Why We Need Revival
Tuesday morning our church secretary called me to discuss the daily events. She told me she had just spoken to a lady on the phone and had invited her to our revival. We are experiencing a unique move of God in our church which lead us to extend our one week revival into two weeks. This particular lady asked the question “What is revival?” It grieved me to think that someone here in the Bible belt could ask this question. As I drove down the highway I began to think to myself this is exactly why we need revival. We have gone too long without a true sense of who God really is and what serving Him is all about. Revival means to recall, return, or recover from a state of neglect, an awakening of men to their spiritual concerns. One need not look far to see that our homes, our churches, and our nation are in desperate need of revival.
The most basic form of organization is the home. God instituted the home before he ever instituted any form of government or even the church. In Genesis 2:20-24 God saw that man was alone and needed companionship so he formed woman. In verse 24 God called Eve his wife. Here we have the formation of the home. I notice there was no government to dictate what constituted a home but rather God himself orchestrated it. Although we are 6000 years away from God’s creation of the home He has not changed His mind about who it involves. The Bible says He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our society is trying to demand what we accept as a home but it will not change God’s mind. Today the norm is becoming broken homes, where there is no commitment between a husband and wife and children are being raised without both parents in the home. The acceptance of men with men and women with women has become more common and accepted by society but will never be recognized by God. What God calls an abomination will never be accepted by a holy God. Our homes have become a source of confusion and no stability and we are seeing the affects in a generation that cares nothing for the things of God. Our homes need revival.
The second place we need revival is in our churches. In Revelation chapter 3 God is dealing with the church at Laodecia. He told them they were neither hot nor cold, rich and increased with goods, have need of nothing, knowest not that thou are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. In verse 20 Jesus said, I stand at the door and knock. Did you notice in all the things that the church had, the very foundation the church was built on is standing on the outside knocking. Our churches are rapidly becoming social clubs with steeples on top. We are more concerned with church bazaars, Super Bowl parties, spaghetti suppers, and concerts than welcoming back in the very one the church is about, Jesus. Our churches are barren with very little life, souls not being saved, and a lack of concern for the things of God. Our churches need revival.
The Bible says in Psalms 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Our nation was founded on Christian principles and has been blessed because of our desire to follow God. The nation that was created to honor God has removed Him from almost every area of life and we are now seeing its destruction. Where once the school was a place to learn to read the Bible, it is now a place of blood shed. Once the government was a place to govern the people according to the statutes of the Bible, now it is a place of greed, conspiracy, and deceit. There was a day in our nation’s history where people’s desire was for right, now we are overtaken with lust, addiction, and perversion. Our nation needs revival.
Revival will never come from Washington or Hollywood. We as Christians must see the need for change in our homes and churches and return to God. Only then will we be able to affect our nation. WE NEED REVIVAL.
Michael C. McDanielPastorCurrytown Baptist Church