Waiting For the Wind To Blow

“Every time we drive by a church with a sign out front announcing, ‘Revival meetings here next week,’ we are confronted with an understanding of revival that exaggerates the human dynamic. It may seem a small point, and I do not wish to be unfair. But how can we advertise a revival and expect to retain credibility? Presumably we do this because the very idea of revival has been diminished to an event on the church calendar. Evangelistic meetings — maybe that’s all people mean when they announce a revival — are a legitimate program. But true revival is not a scheduled program. It is a gift from the Throne wonderfully interrupting our little programs. The Holy Spirit blows like the wind, unpredictably, mysteriously, uncontrollably, wherever he pleases (John 3:8). We can’t announce him in advance. We can only pray that he will blow our way.”

– Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., When God Comes to Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker, 2000), 19-20.

HT:  Jared Wilson

Some Links Worth A Look

Web Links Worth a Look:

Is New York City on the Brink of Revival?

Duck Dynasty Stars Talk about Virginity Until Marriage

Celebrating C.S. Lewis' Perelandra

9 Things You Should Know About C.S. Lewis

Where Did All Those Pentecostals & Charismatics Come From?

An Alternative Script for Same-Sex Attraction

Pentecostals Influenced by Eastern Orthodox Views on the Sacraments

Revival Pending

Hopefully, they're just waiting for the Holy Spirit to move!

Hat Tip: Ed Stetzer

George Whitefield Resources

Steve McCoy has a new "George Whitefield Resource Page" - Excellent!

Ways & Means

From a great article by Tim Keller on Revival Ways and Means:

The primary means-of-revival that everyone agrees upon is extraordinary prayer. That’s the clearest of all and so I won’t spend time on it. The second means is a recovery of the grace-gospel. One of the main vehicles sparking the first awakening in Northampton, Massachusetts was Edwards’ two sermons on Romans 4:5, “Justification by Faith Alone,” in November, 1734. For both John Wesley and George Whitefield, the main leaders of the British Great Awakening, it was an understanding of salvation by grace rather than moral effort that touched off personal renewal and made them agents of revival. Lloyd-Jones taught that the gospel of justification could be lost at two levels. A church might simply become heterodox and lose the very belief in justification by faith alone. But just as deadly, it might keep the doctrine “on the shelf” as it were and not preach it publicly in such a way that connects to people’s hearts and lives.

The third factor I would mention is renewed individuals. Sprague points out how certain church leaders can be characterized by the infectious marks of spiritual revival – a joyful, affectionate seriousness, and “unction” – a sense of God’s presence. In addition, often several visible, dramatic life-turnarounds (“surprising conversions”) may cause others to do deep self-examination and create a sense of spiritual longing and expectation in the community. The personal revivals going on in these individuals spread informally to others through conversation and relationship. More and more people begin to look at themselves and seek God.

A fourth factor I will call the use of the gospel on the heart in counseling. Sprague and John Newton in his letters do a good job of showing how the gospel must be used on both seekers, new believers, and non-growing Christians. The gospel must cut away both the moralism and the licentiousness that destroys real spiritual life and power. There must be venues and meetings and settings in which this is done, both one-on-one and in groups. See William Williams, The Experience Meeting, a leaders’ manual for revival-promoting small group meetings in Wales during the first great awakening

 Read the whole think at the link. I agree with what he says about Charles Finney. And BTW - Have I mentioned lately that I really like Tim Keller's stuff?!!!

Revival: Lord Do It Again!

Lord, Do It Again! from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Why isn't there as much interest in revival among Christians today compared to former years? In the video above from the Gospel Coalition, Collin Hansen poses that question to Tim Keller and Nancy Leigh DeMoss, each of whom has been inspired by reading about past revivals to aspire for such an awakening today.

Hat Tip: Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology

The Jesus Movement Turns 40

The Jesus Movement Turns 40 @ Thinking Out Loud
Christian Festivals and the Jesus Movement: @ Tall Skinny Kiwi
We Need Another Jesus Movement - J. Lee Grady
A New Jesus People Movement - The Journeyman's Files

40 years ago this week.  I remember that magazine cover! 

Jesus became real to me in 1970, during the youth revival known as the "Jesus Movement." Those were exciting and heady days. Sometimes it seemed like you could just walk down the hall at many high schools and just breathe on people and they would get saved.

Ocean baptisms, giant rallies, concerts from the early days of contemporary Christian music (before the "suits" from the record companies took it over) - I saw it all. Most of the Christian leaders in American churches who are now in their 50's and even 60's got their spiritual start in the Jesus Movement of the 1970's.

