Have you ever been in a spiritual revival? The word “revival” comes burdened with great expectations and unclear notions of what it actually is. J.I. Packer writes:
“I have witnessed remarkable evangelical advances, not only academic but also pastoral, with churches growing spectacularly through the gospel on both sides of the Atlantic and believers maturing in the life of repentance as well as in the life of joy. Have I seen revival? I think not — but would I know?” [1]
When it comes to “Revival,” some of us expect too little when it comes to God transforming hearts. Perhaps this is due to a lack of faith or the comfort of low expectations. On the other hand, some expect too much drama (for lack of a better word) from God when we speak of revival. Because of such great expectations, we are shy to claim we have experienced revival. Packer continues:
“Touches of reviving, I suspect, surround us, and we are not always aware of them… What is certain, however, is this: God calls us, and wisdom directs us, to seek for ourselves the full reality of religion as [Jonathan] Edwards describes it, and to pray for the further reviving of religion, by God’s grace and for God’s glory, that all our communities have need of at this time.”
To clarify expectations of what is meant by the word “revival,” J.I. Packer summarizes elements of revival as laid out by Jonathan Edwards. I suggest we pray for and aim for these in our ministry:
- God comes down (Isa 64:1)
- God’s Word pierces (1 Thes 2:13)
- Man’s sin is seen (Acts 2:37)
- Christ’s cross is valued (1 Cor 1:23-24)
- Change goes deep (Acts 19:18-19)
- Love breaks out (Acts 2:44-45)
- Joy fills hearts (1 Pet 1:8)
- Each church becomes itself (1 Cor 12:4-5; 14:24-25)
- The lost are found (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7)
- Satan keeps pace (Eph 6:10-20)
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[1] Jonathan Edward’s list of elements of spiritual revival is from J.I. Packer, “The Glory of God and the Reviving of Religion: A Study in the Mind of Jonathan Edwards” in A God-Entranced Vision of All Things, Crossway 2004)