Revival! (3)

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Acts 17.5, 6

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival III
The Rev. Alexander Moody Stuart, A. M., Minister of St. Luke’s Parish, Edinburgh
“…while the Holy Ghost is always present in his church, there are times when he draws manifestly nearer and puts forth a greater energy of power. Every believer is conscious in his own soul of changes corresponding to this; for the Spirit is always with him, abiding in him, and yet there are times of unusual communion and far more than ordinary life. And as the Spirit draws near to an individual, so does he draw near to a land, and then religion is revived, spiritual life is revived, spiritual understanding, spiritual worship, spiritual repentance, spiritual obedience. At such a time the Holy Ghost is peculiarly present with his people and powerfully striving with sinners.”

Would you say that this describes the state of our churches and nation? Do you think that most Christians would like this to be the state of things? Only the Spirit of God can bring about this kind of revival, renewal, and awakening. He has the power to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we have ever dared to ask or think. And maybe that’s just the problem: We don’t dare think or ask. For this fresh drawing near of God’s Spirit, we must dare to believe He will come in reviving power, and we must ask, and seek, and plead for Him to do so. We must cry out for Him to do what only He can do, uniting our voices in extraordinary seasons of prayer and pleading, waiting on the Spirit to draw nearer, and to bless us as only He can. If we will not seek Him thus, we will not know the full power of what He is able to do.

Can you think of three ways your congregation might become more involved in seeking the Spirit for greater nearness and power? Now what can you do to implement these means?

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.