Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/inform/revival2/articles.txt

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                        SHORT ARTICLES ON REVIVAL




                             What is Revival?

                    The Value of Intercessory Prayer.

                         What Can One Person Do?




Copyright (c) 1985,93 by the Fellowship For Revival.  All Rights Reserved.




                                * * * * *




WHAT IS REVIVAL?


Article by Rev Robert Evans from the Fellowship For Revival Prayer
Bulletin, issue 21, April 1985.


There are two parts which are fundamental to the nature of revival.  In
the past some writers on the subject have tended to emphasise one of these
two parts, or the other, according to what point or emphasis they were
seeking to make.  To be properly balanced in our understanding of revival,
however, we must seek to pay proper respect to both of these parts of
revival, in order to see the whole.

In his latter addresses and writings, Dr J Edwin Orr has made this balance
clear, and has shown that both of these parts of revival exist very
clearly in Acts chapter 2.  Dr Orr's many years of study, teaching and
experience about revival has made him one of the leading authorities on
the subject.

The key to these parts is found in Acts 2:17 where Peter quotes from the
prophet Joel that God is pouring out His Spirit "upon all flesh" or "on
everyone".  The day of Pentecost is the great specimen day of revival.  It
is the classic example.  This is that which was spoken by the prophet.
Revival is a re-appearing of the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit is
poured out upon all types of people.  So, the two parts of revival are

a) the outpouring of the Spirit upon Christians; and

b) the outpouring of the Spirit upon unconverted people, and on society as
a whole.

Arthur Wallis' definition is also consistent with this balanced view of
revival.

"...revival is divine intervention in the normal course of spiritual
things.  It is God revealing Himself to man in awful holiness and
irresistible power.  It is such a manifest working of God that human
personalities are overshadowed, and human programs abandoned.  It is man
retiring into the background because God has taken the field.  It is the
Lord making bare His holy arm, and working in extraordinary power on saint
and sinner."

A. UPON CHRISTIANS

Some writers have tried to define revival in terms of this first part
only.

For example, Joseph W Kemp said "Revival, strictly speaking, means the
reanimating of that which is already alive but in a state of declension.
It has to do principally with the Church as a whole and Christians as
individuals."

We find a better balance from the pen of Dr William B Sprange, "Wherever
you see religion rising up from a state of comparative depression to a
tone of increased vigour and strength; wherever you see professing
Christians becoming more faithful in their obligations, and behold the
strength of the church increased by fresh accessions of piety from the
world; there is a state of things which you need not hesitate to
denominate a revival of religion."

B. UPON ALL FLESH

This can happen in several ways.  For instance, a revived congregation may
witness with greater earnestness, and may see a number of conversions as a
result.

But the key will be found, again, in Acts 2, where we are told that, as
Peter preached, the people who listened were "cut to the heart".

The Holy Spirit had already drawn them to listen to Peter, by prompting
them to ask "what does this mean?" and by giving them interest enough to
listen.  But the Holy Spirit was not simply poured out upon Peter and the
120 in the upper room. The Spirit was poured out upon thousands around
Jerusalem, leading those who heard Peter to repent and be baptised, and be
filled also with the Spirit.  But the Spirit came upon many others, so
that it was said "the Lord added unto them daily those whom He was
saving".

The work of the Spirit also soon pervaded much of society in Jerusalem
because it was not long before some of the Christians were being
persecuted, put into gaol, and put to death.

This being "cut to the heart", and the persecution, must not be viewed
simply as a reaction to Peter simply standing up and speaking boldly, as
might happen in more average times when there is no revival (as in
Australia today).

The truth is that the Spirit of God was greatly at work in the minds of
many people - both the disciples, and many unconverted.  This resulted in
deep and powerful conviction of sin, many thousands of conversions, and
strong antagonism from the Jewish leaders.  It was a quite different
situation from the indifference in Australia today where there is little
or no sense of one's sin or desire to respond to God.

When we pray for revival, we are praying for God to pour out His Spirit
upon all flesh, as on the day of Pentecost.  Normally this has to begin
with a group of disciples praying, and being clean and ready channels for
God to use.




