What Is Revival
What Is Revival?
Joel 2:12
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” (Joe 2:12)
On February 3rd, 1970, students and faculty members at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, waked into Hughes Auditorium for what they assumed would be a routine chapel. Students at this Christian liberal arts college were expected to attend chapel three times a week. But this chapel proved to be anything but routine!
On that Tuesday morning, Custer Reynolds, the academic dean was in charge. Instead of preaching, Reynolds briefly gave his testimony. He then issued an invitation for students to talk about their own Christian experiences. There was nothing unusual about this, Christian colleges and universities and church do this all the time.
One student responded of his offer. Then another. Then another. Then, without warning, heaven broke loose. Students started pouring to the altar. A dam of pride broke under the presence of God.
There was weeping, confession of sin and spontaneous singing. Lectures were cancelled for the day as the auditorium filled with more than 1,000 people. Few left for meal. By midnight more than 500 still remained praying and worshiping. Hundreds committed their lives to Christ that day. By 6 a.m. the next morning, 75 students were still praying in the hall. Through the day the chapel filled as again all lectures were cancelled. Students and faculty sought out others whom they had wronged and asked for forgiveness.
Like so many other evangelical churches and colleges, Asbury had held annual “revivals” where a guest minister was booked in advance. This, was not the same. No one had planned it. And no one person was leading it. News spread around the country. By Thursday, the presence of God had broken out at a seminary, across the street from the college and the officials dismissed classes for a third day. What was supposed to have been a routine, 50 minute chapel service, instead lasted 185 hours nonstop. Intermittently, it continued for weeks. Ultimately, it spread across the U.S. and into foreign countries.
What is revival? Do we need it? How does it come? What happens when it comes? There are a lot of questions about revival and I hope that over the next few weeks we’ll be able to answer those and many other questions.
So, what is revival? The great evangelist Charles Finney gave this definition he said it is “The renewal of the first love of Christians, resulting in the awakening and conversion of sinners . . .It reclaims the backslidden church and awakens all classes.” D. M. Patton said, it is “The inrush of the Spirit into a body that threatens to become a corpse.”
All true revival is about God bringing glory back to His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit through His church. Did you catch that? All true revival is about God bringing glory back to His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit through His church.
This morning I want to spend a little more time looking at that passage in Joel and what led up to God’s instruction to return to Him. Joel is telling of a day not too unlike ours in which the people were doing their own thing, they had turned away from God and were following or enjoying the darkness. Many of those that believed they were God’s children because of tradition, or because their parents had followed God, or because they attended services at the appropriate times were still following the darkness of the world instead of following the true ways of God. Sounds a lot like our world today doesn’t it?
Here is what Joel says starting with the 2nd chapter, 1st verse:
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. (Joe 2:1-2)
Some commentators believe Joel is telling of a military invasion while others believe he is speaking of the of Christ’s return, that’s the group I fall in with. Joel says that the day is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness but then he says, like the dawn coming up over the mountains there comes a light, and we all know light drives out darkness. This army that is driving out the darkness is coming up over the top of the mountains, it’s an army the likes of which has never been seen before and will never be seen again.
When Kennedy was in office he built our military up with the idea that we should be able to fight 2 ½ major conflicts around the world without putting a burden on those protecting this country. That was a large force and with keeping that in mind, the other nations built up armies that would be able to defend them against us – Joel says this might army is greater than any that has been seen before or will be seen in the future.
Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste— nothing escapes them. (Joe 2:3) This world we live in now will look like the garden of Eden compared to what is left when it’s over – nothing will escape them.
At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course. (Joe 2:6-7) Everyone will turn pale because they know this army can not be defeated.
Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? (Joe 2:10-11)
This is a dreadful day, who can endure it? What a powerful question! If God were today to tell Jesus, “Son, go get my children.” Who would be left? Who would see this great and might army of God? How many churches and I’m talking about the people, the congregation, how many would be left to see this day where the earth shakes and the sky trembles, where the sun and moon are darkened and the stars no longer shine? Would this body of people here, would you be among those that had met Jesus in the air or are you going to be among those that see this dreadful day?
You see that is what revival is all about. It’s understanding that we may not be right with God. But, you say, I’ve been in the church my whole life. I’ve been at a church service every Sunday since I was a youngster or since you’ve come to know Christ – guess what – so has Satan. You see just coming to church and going through the motions does not make you right with God. Was there a time you were on fire for Christ? A time when it didn’t matter who you talked to you shared the gospel? A time when you sang the songs and believed what they said? A time when you attended Sunday school class because you wanted to learn more about God’s word? Has you over time stopped going to Sunday school? Maybe it was because you didn’t agree fully with what the teacher taught, or maybe it was because you missed a couple of Sundays because you were out of town and it just became easier and easier to stay in bed and skip Sunday school, maybe even church. It happens slowly but it can kill you to the point that you see this day that Joel was talking about.
Did you know that if you took a frog and placed it in a boiling pot of water it will instantly jump out? Makes sense, it feels the heat and knows that it will not be good to stay there – it hurts. But if you placed that frog into a pot of water that’s the same temp as the room and slowly heat the water to boiling, the frog will not jump out. It does not realize what is happening and soon it will be dead. The same is true of us. If over time the world has slowly taken you in and you don’t do the things you did when you first came to Christ you are slowly being killed and are in danger of missing the wonderful life of living with God forever.
How do we change that? God told Joel how we can change things around. “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” (Joe 2:12)
The first thing we have to do is return to God! Not just say we are going to do it, we have to go all the way, we need to return to Him with all our heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. He continues on and says:
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (Joe 2:13)
Did you catch that? He wants us to rend our hearts, He wants us to open them up and get rid of the bad things the things of the world and let Him fill them to fullness with His love. Love for others, love for righteousness, love for ourselves and most of all love for Him!
Revival can only take place when we give up everything of this world and that can only happen if we return to God with all our heart. Remember what we said true revival was? All true revival is about God bringing glory back to His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit through His church. God wants to use the church, His children, but we have to be truly open to His leading. Last Slide