Billy Graham said, "The greatest need among Christians and churches today is for genuine spiritual revival. Whenever God has touched His people in special times of revival, lives have been changed, and Christians have experienced new power to do God's work."[1]
Why have we not experienced revival? Why have moral conditions in our country continued to worsen with the passing years? Why does the church seem powerless to make a difference? What is lacking?
What comes first
The famous passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 lists key conditions for revival. I wonder if enough attention has been called to the first condition: "If My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves ..."
We have so much. We are so busy. We have so many programs, so many answers, so many directions. But what does the Lord want? Isaiah 66:2 gives the answer in the very words of God: "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My word."
The last revival
The hallmark of the Welsh Revival in 1904-1905 was the phrase: "Bend the church and save the world!" Most notably, this message was heard by young Evan Roberts who responded tearfully to an altar call with the simple prayer, "Lord, bend me!" God used that humble beginning to multiply like the loaves and fishes until revival touched all parts of the globe. (Incidentally, this is the last global spiritual awakening we have seen.)
One author who actually participated in this revival observed:
"The object lesson that stands out the clearest is the fact that the Spirit of God moved upon the unsaved in converting power as soon as the Christians in a specific church, or specific meeting, were in harmony with God ... God works in the world when His people are right with Him."[2]
Yes, awakening must begin with you and me being in harmony – one in spirit – with our God. That was Jesus' desire for us in John 17:21: "that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You." So, if each of us is right with God, then we are united in spirit with Him. It only stands to reason that if we are all one with God, we will also be united with one another! Despite how inadequate we might think we are to achieve this kind of unity, "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27)!
He can do it!
If God can unite the Father, Son and Holy Spirit into one God in heaven, it is no problem for Him to bring unity within His body here on earth! And, of course, when this happens, the result is supernatural: "…that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me" (John 17:23). Think of it! All because we came humbly and found unity with God that brought unity with each other.
One church that experienced revival in 1904 began with its pastor in 1903 who "returned to his church fervently praying for an outpouring of the Spirit. Slowly signs began ... People in the church who had taken offense with each other were reconciled. Unity prepared the way of the Lord."[3]
That is my observation for our day as well. I have had the privilege of networking with the body of Christ from many different denominations, ethnicities, ages, methodologies and various other points of view. It takes a lot of humility for people to cooperate with each other. It means putting aside some commonly held practices that are less important for the sake of unity on issues that are considered more important. It takes time, effort and patience. But unity is essential if we are to see revival – and so we humble ourselves.
Joy Dawson, a senior staff leader and author with Youth With a Mission said:
"If the Lord were to pour out revival upon the body in the condition that we are in now, our current lack of unity would hinder us from being an adequate "vessel" to hold and maintain the revival that He would pour out... I have changed my priority in prayer to pray for unity first, then revival. Unity in the body is a direct answer to Jesus' prayer in John 17, and a unified body provides a proper 'vessel' into which revival can be poured out."[4]
We do not know when or even if God will grant revival to the church and awakening to the world. But one thing we can do is prepare for it by meeting the conditions of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and John 17:20-23. Let's redouble our efforts to be the kind of leaders that are one with God and one with each other – so "that the world may know…"
[1] Graham, Billy, The Coming World Revival, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1995, p. xi.
[2] Spirit of Revival, "Bend the Church and Save the World," Life Action Ministries, Buchanan, Michigan, Volume 18, No. 1, p. 24.
[3] Ibid. p. 18.
[4] Dawson, Joy, "Unity in the Body of Christ" (An address at Hope United Methodist Church, San Diego, CA, May 10, 2000.)