As a veteran of the "Jesus Movement,"  I now officially feel old - but grateful for all God did in my life back in those days. May he do it again with a new generation!

Can You Create a Revival?

This is a brief selection from Tim Keller, writing on Revival: Ways and Means at The Gospel Coalition Blog:

How do seasons of revival come? One set of answers comes from Charles Finney, who turned revivals into a “science.” Finney insisted that any group could have a revival any time or place, as long as they applied the right methods in the right way. Finney’s distortions, I think, led to much of the weakness in modern evangelicalism today, as has been well argued by Michael Horton over the years. Especially under Finney’s influence, revivalism undermined the more traditional way of doing Christian formation. That traditional way of Christian growth was gradual—whole family catechetical instruction—and church-centric. Revivalism under Finney, however, shifted the emphasis to seasons of crisis. Preaching became less oriented to long-term teaching and more directed to stirring up the affections of the heart toward decision. Not surprisingly, these emphases demoted the importance of the church in general and of careful, sound doctrine and put all the weight on an individual’s personal, subjective experience. And this is one of the reasons (though not the only reason) that we have the highly individualistic, consumerist evangelicalism of today.

There has been a withering critique of revivalism going on now for 20 years within evangelical circles. Most of it is fair, but it often goes beyond the criticism of the technique-driven revivalism of Finney to insist that even Jonathan Edwards and the Puritans were badly mistaken about how people should embrace and grow in Christ. In this limited space I can’t respond to that here other than to say I think that goes way too far. However, this critique trend explains why there is so much less enthusiasm for revival than when I was a young minister. It also explains why someone like D.M. Lloyd-Jones was so loathe to say that there was anything that we can do to bring about revivals (other than pray). He knew that Finney-esque revivalism led to many spiritual pathologies.

Nevertheless, I think we can carefully talk about some factors that, when present, often become associated with revival by God’s blessing.

Keller lists five factors associated with Revivals:

1. Extraordinary Prayer
2. Recovery of the Grace Gospel
3. Renewed Individuals
4. Use of the Gospel on the Heart in Counseling
5. Ordinary Instituted Means of Grace

More great discussion on this at the link.

Reports of Muslims Coming to Christ at Historic Rates: Many From Dreams and Visions of Jesus

From an article in Charisma Magazine by Sarah Stegall- Evangelists Say Muslims Coming to Christ at Historic Rate:

Christians ministering quietly in the Middle East say Muslims are coming to Christ at an unprecedented pace despite intense persecution of those who leave Islam.

"Probably in the last 10 years, more Muslims have come to faith in Christ than in the last 15 centuries of Islam," said Tom Doyle, Middle East-Central Asia director for e3 Partners, a Texas-based missions agency.

A former pastor, Doyle has been to the Middle East around 80 times and last week returned to the U.S. from a trip to Jerusalem, where he said both Muslims and Jews are turning to Christianity.

Earlier this month, more than 200 former Muslims were baptized during a training conference in Europe led by Iran-born evangelist Lazarus Yeghnazar. Brenda Ajamian, a former missionary to the Middle East who partners with Yeghnazar's 222 Ministries International, said the event was unlike anything she'd seen during her years ministering in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan....

...But many Muslim-background believers have said they came to Christ after having dreams and visions of Jesus.

"I can't tell you how many Muslims I've met who say: ‘I was content. I was a Muslim, and all of a sudden I get this dream about Jesus and He loved me and said come follow Me," Doyle said.

Doyle notes that the supernatural is an important part of the Islamic faith. Through the course of his life, Mohammed claimed to have had visions and encounters, particularly of the angel Gabriel.

"God is going into their context," said Doyle. But instead of finding guidance from Allah, Muslims are finding Jesus.

Hallellujah!

Hat Tip:  Charismatica

Remember Who He Is

Good ole' J. Lee Grady is at it again, reminding us that The Holy Spirit Is Not an ‘It’

Two popular charismatic speakers stood on a stage two years ago and decided they should demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit. One guy pretended to throw an imaginary "fireball" at his friend, who promptly fell over as if he had been zapped by the divine power. Then, feeling equally playful, the guy on the floor stood to his feet and threw the "fireball" back at his friend—who fell after the "blob" of God hit him.

Everybody laughed and had a hilarious time at this outrageous party. There was just one problem. The Holy Spirit is not a blob, a fireball or any other form of divine energy that can be thrown, manipulated, maneuvered or controlled.

This scenario happened in a charismatic church—a place where the ministry of the Holy Spirit is presumably honored and understood. It's incredibly sad that many of us who wear the charismatic label have forgotten what the Scriptures teach about the third person of the Trinity.

