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July 2, 2007 Big Question: A reader asks: “How do you define revival, and is it happening today in Western countries?”
The Answer: “Revival is what happens to the people of God when they allow a fresh wave of repentance to come into their lives and then allow the fire of God to consume them and work in and through them. Revival always precedes harvest! No revival = no harvest. Harvest without revival = false or doomed to fail harvest.”
The Answer: “I define a spiritual revival as an experience in which the church of the living God experiences a renewal in the congregation. Much like a breath of fresh air, the spirit of God is able to move through the congregation and minister to all. Yes, I believe it is happening in Western countries, perhaps more here than anywhere else.
Why, you ask? Because in the United States, we've been blessed with the freedom of choice—in who or what we worship. Many people once knew the truth of who our Savior is, but decided somewhere along the way to walk away from it. Because of God's grace, and the mighty revival we are experiencing, a great number of these souls are coming back to the truth!
In Eastern countries, yes, there are mighty miracles and great outpourings of the Holy Ghost, nearly daily. The difference between a revival and what is happening in the eastern countries is that we are being revived, whereas they are finding this blessed truth for the first time!”
The Answer: “We do have a revival church, but there is so much more that could be done if the church was a team that brainstormed and worked together instead of just a boss and nothing much happening.”
The Answer: “Revival is to me: a new fresh infilling.
You can have a personal revival that only touches you; it changes your heart and gives you the joy or strength or whatever it is you need to keep pushing (pray until something happens).
There is a type of church revival that touches most members of your congregation and pushes them to be what they are supposed to be and renews in them the right spirit to keep going.
And there is community revival that outpours to the community at large; it brings them in the doors, shows them the truth and the love Jesus has for all, including them, not just the big hair, skirt wearing, minority sect of the population.
Is revival happening? Without a personal revival, there is no church revival, and without church revival, there is no community revival. So it depends on the individuals to make the rest happen. If the individual is not open, or is unwilling, or whatever the case may be, there is no way for the rest. Revival is at hand, but we, as individuals, need to embrace it before anything can be seen by the naked eye.”
The Answer: “Revival is not a thing one can touch, but a state of mind. It's when passion for one thing (in our instance, God) overshadows every other desire in your soul. Revival is when you think and respond in perhaps unorthodox ways in order to see Jesus minister to others.”
ninetyandnine.com
© 2007, ninetyandnine.com
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