Are We Really Ready for a Revival?

Clarence L. Haynes Jr.

Are America and the church ready for revival? Let me make this even more personal. Are you ready for revival?

While I feel confident in saying most Christians would agree we need revival in America, I am far less confident that most Christians would agree on how we get there. How do we change things in this age of declining church memberships, fewer people identifying as followers of Christ, and where the same divisions that divide our nation also divide our churches?

The answer is revival, but what does that even mean? Whatever you think it is, revival may be far different from what you may realize.

What Is Revival?

Revival is when the people of God turn their hearts to God completely. They turn away from sin and the things of this world and their desire is to serve God fully, aligning their hearts, minds, and lives with what he desires. As much as we think revival begins when other people change, revival begins when you and I change. That’s why revival does not begin with a change in the culture. It begins with a change in the church, which then influences the culture.

We have fallen for the idea that if we change laws and policies, that will bring “religion” back to America. My friends, laws and policies may bring religion, but they won’t bring revival. In God’s kingdom, everything happens inside out. Change the heart, then you change the man, then you change the land. Laws and policies have the power to change the condition of the land, but they cannot change the condition of the heart. That’s why revival begins in the hearts of men, and this is where so many have gotten it wrong.

To give it to you straight, revival has nothing to do with what is happening in the world but everything to do with what is happening in the church. If the Spirit of God is not moving the way you desire, or if the gospel is not going forth the way you want it to, you cannot blame the world for that. Sharing the gospel and making disciples falls to us, not them. So, if you long to see revival, don’t start by looking elsewhere. Begin by searching your own heart.

What Would Revival Look Like?

When you consider what happened in the book of Acts after the Holy Spirit descended, it gives you a wonderful picture of revival. Consider these words from Acts.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47).

Notice the things these believers were devoted to:

Also, notice the result. God was adding daily to the number who were being saved. That sounds like a revival and awakening to me.

I am going to ask you several questions below. Your answers to these can determine if you are truly ready for revival.

Is the word of God and obeying Jesus the most important priority in your life?

Do you care more about your identify in Christ, than your identity as an American?

Are you committed to prayer and surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life?

Are you willing to unite around your belief in Jesus instead of your political affiliation?

Do you want to deal with the hard issues that still affect the body of Christ? Things such as race, economic status, nationality, denominational identity, politics, or anything else that causes division in the body of Christ.

Will you commit to seeing people the way Jesus sees them?  

Do you care more about the things of heaven than about your possessions here on earth?

Here is the point of these questions. When revival happens in your heart, then you begin to live like Jesus, act like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and concern yourself with the things Jesus concerned himself with. Loving and obeying Jesus becomes the most important priority in your life. When I look at the church in America, we are concerned about a lot of things. I just don’t know if living like Jesus is high on that priority list. Is there no wonder why people reject our gospel and there is no revival?   

The Wrong Path to Revival

Sadly, I am inclined to believe that many think revival will come based on who is in the White House, the halls of congress, the governor’s mansion, the mayor’s office, and the local school boards. For example, I have heard many Christians excited about Donald Trump being president and some have even posted images of him as the savior of America. If you believe this, then you are putting your hope in the wrong direction. While those who govern the land are important, they have zero influence on whether revival happens in this country or anywhere else.

True revival is a work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people and when he is at work, there is not a politician, lawmaker, or law in the land that has the power to stop him. In fact, if we prayed as much for the outpouring of God’s Spirit as we prayed and worked to get the “right” people in office, then maybe we would see the revival we desire.

Church, we need to wake up, stop fighting with each other, and recognize there is only one enemy, and it is not those in the “other” party. We are fighting a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons, and revival will come when we care more about the kingdom of God than the kingdom of America.

How Do We Get to Revival?

Allow me to share an oft quoted Scripture in relationship to revival in our nation.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

The first thing you should notice is this is a message to the people of God. This further proves the point that revival begins with the people of God and nowhere else. However, there are three key elements tied to this:

Think about the narratives we hear in our country. How often do you hear about what “they” are doing instead of what we are not doing? We make it appear as if they are the problem, and they are the ones who are stopping revival. We need to stop focusing on what “they” are doing and start looking at the condition of our own hearts. “They” are not preventing revival, we are.

I heard a preacher ask recently, what’s wrong with loving God and loving your country? My response to that is nothing. However, what I am wondering is if we love our country more than we love God. While many focus on trying to save the nation, God is pursuing the hearts of men, trying to save their souls. These two things may seem equivalent, but they are not. One is seeking the glory of a nation. The other is seeking the transformation of a man. One focuses on political power and influence to bring about change. The other depends on the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin, which leads to repentance, which will bring about change. One is about making America great. The other is about making the name of Jesus great. Where do you stand?

When we humble ourselves, we realize there is only one name under heaven by which all men can be saved. We must pray that God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh and allow the Holy Spirit to deal with all the corrupt things that live in our heart. If we repent and turn from our wicked ways, recognizing that our actions and our motives are wrong, then we set the stage for revival. Without this, I can assure you of one thing. Revival will never come.  

Are You Ready for Revival?

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36).

Before Jesus left, he gave us three primary instructions:

He didn’t say get rich, or get power, or rule, or have dominion, or seek political influence. He said preach the gospel, make disciples, and do this with the power of the Holy Spirit. This is our mission, and it has not changed.

When we get back to this mission and are willing to lay aside all the things that distract us from what Jesus commands us to do, then we will see an outpouring of God’s Spirit in this nation. Without that, we will scratch and claw and fight, but we will never see the type of revival that Jesus wants to bring. The revival that transforms lives and changes people forever.

Here is my cry to you. Whether you are black, white, brown, born in America, or migrated here. If you are a democrat, republican, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. If you are charismatic or not, Methodist, Baptist, or whatever denomination. Will you lay aside those things and not make them of primary importance any longer? Will you take up the mantle of the kingdom of God and will you seek God in prayer and repentance for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Will you take your eyes off the temporary and place them on the things that are eternal? I believe if you will do these things and align your heart, will, and desires with Jesus’ heart, then we will see a true revival in America.

If I have made you think today, then that is a good starting point. However, after all you have read, there is only one question left to ask you, and that is the question I leave you with. Are you willing?

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8).

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Kativ

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club.  He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com

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