"Standing Together, Shoulder To Shoulder, As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith"
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics selected to
motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ. It is a personal letter of
encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein
“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody,
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle
Shoulder To Shoulder #
1334 -- 3/21/23
Title: "Is Another Spiritual Awakening Eminent? (Part 6) -- Revival: Is It Real? Is It Real For Me?"
My Dear Friend and Fellow Kingdom Seeker:
We are just a few days away from our final official service of the season for Chapel de Oro here in Yuma. While we'll still meet informally for a home fellowship the next two Sundays in our home, the overwhelming majority of folks will be gone by the end of next week. This coming Sunday our attendance will likely be somewhere in the 40's to 60's, and I will conclude the sermon series, "Straight Answers to Serious Questions" and the mini-series within the series, "Revival: What Is It? Do I Need It?". It's my hope to send people on their way with a deep burden for revival in our nations and a driving passion to press on in pursuing revival.
One indicator that a particular topic is important is the sense of boredom or disregard when you think about it. This is particularly true regarding spiritual issues. There is a subtle spiritual virus floating around that makes you want to abandon a principle, disregard a prompting, or become bored with a topic. Such is the case with the matter of revival and spiritual awakening. Sadly, people tire of the topic -- that is, unless it is a hunger and passion in their hearts. Notice, for example, how little year hear or read about the 2023 Asbury Revival of February 8th -- even among Christians who are hungry for revival.
That notwithstanding, I want to continue addressing the subject again today. After all, indications continue surfacing that a wave of revival may indeed be on the way, and not just an isolated community that spread to numerous other places. One indicator I have noticed the past several months -- and especially since the release of the film, "The Jesus Revolution" -- is how more and more well known people are being more open about their personal faith.
British comedian and actor Russell Brand is one of the most recent when during at least one interview he indicated he could not possibly cope without God. The University of Kentucky's basketball star, Oscar Tshiebwi, is another, as is NHL's San Jose Shark's goalie James Reimer. Others such as KC Chief's QB Patrick Mahomes and Linebacker Nick Bolton, Philadelphia Eagles' QB Jalen Hurtz and wide receiver A. J. Brown, and dozens of news media personalities are increasingly vocal in their Christian faith.
This type of thing doesn't happen from merely nominal or lukewarm Christians. There has to be the presence of spiritual vibrancy and freshness for people "in the public eye" to risk their popularity, influence, and careers by openly declaring their faith in Christ. We've always had well known outspoken and courageous Christians throughout our national history, but most of them have been preachers and/or older people. However, there seems to have been a shift that began first in the world of professional athletics some 50 or 60 year ago, and more recently among younger adults the past dozen or so.
The shift toward younger voices must not be overlooked. If you do a serious study on revival, you will find that many revivals around the world started as the result of God touching the heart of young people. I won't rehearse the data that you already recognize and which I have already noted previously. The steadfastness and consistency of young people in this current focus on revival will tell us a lot as to its depth, influence, and longevity, so keep your eye on what God does with this current "Z Generation".
I don't know if it's the result of revival in their lives or not, but all four of our daughters have varying levels of writing skills and experience. Two of them have written books, and two of them currently write blogs. Our eldest, Cindy, who has been a missionary in Colombia for over 25 years, writes a blog mainly for missionary women. Cheri, the mother of five adopted kids, writes one for women, and mostly for mothers of adoptive children.
When the revival broke on February 8th At. Asbury University, Cheri began to follow developments closely. A few days later she addressed the topic in her blog, "Diggings: Uncovering Our Hearts, Discovering God's". Since I'm not a woman and am not on the mailing list, Jo Ann forwarded it to me. In reading it, I was struck by her memory as a pre-schooler of the revival in West Plains, MO, to which I have referred numerous times in recent letters.
So, today, I'd like you to hear from a mother of five and grandmother of 18 (I think!), what she remembers of that revival, and her personal observations since on revival in general and the current Asbury Revival in particular. I believe her remarks will speak to your heart on several level. Let's do that right after you consider . . .
