Revival! (6)

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”’” Revelation 3.1

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival X
The Rev. Charles J. Brown, Minister of New North Kirk Parish, Edinburgh
“…a Dead Church may be known by such marks as these: The general prevalence of obscure and distant and shadowy thoughts of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and more particularly of the Person and Work of the Holy Ghost: the prevalence of slight thoughts and views of the odiousness and danger of sin – general indifference about sin – tampering with sin – slight thoughts of the evil and danger of it: low and unscriptural views of Christian privilege and character – scarce one in fifty communicants feeling, that to be a Christian is to be a citizen of heaven, and heir of glory, a temple of the Holy Ghost, a king and a priest to God…”

It seems to me that, for all the millions of people in this country who claim to be Christians, and all the scores of thousands of churches dotting the landscape, Christianity should be having more of an impact for the Kingdom of God than what we see. Where the Kingdom is, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit flourish. Where Kingdom citizens and ambassadors are living as salt, light, and leaven, such Kingdom presence, promise, and power is irresistibly evident. But such is not what we see in this country. Is it possible that we’re deceiving ourselves, like the people in the church in Sardis? We think we’re alive and doing well when actually, we’re dead or dying? Where is the evidence of the Spirit’s powerful working in our midst? Revival begins in being real about our situation and our need, and in desiring the fruit of revival – which we will be considering this week – more than the status quo.

How do you and your church leaders assess the overall vitality of your congregation? How frequently do you do this?

The work of the Spirit
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 Jonathan Edwards’ excellent message, Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. Edwards, like our Scottish ministers, was also writing during a season of revival, to silence the naysayers and encourage those who were seeking more of God’s presence, promise, and power. His sermon teaches us what to pray and work for in seeking the Spirit of God.

To further 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).

Pray for Revival
Join us online once a month to pray for revival. We meet for 30 minutes, once a month, pray a psalm and seek the Lord together for revival. 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.

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.