Revival Myth
Having researched and written on more than 2,514 revivals, I have come to understand that revival can happen whenever we choose for it to happen. That may sound idealistic to some, but I believe it to be true.
Some may disagree, pointing out that at any given time there can be thousands within a community praying sincerely for revival. If so many are genuinely hungering and thirsting for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, why does it not materialize?
The answer is that most people who pray for revival are anticipating a historic-style event—a large-scale, corporate stirring in which the Shekinah glory of God descends upon a congregation. They envision everyone experiencing, in unison, a “rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2) or a supernatural shaking of the building where they are praying or worshiping (Acts 4:31; 16:26).
When those earth-shattering, massive, and overwhelming manifestations do not occur, many settle into accepting the status quo. Others drift into hopelessness, concluding that revival is merely an idealistic wish rather than a present reality.
I do not claim to know everything there is to know about revival. However, the three revivals I have personally experienced did not occur in the way most people assume revivals come about.
As people read about the powerful outpourings of the Holy Spirit in previous eras, they can easily develop misconceptions about revival. Some common myths include:
- Revivals are temporary.
- Revivals are special seasons.
- Revivals come and go like the tide.
- Revivals require us to wait for them.
These myths often lead people to believe that:
- God sovereignly wills for His people to enter seasons of spiritual slumber and ineffectiveness.
- God’s plan is for His people to wait until He awakens them.
- God withholds His promises until His people somehow “measure up.”
We have witnessed hundreds of individuals experience personal revival, and none of them waited for a corporate outpouring. Instead, they took deliberate steps of obedience. To experience personal revival, they:
- Openly confessed their sins to a trusted confidant, recognizing that unconfessed sin is what hinders revival—both personal and corporate (James 5:16; Matthew 5:23-24).
- Received prayer for deliverance from areas of their lives that created barriers between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2).
- Began to live in consistent obedience to God’s will.
This is a brief and simplified overview, but for those who are desperate for genuine revival, these steps are essential. What applies to the individual also applies to the congregation.
Corporate Revival
Corporate revival can occur whenever a congregation truly desires it. Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill once observed:
“As long as we are content to live without revival, we will.”
Some may ask, “I want revival in my church—what must I do to see it happen?”
Before answering, let me say this: I am a simple person. I do not have a complex or philosophical mind. When I see one congregational member experience personal revival, then another, then a dozen, and eventually several dozen, I know it is only a matter of time before a corporate revival emerges.
I also know this with certainty: an individual can experience personal revival whenever they choose to.
Corporate revival is not mystical or complicated, despite how it is often portrayed. It is simply sustained obedience to Jesus and His commands. As 19th-century revivalist Charles Finney plainly stated:
“A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.”
If you desire personal revival—or even corporate revival—it begins with obedience. Do not attempt to make it more mystical than it truly is.
