With a revival erupting in Asbury, Kentucky, and over 20,000 attending on a weekend, what do I need to know if I am going to experience revival? Is it possible to live in a constant state of revival?   

I LOVE God's timing for this revival. It is on the 50-year anniversary of the Jesus Revolution that broke out in the 1970s and it coincides exactly with the recently released movie titled Jesus Revolution. This powerful movie is in theaters NOW. Lonnie Frisbee is the hippie-turned-Jesus-freak who ministered powerfully in the Spirit and was a key figure in the Jesus Revolution movie. Patti and I have watched it twice and plan to see it again because of both the memories it brings back and the desire it stirs within us to see the moving of the Spirit through our churches and our nation once again. Here is a great Flashpoint interview about the movie.

Definitions of revival

  • The word revival is not found in the Bible. God uses the word "revive" in ONE verse. "I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite (Isa. 57:15).
  • A description of what happened in Jonathan Edwards' Revival - “It pleased God ... to display His free and sovereign mercy in the conversion of a great multitude of souls in a short space of time, turning them from a formal, cold and careless profession of Christianity, to the lively exercise of every Christian grace, and the powerful practice of our holy religion.”
  • During a spiritual revival, God supernaturally transforms believers and nonbelievers in a church, locale, region, nation or the world through sudden, intense enthusiasm for Christianity. People sense the presence of God powerfully; conviction, despair, contrition, repentance and prayer come easily; people thirst for God’s word; many authentic conversions occur and backsliders are renewed. Revival and awakening are, generally, synonyms. The larger the geography a revival covers, the greater the tendency to call it an awakening. America has a deep, rich history of revivals and awakenings.
  • My academic summary on revivals is: "Revivals are christological in focus and emotionally fervent."
  • Patti's heart-warming definition is: "Revival is like a second honeymoon, where you spend extra time together and renew your love for one another by remembering all the things that drew you together." 
  • Revival involves falling in love with Jesus all over again and obeying His commands which results in Jesus loving me and disclosing Himself to me. This is what God has designed as a daily experience for those who live and walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).

Jesus describes and exhibits what a godly Spirit-anointed lifestyle looks like

  • He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me ... and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him (Jn. 14:21; Lk. 24:32).
  • Conclusion: LOVING and OBEYING Jesus results in RECEIVING REVELATION from Him. (Jn. 14:3,24; 15:4-10)

The Holy Spirit empowers us to experience the Christian lifestyle 

  • Jesus ALWAYS had the Spirit's anointing because He always obeyed God (Jn. 8:29). Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through the things which He suffered (Heb. 5:8).
  • I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth ... you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you (Jn. 14:16,17). 
  • But the Helper, the Holy Spirit ... will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (Jn. 14:26). These truths are repeated in John 16:13-15; 17:3.

Summarizing the lifestyle of living tuned to the Spirit

We love Jesus and keep His commands (Jn. 14:21; Lk. 24:32). We keep the eyes of our heart fixed upon Jesus, Emmanuel, the One who is always with us (Heb. 12:2; Acts 2:25; Ps. 16:8). The Holy Spirit within discloses revelation to us. We hear God's voice, see God's visions, are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live righteously, and the result is we experience God's kingdom emotions of joy and peace (Rom. 14:17; Jn. 7:37-39; Jn. 14:27). Jesus demonstrated how one walks and lives by the Spirit, which is why we imitate Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). "He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him" (Jn. 8:29).

Jesus' secret of how He lived and walked by the Spirit 

I do nothing on My own initiative. I do what I HEAR and SEE My Father doing.

Jesus REPEATS this truth half a dozen times so we DON’T MISS IT!

  1. Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" (Jn 5:19).
  2. "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (Jn. 5:30).
  3. "I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him" (Jn. 8:26).
  4. So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me" (Jn. 8:28).
  5. "I speak what I have seen with My Father" (Jn. 8:38).
  6. Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me" (Jn. 8:42).
  7. "For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak" (Jn. 12:49).
  8. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works" (Jn. 14:10).