BOOKS TO READ:
There are two categories of books on Revival -- those written by the mature and experienced, and those written by the immature and inexperienced. Interestingly, the difference between the two can be oddly linked to the era in which they were written and the significance of the Bible in the hearts of the authors. At one time I had more books on revival and spiritual awakening in my library than any other subject other than Bible prophecy. My observation thus far is that most books that have real substance to them were written by 1) people who personally experienced real revival, 2) people writing prior to 1980, and 3) people with a clear grasp of scripture. With that in mind, I recommend you read these -- at least these. Important! I neither endorse nor deny these books nor what is in them. I have read those followed by a + sign.
Heartcry For Revival, + Stephen Olford
Why Revival Tarries, + Leonard Ravenhill
Revival, + Richard Owen Roberts
Dynamics of Spiritual Life, + Richard Lovelace
Revival, + Winkey Pratney
A Narrative of Surprising Conversions, Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards on Revival, + Jonathan Edwards
Lectures on Revival, + Charles Finney
Sermons on Revival, + Charles Spurgeon
What Shall This Man Do, + Watchman Nee
Road To Revival, + Vance Havner
The Welsh Revival, + William T. Stead
The Revived Life, + Lewis Drummond
Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858, Iain H. Murray
Seven Classics On Revival, seven classic authors (Finney, Spurgeon, etc.)
Revival, Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Indonesian Revival: Why Two Million Came to Christ, + Avery Willis
Revival! A People Saturated With God, Brian H. Edwards
The Great Awakening: A History of the Revival of Religion in the time of Edwards and Whitefield, Joseph Tracy
The Korean Revival, Herbert W. Jones
A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir, Colin Hansen and John Woodbridge
Spontaneous Revivals: Asbury College 1905-2006, Robert J. Kanary
One Divine Moment: The Account of the Asbury Revival 1970, + Dr. Robert Coleman
True Revivals and the Men God Used, Horatius Bonar
The Shantung Revival, Mary Crawford
The Shantung Revival, + Charles W. Culpepper
Go Home and Tell, + Bertha Smith
The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever, Elmer Towns
Flames of Freedom, Erwin W. Lutzer
Calvary Road, + Roy Hession
What Shall This Man Do, +
Born After Midnight, A. W. Tozer
The Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century, Edwin Paxton Hood
The Second Evangelical Awakening, + J. Edwin Orr
Revival Fire: 150 Years of Revivals, Matthew Burkholer
The Azusa Papers, William Seymour
The 1904 Revival in Wales, + Jesse Penn-Lewis
The Kentucky Revival, Richard McNemar
There are also a number of links you can go to for free downloads -- some PDF, some Kindle, and some others. Here are two:
https://kingdomsermons.com/download-pdf-books-on-revival-mp3/
https://revival-books.com/collections
QUOTES FOR THE WEEK:
> “…Revival is God bending down to the dying embers of a fire that is just about to go out, and breathing into it, until it bursts again into flame…”. -- Christmas Evans
> "[Revival is] “…A return to Pentecost…” -- Martin Lloyd Jones
> "When is a revival needed? When carelessness and unconcern keep the people asleep." -- Billy Sunday
> "If radical humility has really happened, if the love of Jesus has truly overwhelmed a soul, if the joy of the Lord has overflowed, it will be impossible to keep silent about it." -- Cheri Dee Johnson
> "In revival, God is not concerned about filling empty churches, He is concerned about filling empty hearts." -- Leonard Ravenhill
> "Every revival in history seems to be the result of a few people becoming so hungry for God that they wanted Him more than oxygen. Those who have such hunger will not be denied. It's time to seek a revival that becomes the most famous address in the world. It's time to seek a move of God that won't quit moving." -- Rick Joyner
> "The depth of our repentance will determine the depth of our revival." -- Frank Bartleman
> "Study the history of revival. God has always sent revival in the darkest days. Oh, for a mighty, sweeping revival today!" -- Adrian Rogers
> "Prayer is the burden of revival; repentance is the breakthrough of revival; evangelism is the blessing of revival; holiness is the bounty of revival." -- Steve Camp
> "Surely revival delays because prayer decays." -- Leonard Ravenhill
> "We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results." -- R. A. Torrey
> "If God's people hunger deeply enough, God will hear and send revival. God requires more than casual prayers for revival. He wants His people to hunger and thirst for His mighty working. To seek God's face is far more than occasionally mentioning revival in our prayer. It involves repeated and prolonged prayer. It requires holy determination in prayer, examining ourselves to see if anything in our lives is hindering God." -- Wesley Duewel
========================
 |
Is “Revival” Real? Is it Real for Me?
