Preparing For Revival

Revival is an act of God. There is nothing we can do to create a revival.

Nevertheless, history shows that revivals have been sparked by faithful people who have done what they can and seen God honour that. If we long to see God revive His church and powerfully impact our society, what can we do? The most often quoted prelude to revival is prayer but prayer is not all that can be done.

From Change Of The Tide

In the last chapter of Change Of The Tide, Nigel Paterson, having looked at the history of revivals in the United Kingdom, lists the following:

• Become a learner and a sharer

  • Study Jesus. Study the scriptures, Study revival.

    • Love the scriptures (Ps 119:9, 25, 103)

  • Share what you are learning, with others.

• Be revived yourself

  • Hunger for more of God and radiate what you are discovering.

  • Repent of your own sins. This will require prayer and maybe some outside help.

    • From a British perspective, he lists...

      • pride, envy, bitterness, jealousy, resentment, anger, anxiety, unforgiveness, materialism, secularism, discontent, bullying.

      • hurts and foibles such as victim mentality, entitlement, negative criticism, judgementalism, blaming others, self-pity, divisiveness, resistance to authority,  confusion, casualness leading to missed opportunities, misplaced humour, sexualisation of life as a whole, lack of purpose and self-worth.

      • And suggests other cultures might need to identify their own prevailing sins.

      • Sin must be taken seriously. There is no room for compromise. God will judge sin.

  • Prayer for more infilling of the Holy Spirit.

  • Mend broken relationships. That might require apologies, forgiveness, reparation.

  • Unity with other Christians not in your church.

  • Be holy. Actively live in a Christ-like way in this world.

    • Seek the Holy Spirit's help in transforming you.

  • Fight spiritually using the armour God has provided: truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, the word of God, prayer. (Eph 6:10-20)

  • Speak about revival and the great need for it.

• Become an intercessor for the nation

  • Pray urgently and without ceasing.

  • Alone and with others

• Travel onwards with God

  • God may do a new thing. Be open to the new wine that is required. Do not resist God.

From Prepare The Way For Revival

Likewise, the main sections in Prepare The Way For Revival by Ian Malins, are:

1. Prepare The Way

   1. The Fire of Revival

   2. Prepare The Highway

2. The Conditions Of Revival

   1. Our Greatest Problem - Pride

   2. The First Condition - Humility

3. A Passion For God's Presence

   1. A Hunger For God's Presence

   2. Prayer and Revival

   3. The Marks Of Revival Praying

4. Intimacy With God

   1. Seeking God's Face

   2. Substitutes For Intimacy

   3. Steps To Intimacy With God

5. The Essential key - Repentance

   1. Where Revival Begins

   2. Individual Repentance

   3. Corporate Repentance

   4. Identificational Repentance

6. When The Spirit Comes in Power

   1. What Should We Expect?

   2. The Fear Of Revival

   3. The Phenomena Of Revival

7. The Fruit of Revival

   1. A Revival of prayer

   2. A Revival of Worship

   3. Holiness and Harvest

8. Maintaining Revival

   1. The Three Stages Of Revival

   2. Why Revivals Die

   3. Revival and Discipleship

9. A People Prepared

   1. Preparation Begins At Home

   2. The Power of Unity

   3. "Lord, Do It Again!"

Resources

• Malins, Ian, Prepare the Way For Revival: Essential Keys That Bring God's Manifest Presence, Chosen Books, 2004

• Paterson, Nigel, Change Of the Tide: Revivals In The UK, Regeneration Publications, 2020

• Six articles from Life Action on how a local church can prepare for revival

  1. Humility