THE VALUE OF INTERCESSORY PRAYER


Part of a chapter by Oswald J Smith entitled "The Highest Form of
Christian Service" from his book "The Work God Blesses".


Intercessory prayer is the high water mark of spiritual experience.  I say
that without fear of contradiction.  There are many who boast of wonderful
supernatural manifestations who are not intercessors.  It is possible to
have some gifts of the Spirit, and yet not be an intercessor.  To fail
here is to fail everywhere, but to thus enter into fellowship with Christ
is the greatest of all blessings.

You can never get higher that the throne-life.  When Jesus Christ returned
to the right hand of His Father it was to engage in the great ministry of
intercession on behalf of His Church.  For nineteen hundred years now He
has been occupied in this way.  In His estimation at least it is the most
important work that He has to do.  The throne-life is the high water mark.
To engage in this same ministry is to do down here what Christ is doing up
there.

My friend, you may be seeking some special gift.  You may be looking for
some unusual manifestation.  It may be that some great emotional
experience is your delight, and possibly you look down upon others who
have not received what you have received and consider that you are far
above them in Christian experience.  Let me assure you that such is not
the case.  The highest form of Christian service is intercessory prayer.
We are living in a day when Satan has substituted everything else in the
world for spirituality in the place of intercessory prayer.  We need to be
warned and placed on our guard lest we be deceived by his devices and miss
after all the high-water mark of spiritual experience.

Intercessory prayer is God's mighty instrument for the salvation of souls.
I hive here an example the remarkable conversion of J Hudson Taylor as
related in his own words.  It shows how his mother's prayers prevailed on
his behalf...

"Little did I know at the time what was going on in the heart of my dear
mother, seventy or eighty miles away.  She rose from the dinner table that
afternoon with an intense yearning for the conversion of her boy, and the
feeling that - absent from home, and having more leisure than she could
otherwise secure - a special opportunity was afforded her of pleading with
God on my behalf, she went to her room and turned the key in the door,
resolved not to leave that spot until her prayers were answered.  Hour
after hour that dear mother plead for me, until at length she could pray
no longer, but was constrained to praise God for that which His Spirit
taught her had already been accomplished - the conversion of her only son.

"When our dear mother came home a fortnight later, I was the first to meet
her at the door, and to tell her I had such glad news to give.  I can
almost feel that dear mother's arms around my neck, as she pressed me to
her bosom, and said 'I know, my boy; I have been rejoicing for a fortnight
in the glad tidings you have to tell me.'  'Why,' I asked in surprise,
'has Amelia broken her promise?  She said she would tell no-one.'  My dear
mother assured me that it was not from any human source that she had
learned the tidings, and went on to tell the little incident mentioned
above.  You will agree with me that it would be strange indeed if I were
not a believer in the power of prayer."

Oh, my friends, may God stir our hearts!  How great is our responsibility!
How wonderful are our resources!  Souls are perishing on every side.  Many
of our relatives and loved ones are still outside the fold.  We have
talked to them and urged them to accept Christ, but all in vain.  Year
after year has gone by and they are not yet saved.  Oh, that we might take
upon us the burden of their souls and give God no rest until he answers
and they are converted.  If we truly realise the mighty instrument that
God has placed in our hands we will surely wield it until results are
obtained.  All else may fail, but intercessory prayer is bound to avail.
God cannot deny himself.

Intercessory prayer is God's all powerful agency for the outpouring of the
Spirit.  No revival has ever yet been given apart from this ministry.
Someone has prayed.  Go, if you will, to the records of the great
awakenings for years past and you will find that the secret, the source,
has been prayer.  God has burdened a little group here and there,
sometimes only two or three in number, but these have so given themselves
to intercessory prayer that the result has been a mighty outpouring of the
Holy Spirit.