You’ve probably heard about the “revival” that happened at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. It began at the end of a normal chapel service Wednesday morning, February eighth. A tattooed, thirty-something-year-old, volunteer coach had just presented his (only) third sermon of the year. He thought it was pretty much ineffective. When he was done, he texted his wife, “That was a stinker. I’ll be home soon.”1 But before he’d ended the service, he’d invited those who didn’t need to head to class to stay and dig deeper into the love of God. Around twenty students stayed.
Pretty soon word spread among friends. “Get to the chapel; God’s doing something.” Within hours students were posting on social media pictures, videos, and testimonies about the unexpected, life-changing move of God. That nondescript chapel service continued for over 360 hours. The university estimated that around 50,000 to 75,000 people visited the campus—that is situated in a town of 6,000. At one point, the town’s infrastructure could no longer handle the crowds and they had to close the roads to incoming traffic. The backup extended two-and-a-half miles, and the line of pedestrians waiting to enter one of the five venues was around 0.4 of a mile long. People from all over the world wanted to meet intimately with God, with students from over 200 colleges and universities stepping into His tangible presence.
The nonstop chapel service was brought to an end Thursday night, February 23rd, with the admonition that “this is only the beginning.” And that appears to be the case. God continues to meet with people—and not just in Kentucky. The revival has spread to other universities including secular universities like Texas A & M and Northern Kentucky and Christian campuses like Cedarville, (KY), Lee (TN), Anderson, (IN), Ohio Christian, Baylor (TX), and Samford (AL). In fact, reports have said that at least 20 universities and college campuses have experienced a similar movement. It’s likely we’ll never know how many campuses and lives have been touched by this revival.
So, you may be asking, Is/was this “revival” a true move of God; or was it just emotionalism with students allowing a special moment to excuse them from going to class?
>From my own personal experiences with similar moves of God, I confidently believe this has indeed been a work of God.
I’ve rarely been in a church service where I saw God move in a powerful way. I’ve been in some good ones that had great worship, good teaching, and meaningful fellowship—all of which promoted healthy spiritual growth. However, I’ve only been to a few which allowed room for a powerful work of the Holy Spirit. Though both kinds of work of the Holy Spirit are good—and needed—there’s a difference between the two. The reason I can sense this difference in the Asbury revival is because of what my family and I experienced when I was quite young.
We lived in the small town of West Plains, Missouri when I was four and five years old. My dad was a staff member at the First Baptist Church. My parents have reported that “revival” began as a result of years of prayer by two church members, and after God broke the pastor of his pride. The Sunday the pastor shared what God had done in his life, my dad said he lost most of his choir during the invitation as members headed to the altar in repentance. At some point in the weeks that followed, God broke both my mom and dad. Weeks of repentance were followed by a city-wide move of God that enveloped every church in town except one that had staunchly resisted it. The West Plains revival saw many come to know Jesus as savior, saw people healed, and saw relationships restored. This revival lasted three years.
Though I was quite young, I remember pieces of it vividly. I remember the pastor’s wife singing the song, “He Touched Me” and how she glowed from a personal touch of God. I remember seeing my mom weep at the altar and wondering what was wrong. I remember seeing the lines of people at the altar as a microphone (and a tissue box) was passed and people shared their testimonies. I remember the sanctuary being so crowded that my mom had to sit me on the floor amongst people’s feet. And I remember telling my grandma (who was watching my sisters and me while my parents were out of town) that we didn’t used to have peace in our home but now we did.
Though I was only four and five at the time, I have always believed that this move of God changed my life. I didn’t yet know that I was a sinner or that Jesus had died for my sin. But I knew God was real, He loved people, and He could radically change their lives for the better. I knew there were non-Christians, Christians, and then there were Christians who were on fire for God. This on-fire type of person was what I wanted to be. I believe this time in West Plains set the course—not only for my parents but also for my sisters and me—for the rest of our lives. And it’s true. All of us still have a deep walk with Jesus today (55 or so years later) and seek to share the love of Jesus with others everyday.
Having lived through this life-changing experience is why I believe that what has been happening at Asbury is real. I see some common elements between what’s happening there and what has happened in my own life, as well as in other historical moves of God (e.g. the
Great Awakenings in the United States, the
Jesus People Movement, the
Welsh Revival, and the
Shantong Revival).
