Revival is a Person

 State of the Bride of Christ today

 Imagine the Bride preparing for the wedding ceremony.  She has her matron of honour and her team trying to get her ready in time for the wedding.   

1. The Holy Spirit sees the Bride of Christ focused on putting on her own wedding clothes. They are made of many colours, sophisticated designs and materials because she believes it made her look very attractive and is fitting for the Bridegroom The Lord Jesus Christ - Who is, of course, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The many colours and materials are the different denominations and religious practices that give each denomination a sense of assurance that they have the right kind of religious practice acceptable to the Bridegroom, The Lord Jesus Christ. 

 In the meantime The Holy Spirit is standing there saying, “Those are the wrong clothes. I am holding the one that the Bridegroom is expecting. It is white and glorious and only I can help you put it on you, The Bride. It is impossible for you to put it on by yourself because it is supernatural clothing that requires, Me, the author of the supernatural to put it on you.”   

But The Bride believes since she is the one who is the Bride she ought to know better.  She wants to be able to put it on herself because it gave her genuine freedom and a sense of participation in the preparations. Besides the plain white is boring and too complicated, anyway, to put on and to keep on. The Bride then blames The Holy Spirit for His previous attempts to help. She accuses Him of stripping her naked of her beautiful coloured clothes whenever He was allowed to assist. Doesn’t He realise that it is painfully embarrassing, messy and makes her feel terribly insecure? She cries out, “Shame on You, Holy Spirit!  We did not invite you to help us anyway. All You ever do is cause problems, embarrassments, and expose us to shameful ridicule.  Go away! We do not need You, The Bridegroom certainly does not need you either, and we know Him better. We know He loves multicoloured, sophisticatedly designed expensive clothes. After all, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and we know all royalty love such clothing.”

2. In the mean time, The Lord Jesus Christ and The Father are dismayed and deeply hurt by the way The Holy Spirit is being ignored and insulted.  The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to replace Him 100% during this dispensation before He returns and Who proceeds forth from The Father is being treated as an imposter, a trouble maker and is kicked out like a common criminal with a life time sentence for a heinous crime.

 The high numbers of falling away in the Church today

 Since the end of World War II there has been no greater effort to preach the Gospel to all corners of the world.  The great post WWII preachers who led the way including William Branham, Oral Roberts, TL Osborn, Billy Graham, Kathryn Kuhlman. The introductions of Televangelism, followed by tapes and videos and finally the Internet preaching have surpassed any evangelistic effort ever done before in Church history.

There is however, a major problem with the results of all that effort. While there is a perceptible increase in the number of genuine born again Christians, however, the returns on investment have been very small when looked at over the last 60 years since the end of WWII.  The Holy Spirit has a definite answer for it.

Firstly, The Holy Spirit has been largely ignored, or kicked out of the Church. However, The Holy Spirit is the Seal of salvation to the believer, and has the responsibility of looking after the Christian on a personal day to day basis.  Having been left out of the equation for walking the Christian life, the Church has been forced to teach the Logos or written Word as sufficient for Christian living.  This however, is not spiritual reality because that is not what The Lord Jesus Christ promised. The reality is bound up entirely in integral work of The Holy Spirit in every disciple’s life.  This rejection of the work of The Holy Spirit has led to soulish Christians with heavy reliance on their intellectual and personal ability to live the Christian life. Consequently, there have been untold numbers of casualties over an extended period whenever the Christians are satiated with the same teachings over many years.  The intellectual appeal disappears and it becomes drudgery.

Secondly, the rejection of the Lordship and Headship of The Holy Spirit over the Church has meant that human effort is required to develop traditions that can sufficiently substitute what is rightfully the work of The Holy Spirit.  Overtime these human efforts produce legalism, and burdens that Christians can no longer bare and they cast of their faith in despair.

Revival is a Person

 In the physical world, when a person is thirsty on a hot day, they need a cool drink of water to quench their thirst.  It is the water itself that quenches the thirst. If the water is withdrawn on the hot day the individual will again become thirsty.  When the water is drunk the water does not create or initiate a third substance which then brings about the quenching of the thirst.

 This same principle applies with when a person is cold during the winter and needs to warm up, they light a fire or turn on the air-conditioning.  It is the fire, itself that radiates the heat to warm the person. There is no third substance which brings about the heating.

 For centuries the Church has taught that revivals are a result of the work of The Holy Spirit.  When The Holy Spirit comes on individuals and /or churches they experience a spiritual revival leading to growth of the church and increase salvation of lost souls. For this reasons, Christians are encouraged to pray for the experience of revival especially in these last days before the Return of The Lord Jesus. 