Read more: http://charismamag.com/index.php/fire-in-my-bones/28182--the-holy-spirit-is-not-an-it#ixzz0mhTzl2Ci

Christianity's Surge in Muslim Indonesia

From the web site of Time Magazine, there is a very interesting report on Christianity's Surge in Indonesia

"...in the heart of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, Christians held a Pentecostal revival, complete with faith healing and speaking in tongues. As a tropical downpour fell, believers' tears mixed with rain — and a line of sick and disabled took to the stage to claim they had been cured by a God they, like Indonesian Muslims, call Allah. "People think Indonesia is just a Muslim country, but look at all these people," says pastor David Nugroho, whose Gesing church boasts a congregation of 400 worshippers today, up from 30 when it was founded in 1967. "We are not afraid to show our faith.""

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1982223,00.html#ixzz0lIAYiC3T

What Is Revival?

Via Justin Taylor's blog- Here's J.I. Packer's answer to the question What Is Revival?

Here is how J. I. Packer answers that question in his essay, “The Glory of God and the Reviving of Religion” in A God-Entranced Vision of All Things (pp. 100-104):

Revival is God touching minds and hearts in an arresting, devastating, exalting way, to draw them to himself through working from the inside out rather than from the outside in.

It is God accelerating, intensifying, and extending the work of grace that goes on in every Christian’s life, but is sometimes overshadowed and somewhat smothered by the impact of other forces.

It is the near presence of God giving new power to the gospel of sin and grace.

It is the Holy Spirit sensitizing souls to divine realities and so generating deep-level responses to God in the form of faith and repentance, praise and prayer, love and joy, works of benevolence and service and initiatives of outreach and sharing.

We need us some of that!

The More Things Change....

Check out the words to these old Methodist revival songs as reported on the Church History Blog.

In Stith Mead’s Methodist songbook, Hymns and Spiritual Songs of 1807, the initial impression of a convert is reported:

‘The Methodists were preaching like thunder all about.
At length I went amongst them, to hear them groan and shout.
I thought they were distracted, such fools I’d never seen.
They’d stamp and clap and tremble, and wail and cry and scream.’

Or how about:

A later Methodist songbook, The Hesperian Harp of 1848, has a dialogue song between a Methodist and a ‘Formalist’.

In this segment we hear the Formalist’s impression of the Christian meeting he attended:

Such groaning and shouting, it sets me to doubting.
I fear such religion is only a dream.

The preachers were stamping, the people were jumping,
And screaming so loud that I nothing could hear….

The men they were bawling, the women were squalling,
I know not for my part how any could pray….

Amid such a clatter who knows what’s the matter?
Or who can attend unto what is declared?

To see them behaving, like drunkards, all raving,
And lying and rolling prostrate on the ground.
I really felt awful, and sometimes felt fearful
That I’d be the next that would come tumbling down.

Maybe the "Toronto Blessing" Renewal wasn't as new a phenomena as most thought?

A New Jesus People Movement

Jesus became real to me in 1970, during the youth revival known as the "Jesus Movement." Those were exciting and heady days. Sometimes it seemed like you could just walk down the hall at many high schools and just breathe on people and they would get saved.

Ocean baptisms, giant rallies, concerts from the early days of contemporary Christian music (before the "suits" from the record companies took it over) - I saw it all. Most of the Christian leaders in American churches who are now in their 50's and even 60's got their spiritual start in the Jesus Movement of the 1970's.

This week I ran across this article by Bill Faris at JUST MY TYPE on The Genius of the Jesus People Movement

The genius of the Jesus People movement of the late 1960's and 70's was not the theological sophistication of it's adherents. It wasn't money, or programming, or a centrally-coordinated effort to impact youth culture launched by existing Christian leaders or sociological experts. I believe the genius of the Jesus People movement was the empowerment of everyday people to take the ministry of Jesus to everyday places - from school campuses to coffeehouses. From private homes to rock concerts. From streetcorners to city parks. "Jesus Freaks" were always looking for opportunities to take the gospel to the places and environments where the people of their generation lived their daily lives. The whole world was their mission field and "church" could happen anywhere, anytime.

As a veteran of that experience, I believe we who follow Christ now would do well to re-discover this way of life. It's not about trying to go back to the "old days". It's not about nostalgia or recreating a bygone era or somehow updating its symbols. But I am convinced that there is an inhertiance given by the Holy Spirit to the Church that remains available to us now -- especially to those of us who know better than to keep ministry within the walls of church buildings.