Brokenness and Repentance
As far as I know, revival has always begun with brokenness and repentance. Repentance and “radical humility” are terms used multiple times to describe what God has been doing at Asbury; and as I mentioned above, it was essential in the West Plains revival. In fact, I’m a little suspicious when I hear of a “revival” without the mention of repentance. I could be wrong, but I think that if we don’t go through repentance first, we’ll think revival is all about God making life happier for us than about God Himself. Stories will emerge about mountain top experiences, dynamic personalities, or emotional church services instead of about God’s redemptive work.
But lest the idea of radical brokenness and repentance scare you, remember that the speaker’s invitation in that February eighth chapel service was to the love of God. You are immensely loved no matter what, and will always be safe when repenting before God.
Now you may wonder if Christians need to repent. It may not be the same kind of initial repentance needed for salvation, but yes, Christians have many things they need to repent of: complacency, pride, jealousy, anger, gossip, unforgiveness—to name a few. We’re all growing in our journey toward Christ-likeness. We’re not perfect. Generally, in these kind of revivals, Christians need to repent of thinking God’s work depends on them—that they are talented enough or passionate enough that they don’t need the Holy Spirit’s involvement in their Christian growth or ministry. Don’t we all tend to lean toward pride and independence in our Christian lives? How many times have we thought we knew better than God how to do His job?
Which comes first, repentance or prayer? It’s usually both. It’s a kind of prayer that is marked by humility, repentance, and dependence on God. It’s a kind of prayer that never says amen. In fact, though an attendee may stand up and walk away from the building (or gathering), they remain in constant communion with the Lord. He goes with them. Not that He hasn’t been with them before, but now they have a palatable awareness of the sweet presence of God walking beside them.
It later moves into a worship-focused prayer and intercessory prayer. All forms of prayer are included. If there’s no prayer—no waiting in the presence of God—all you have is a circus. Fun and entertaining? Yes, but no revival.
It’s all about Jesus. Though it can lead to extended times of worship, the worship isn’t a performance or spectacle.
Many reports coming out of Asbury shared how there’d been no famous preacher or worship leader. There were no smoke and lights or fancy instruments. They didn’t even have lyrics to songs displayed on overhead screens. It was led by a handful of students with someone playing a guitar and piano as they sang songs familiar to the students—songs that exalt Jesus. Though at times the praise grew celebratory and loud, it wasn’t noisy.
In fact, even as they hosted the 200th National Collegiate Day of Prayer, they did not display the names of the worship leaders or the speakers. The focus was on God, what He’d done, and the call to evangelize.
At one point Tucker Carlson from Fox News announced he was going to Asbury and report on the revival the next day. The president of Asbury University called and asked him not to come. They didn’t want cameras and lights interfering with what God was doing. In fact, rarely did they live stream what was happening in the chapel. Carlson complied with this request.
An overwhelming realization of God’s deep and abiding love brings radical and lasting change in the lives of those who experience revival. Peace, joy, and confidence abound even though life circumstances stay the same. Relationships are restored, grudges dissolved, and bitterness uprooted.
One student explained that the relational atmosphere among Asbury students had become one of “gentle care.” Many are healed physically and emotionally. Many reports have come from Asbury of students being set free from anxiety and depression (a common symptom in Gen Z as a result of COVID fear and restrictions).
Order? Yes, but agenda, no.
At Asbury, for over two weeks there were no time constraints. University leadership simply let the Holy Spirit take charge with students leading the worshipers in a continuous flow of prayer in confession and intercession, worship, testimonies, and short and simple teachings by campus faculty and staff. The entire time the altar was staffed with pastors, faculty, and counselors who were available to pray with people and who could monitor the testimonies to make sure they stayed current and in line with Scripture.
But they still had order. Godly leaders were put in place to make sure the worship leaders were in tune with the Holy Spirit before allowing them to go on stage. Others organized food and drinks. Others cleaned bathrooms. University administrators did not cancel classes knowing that revival flows into everyday life. In time they set up boundaries for outsiders in order to protect the privacy of the students. They gave seating priority to anyone age 25 and under. They welcomed outsiders but they had other venues for them to use.
