Revival – For Fulfilling His Mandate

So what could we learn from the revivals from history? Rev Anthony Chua explores three of these areas.

Someone said that “Revival is God bringing His people back to spiritual health.”

As such, it is paramount for us as Christians to examine our spiritual health periodically. I believe that the purpose of revival in the mind of God is to ensure that Christians are spiritually healthy so that we can fulfill His mandate on earth.

I believe that the purpose of revival in the mind of God is to ensure that Christians are spiritually healthy so that we can fulfill His mandate on earth.

The question is this – How do we know if we are spiritually healthy? How do we know if our churches and ministries are spiritually healthy?

Spiritual Health Checks on Our Churches

Take a leaf from the Welsh revivalist Evan Roberts who once said, “Ask and it shall be given unto you. Practice entire, definite faith in God’s promise of the Spirit.”  It is undeniable that the role and power of the Holy Spirit have always been the main driving force behind the spiritual health of churches.

The power of the Holy Spirit has already been given to us in great measure and intensity for a continuous revival until the second coming of Jesus Christ (See Acts 1:8 and Acts 2:1-4). John G. Lake once mentioned that “the ministry of Christianity is the ministry of the Spirit.”

Therefore, the spiritual health of our churches and ministries can be measured by the distinctiveness and manifestations in our weekly worship services: the beauty of praying and singing in tongues; the confirmation of prophetic utterances; the humility of confessing our sins before a Holy God; the transforming power of God in the lives of men and women; and the empowerment and commission of men and women to fulfill God’s will and purposes.

Habakkuk 3:2 (NIVUK) – “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.”

In our present day, there is an urgency for our churches and ministries to go through a regular spiritual health screening to ensure that we do not lose our effectiveness.

Three Areas to Check On

There are three areas in which churches can focus to detect any irregularities in terms of spiritual health.

1.  Reality

Are Christians obeying the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?

One needs to come to terms with the reality of our spiritual health. It is never a shame to realize that we are spiritually unhealthy. The realization of our weak condition spurs God’s people towards repentance.

2. Repentance

Are Christians taking the grace of God for granted?

The need to repent and confess our sins regularly has always been a major component in great revival movements such as the Wales revival led by revivalist Evan Roberts.

There must be a constant call for repentance if our churches desire to experience revival. The need to repent and confess our sins regularly has always been a major component in great revival movements such as the Wales revival led by revivalist Evan Roberts.

The truth is this – It is so easy for sinful men and women to take the grace of God for granted.

3.  Realignment

Are Christians embracing selfless living?

As our world continues to modernize, the god of self-love has also gained increased followers and lovers. Our churches are not vaccinated against such spiritual viruses and therefore are dangerously at risk.

Hence, there is a serious call for spiritual leaders and pastors to exhibit the selfless ministry of Jesus Christ who came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (See Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 13:1-17)   

As we accept the realities and are willing to repent and be realigned with God’s plan and purposes, I believe with all my heart that God will give us a fresh and exuberant mandate and catapult us into a season of revival!

Our intimacy with God must result in loving Him and the people around us.

Our gracious and merciful God wants to relaunch His church and His ministries through us so that the souls of unsaved men and women can be and will be ushered into His Kingdom.

Our gracious and merciful God wants to relaunch His church and His ministries through us so that the souls of unsaved men and women can be and will be ushered into His Kingdom.

In closing, let us be bold and courageous and heed Maria Woodworth Etter’s wise counsel: “It is better to wear out for Jesus Christ than to rust out.”

I pray for fresh loving obedience to come upon each follower of Jesus. I pray for spiritual enforcement of our fervency for evangelism. I pray for the cancellation of “maintenance mode” in our churches. I pray for a continuation of the missional burden to come upon all the churches of Jesus Christ.