All the devils in hell and tempters on earth could do us no injury if there was no corruption in our nature—Spurgeon

When I hear people speak of revival it is often in terms of social transformation: bars are closed down; police have no work to do; courts and prisons are without use etc. It was one such conversation that sparked these thoughts about revival. The Holy Spirit spoke clearly to me revealing the heart of God for spiritual revival.

In line with Spurgeon’s statement, if our nature were not corrupt our actions would be pure. An incorrupt society would be free from sin and the associated industries. Are social justice and the removal of the industries of self-pleasure, consumerism and self-promotion the goal of revival or a natural effect? Should our attention be societal change?

Another effect of revival that seems to be prevalent in modern church circles is that of ecstatic experiences and/or miraculous phenomena. When God ‘shows up’ people are ‘touched’. Are miraculous or ecstatic phenomena the intent of revival or a natural effect? Should our attention be physical and emotional experiences? Ecstatic experiences, miracles and social transformation may well be evident in revival but is that God’s purpose in revival?

Revival is a state of refreshing, of renewed interest in God. Far from being the transformation of a person or society, or physical and emotional experiences, I believe it is the realignment of the heart towards our heavenly Father: A time in which the children of God are re-awakened to His manifest presence.

The Mechanics of Revival

Philippians 3:7–11 (NIV)

⁷ But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

These inspired words for me best sum up the heart of revival. It is a heart that is pursued by God and empowered to passionately pursue Him. A longing to not just see Christ but to participate fully in His broken body and shed blood; to taste of His death and His resurrection life. Even a glimpse of God’s self-revelation through Christ overwhelms the heart with adoration and such a heart is compelled to become living worship (cf Rom 12:1).

• Revival, if it is from our Father, begins with a Spirit-inspired compulsion to seek His face.

Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

• The revelation of God is His Son, therefore, seeking God earnestly will touch the heart with a passionate desire to know Jesus Christ and to be transformed into His image in conformity to the will of the Father. (cf Phil 3:8; Rom 8:28,29)

Psalm 17:15 (NIV)

And I—in righteousness I will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

• The glory of the Father is the aim of Jesus in effecting salvation for us (cf John 17:1-5). In revival Jesus is the husband/lover knocking, compelling us to open our hearts to Him (Songs of Sol 5:2 ; Rev 3:20) If we are aroused from our slumber and experience intimacy with the Son, if we are found to be ‘in Christ’, then He will birth in us an absolute adoration for the Father.

Psalm 63:3–5 (NIV)

³ Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

• Absolute adoration for the Trinitarian God of heaven is the ‘chief end of man’: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. To be caught up in Christ and swept along by His compelling love creates a desire to live a life of worship, one that is alive to the manifest presence of God.

Psalm 84:10 (NIV)

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Societal Transformation

Habakkuk 2:14 (NIV)

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea.

Seeing every area of society transformed is God’s intent, but it is more than the removal of the industries of sin and death; more than the removal of perversion and lust and pride; it is the impartation of the knowledge of the glory of God. It is not so much about the absence of the expressions of the corrupt nature but the interpolation of the manifest presence of the Holy God and the expression of His divine nature.

Imagine a society overwhelmed by the knowledge of the glory of God. Not the absence of that which we find offensive or detrimental to our own happiness, but a community where each person lives in and for the glory of God. Where, in the words of Philippians chapter two, “everyone is like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility considering others better than themselves. Where each looks not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (paraphrased)

Imagine, if you will, a community where neighbours say to each other, come, let us go to the mountain of our God, to the house of our Lord that He may teach us of His ways (Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2). Rather than a birthday party turning into a drunken riot it turns into a Spirit-filled prayer meeting. A society where each person longs to glorify God with their whole being.

To Sum Up—it is not the absence of evil we long for but the manifest presence of God

All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the pride of life and every sinful action that they produce, stem from one thing: God-forsakenness—the absence of God’s presence. As Spurgeon’s quote implies, neither devils nor temptation would have any power if it were not for our corrupt nature, the result of the absence of God’s presence.

The restoration of God’s presence is the solution to evil.

Let’s not become too focussed on the absence of sin but rather on the presence of The Holy God. After all, the cross is the work of God dealing with that which separates us from His presence. As Hosea prophesied, “…on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence…”

Hosea 6:1–3 (NIV)

¹ “Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
² After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
³ Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”