What does Revival mean to a Traditional or Evangelical Church?

 Revival means a renewal of the interest in Christianity by the congregation and non-churchgoers.  There is now greater recognition of the involvement of The Holy Spirit in this renewal activity. However, the work of The Holy Spirit is still seen strictly within the stimulation of interest in the teaching or preaching of the Scriptures.  There is no expectation; in fact, there may be a total rejection of the possibility of demonstration of the supernatural power of The Holy Spirit.

 What does Revival mean to the Pentecostal or Charismatic Church?

 Revival means a major increase in the number of souls being saved and baptized in The Holy Spirit accompanied by supernatural signs and wonders. The potential for anything and everything supernatural is believed for and faith rises with each level of experience.

 What is Revival in actual fact?

 The following Scriptures show why Revival is, in fact, a Person rather than an event and /or a number of experiences.

 The Holy Spirit as Living Waters

In John 7:37-39, The Lord Jesus refers to The Holy Spirit as Living Water. The Scripture reads:

“^37 ^rOn the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ^s“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ^38 ^tHe who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ^uout of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ^39 ^vBut this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those ⁷believing in Him would receive; for the ⁸Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet ^wglorified.”

The Holy Spirit as Tongues of Fire

The disciples describe that The Holy Spirit was visible to them and appeared like tongues of fire.

 “When ^athe Day of Pentecost had fully come, ^bthey were all ¹with one accord in one place. ^2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and ^cit filled the whole house where they were sitting. ^3 Then there appeared to them ²divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ^4 And ^dthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began ^eto speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The Result of The Holy Spirit being poured out

 The prophecy by Joel that was fulfilled in the Acts (2:16-21) reads:

^“16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷     ‘And ^kit shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

     ^lThat I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

     Your sons and ^myour daughters shall prophesy,

     Your young men shall see visions,

     Your old men shall dream dreams.

¹⁸     And on My menservants and on My maidservants

     I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

     ⁿAnd they shall prophesy.

¹⁹     ^oI will show wonders in heaven above

     And signs in the earth beneath:

     Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

²⁰     ^pThe sun shall be turned into darkness,

     And the moon into blood,

     Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

²¹     And it shall come to pass

     That ^qwhoever calls on the name of the Lord

     Shall be saved.’”

The fulfillment of the Joel prophecies, above, in the upper room was the active work of The Holy Spirit.  This is clearly spelt out by the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 12:1-11. It reads: 

“Now ^aconcerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: ^2 You know ^bthat ¹you were Gentiles, carried away to these ^cdumb ²idols, however you were led. ^3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus ³accursed, and ^dno one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

^4 ^eThere are ⁴diversities of gifts, but ^fthe same Spirit. ^5 ^gThere are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ^6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God ^hwho works ⁵all in all. ^7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ^8 for to one is given ⁱthe word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another ^jthe word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ^9 ^kto another faith by the same Spirit, to another ^lgifts of healings by ⁶the same Spirit, ^10 ^mto another the working of miracles, to another ⁿprophecy, to another ^odiscerning of spirits, to another ^pdifferent kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ^11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, ^qdistributing to each one individually ^ras He wills.”

 The Holy Spirit is actively enabling the spirit-filled believer to experience the gifts of the Spirit. This is much like water that quenches the thirst and fire that warms a person who is feeling cold. There is no third or separate ingredient in the experience

Implications of this revelation for The Church today

1. The most profound revelation that all Christians, especially, those in Leadership need to receive is that The Holy Spirit, Himself, is the Revival we are seeking.  This, obviously, has enormous implications for those who do not have much time for the teachings on the role of The Holy Spirit in the modern church.
    

2. For centuries The Church has grieved The Holy Spirit away whenever a revival occurred. The Church has sought the experience and / or sought The Holy Spirit to give them the experience rather than seeking for intimacy with The Holy Spirit, Himself.  For this reason, Revivals have never lasted because when The Holy Spirit was grieved He withdrew and so went the Revival experience as well.
    

3. There is now an urgent need for Church leaders to correct their teachings so that the next outpouring of The Holy Spirit will last until the Second Coming of The Lord Jesus
    

4. There is also an urgent need for Church leaders to take their responsibility and lead their local congregations into a sincere and deep repentance to The Holy Spirit for having used Him and abused Him for selfish reasons.  No revival has ever occurred without a wave of genuine repentance leading and accompanying it.
    

Published 2006

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