“I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:9-10a,b NASB).
“Wilt Thou not Thyself revive us again, That Thy people may rejoice in Thee?” (Psalms 85:6 NASB)
Many words have been given to categorize or describe a move of God. We have seen them and used them many times. Renewal, awakening, and revival are the words most used and sometimes have the word Spiritual placed before them. While used interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing. And often labeling an event a revival can likely be a misnomer. Understanding the meaning of each word is vital to our being able to continue in what God is doing without falling short.
I realize I am delving into a stream of varying opinions; some may think I am splitting hairs with terminology. But words are significant, and it is important to use the correct word for clarity. One of the most frequently used words for events in the Christian community is revival. Still, yet, it is too often applied too generously or in error. Scripturally and historically there are qualities, or characteristics, which are the earmarks of genuine revival. It is of paramount importance that we examine the qualities of revival so that as we pray and seek God for revival, we can pray with the understanding.
Scripturally and historically revival has been ushered in by God in the wake of a time of repentance and renewal. While times of repentance happen in our relationship with God, our focus is on a group of believers. This group can be a small group of the Body of Christ (a congregation or a group within a congregation), and through the moving of God, it can spread to or pepper many groups of believers at a given time. The result is that the move of God encompasses a larger (or even much larger) portion of the Body of Christ. Let’s look at Scripture and some history for this divine precedence.
A Scriptural and Historical Example
One of the most epic times of repentance and renewal came about during the ministry of John the Baptist. Matthew’s account of his message says it all with the first word: “Repent…” (Matthew 3:1). There had been no significant word from heaven for four hundred years. The last prophet to grace Israel’s horizon was Malachi. Israel became entrenched in their traditions and interpretations of the Law and Prophets. The religious leaders looked pious, but their hearts were not at all consistent with the profession of their lips (see Mark 7:6). The people of Israel became increasingly sinful. Though many were religious in their observances, they did not know the God of their phylacteries. The sacrifices and offerings at the temple became a market event. Merchants and money changers dominated the scenery of the temple as religion became a highly profitable commodity during this time. John the Baptist’s message declared repentance against the backdrop of God’s wrath to come while sounding the trumpeting announcement that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.
The repentance call had no ceremonial fluff to it. People confessed and renounced their sins – publicly at the Jordan River. This was serious business. The voice crying in the wilderness left no opportunity for the religious and the self-righteous to shallowly gloss over the event to further their veneer of piety and false righteousness. The seer prophet saw their nature and declared them a “generation of vipers” (see Matthew 3:7) warning them of the wrath to come. Here we see the qualities of true repentance. It is sacred and is the outflow of the fear of the Lord.
God’s Standard For Repentance
Repentance precedes a greater habitation of Christ in our hearts and the renewal of purity in our devotion to Him. According to the angel who visited Zacharias, John’s ministry, established upon repentance, would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17 NASB). Just as the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17 NASB) is the forerunner to the appearance and revealing of Jesus, so is repentance the forerunner to the appearance and revealing of Jesus in our lives as our devotion to Him is renewed in the pureness of holiness established in Spirit and in truth. To make it plain: Genuine repentance precedes a renewal of devotion – purity of devotion – to Jesus so that we are a people made ready for the manifestation of the Life of Christ in our lives! John’s ministry was ordained to bring repentance and renewed devotion to God to prepare a people for Jesus.
Consider the living portrait of John’s day. People were not paraded across the stage of the banks of the Jordan promoting his ministry. Au contraire. These people were gathered together making a public profession of their sins! The making ready of a people is established as repentance is enjoined in humility and transparency. Humility and transparency are the DNA of genuine repentance. Our hearts do not resist the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we embrace the work of the Holy Spirit, and we strip ourselves of excuses, reasonings, and blame-shifting as we remove the woven fig coverings of the shame of our nakedness before God.
When we enjoin humility and transparency, the confession of our sins and our condition to God should be as forthright as those who made a public confession before John amongst those who congregated at the Jordan. Transparency is the embracing of truth in the inward parts and humility results in the abounding grace of God. Repentance readies us for Jesus. The fruit of repentance is that we become a people prepared for the Lord and as a result, Christ finds a place prepared for Him in our hearts. We then are transformed by His abiding presence where sin once abounded.
John’s ministry was a forerunner to the One who would give life to the dead – to the One who would revive the many from the shadows of sin and death. The move of God began with John’s ministry of repentance and renewal and continued with Jesus who ushered in revival to all who were “weary and heavy-laden” (Matthew 11:28 NASB). He declared, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25 NASB), and declared, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJ). Revival followed in the wake of repentance and renewal. It was so powerful it shook the religious and political pillars of Israel!
God revives the weary and sin burdened. He gives eternal life to those who are dead in their sins. When revival erupts, it starts first in the life-giving Body of Christ, then it infiltrates and permeates the surrounding community. The power of God’s Spirit brings about a spiritual awakening of the lost. As they discover the reality of Jesus, they are raised in Christ by God a new creation – born from above. While revival is conceived in repentance and renewal, revival is consummated when the lost are awakened from sin and death and are born again.
Father there are places in our heart that still need your grace. Complacency, compromise, and even apathy are wound up within self righteousness. Stubborn areas resistant to your Spirit prevent us from the complete joy and fellowship with You. Lord our hearts are easily offended and we are bound by loveless attitudes. We repent of these things, Father. We thank you, Lord for your forgiving grace. We pray, Lord, for your changing grace. Renew or passion, love, and joy in knowing You. Purify our hearts, let our devotion to You, Jesus be renewed in purity and simplicity. Lead us into complete repentance and bring us to renewed and greater devotion to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
–End of Part 1–
Hal Garms eWord Messages 