Revival (Continued)
This is the second article on the concept of revival. In the first we defined revival simply as a larger measure of the Spirit of God present and at work. I mentioned that this definition is not only simple, it is scriptural and profound – and practically affects what we do as a church. This article will explore three main implications, and then use history to illustrate the danger of misunderstanding revival.
First Implication: Praise
The first thing we must do when considering revival is to praise God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ empowers his people and carries out his plans through the Holy Spirit. Peter preached on the day of Pentecost that after having ascended into heaven Christ “received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, [and] he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33). Years later, Paul writes to the Galatians that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Gal. 3:14). What a blessing!
I know that this is not new to the reader. I also do not buy into popular the caricature that those who believe the sign gifts have ceased neglect the Holy Spirit; yet, I can’t help but remember that many stereotypes contain a small kernel of truth. Do we praise God the Spirit without fearing that we sound like extreme charismatics? Does any talk of the Holy Spirit make us a bit uneasy? Does any excitement or emotion in prayer or worship distract us? May we never relegate our thoughts on the Holy Spirit simply to a debate about spiritual gifts. Rather, let us praise God for his Spirit and believe all that the Word says concerning the person of the Holy Spirit. Let us not forget, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, “inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love… equal in every divine perfection” (GBC Statement of faith).
“My brethren, do you believe in the Holy Ghost?... Have we such a reliance upon the Holy Ghost? Do we believe that, at this moment, He can cloth us with power, even as He did the apostles at Pentecost? Do we believe that, under our preaching, by His energy a thousand might be born in a day?”
Second & Third Implications
Rightly understanding revival shows us that this phenomenon is not different or unattached to the “normal” work of the church. Revival is an extension (explosion) of the “normal” work that Christ does by his Spirit in the church. This is pivotal. Revival is not something new, strange, or foreign to how Christ and the Spirit are at work in the church. What I mean by this is that during a season of revival Jesus does not change his “normal” work of empowering the church. The difference is one of degree. The essence of revival is no different than “normal” Christianity. The work is the same. The church should not jump at every new idea that garners attention and excitement. Excitement, emotion, and evangelistic techniques alone are not revival.
Perhaps a pithy catch phrase will help: same work = same means & same measures.
Same Means
The essence of revival is no different than “normal Christianity.” This means, therefore, that what the church does stays the same. We faithfully do what God tells the church to do, in season and out of season. We make the Word primary in our worship services by reading, exhortation, and teaching (1 Tim. 4:13). We practice and observe the ordinances (Matt. 26:26-29; Matt. 28:19). We sing praises to God and pray (Eph. 5:19). This is what we’re commanded to do. We should expect God to be at work through these means because these are the exact practices he commanded us to do. Should we expect blessing to come from moving away from this? Do we get tired of “normal” Christianity? If so, does the issue lie with what God has commanded us to do or our own feelings? I put normal in quotations because the Christian life and the work of the church is anything but normal. The very presence of God is present when we gather in a unique way (Matt. 18:20; Rev. 1:13). Christ is exalted and set forth in the preaching of the word and the observance of the Lord’s Supper. We must not think that revival is somehow a turning away from this “normal” (read: supernatural) work of the church. If there is any foretaste of the New Heavens and New Earth in this life surely it is found most fully when the Lord’s people gather together on the Lord’s Day in the Lord’s prescribed way (Heb. 12:22-24).
Same Measures
Not only do we use the same means, the same measure of true spirituality is applied during seasons of revival. Our understanding of conversion must be controlled by Scripture. In conversion there is a renewal of the mind, affections, and will as we behold the glory of the Lord and are transformed from one degree to another (2 Cor. 3:18). History shows how easy it is during a period of extraordinary gospel work to confuse excitement, physical reactions, tears, and even outbursts of prayer with signs of true conversion. This is all the more easier for us today, living downstream from “revivalism” (see below) and instant gratification. Yet, Paul highlights perseverance & patience as important (1 Cor. 15:1-2; Col. 1:23). We of course cannot know all that goes on in the heart, but we should desire that the church be composed of those who truly know Jesus as Savior and Lord. This not only protects the purity of the church but also is a way we love our neighbor by not giving false assurance. Very practically, our church membership and baptism processes help address this issue. What we do now, namely; hearing the profession of faith and testimony, meeting with elders, and going over doctrine should not change during a season of church growth/revival.
