Revival God’s Way – Revival Out of the Box!
Revival God’s Way –
Revival Out of the Box!
Major Anita Caldwell
Retired Officer
USA Southern Territory
The corps had only been open for one year and was in the tiny library of a youth center. Our membership included five adults and five children. How does a corps have a revival in such a situation? So, we began to pray and ask God to lead us. As part of an area command, we attended boards and met several of the advisory board members. One member just happened to be Mr. Howard Twilley, who played for the Miami Dolphins and had a Super Bowl ring. After some hesitation, we asked if he would lead our revival, and he gladly agreed. He gave his testimony, and the youth gathered around him every night during the time we held the revival. It was a revival “out of the box” unlike any traditional revival. God came!
What is Revival?
When we think of revival meetings, we think of a series of worship meetings where our people attend and seek God. We want good music and think of all the ways we might get people interested in coming. We invite special speakers and design our programs to perfection. However, is this revival? How do your people define revival?
God’s Call to Revival
Isaiah 57:15 says, “For this is what the high and exalted One says – He who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
- God will revive the hearts of those who are humble and remorseful for their sin.
- He is the God of revival!
- However, He asks for surrendered hearts.
Second Chronicles 7:14: “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.” Here God gives us four steps for revival: humility, prayer to God, seeking Him, and turning from sin. Answer these questions:
- Do we need God? Do we come to Him with humble hearts requesting revival?
- Are we in prayer for revival? Do we give serious time around the altar praying?
- Are we seeking His will and His way? Are we honestly asking Him for His plan?
- Have we turned away from sin in our lives? Are we clean before Him?
Revival – A Revolution
Andrew Murray had much to say about revival and this is his definition of a true one: “A true revival means nothing less than a revolution, casting out the spirit of worldliness and selfishness, and making God and His love triumph in the heart and life.”
While planning is important, the perfect building, speaker, music, and program is not the focus of the process. Preparing our hearts for renewal and transformation is what we are looking for and this begins with prayer. Revival is not an event where we need to hold four meetings in three days for statistics only. Revival is a lifechanging series of meetings that calls us to repent of our self-centeredness, making Jesus the central focus.
Erase the Traditional Revival?
The past style of revival should continue if lives are transformed through its structure and focus! It is possible that the expectation and prayer associated with traditional services will still produce amazing results of renewal and change in the hearts of believers as well as non-believers.
Engage in New Revival Ideas?
Absolutely! The “out of the box” idea is not valuable for its novelty, but for how it opens the way for true change and transformation. The where, when, what, why and how should all be overseen with careful prayer, seeking God for His will. Let us stir up ideas:
- Are you in a college town? Invite students to a gathering at the local park for revival services and announce this with boldness.
- What would revival services look like in your thrift store?
- What would revival services look like in your shelter or kitchen?
- What would home revivals look like?
Redefine Revival
Let us stop talking about an event-based revival and seek humbly for God to do something new that transforms hearts. May we ask what God calls us to become, and not merely what He ask us to do. Today God says to us, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19). He will make a way for revival where there seems to be no other way. If we will be humble and pray with fierce faith, God will guide us out of this dry wilderness into His marvelous light once again.
Our Corporate Prayer
Gracious Father, We seek You to ask You to bring revival to us. We do not want to come with any plans that You cannot bless, nor go any place where You do not lead. Help us to be sensitive to Your Holy Spirit in all things as we seek You in prayer. Cleanse us from every sin so that we can be a channel of Your blessing to others. Help us to see the people around us with their needs and not try to force feed them a diet based on our assumptions. And we believe that in being sensitive to You first, to the needs of others next, that Your Holy Spirit will touch us in a new way as well and we will be revived. We offer this prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.
Our Worldwide Prayer Meeting
Congo (Brazzaville) Territory
Thinking It Through
The early Salvation Army was known for adapting its methods to the people it was trying to reach, being sensitive to the culture in which it was sharing the gospel. Are we willing to do that now? How can we do so without compromising the biblical standards?
Notable Quotables
"Christ did not come to civilize the world, but to save it and to bring it back to God." - Catherine Booth
We close with gospel quartet singing a song that I hope is your testimony about sharing the story of Jesus: "I Love to Tell the Story."
We would appreciate any feedback and/or suggestions on how to improve these devotionals. Please email comments to: SpiritualLifeDevelopment@uss.salvationarmy.org or by going to our website: https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/uss/spiritual-life-development.
We would love to hear from you.
Lt. Colonel Allen Satterlee
Territorial Spiritual Life Development Officer/THQ Chaplain
USA Southern Territory