Revival! (2)

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” Revelation 3.18

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival II
The Rev. Jonathan R. Anderson, Minister of Kirkfield Parish, Glasgow
“In a dead state of the church, men are content with vague hopes of forgiveness; and affect to wonder at the presumption of those who speak of their being reconciled to God by the death of his Son. But when religion is revived, and the work of Christ applied; then the soul is so burdened with a sense of guilt, so oppressed with the fears of wrath, and so distressed with a conviction of alienation from God, that nothing will do but immediate and full restoration to the favour of God, and good hope of eternal life. Nor until this is obtained is there any progress made in real religion.”

“…content with vague hopes…” That phrase describes many believers, including many pastors and church leaders. Little in the way of Kingdom vision informs their lives or labors, and certainly no vision of personal revival, church renewal, and widespread awakening affects their plans. They believe in Jesus and hope they’re going to go to heaven when they die, but they’re not sure either what that means, exactly, or what it requires of them here and now. They are believers, we must suppose, but they are living a status quo faith, worshiping in dead-end churches, and desperately in need of revival in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. And where are the pastors holding out more vivid and compelling visions of what God has promised and what He can do in and through us? As long as we remain content with vague hopes, vague – and therefore largely unrecognizable – results will be the fruit of our lives and ministries.

What vision do you and your church leaders hold out for your congregation? Are you teaching them to hunger for ongoing revival, or to be content with a kind of status quo faith in Christ?

Preparing for Revival
An excellent way to beginning getting vision for revival, and substituting Biblical hopes for vague ones, is to pray the psalms. Here, in such psalms as 8, 66, 72, and 126, the Lord Himself teaches us how to think about revival, and how to pray for it. This is what we do, as men gather online from around the nation 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.