The Need For Revival

What is Revival?

When you hear the word revival what are some ideas or concepts that come to your mind?

Webster’s dictionary gives three descriptions of the verb revive:

To restore to live or consciousness

To restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state: return back

To renew in mind or memory

When we seek revival in the church, I believe we ought to seek two outcomes:

We want to see sinners come to the Savior. We want to see people pass from death into life.

We recognize our need to be convicted and strengthened by the Lord for His service.

Who is Haggai and how did we get here?

V. 1 tells us the historical background to the book:

The year is 520 BC. This is very important because it tells us that the Haggai was a post-exile prophet:

Under the united monarchies of Saul, David, and Solomon, the Israeli nation prospered and controlled the main trade route between major empires.

Around 922 BC, Rehoboam, the sone of Solomon, is going to come to the throne. According to the Bible, because of Rehoboam’s poor leadership, the nation is going to spilt between North and South.

The Northern kingdom will most often be referred to as Israel or Ephraim.

The Southern kingdom will be referred to as Judah.

The Northern kingdom will never have a godly king sit on the throne. They will go into captivity in 722 BC by the hands of the Assyrians.

The Southern kingdom will have godly and ungodly rulers and will over a period of time between 605-586 BC go into captivity to the Babylonians.

70 years after the start of their captivity, according to the word of the Lord through Jeremiah 25:9-12. They have now returned to the land of Jerusalem.

So, in 536 BC you have the first exiles return to Jerusalem under the leadership of two men in Ezra 2:2. What was their purpose in returning from exile? Ezra 1

16 years after the exile the people have still not built the temple. The Lord sends a man named Haggai, which means festival.

Three Keys for Us

Do not plan ministry upon the mirage of time. (vs. 2-4)

Contemplate the intentions of your heart. (v. 5)

Do the actions align with the Lord’s design for us? (vs. 6-7)