Revival is a time when the Christian’s life is renewed in Christ. The joy of salvation fills the heart and a burden for soul-winning burns within. The revived Christian longs to see others come to accept Christ.When revival comes, those experiencing revival want to meet together to sing praises to God, to pray, and to study God’s Word. When the church is revived, a new life and vibrancy infuses it—it is the very life of Jesus.
When a church is revived, the effects spill into the community in which the revival is happening. Sinners begin feeling a deep conviction of sin. These convicted sinners begin coming to the church to learn more about Jesus. In addition the revived Christians will be daily reaching out to the unsaved with prayer and will be personally sharing Jesus with them.
Experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis and having an active prayer life are the only pathways to revival. However, this will happen only after Christians surrender 100 percent of their life to God—every area and aspect of their life is His.
“The great revivalist, Ruben Torrey, of the late 1800s to early 1900s gave the following prescription for revival, which includes three basic requirements:
Let a few Christians get thoroughly right with God. If this is not done, the rest will come to nothing.
Let them bind themselves together to pray for revival until God opens the windows of heaven and comes down.
Let them put themselves at the disposal of God for His use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ.
“We can clearly see from God’s Word and Christian writers of the past that total surrender to God, prayer, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, revival, and evangelism all go hand in hand. If any one of these ingredients is missing in our Christian experience, then we are not where God wants us to be in our walk with Him. These and only these ingredients will bring today’s Christian from the state of “lukewarm” Laodicea to a state of giving life to all with whom they come into contact. When this happens in believers’ lives, they will begin to see God use them as never before to bring men and women into the kingdom of God.
It is by receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus fully dwells in us:
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).
When Jesus lives in us via the baptism of the Holy Spirit, He will begin living out His life in us. He will begin ministering to others through us. Hence, as Jesus brought life to those He met and ministered to, so we will also bring life in ministry just as Jesus did.
“Jesus described this when He stated: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The inspired commentary on this states: “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39). The Bible clearly indicates in these verses that a Spirit-filled believer will bring life to his world because he will have “rivers of living water” flowing from him.
This is why Jesus told the disciples to “wait” for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He knows that without this Spirit infilling the church we would be powerless and not bring life to those we come into contact with. However, when the church is Spirit–filled, the believers will then experience revival and “receive power” to witness for their Lord: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).”
Personal reflection and discussion
1. Describe what takes place when a Christian and church experience revival.
2. What was Ruben Torrey’s prescription for revival to take place?
3. Why did Jesus tell the disciples to wait before they began witnessing for Him?
4. What will Jesus do when He dwells in the Christian through the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
Prayer Activity
• Call your prayer partner and discuss this devotional with him/her.
• Pray with your prayer partner:
1. for God to baptize you with His Holy Spirit.
2. for God to give you the desire to experience revival.
3. for God to revive you and His church.
4. for those on your prayer list.
Excerpt From: Dennis Smith. “40 Days.” iBooks.