Jonathan Edwards lived during a time of revival. He observed how easy it was during these seasons to get caught up in the excitement and emotion of it. Unfortunately, this led many churches to not look carefully for signs of true spiritual life in recent converts. This led to lower standards for membership and ultimately difficult seasons of moral decline in some churches as these recent ‘converts’ began to lose their excitement and go back to the world. Below is a drop down menu from Edward’s The Religious Affections pt. 2 that list 12 true signs of conversion and 12 no signs.
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No Sign 1. The religious affections are very great, or raised very high. (127-31)
No Sign 2. They have great effects on the body. (131-35)
No Sign 3. They cause those who have them, to be fluent, fervent and abundant, in talking of the things of religion. (135-37)
No Sign 4. Persons did make ’em themselves, or excite ’em of their own contrivance, and by their own strength. (138-42)
No Sign 5. They come with texts of Scripture, remarkably brought to the mind. (142-45)
No Sign 6. There is an appearance of love in them. (146-47)
No Sign 7. Persons having religious affections of many kinds, accompanying one another, is not sufficient to determine whether they have any gracious affections or no. (147-51)
No Sign 8. Comforts and joys seem to follow awakenings and convictions of conscience, in a certain order. (151-63)
No Sign 9. They dispose persons to spend much time in religion, and to be zealously engaged in the external duties of worship. (163-65)
No Sign 10. They much dispose persons with their mouths to praise and glorify God. (165-67)
No Sign 11. They make persons that have them, exceedingly confident that what they experience is divine, and that they are in a good estate. (167-81)
No Sign 12. The outward manifestations of them, and the relation persons give of them, are very affecting and pleasing to the truly godly, and such as greatly gain their charity, and win their hearts. (181-90)
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Sign 1. Arise from those influences and operations on the heart, which are spiritual, supernatural, and divine. (197-239)
Sign 2. Objectively grounded in the transcendently excellent and amiable nature of divine things, as they are in themselves (and not in any conceived relation they bear to self or self-interest). (240-52)
Sign 3. Primarily founded on the loveliness of the moral excellency of divine thing; a love to divine things for the beauty and sweetness of their moral excellency is the first beginning and spring of all holy affections. (253-65)
Sign 4 Arise from the mind’s being enlightened, rightly and spiritually to understand or apprehend divine things. (266-90)
Sign 5. Attended with a reasonable and spiritual conviction of the judgment, of the reality and certainty of divine things. (291-310)
Sign 6. Attended with evangelical humiliation (= a sense that a Christian has or his own utter insufficiency, despicableness, and odiousness, with an answerable frame of heart). (311-39)
Sign 7. Attended with a change of nature. (340-43)
Sign 8. Tend to, and are attended with, the lamblike, dovelike spirit and temper of Jesus Christ; they naturally beget and promote such a spirit of love, meekness, quietness, forgiveness, and mercy, as appeared in Christ. (344-356)
Sign 9. Soften the heart and are attended to and followed with a Christian tenderness of spirit. (357-64)
Sign 10. Have beautiful symmetry and proportion. (365-75)
Sign 11. The higher gracious affections are raised, the more is a spiritual appetite and longing of soul after spiritual attainments increased. (376-82)
Sign 12. Have their exercise and fruit in Christian practice. (383-462)
The essence of revival is the same as that of the “normal’ Christian life. Therefore we stay busy obeying God’s word when we gather and in how we conduct ourselves in everyday life. Scripture governs our understanding of conversion and the events that unfold around us. We should be eager and expectant that God will work mighty by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel and his church for his glory! Yet we mustn’t make demands of God to act and become discontent with steady faithfulness. Such an attitude leads us to consider an error concerning revival.
Danger: Revivalism
I briefly described one erroneous view in the last article, which is to believe that revivals do not occur today. There is an opposite error to denying any occasion of revival, and that is to believe that revival is always within grasp if only we do the right things. This understanding has been coined “revivalism” by Iain Murray. What is it?