Perhaps the key to a genesis of a new "Jesus Movement" for another generation is for believers to just try taking the Gospel and the power of the Spirit outside our church walls. It happened once before, 40 years ago.

Jesus is still the same Jesus. So, why can't it happen again?

Celebrate Reformation Day

As you celebrate (or don't celebrate) Halloween, remember that October 31st is also Reformation Day!

We celebrate today the day Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of his church in Wittenburg, where he was the Theology professor in the university, inviting debate on grace and faith against the Pope's indulgences. Here's a picture of the Wittenburg Castle Church where Martin Luther posted the Ninety-Five theses along with a link to the complete text of this important Theological and historical document.

Luther's first theses was "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance." A good point to remember toady, or any day.

Update: Also a great day to pray for revival!

Don't Get Infected With Last Days Fever

Saw a good article this week by J. Lee Grady at Charisma Magazine warning believers Don't Get Infected With Last Days Fever

If you study the great Christian revivals of the past you find that none were triggered by date-setting, rapture fever or Bible prophecy seminars. We must preach the cross. Of course we tell the world that Christ is returning. But we do not have permission to muddle our message with nonsense about dates and global conspiracies.

John Wesley and George Whitefield preached repentance, the atonement of Christ and the reality of hell. William and Catherine Booth wept for souls and preached the message of salvation throughout England. Evan Roberts begged God to close the gates of hell in Wales for a year so that he could preach the simple gospel of a perfect redeemer. In all these cases genuine revival was the result. How I wish we could adopt this passionate focus on what really matters.

Don't you think we'd all be better off with more emphasis on the Cross and less on the rapture? I do!

Lakeland Outpouring: One Year Later

It has now been about a year since the Lakeland Renewal - the big thing in Charismatic Circles for 2008 - blew up in a scandal caused by Todd Bentley's moral failings. Here's what the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God says now:

QUOTE: "I don't understand why anyone in their right mind would ever give Todd Bentley a platform again. I believe in redemption, but for some things you forever forfeit your public ministry. This man has proven by his lifestyle to be who he is, and our churches shouldn't be using him, period." —Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood, commenting on what in many charismatic circles has been one of the most divisive issues in the past year. Bentley left the Lakeland Outpouring last August amid scandal and—in fewer than 12 months—divorced, remarried, entered into a restoration process with Rick Joyner and relaunched his public ministry. [theledger.com, 8/15/09]

From: Charima Magazine Lakeland Outpouring: One Year Later

My previous comments here, here and here.

20/20 Hindsight On The Lakeland Revival

Somehow i missed this last week . J. Lee Grady from Charisma Magazine posted at his "Fire in My Bones" blog his conclusions on 20/20 Hindsight: What I Hope We Learned From the Lakeland Revival. Grady has six important lessons charismatic Christians (and especially their leaders) need to learn from the problems associated with the Lakeland Florida renewal earlier this year.

His six points are:

1. Accountability, accountability, accountability.
2. The one man show is over.
3. Chill out.
4. Character is more important than anointing
5. Lay hands on no man quickly.
6. You can't have revival without repentance.

Read the whole thing for his explanation of each point.

You know, every one of these lessons should have been learned from the televangelist scandals in the late 80's. I hope we finally learn them this time.

True Revival

I's been awhile since I posted on the late Lakeland Renewal. Check this out- from Crossroads discussing R.T. Kendall and the Lakeland "Outpouring":

...Kendall listed several marks of a true revival. It would have Biblical preaching at its center. He says that the Lakeland meetings seemed to have at it's center "angels, miracles and manifestations rather than to Jesus who died on the cross."

This is a rather strong indictment, but I fear it may have been true. However, I repeat again: Why can't we have the Gospel and the Power? Why can't we preach the Cross and the Kingdom? Why can't we we preach the Bible and "do the Stuff"?

I don't know any reason why we can't! So let's do it! That will be a true revival.

"Where is the God of Evan Roberts?"

Where is the God of Elijah? Where is the God of Evan Roberts? Where is the true power of God that can sweep over a city and bring backslidden Christians to repentance and hardened sinners to experience the greatest miracle of all—the miracle of new birth?

J. Lee Grady - Fire In My Bones

Grady's article has a good history of the 1904 Welsh Revival and the ministry of Evan Roberts.

Within a year it was estimated that 100,000 people had come to Christ. Hardened men who normally spent their families’ incomes on liquor ran into the churches and repented. Coal miners stopped cursing. Teenagers gathered at train stations and sang hymns or testified publicly of their conversions. Crime stopped.

Wales was transformed.

Can it happen again?

Hat Tip: CHARISMATICA » Looking for Revival: "Where is the God of Evan Roberts?"