The mystery of the great awakening under D L Moody in the church where he
preached one Sunday night in England, when hundreds were swept into the
Kingdom, for some time remained unsolved, but at last the secret came to
light.  Two sisters, we are told, lived together.  One was an invalid.
Some years before she had picked up a newspaper and read an account of the
work of the great American evangelist, D L Moody.  A burden settled down
on her.  From that day she began to pray that God would send Moody to
England and that he might preach in her church.  At last after praying
daily her request was granted.  Her sister came home one morning and told
her that a man by the name of Moody had preached.  Under a great burden
the invalid shut herself in and refused to be seen.  All that afternoon
she pled with God, with the result that showers of blessing fell upon the
congregation and hundreds were saved at the close of the evening service.
That was the beginning of Moody's great work in the British Isles.  God
had signally set to His seal and it all came about as the result of an
invalid's intercession.

Let me quote from the lectures of Charles G Finney, the man who prayed
down revivals.  This incident proves again that God's all powerful agency
in true revival work is intercessory prayer.  It reads as follows:

"A pious man in the western part of this state was suffering from
consumption.  He was a poor man, and was ill for years.  An unconverted
merchant in the place, who had a kind heart, used to send to him now and
then some things for his comfort, or for his family.  He felt grateful for
the kindness, but could make no return, as he wanted to do.  At length he
determined that the best return he could make would be to pray for the
man's salvation.  So he began to pray, and his soul kindled, and he got
hold of God.  No revival was taking place there but, by and by, to the
astonishment of everybody, this merchant came right out on the Lord's
side.  The fire kindled all over the place, a powerful revival followed,
and multitudes were converted.

"This poor man lingered, in this condition of weakness, for several years.
After his death, I visited the place, and his widow put into my hands his
diary.  Among the entries was this: 'I am acquainted with about thirty
ministers and churches.'  He then went on to set apart certain hours of
the day and week to pray for each of these ministers and churches, and
also certain seasons for different missionary stations.  Then followed,
under different dates, such facts as these: 'Today I have been enabled to
offer what I call the prayer of faith for the outpouring of the Spirit on
_____ church, and I trust in God there will soon be revival there.'  Under
another date he had written: 'I have today been able to offer what I call
the prayer of faith for _____ church and trust there will soon be revival
there.'  Thus he had gone over a great number of churches, recording the
fact that he had prayed for them in the faith that a revival might soon
prevail among them.

"Of the missionary stations, if I recollect rightly, he mentioned in
particular one in Ceylon.  I believe the last place mentioned in his diary
for which he offered the prayer of faith, was the place in which he lived.
Not long after the revival commenced, and went over the region of country,
nearly, I believe, if not quite, in the order in which the places had been
mentioned in his diary; and in due time news came from Ceylon that there
was a revival of religion there.  The revival in his own town did not
commence till after his death.  Its commencement was at the time when his
widow put into my hands the document to which I have referred.  She told
me that he was so exercised in prayer during his sickness, that she often
feared he would 'pray himself to death'.  The revival was exceedingly
great and powerful in all the region, and the fact that it was about to
prevail had not been hidden from this servant of the Lord.  Thus this man,
too feeble in body to go out of the house, was yet more useful to the
world and the church of God than all the heartless professors in the
country.  Standing between God and the desolations of Zion, and the
pouring out his heart in believing prayer, 'as a prince he had power with
God and with men, and prevailed' (Gen 32:28).

"There are two kinds of means requisite to promote a revival: the one to
influence men, the other to influence God.  Prayer is an essential link in
the chain of causes that lead to revival, as much so as truth is.  Some
have zealously used truth to convert men, and laid very little stress on
prayer.  They have preached, talked, distributed tracts with great zeal
and they have wondered why they had so little success.  And the reason
being they forgot to use the other branch of the means, effectual prayer.




WHAT CAN ONE PERSON DO?


A few practical steps to get you started.


1)   Have a vision for revival.

     Learn more about it.

     Pray for it to start with yourself.

     Pray for the full power of revival nation-wide.


2)   Ask God to give you a few friends who share your concern for revival.

     Arrange to pray for revival with them in some suitable way - at home,
     over the phone, at a prearranged meeting or time.


3)   Talk to your pastor or minister about it.

     See if other similar cells can be formed within your church.

     See if the Parish Council or similar body will adopt prayer for
     revival as a major goal of the church.

     See if a special church or parish prayer meeting can be arranged,
     perhaps every second month.


4)   Expect and look for an answer.

     Pray for God to raise up a wider prayer movement.