We will be holding Good Friday and Easter Sunday services! Find out more here

Grace News - Issue #1, 2014. A focus on the theme of spiritual revival

GN 1Q14

Whenever the topic of ‘spiritual revival’ comes up, there is a rush of different definitions and
images that come to mind. But there is no disagreement that revival is a good thing and something that is sorely needed in our toxic world of spiritual apathy and ambiguity. Therefore, it would be good for us to understand what spiritual revival is. 

In its most basic form, ‘spiritual revival’ is simply a restoration of God’s people to
vigorous spiritual health. In their book, Fresh Encounter, Blackaby and King write, “Revival is a return to spiritual health after a period of decline into sin and broken fellowship with God … Revival is for God’s people when they need to be forgiven and restored to life, spiritual health, and vitality”. 

Notice that ‘spiritual revival’ is for God’s people – people who already possess eternal life because they had previously accepted God’s offer of salvation from the penalty of sin by putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-9; Jn 3:16-17). While revival is often associated with people being converted to faith in Christ, true spiritual revival is something that happens to people who have already come to faith in Christ.

At first, it might seem strange that God’s people would even need to be revived. But, Derek Gentle describes the situation this way. God’s people need revival “when they have left their first love … when they find themselves going through the motions … when they are wallowing in sin, perhaps regretting their sins, but unwilling to thoroughly repent of them…when they are neglecting their relationship with Christ…when we are low on zeal and have grown lukewarm”. The need for revival among God’s children is often very high – in fact, too high.

Can revival ever happen? From Scripture (Neh 8), revival comes when there is revelation and reproof from God’s word, repentance and recommitment by God’s people, and the restoration of a relationship with God and others

Perhaps the questions that lie ahead are not ‘Do we need revival?’ or ‘Is it possible to be revived?’, but rather, ‘Do we want it?’ and ‘Are we ready for it?’. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

Check out the full issue of Grace News for more articles on the theme of spiritual revival, including: personal revival testimonies by four members of our church; a look at the story of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravian church to remind us of what church revival is all about; reviving outreach efforts within and beyond the MacPherson neighbourhood; a missionary update by Pearl on the church music ministry in Myanmar; and a review of a book on revival, Brokenness: The Heart God Revives.