At the revival in West Plains, the church services did not continue nonstop. They were held at the regularly observed times: Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Wednesday evenings—although they did go longer than usual. But the revival didn’t just happen in the church building either. Much happened in places like beauty shops, schools, the jail, and people’s homes—often late into the night after the kids had been put to bed. Time was given for the Lord to work, but there was still order to each service.
Students in Asbury's chapel often led out by reading Scripture passages. A hunger for and adherence to the purity of God's word is not only common in revivals, it's absolutely necessary. These moves of God have a strong impact on emotions—repentance and time in the overwhelming presence and love of God does that. Yet, God doesn't want emotions to take charge. Therefore, ingesting healthy doses of God’s truths written in the Bible is needed to keep all things in balance (e.g. grace and truth, mercy and justice, excitement and rest). Not only that, but people want to hear what the One who loves them most has to say. They hold it close to their hearts as a love letter God has written to them.
As I mentioned, students shared testimonies in the chapel. They also shared what God was doing with parents and friends, on social media, and some in interviews with the news media (both Christian and secular).
And as I mentioned, I remember hearing testimonies every week after the altar call at the end of each service in West Plains. My mom reported that whenever she went to the beauty shop as soon as she sat down people started talking about someone’s testimony that they’d recently heard. She said even people from other churches were sharing testimonies. Talking about what God was doing in individual lives was an everyday norm.
I’ve hinted at this many times already—restored relationships, submission to each other, and “gentle care”—but the reason I want to highlight it is because unity is mentioned throughout the New Testament as a key result of the moving of the Holy Spirit. (For example see
Acts 2:44 and
Acts 4:32.) In fact, this is one of the key elements I watch for.
Now that doesn’t mean Satan (or people afraid of a new and different work of God) won’t try to sow discord and discouragement in order to discredit what God is doing. It doesn’t mean there won’t be disagreements. But all of these challenges will be quickly resolved because people have found joy in living in submission to the Lord and in unity with each other.
Signs and wonders—miracles
Whether it’s the lost being saved, bodies and minds being healed, people speaking in tongues, or demons being cast out, when revival happens signs and wonders follow. This has been reported at every revival I’ve ever heard of—at Asbury, West Plains, throughout history, and throughout the New Testament. There is no person or need beyond God’s reach. It’s in times of revival that His children get to see with their own eyes the power of His might, the depth of His love, and the extent of His grace.
This is a must. If radical humility has really happened, if the love of Jesus has truly overwhelmed a soul, if the joy of the Lord has overflowed, it will be impossible to keep silent about it. It’s not that people who’ve experienced revival feel pressured to go tell others about it as if doing so is something they dread or feel ill-equipped to do. They simply can’t keep their mouths shut.
Even logistically, like has happened at Asbury, all that God is doing simply can’t be contained to one place. It has to spread to other venues—universities, churches, towns, and often other countries.
In his book about the Shantung revival,
Dr. C. L. Culpepper (a friend of my parents) shared what he witnessed God doing during the ten or more years that revival spread through northern China in the 1920s and 1930s. Transformed people became living witnesses, leading to spontaneous evangelistic teams that spread the Gospel. Persecution arose as a result, often coming from family members and people in the community. But the newly revived people simply prayed for their persecutors and often saw dramatic changes. Direct attacks came from Satan in order to ridicule, discredit, or duplicate (for the purpose of deception) the work of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, an interest in Bible study grew; spiritually dead churches were revived, church attendance increased dramatically; and discipleship increased.
People loved to pray—fervently and for hours at a time. There was no cheap advertising for healing prayers, people simply felt a burden to pray for the sick among them and, thus, many were healed. Signs and wonders occurred, not because they were stressed in sermons or prayer gatherings; they just happened. The emphasis was on repentance and confession of sin—signs and wonders were a natural result—opening even more doors for the Gospel.
These transformations weren’t just among the unsaved, but among Christians as well. In fact, it all started in the lives of missionaries at they sought the Lord to awaken the dead and apathetic church of China. They found out that they had to repent first before God could move into the churches and communities.
There was also continual singing; ordinances became much more meaningful; there was a development of national leaders; deceit was uncovered and dealt with in churches; racial problems were dissolved; and there was an increase in the joy of giving financially. In the end, life in general dramatically improved—personally, socially, and culturally.
