to or interest in something

b. a new presentation or publication of something old

c. (1) a period of renewed religious interest

(2) an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings (this is what most people think of when they hear the word revival).

2. restoration of force, validity, or effect (as to a contract).

So what does the bible say about revival? The word revival is not found in the scriptures. How ever the word revive is: in the hebrews revive (hayah) means- to live; recover, revive, to keep alive, preserve life; save a life, spare a life, restore a life. In the greek (anazao) it means to live again, recover life, revive, to live a new and reformed life.

So from a biblical standpoint by the time we get to the New Testament, the writers of the New Testament summarized the thought of revive to mean; to live again, to recover life, to live a new and reformed life, to keep alive, to preserve life, to spare a life. When we examine scripture tonight we will see all of these principles in action.

3 Types of revival (social economic view)

Personal- affects you on a personal level, renewed relationship with God, increased activity with God and serving God.

Local/Community- Revival that is experienced in the local assembly or that is established in the community/city (true traditional church revivals, tent revivals, city-wide crusade revivals).

National- Revival that is established in abroad in the country (i.e.biblical examples, Azusa Street).

You cannot reach the local/community level nor the national level without experiencing personal revival. You want to see revival? Revival starts with you and God.

Study of 4 examples of biblical revival:

Revival under Jacob:

Genesis 35:1–7 AV

1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. 4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. 5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

First we see “a move” a place of transition from being in one spot going to another.

Jacob builds an altar, okay we see worship happening because an altar is built to sacrifice. Remember that in a sense that the smoke ascending up from the altar is in a form communication to God. The sacrifice, without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.

But before we are to experience this revival, there are some things that has to happen Jacob says to his family. First, we need to get rid of all your pagan idols, we need to purify ourselves, and put on clean clothing. Then we are going to Bethel (beth means house, el means God- house of God). So now we see that Jacob is going “back” to the place where he first experienced God, back to the place where his prayers were first answered. Then he realizes something astonishing “He has been with me wherever I have gone”.

So now that Jacob has transitioned from where he was to a place where God’s presence was felt, and now after he has built an altar for worship, and now after his family had discarded the pagan idols and have washed and purified themselves then what?

Genesis 35:9–14 AV

9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. 13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

God appeared to Jacob and blessed him. Blessed him, favored him, imparted happiness, joy, and bliss to him. How did this blessing happened? He changed his name! The name Jacob meant: surrplanter, he that follows after; a heeler; one who trips up; takes hold by the land; a detainer. Remember that Jacob stole his brother’s birth-right because Easu was the first-born all of the the family inheritance and blessings was suppose to go to Easu. But we know that Jacob, after his father’s health declined and his eye-sight was failing him, went in, disguised himself as Easu and Issac blessed Jacob and gave Jacob the birth-right. Jacob was a trickster, a deceiver, a heel, he stole the birth-right and that is what his name identified him as. But when you come in contact with God! He will change you and give you a new name, meaning that what your friends and what your family use to associate you with he will give you a new association with your name. Yes your name was Billy and when people thought of the name billy they thought of an alcoholic or maybe your name was Maybeline and when people thought of your name they thought liar, angry, hateful. But when you come into contact with God, God will change your name.....now when they think about Billy they think- sanctified and when they think of Maybeline they think patient, loving kind, virtuous. REVIVAL BRINGS CHANGE!!!

Revival under Samuel:

1 Samuel 7:1–6 AV

1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. 5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. 6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.

Okay to understand this, you have to go back a couple of chapters where you deal with the priest Eli and his wicked sons. If you remember in chapters 2-3 that Eli’s two sons were doing some despicable things in regards to their service to God. It was causing Israel to backslide, so God was going to send judgement upon the house of Eli, and the glory of God was going to depart from Israel because of their sins. The Philistines came down and captured the Ark of the Covenant and defeated Israel. The Ark (which symbolized the presence and glory of God) remained in Philistia for a short time until God discomfited the Philistines resulting in them returning the Ark by to Israel in which it stays in Kiriath-jearim for a time. Since that time, for years the people of God felt that God had forsaken them. Prayers unanswered, bad things happening to them, a void and an emptiness was there, God wasn’t saying anything to them, there was no word from God. Then one day, Samual the prophet stands up and tells them “if you want to return to the LORD with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth, turn your hearts to the LORD and obey him alone; then he w will rescue you from the Philistines.

Here we see similarity with Genesis 35 where Jacob tells his kinfolk to get rid of the idols and to purify themselves. So we see that the Israelites got rid of the pagan idols, then afterwards, they gather at Mizpah. There is another similar element going from one place to another. See you cannot say that you truly experienced revival if you are stationary in one place. Same thoughts, same habits, same praise, same way of doing things, no increased knowledge of God, relationship with God is still the same, in order to experience revival not only does it intel getting rid of things, there is a transference from where you are now to going higher in Him!

So we see here a commitment on the part of the Israelites to return to God with all their hearts. They gather together for worship and to call on God. Samuel makes a sacrifice, but while they are gathering the enemy is setting up to attack them while they are worshipping. When the Israelites catch wind of this, they are fearful and afraid and they tell Samuel “just pray through” don’t cease to offer up prayer unto God for us. When Samuel finishes with his prayer and makes the sacrifice to God......God reveals himself! There is another similar feature.....God reveals himself. When God reveals himself, He gives the Israelites victory over their enemies.

Revival under King Asa:

2 Chronicles 14:1–7 AV

1 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years. 2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: 3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: 4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. 6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

King Abijah was the son of King Rehoboam who was the son of King Solomon. The bible tells us that Asa’s father Abijah did what was evil in the sight of God.

1 Kings 15:3 AV

3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

Abijah or Abijim commited idolatry which was the same sin his father committed. His father Rehoboam worshipped pagan gods, instituted pagan places of worship such as high places and groves, made Asherah poles, and initialized the practice of male and female prostitution to worship these false gods along with other detestable things. They were in a constant state of war and there was no peace in the land. So now after Abijah or Abijim dies, Abijah’s son Asa becomes the king.

So King Asa was the great-grandson or great great-grandson of King Solomon. The same King Solomon who God blessed with wisdom, but yet toward the end of his life married foreign wives that caused him to worship idol gods and erect places of idol worship to please his wives. His son Rehoboam took after his father and worshipped idol gods and erected pagan worship sites, Rehoboam’s son Abijim like his father before him also worshipped pagan gods and erected places of worship. However when we get to Abijim’s son Asa we see that Asa took a different route.

He did what was right in the sight of God:

Faith.

He removed the pagan altars and shrines.

He commanded the people to seek (return back to) the Lord.

Increased activity- The Lord gave Asa peace in the land.

Revival in the New Testament:

Acts 2:

Biblical Steps To Revival:

Repentance (turning from sin and turning from God) also (removing of things displeasing to God such as idols).

A move from the Old (lifestyle/habits/ungodliness) to the New (God)

Worship

Revival (increased activity, renewal (spirit/relationship), increased relationship, increased knowledge).

Much of this is similar to what we believe as apostolics as the way of salvation. What is the way of salvation?

Faith in Jesus Christ.

Repentance of Sin.

Water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.

Infilling of the Holy Ghost.

Why do we need revival today?