Revival! (7)

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17.21

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival XII
The Rev. Patrick Fairbairn, Minister of Bridgeton
“[…the spirit of division and discord, which prevails in the church…] is one of the leading causes by which Christianity has been staid in its progress through the world, and the precious blessings have been retained within a narrow compass, which God designed to have no bounds but those of the inhabitable globe. It is also one of the darkest clouds which overhand our prospect for the future; for the signs of the times hold out little or no promise of its disappearing, and so long as it exists it must operate most injuriously upon the interests of religion, and hinder its revival in the hearts of men…”

Let’s be frank: We just do not believe Jesus. Or else we think we know better than Jesus how to bear witness to Him. Jesus promised that the world would believe the Father had sent Him when it sees the oneness of His Body, Christians uniting in prayer and worship, service, fellowship, and witness. This oneness does not come easily, as Paul reminds us. We must continuously work hard at realizing it (Eph. 4.3). Instead of pursuing that oneness with the churches in our community, however, we generally ignore one another, and try to persuade the world to join with our church, as we compete with other local churches, trying to outdo one another with the variety of ways and means we appeal to our neighbors. We don’t believe Jesus, or else we consider our ways more reliable than His. Otherwise, we would work hard to achieve and demonstrate our oneness more consistently, more powerfully, and more often. Beginning in prayer.

What evidence is there in your ministry, and in the ministry of your church, that you believe these words of Jesus?

Praying Together for Revival
You can join weekly with men from around the country and various church traditions to pray for revival. Every Tuesday morning at 10:00 Eastern, we meet for 30 minutes to pray a psalm and seek the Lord together for revival. We’re looking for men who will commit to seeking the Lord with us. 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 make sure you receive the link to join us each Tuesday for prayer.

Preparing for Revival
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).

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.