Reviving Revivals

I have always thought of revivals as events set in big tents all over the country. A group would come to town, set up the tent, and invite everyone in a 50 mile radius to come check it out. Each evening for a few nights, some guy would get up and preach, usually in a sort of yelling manner, and healings would regularly occur. I imagine some speaking in tongues and lots of opportunities to give financially to whoever was putting on the event. Oh, and there would be a whole lot of people saying things like “praise the Lord” and “Hallelujah” the whole time.

That’s probably what I saw in movies or read about in books, since I’ve never actually been to one. (Wasn’t that what Leap of Faith was all about... that movie with Steve Martin?) I don’t often think about revivals, so I just haven’t put forth any effort to figure out the truth about them. And, I admit, I have never been a big fan of them, since I’ve never understood and have a rather negative perspective.

Recently, though, I’ve been reading a book about prophecy and today I read some thoughts on revivals that got me thinking. Read this passage from Approaching the Heart of Prophecy by Graham Cooke:

“Revival is not about the lost getting saved. One cannot revive something that has never been alive. Revival is therefore about the church returning to a place of passion for the world in which we live and the lost in particular. Revival is about the restoration of passion for that which Jesus died to save. Revival occurs when the church joyfully takes up the ministry of reconciliation and becomes ambassadors for heaven... Revival is actually about the church coming back to her original purpose before God.”

That makes so much more sense. The purpose of revivals is not to convert a bunch of people to become followers of Christ. They are not ploys to get people giving money. Yes, people may make decisions to follow Christ, and yes, they may give, but it’s all about the hearts involved. When passion is restored in people, then the church thrives. I believe that God smiles when He is part of that, and He can’t seem to wipe the grin off His face. Maybe we need some reviving of revivals. Or maybe that's what Sunday are intended for... to grow our passion and be reminded of our purpose. Or maybe I need my own mini-revivals each day for myself to fall in love with Jesus more and more. What about you?