Why I Don't Pray For Revival Anymore

Revival: the restoration of a living creature from a dead state to a living state; an evangelistic meeting intended to reawaken interest in religion.

I grew up attending “revival services.” Even when I was young, I enjoyed these meetings at church. The services usually included zealous singing followed by a fiery preacher sharing a sermon that moved many of us to rededicate our lives to Christ when the evangelist invited us express our commitment by coming forward at the end of the service. At the altar, we would repent of our sinful or slothful ways and promise God that, with His help, we would do better.

These revivals were invigorating and motivating, but they weren’t self-perpetuating. We had to schedule revival meetings twice a year, because as surely as autumn came, our spring revival would have worn off and we would need to do it all over again. We didn’t mind, though, because it felt so good to “get right with God” and start afresh and anew.

It isn’t my intent to scoff at the tradition of my childhood. We were all sincere and our scheduled revival services came from a noble desire to please God. As a pastor, I carried the tradition forward for many years in the churches I served. But, like many things I did as a legalist, my efforts were misguided.

The word “revival” isn’t even found in the New Testament, but more importantly, neither is the concept. Revival is an Old Covenant experience. Once the New Covenant became effective, we received something better – resurrection. Understanding our new life in Him is the only catalyst for a godly lifestyle that lasts. The Apostle Paul didn’t pray for revival in the church, but prayed for the revelation of the meaning of the love of God and what it means to walk in His power. (See Ephesians 1:17-19)

What the church needs today isn’t another revival. What we need is a revelation of who God is in us and who we are in Him. Understanding His unconditional love and unwavering grace brings something so much greater than revival. It produces reformation. It restructures our understanding of what it means to be in Christ and reorders the way we live our lives by causing us to give up on the silly notion that we can live up to the promises we make when we rededicate ourselves to God. A revelation of our identity in Christ brings us to the place of total dependence on Him, understanding that it is only by His grace that we will ever be able to live a lifestyle that truly honors Him.

Revival happens when we make promises. Reformation happens when we believe His promises. Revival is short-lived. Reformation is permanent. Revival is taught in the Old Testament. Reformation is the message of the New Covenant. Revival produces motivation. Reformation produces transformation.

What we need is a reformation that comes through the revelation of grace. Grace is the divine enablement for us to be all that we have been called to be and do all that we have been called to do. It isn’t about us and our dedication to Him. A grace reformation is grounded in understanding our Father’s dedication to us, as evidenced by the finished work of Christ.

I understand the reason people pray for revival, but it’s time to stop that. “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Maturity in grace brings us to the place where we realize that what we need isn’t another revival. What we need is a revelation that produces a reformation in God’s church -- a reformation of grace.

What do you think?