We live in days when God's people need revival. The world has become brazen in its love of sin and hatred of God and holiness. Instead of standing firmly for right and against sin, many of God's people have moved along with the world into the darkness. As a result of this move, Christians are cold to the things of God and unconcerned about the plight of lost souls.
Faithful believers hunger for revival, both personally and corporately (in their churches), and spend time before God begging for a glimpse of His glory. Eyes strain to find a spark of revival anywhere, and when it is found prayers are poured over that spark to fan the feeble flame. We need revival. We desire revival. We do not need or desire a false revival. A false revival is dangerous to the believer. It may look like the real thing, but it will distract from the focus of true revival. It will lead believers into error rather than truth. If we wish to avoid the distraction of a false revival, we need to understand what true revival is. On 8 February 2023, the so-called "Asbury Revival" sprouted. "The event was prompted after students spontaneously stayed in Hughes Auditorium following a regularly scheduled chapel service on 8 Feb. 2023 (wikipedia.com)." What has occurred since has left people divided about the legitimacy of this revival. As always, we must turn to the Scripture, our sole authority, to discern whether or not this revival is of God or men. To begin, we must acknowledge what Biblical revival is. We cannot discern between right and wrong, truth and error unless we know what is true. Truths Concerning Revival First, we need revival. Check out Revelation chapters 2-3. Here you will find the Lord speaking to the seven churches in Asia. Some churches received praise, while others received a warning. These warnings were a call to revival. The church at Ephesus had left her first love. The church at Pergamos allowed false doctrine to bloom among the members of the church. The church at Thyatira permitted a woman to teach and practice false doctrine. The church at Sardis was spiritually dead. The church at Laodicea was lukewarm; neither far from God nor on fire for God. The obvious conclusion is that God's people require revival from time to time. Second, God uses people of His choosing to produce revival. When revival came to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, God used the prophet, Jonah. This prophet would be the last individual you or I might choose to send for this purpose. Jonah was headstrong. Jonah held prejudice against the people of Assyria. Jonah argued with God and became angry when God showed mercy to the people of Nineveh. Despite his want of character, God tremendously used Jonah. This is not an excuse for believers to live as they please, expecting God to use them, for God's people are called to holiness and Christ-likeness. Neither is this an excuse for the odd methods of men that are used to produce "spiritual results." I am merely pointing out that God can use odd people for His purpose and glory. However odd Jonah was, he was still the man of God, preaching the message of God, using the method of God to reach the lost for God. Third, revival results in individual change among God's people. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God said, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." The following are the changes that God spells out as the expected fruit of revival.
These are the changes that one would expect to see as the result of revival. Sadly, many revival meetings do not focus on these things, instead finding distraction in other "fruit" of revival, like attendance figures, emotional music, demonstrative preaching, etc. Fourth, revival results in corporate changes. In other words, New Testament churches are restored to fellowship with her Head. Jesus said to the Laodicean church, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20)." Jesus desires fellowship with His people, both individually and as a church family. When revival begins in the heart of the individual, it will affect the revival of the church body, as a whole. The one thing that Jesus identified as the sign of spiritual revival in a church was its desire to fellowship with Jesus. This fellowship will not be found through more church activities or more church fellowship meals. This fellowship will be found in a greater desire to hear from the Saviour through the preaching and teaching of God's Word. How we need revival in our churches! Fifth, true revival will result in a greater zeal for the evangelism of the lost. When an individual or church is spiritually lazy, it will not have a holy desire to see souls come to the Saviour. Why bring someone to Christ, for whom we hold no great love? But, when our love for Christ is revived, how greatly will we want others to know the same love we have received? Truths Concerning False Revival Once we recognize the special aspects of real revival, it is easier to recognize false revival. There are many characteristics of a false revival of which every Christian must be aware. First, Jesus prophecied the prevalence of false revivals in the Last Days. In Matthew 24:23-24 He said, "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." How many revivals proclaim the presence of the Holy Spirit or a move of God? These MAY be real revivals, but the claim does not make it so. This teaches us not to take these claims at face value, but to dig deeper. Second, Jesus told us that professing Christians would be deceived. In Matthew 24:24, we read, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." True Christians SHOULD NOT be susceptible to these fake revivals, but fake Christians will fall for every "revival" that comes along. Third, the Bible proclaims the existence of false apostles and teachers. The existence of these false apostles should not be a surprise to us, but it is good to be reminded that they are out there. They look like the "real deal," but they represent the devil. "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)." Fourth, a false revival will promote false teaching. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul told Timothy, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." These false revivals will promote fables, like public exorcisms, sharing visions and dreams, and emotional events. Fifth, a false revival will promote ecumenicalism. Each fake revival announces a "cross-denominational work of God." I do not believe that revival can only be found in an independent Baptist church, but I do know that real revival will cause God's people to look to the Scripture rather than hold on to and defend false teaching. Revival will spark a desire to follow God's Word to the letter and set aside every false thought, action, and doctrine. Ecumenicalism is the opposite of real revival. Paul told the church in Rome, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them (Romans 16:17)." Sixth, a false revival will ridicule discernment. There will be accusations of judgmentalism and jealousy. There will also be accusations of hateful speech, simply because a Christian sees and identifies a fake revival. Christians are commanded to discern between true and false, right and wrong. " Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1)." Seventh, a false revival will promote a different spirit. The Spirit of God is not present in a false revival because Christ and His Word are not exalted; Bible preaching is not the centre of each meeting; repentance is not the goal of each meeting. We are to "try the spirits whether they are of God (1 John 4:1)." That tells us a false spirit will permeate a false revival, making the undiscerning believe it to be a legitimate revival meeting. Christians and New Testament churches need revival, but revival is not always revival in the Scriptural sense. We do not need fake revival. We must use Biblical discernment to separate the false revival from the true. When you hear of a revival or a great "move of God," look for the signs. They will clearly show the real revival, in which you can rejoice. They will also expose the false revival, from which you must distance yourself.
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About Jerry JacksonJerry has been writing for many years now. He has written tracts for several churches, as well as his ministries in Papua New Guinea and in Canada. He has had the opportunity to have many of his articles published in several Independent Baptist periodicals over the years. His main goals are to teach truth and lift up the Saviour. Archives
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