“Revivalism believes that the use of the right means will bring about revival. Refreshed and energized Chrsitians, mass conversions, and society at large impressed by spiritual truth is always at hand – if only we work for it. ”
Notice immediately that this understanding of revival is totally contrary to what has been described so far. This change in understanding came about at the beginning of the Second Great Awakening. And make no mistake, this understanding of revival was novel. The preachers of the First Great Awakening (indeed, the vast majority of believers at this time) believed that the “Holy Spirit has appointed means to be used for the advancement of the gospel, pre-eminently the teaching of the Word of God accompanied by earnest prayer” (Revival & Revivalism, p. 22). They believed that there was a sovereignty in all of God’s actions, and that God never promised to bless in proportion to his people's activity: “The different success of the same means of grace, in different periods of the church, sufficiently shews the necessity of gracious influences to render them efficacious… It is not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts that the interests of religion are carried on, Zech. 4.6” (Samuel Davies, Virginia 1723-61) The understanding of Davies is what I have argued for. It rightly understands the sovereign nature of revivals coming about by the will of God. Revival is not dependent on the use of new means that will effectively secure converts. This, however, is exactly what revivalism stands for.
How did this shift come about? Certain characteristics were observed of revival; namely, multiple and prolonged services, prayer meetings, and large numbers of people being deeply impressed (inquirers). These were the accompaniments of revival. Some began to believe that these accompaniments were actually the essence of revival. If the circumstances could just be recaptured, then revival would be rekindled. The accompaniments became revival.
Revival meetings became planned and expected. These consisted of multiple and prolonged services which could often go all day and into the night. Emotion was purposely aroused. What do I mean by this? Preaching was aimed at making people ecstatic (often through fear), and repeated singing became integral to securing a response. The practice of the altar call became widespread. Soon answering an invitation became confused as a sure sign of conversion. The practice of counting converts immediately after the service also began. The champion of this new teaching was Charles Finney. For Finney, revival was something to be expected – in fact, if there was no revival the blame could be laid squarely on the minister:
“If the whole Church, as a body, had gone to work ten years ago, and continued it as a few individuals, whom I could name, have done, there might not now have been an impenitent sinner in the land. The millennium would have fully come into the United States before this day.”
Undergirding this understanding of revival and evangelism is Finney’s theology of conversion. All that is needed for conversion is a change of the will, not a change of nature (Biblical Repertory and Theological Review 1832, p. 295). This is why a call to make a decision and “submit to God”, walk an aisle, or perform some other physical act became so integral to his revival meetings. They helped to secure the response of the will. These new means became absolutely necessary, and in doing so they provided a new measure of true spirituality. In fact, the older generation coined proponents of this new understanding as “new measure men.”
Revivalism was inherently divisive. It was the new dividing line. If revival could really be achieved by the use of right means then the ministers who did not use them were at fault for stunting the work of God. The older generations which did not hold to the theological underpinnings of the new movement and rejected the new means were singled out as people “wrote anonymous letters to their pastors, asking them to create and continue a revival; or if not, to resign, and not stand in the way of souls.” (Memoirs: Complete Text, p. 143). “Ministers and feeble churches who have been toiling hard and praying fervently have been cut to the quick by such a remark as this: ‘What have you been about all this time that you have not got a revival before now?’” (Religion on the American Fronter, vol. 3, p. 404).
Conclusion
A lot more could be written about Revivalism, but I must instead only direct you to the book Revival & Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism by Iain Murray. This book is filled with original source material and is extremely illuminating. I cannot recommend it enough. Perhaps as you’ve read about revivalism you’ve seen how popular that understanding of revival is today. In our minds it may even seem like “the old way,” but it is not. In the scope of history this understanding is novel. A much more faithful and Scriptural way to understand revival is that it is a sovereign work; a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit by the direction of Christ for the building up of his body, the church. I end with one last quote from Iain Murray on the differences between revival and revivalism:
“The difference between the two things is real and immense. The phenomenon of true revival retains the same mystery that belongs to the supernaturalism of the New Testament. No one can say why three thousand were converted in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and not in Athens or Rome, or why one preacher was greatly used in one place and not in another. Christ traced such things to the throne of God (Matt. 11:25). It is with reference to God’s acts in history that the Scriptures say: ‘how unsearchable are his judgements and his ways past finding out!’ (Rom. 11:33). ”