Intimacy with the Holy Spirit can be achieved quite easily

Here are four simple, childlike steps - used by Habakkuk, the Apostle John, and others

  1. I quiet myself down (Hab. 2:1,2; Rev.1:9-11).
  2. I fix my eyes on Jesus whom I behold at my right hand (Acts 2:25; Heb. 12:1,2).
  3. I tune to His voice (flowing thoughts) and His visions (flowing pictures). FLOW is the River of the Holy Spirit which flows within the heart of the believer (Jn. 7:37-39).
  4. I journal out this flow that I am receiving (Hab. 2 - 3; Rev. 1 - 22).

How are emotions produced?

  • Emotions are by-products of the pictures I am gazing at.
  • I am transformed WHILE I LOOK... (2 Cor. 3:17,18; 4:17,18).
  • As I gaze at Jesus Who is at my side, alive and active, I experience the kingdom emotions of love, joy, peace, gratitude, thankfulness and compassion which transform me. (Read: Unleashing Healing Power Through Spirit-Born Emotions)

Revivals often restore experiences that have been "lost" by the Church

In many moves of God, there is a restoration of a “lost” experience. Not that it has ever been totally lost, and not that folks can’t over-emphasize it or abuse this restored experience. These things often happen but these are NOT reasons to reject what God is restoring in the current move of the Spirit. We are to biblically explore each “experience” and discover how it is to be perfectly fitted into a more complete understanding of how God has chosen to interact with us.

A review of a few of the recent renewals and an experience restored in each

  1. Protestant Reformation – restored the authority of Scripture
  2. Wesley's Revivals – restored a heart warmed and the sanctification process
  3. Pentecostal Revival – restored speaking in tongues
  4. Faith Movement - Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin restored faith and miracles
  5. Latter Rain Movement – restored prophecy
  6. Charismatic Renewal – restored the gifts of the Spirit
  7. Third Wave – restored the gifts of the Spirit into mainline churches
  8. Apostolic Movement – restored Church structure
  9. Toronto Blessing – restored joy, laughter, and a merry heart
  10. Today’s Renewal – Restoring walks in the garden where we dialogue with God.

Journaling about revival

Mark, revival is a word made up by humanity. It was not part of My plan for mankind. My plan was for mankind to walk in revival daily, to experience My sweet love and peace and wise counsel, and to be revived morning and evening, and thus to live in the state of revival.

Mankind has changed this. Mankind has made revival an emotional thing. And yes, revival does touch the emotions, but the emotions come from deep within. They come from My Spirit, moving mightly within and upon My children.

I pour out My Spirit at times of My choosing. That is when revivals occur. It is the crescendo of prayer and repentance and in the fullness of time, I spring forth with a fresh outpouring of My Spirit which refreshes the saints and restores the sinners to a place of holiness.

It is My work and My sovereignty that cause this to happen. This is a mighty work of My hand, a breakthrough if you will, where I break forth into your world with a special outpouring of My Spirit. It happened at Pentecost. It happened when Saul fell down when in My manifest presence with the prophets. It happened when I filled the tabernacle with My presence. It has happened many times throughout history, and it is a mighty working of My hand and My Spirit breaking in upon your lives.

It is to be cherished. It is to be sought after. It is to be honored and highly esteemed and not ridiculed or rejected as some do. It is ME in action in the affairs of men. It is different every time. It is what is needed every time. If they need joy, it is a laughing revival. If they need conviction, it is a holy revival. If they need healing, it is a healing revival. If they need a truth restored, it is a revival of truth. I am the Lord Most High. I do what I want when I want. I do it to serve My world and My people. I do it out of love and justice. And yes, if people need their hearts warmed, then it is a heartwarming revival as it was with Wesley. Each one has its place. Each one meets a need of the hour. Each one is different. That is why I say, behold I do a new thing. Do not despise the day of new things. Honor them. Embrace them. Flow with them. Participate in them.

Behold I have spoken. Behold it is to be done.

Yes, Lord.

Summary thought: If we take daily walks with God in the garden in the cool of the day and hear His words of wisdom, revelation, healing, deliverance, and comfort, we will experience daily personal revival which will heal, inspire, and anoint us for ministry.