Dr. Culpepper’s experience a hundred years ago sounds very similar to what we experienced in West Plains, and what has happened in, and through, Asbury University. Because of these similarities, I believe God is doing a great work among today’s Gen Z. I sure pray so.
But what about you and me? Are we too old for revival in our hearts?
God loves people. He longs deeply for them to trust Him and to linger in His presence—like any loving father would. His passionate love never changes but our experience of it depends on how hungry we are for Him. He will fill us to the extent that we open our hearts to Him. The more we empty ourselves of selfish pursuits, sin, and apathy, the more room there is for His freedom, joy, and peace. The more room there is for Him.
And He delights in using us to share this great news with others. He’s so gracious, though, because the more we allow Him to fill us, the more He overflows us so that we simply can’t contain Him. We have to share Him with others.
Has your love for Jesus grown cold or complacent? Does it seem like your zeal has hit the snooze button? Do you feel like you’re faith is stuck in a boring rut? Are you simply going through life on autopilot? Do anxiety and uncertainty drive you more than peace and hope do?
Have you ever wondered why we are always in such a hurry to get church over with? We frequently make plans to do something as soon as it’s over. We’re so stingy with our preciously scheduled agendas. We’re more committed to them than to God. We only give Him a few hours a week (if that). How very sad that must make our Heavenly Father feel. His children don’t want to spend much time with Him, and what little time they give Him is full of distractions. What would happen if we, instead, chose to leave time open for God to do what He wants at the end of each service? What if we planned that each time we gather with God’s people we’ll leave the next several hours open for God to do in us what He longs to do?
Are you in need of revival in your heart? If so, then this is the time for that to happen. God is at work in a new and powerful way right now. He’s showing us that He is indeed interested in a close and joyous relationship with us. He is once again reviving our hearts. So what should you do?
Set aside some extended time—several hours or even a day or two. Get away from the duties and distractions of home if you need to. Be humble and willing. Ask God to show you where you need to repent. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you. Ask Him to draw you closer to Himself. Be willing to do whatever He tells you. Don’t be rushed or put Him on a time limit or schedule. Then as you go through your everyday life, keep your heart open to the work He’s doing in you. Remain in a humble and willing posture. And trust Him. He loves you!
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Joel 2:12-13 (ESV)
Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
Psalm 85:6-7 (ESV)
Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
Acts 3:19 (NASB1995)
======================
FINALLY:
Cheri touched on a number of essential ingredients that are evident in genuine revival: --
+ Real revival focuses on God, not experiences, gifts, or personalities.
+ Real revival is characterized by brokenness and repentance.
+ Real revival draws people to God's Word like a magnet.
+ Real revival begins and is maintained with intense, unpretentious, faith-driven prayer.
+ Real revival manifests human insignificance and "invisibility".
+ Real revival produces reconciliation and restoration.
+ Real revival generates unity.
+ Real revival release inexplicable and unconditional love.
+ Real revival expresses mercy, compassion, and ministry.
+ Real revival is filled with worship and praise directed toward God, and not people.
+ Real revival spreads -- automatically and spontaneously -- to other people and places.
+ Real revival inevitably is shared and spreads.
+ Real revival results in the rescue and salvation of the lost.
I'm sure there are other elements she touched on, but these are more than enough to help us discern real revival from pretense, and should be more than enough to drive us to cry out to God for His divine visitation where you and I live.
If they do not, then we have an incredibly serious spiritual problem ourselves. Rick Joyner, a leader in the charismatic arm of Christ's church said it well:
"Every revival in history seems to be the result of a few people becoming so hungry for God that they wanted Him more than oxygen. Those who have such hunger will not be denied. It's time to seek a revival that becomes the most famous address in the world. It's time to seek a move of God that won't quit moving."
That's my prayer. I hope it is yours.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,
Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11
>>> To access past "Shoulders" letters, listed by date and number, go to https://welovegod.org/guide/forums/forum/shoulders/ <<<
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)
"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal
lifeunlimited@pobox.com
Copyright March, 2023
"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill
"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it or copy from it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish.
Please do NOT hit reply to this letter. This is an automated unmanned system.
If you want to write Bob, send directly to lifeunlimited@pobox.com.
Replying to "Shoulder To Shoulder" mailer gets you nowhere.
