Western Christians seldom talk about revival any more - but they should.
The word "revive" suggests we are in a sleepy state - perhaps even dead - and need new life and energy. For much of the Western church, I think that's true. I include myself in that group.
As believers, we want more people to enter the kingdom of God. We want God to move in our lives and build within us a passion for the Lord.
So, why aren't we seeking revival?
Maybe it's because we fear what revival brings. It's sometimes messy. The Holy Spirit turns our well-ordered lives upside down.
Or, perhaps we don't think we need revival. The church still functions - although churches are closing at an alarming rate. Still, there are many dynamic speakers in the Christian world and quite a number of big churches.
But I think most of us recognize that Christ plays a declining role in Western society. We see it in our courtrooms, classrooms, and laws. We see it in the numbers of young people leaving the church after high school.
New technologies and new ideas can help slow the drift from church. But only God can bring real spiritual change and a growing church.
If we seek revival, we will need to pray.
In his book And the Place was Shaken, John Franklin tells about an amazing revival he witnessed in Mombasa, Kenya in 1990. He joined a team of 250 people evangelizing in the African city of about 1 million people over two weeks.
"There is no other way to describe those fourteen days except that the glory of God simply descended: nearly thirty thousand people responded to the gospel."
He goes on to say that the "presence of the Lord tangibly permeated the land, so much so that often people were being saved by the dozens."
What was vital in this effort was prayer.
Prayer for Mombasa began months before the evangelistic effort. During the two weeks Franklin was in Mombasa, a different church prayed all night each night.
He says one night he spent the entire night at one church praying, worshiping God, and listening to talks until the meeting ended at 7 a.m. He was not in the least tired, waking up four hours later with a deep sense of the presence of God in the hotel room. Not one person rejected the gospel during witnessing that day.
We read in Acts 2 that the first believers in Jerusalem devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship and prayer. And thousands became believers.
Many modern stories of revival underline this message: We must pray together in our churches for God to revive us if we want to see the Holy Spirit move massively and miraculously in our communities.
The word "revive" suggests we are in a sleepy state - perhaps even dead - and need new life and energy. For much of the Western church, I think that's true. I include myself in that group.
As believers, we want more people to enter the kingdom of God. We want God to move in our lives and build within us a passion for the Lord.
So, why aren't we seeking revival?
Maybe it's because we fear what revival brings. It's sometimes messy. The Holy Spirit turns our well-ordered lives upside down.
Or, perhaps we don't think we need revival. The church still functions - although churches are closing at an alarming rate. Still, there are many dynamic speakers in the Christian world and quite a number of big churches.
But I think most of us recognize that Christ plays a declining role in Western society. We see it in our courtrooms, classrooms, and laws. We see it in the numbers of young people leaving the church after high school.
New technologies and new ideas can help slow the drift from church. But only God can bring real spiritual change and a growing church.
If we seek revival, we will need to pray.
In his book And the Place was Shaken, John Franklin tells about an amazing revival he witnessed in Mombasa, Kenya in 1990. He joined a team of 250 people evangelizing in the African city of about 1 million people over two weeks.
"There is no other way to describe those fourteen days except that the glory of God simply descended: nearly thirty thousand people responded to the gospel."
He goes on to say that the "presence of the Lord tangibly permeated the land, so much so that often people were being saved by the dozens."
What was vital in this effort was prayer.
Prayer for Mombasa began months before the evangelistic effort. During the two weeks Franklin was in Mombasa, a different church prayed all night each night.
He says one night he spent the entire night at one church praying, worshiping God, and listening to talks until the meeting ended at 7 a.m. He was not in the least tired, waking up four hours later with a deep sense of the presence of God in the hotel room. Not one person rejected the gospel during witnessing that day.
We read in Acts 2 that the first believers in Jerusalem devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship and prayer. And thousands became believers.
Many modern stories of revival underline this message: We must pray together in our churches for God to revive us if we want to see the Holy Spirit move massively and miraculously in our communities.
