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The following is an excerpt from Kurt and Warwick’s latest book, Great Southland Revival.

As individuals and as the church collectively, we need revival. We need a visitation from God because even our best efforts at keeping the faith can easily become drab, dull and dead. The truth is that every church has its routines and formalities, including Pentecostal and modern churches that practise their rituals so subconsciously that only outsiders can see them! To borrow an analogy from Jesus, if any church is not careful, our new wineskins can become old quickly, and we can easily lose our longing for new wine from the Lord (Luke 5:37-39).

No matter what form our gatherings take, it is possible for habit or performance to creep in and crowd out the Spirit of God. Every church tradition can produce a form of godliness but deny its power, which Paul so solemnly warned against in 2 Timothy 3:5. Some denominations may be more prone to lukewarmness than others. But the Spirit’s revival fires break through our spiritual deadness like a mighty rushing wind. Revival is the means by which God wages war on the apathy of His people and sets them ablaze gain.

A Hunger for the Presence of God

One of the most beautiful prayers in Scripture came from the lips of King David: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10). Before revival accomplishes anything external in a church, region or nation, it does a deep internal work in the heart of the believer. Australian author Ian Malins writes that “revival is first of all God coming to refine and purify His people so that we might burn for Him again with a pure and holy fire”. He adds:

Revival is the Holy Spirit coming afresh as fire upon God’s people to refine, purge and cleanse from all that is not honouring to Christ, and to set our hearts ablaze with a renewed love and passion for Jesus. Revival is simply the rediscovery of the wonderful sense of the presence of God and a hunger for that presence. Revival always begins with the people of God before it spills over into the world.

Despite its reputation for hype and enthusiasm, revival often begins as a very sober affair. Stuart Piggin writes that, “In revivals, sinners wake up to the reality of their situation. Sin is no longer treated as a matter of indifference. Frivolity seems out of place. There is no place to hide from God. Broken and contrite in heart, we heed any offer of mercy.”

Jesus’ Invitation to Revival

The opposite of revival is seen in all its ugliness in Jesus’ letter to the Laodicean church. The Laodiceans had grown self-sufficient and apathetic towards God, telling Him, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” In fact, from heaven’s point of view, they were “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17). Jesus’ words to them were harsh, but also filled with compassion and generosity:

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:18-19).

Then come those famous words from Jesus that are often used at evangelistic rallies but are actually an invitation to those who already know Him: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” That’s quite a promise. It’s His invitation to revival.

Get 5% off all pre-orders for Great Southland Revival using discount code PREORDER6DEC. Offer expires after Tuesday 6th December. Pre-order here.

Article photo via Unsplash.