What Is Revival?
The goal of this first article is to biblically define revival and its importance. Why? The concept should encourage and excite us, but sadly there are not many terms more muddled today than “revival.” What do people mean by it? Mass conversion? Evangelistic techniques? Passing Christian laws? We need a biblical understanding of this to encourage our hearts and give us proper expectations. Also, as we consider what true revival is, we will see just how entangled all of theology and life is. In some regards, these two short articles on revival will be a case study highlighting the connectedness of doctrine and practice.
Definition
To put it plainly: revivals are larger measures of the Spirit of God. This definition may seem simple, but it is quite profound (and easy to remember). An extended definition by Iain Murray is not as memorable, but helpful for its precision and detail:
“A revival is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, brought about by the intercession of Christ, resulting in a new degree of life in the churches and a widespread movement of grace among the unconverted. It is an extraordinary communication of the Spirit of God, a superabundance of the Spirit’s operations, and enlargement of his manifest power.”
This understanding is based on the New Testament teaching that Jesus is the exalted Head of the church. He is the Christ, God’s anointed one, and after his resurrection he ascended into heaven. Shortly after his ascension he poured out the Holy Spirit on his people. Pentecost is an event like no other, a fulfillment of God’s previous promise to send his Spirit and indwell his people forever (Ezk. 36:25-27). It is precisely this uniqueness that leads some to deny the continued presence of occasional revivals altogether. These advocates rightly understand that revival means the presence of the Holy Spirit, but they go a bridge too far when they conclude that since Christians are already indwelt by the Spirit there are no more revivals. There are two things that overlap at Pentecost: the coming of the Holy Spirit and the largeness/degree in which the Spirit worked on that day. The Holy Spirit was permanently given, he was not given permanently in the same degree or measure.* Is there any biblical basis for understanding this distinction? Yes. In fact, this distinction helps us better understand some seemingly difficult passages in the book of Acts where the Holy Spirit comes and fills people who are already believers.
The Holy Spirit in Acts
In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit is poured out on believers to indwell/seal them forever (cf 2 Cor. 1:22). Yet just two chapters later these same believers are said to be filled again with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31). Did these believers, including the apostles John and Peter, somehow lose the Spirit in Acts 3? No. Further, two chapters later in Acts 6, we read that one of the qualifications for a deacon is that he be “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom…” This qualification has no real meaning if it is equated to simply being a Christian (indwelt by the Spirit). The story of Stephen, however, seems to repeatedly emphasize that Stephen was “full” of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5, 7:55) and uniquely set apart for the ministry he had. What do we lose if we flatten out this “fullness” of the Spirit working in Stephen? The fact that the Lord Jesus empowered Stephen by his Spirit for service to the church, gospel proclamation, and ultimately martyrdom.
These passages indicate that while believers are permanently and already indwelt by the Holy Spirit there is a sense in which believers can be filled with more of or given an extra measure of the Spirit. If this were not so, Jesus’ teaching in Luke 11:13 would have no relevance for Christians: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Paul also prays in Ephesians 1:17 to the Father to “give you (believers) the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.” On the flip side, he warns to not “quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19-21).
Christ the Head
Let’s connect this to Jesus, the exalted Head of the church. The New Testament “indicates that while the Spirit is always present in the church the degrees of his power and influence remain subject to Christ himself.”* We’ve already seen from Pentecost that Christ pours out the Holy Spirit on his church. Does he not continue to do this for the health and benefit of his church today? He does. The Spirit coming and filling believers again in Acts 4 is a response to prayer. Stephen and the other deacons were specially endowed to serve the church. Jesus did not pour out the Spirit at Pentecost and then proceed to sit back in his chair and pull away from the church. No, he is in the midst of his church (Rev. 1:13) possessing the fullness of the Spirit of God (Rev. 3:1). Where does spiritual strength come from? How does Christ dwell in our hearts? We are “strengthened with power through his Spirit…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts” (Eph. 3:16-17). It is from Christ, our Head, that “the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:15-16). The work of the Spirit is not disconnected from Christ, but rather Jesus sends the Spirit to guide us, glorify his name, and share with us what is His (Jn. 16:12-15).
Understanding what the New Testament has to say about Christ and the Spirit is foundational to our understanding of revival. All of theology is connected, just as all of Scripture is. What is at the center? God himself. How can we begin to rightly define revival? We must first understand the relation of Christ to the Spirit, and then their relation to the church. Christ sends the Spirit to quicken and make alive his people, to sanctify and grow them. Revival is not something different or unattached to this work, but is rather an extension (explosion) of it. A revival is a larger measure of the Spirit of God. The implications of this are many, practical, and important — especially as it relates to church life and ministry. These will be explored in the next article.
For now, be encouraged by this truth: Christ is intimately at work and involved in his church by the Spirit. Your life is not governed by chance and circumstance. The Spirit is not a mindless force, like electricity, that zaps you along. Your holiness and striving after Christ is personal and empowered by the Holy Spirit. If one error is to believe that occasional revival can never happen, another is to believe that revival is mechanical and can be brought about by doing certain practices. Revival is not a mechanism, but the powerful and purposeful work of our Savior. As the Head of the church he guides and directs his Spirit for our good and his glory.
A Final Application
Let us pray and ask the Lord to work mightily by his Spirit in the life of Grace Bible Church. We need this. We are literally powerless without it. Praise the Lord that he is our Head from whom we grow and are equipped. Let us be fervent in our asking Christ to do a mighty work here in Monticello.
“There is no subject which is of greater importance to the Christian church at the present time than that of revival. It should be the theme of our constant meditation, preaching and prayers.”
*From “Pentecost - Today?” by Iain Murray