Churches everywhere are under attack from evil, theological ignorance, and pure hatred. The Hebrews have been under attack since the beginning, and the Christians came under attack as soon as Jesus was recognized as a threat to the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin. Not much has changed in 2000 years. The attackers names have changed, but the Jews are being attacked in Israel, Christian villages are being burned in Africa, and churches are attacked physically, politically, morally worldwide by various enemies. The age-old difference in doctrine and beliefs of Islam, the decay of society, and the depraved and dishonest attitude of the younger generations, Deviant groups such as Antifa, BLM, and LGBTQIA2S+ are at odds with religion and the moral fabric that we have maintained for years. Matthew 16 Peter is told that God will build a church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Ephesians 16 tells us we will be against evil rulers and authorities, cosmic powers of darkness, and spiritual evil. This brings to mind the old saying that evil will win when good men do nothing. There have been many times when the Church had to stand against evil, and today is one of them.
It has been reported that society has lost interest in organized religion. Earthly interest and our work are more important than our eternal life. Most people worry more about their social status on Facebook than attending Church. When the crowd at church dinners is larger than Sunday service, and we have lost our desire for prayer, we have a real problem, and evil is winning. It has been suggested that we are on the verge of a great awakening, sometimes called a great reset. History indicates that there have been four resets in the last 200 years. Recently, over 50,000 people came to Asbury University in Kentucky for prayer. This is one of the most significant revivals in recent history.
Restored excitement, joyful attitudes, and overwhelming love are necessary to defeat evil attacks on our churches. Reviving the spirit in the congregation is always easier said than done, but not impossible. Revival means coming to life and participating in that grand fellowship that makes a church. Revival is found in Genesis 45 and Judges 15, discussing restoring life. Nehemiah 4 discusses rebuilding and restoring a person’s well-being, which is mentioned in Psalms 85. The word “Chayah” means to live or cause to live, which translates to revive. Nehemiah 8 gives us three stages of revival: intellect, emotion, and will. To experience these stages, there must be a gathering that we call a revival. Robert Coleman, a revivalist, tells us that revival is “the awakening of God’s people to their true nature and purpose, the return of the Church from her backsliding and the conversion of sinners.” Charles Finney, another great revivalist, describes revival as “an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing extraordinary results.”
Revival inspires us to observe Christ and be emotionally fruitful in evangelizing the Gospel to others to convert new believers. By witnessing, we grow in maturity and spiritually. At this point, we are disciples of Christ. Acts 2 goes into great detail describing what is involved in revival. Jesus becomes the main priority during the revival, describing his birth, life, death, and resurrection. Revival shows us how to repent and help others come to their repentance. Revival teaches the participants how to pray and creates a new passion for prayer. People find new interests and concerns in the world while sharing in revival. During the revival, people will become more aware of the conviction of sin and of being lost without Jesus. Revival shows we are responsible for our salvation and should encourage others to pray for their eternal lives. During revival, people will feel closer to God and drawn to his presence. God’s presence strengthens, and people react differently to the Holy Spirit. During revival, people will find a new spirit of generosity, care, and love for one another. The desire for fellowship, prayer, and conversation will increase with participation in church events. People not necessarily associated with the revival sponsor will find favor with the effort being made. There will be those who make fun of and mock the activities. God’s blessing will defend us from the opposition and persecutors.
Paul in Romans teaches us how to live to satisfy God and have a life full of mercy and favor. Paul describes it as being wise in our worship and yielding everything to God. “Romans 12:2 shows that we live out God’s will when we change our thoughts to God’s thoughts rather than living like the world dictates. The world will always pressure us to live sinfully and selfishly, but to live the good life God wants from us requires changing how we behave—by changing our thoughts.” (Staff, 2023) “Revived Christians and churches can be used by God to bring a spiritual awakening to the culture at large. It can open the eyes of the lost to the realities of sin and the priorities of faith. It can cause the lost world to see their need for the Lord. Often, revival has even resulted in large scale recognition of the need for biblical morality in the culture at large. Perhaps you have recognized your own need for revival. Will you join me in praying for revival in our lives and churches in this generation? Ask the Lord to send revival to your own life and to change you where you need changing. Be willing to repent of any wrong activity, attitude, or motive.” (Munton, 2022)
We hear much about the Great Reset on television, social media, and around the water cooler at work. It will be interesting to see if the spirit of revival will be a part of the Reset they are referring to.
Munton, D. (2022, 2 8). Baptist Press. Retrieved from 3 reasons revival matters: https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/first-person-3-reasons-revival-matters/#:~:text=Revived%20Christians%20and%20churches%20can,their%20need%20for%20the%20Lord.
Staff. (2023). The Bible Says. Retrieved from Romans 12:2 meaning: https://thebiblesays.com/commentary/rom/rom-12/romans-122/#:~:text=Romans%2012%3A2%20shows%20that,behave%E2%80%94by%20changing%20our%20thoughts.