Revival! (1)

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the LORD’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And peoples shall flow to it. Micah 4.1

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival
The Rev. John Bonar, Minister of Larbert and Dunipace
“…such a revival of true religion meets the darkness and deadness which comes over the Church in times of decay. In such times the designs, desires, and doings of the Church are apt to become to a lamentable extent low set. Contented with things as they are, she stretches not forward to the things that are before. The Spirit seems gone; and even the things which remain are ready to die.”

Most of our churches are not those envisioned by the prophet Micah. People are not flowing up to us, hungry to be taught the Word of God. We are not sending God’s people out into the world to live and proclaim His Word, so that their neighbors come to faith and begin seeking the Lord (Mic. 4.2) For many churches, the vision they pursue is that of perpetuating the status quo indefinitely into the future. Our faith is good enough. Our church is good enough. And our disciplines of growth, work, and ministry are good enough. But none of this is really good enough if it is “low set,” that is, if our vision of what we hope to become and to accomplish does not line up with God’s. Peter preached Micah’s vision on the first Christian Pentecost (Acts 2.14ff.), and multitudes streamed into the church. This pattern of expectation, labor, and harvest continued throughout the book of Acts. If we want God to come and revive us, and stretch us beyond where we’ve ever been before, we must dare to think it possible, and then be bold to ask (Eph. 3.20).

What kind of vision are you and your church leaders casting for your church? High-raised mountain or status quo?

Preparing for Revival
Perhaps most pastors fall into the category of those who do not expect to see a great revival and worldwide awakening in our lifetime. But just in case God chooses to do what He has done many times throughout the history of the Christian movement, we do well to prepare for it. Join us online once a month to pray for revival. Surely you can spare 30 minutes, once a month, to join with other pastors and church leaders to seek the Lord for revival, according to His Word? We’re looking for men who will commit to seeking the Lord for revival together. If you’re interested, write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll give you a list of available times. Or we can discuss beginning a new group to pray for revival at a more suitable time.

To help you in preparing for revival, we have two brief books that won’t take you more than an hour to read. Preparing Your Church for Revival tells you what to expect as the Lord begins to move, and shows you how to get ready even now (click here). Restore Us! provides the rationale and means for praying together for revival. It includes 12 psalms to guide your times of praying together (click here).

All quotations in this series are taken from Ministers of Scotland,Lectures on Revival, Richard Owen Roberts, ed. (Wheaton: Richard Owen Roberts, Publishers, 1980). Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.