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Got Spirit?

When the Spirit is moving, you'll know it.

Revival! (2)

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8.7, 8

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival II
The Rev. Jonathan R. Anderson, Minister of Kirkfield Parish, Glasgow
“‘For whom God foreknew he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.’ And therefore ‘if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his.’ By this principle, also, must we test all pretension to a revival of religion; for if there be no growing conformity to him in others, where shall we find traces of a revival? A person endued with great spiritual sagacity, indeed, may see symptoms of a coming season of refreshing while it is yet far off…But…it is not until the Spirit be poured from on high that the wilderness and the solitary place is made glad for it, and the desert rejoices and blossoms as the rose.”

A hundred years before these Scottish ministers wrote to defend the work of revival in their day, Jonathan Edwards found it necessary to do the same in his. In his work, Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, Edwards argued that wherever certain identifying features appeared – love for the Word of God, esteem for Jesus, desire to make Him known, etc. – there the Spirit is at work, and there revival is underway. If we have the Spirit of Christ lively at work in our lives, then we are daily confronted with conviction of our sins (Jn. 16.8-11); we are brought into the presence of the glory of God and transformed there into the image of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3.12-18); and we are learning to understand and obey the Law of God unto good works of Spirit-filled love (Ezek. 36.26, 27; Eph. 2.10), using His gifts in ministry (1 Cor. 12.7-11), and bearing powerful witness to the world around us (Acts 1.8) – all of which is pleasing to God (Phil. 2.13). Where these fruits are not in evidence, or only sparingly so, revival is the need of the hour. Let us examine ourselves and our churches, and ask, “Got Spirit?”

How do you assess the state of the Spirit’s work in your own church? Are you in need of revival?

Distinguishing Marks
Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll send you a PDF of Edwards’ work on the marks of the Spirit.

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.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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