March 31st, 2025
By: Jason White
What is Revival?
As we move towards the Easter season, the word revival has been used a lot at the Revival Center. Pastor Jason has been preaching a sermon series entitled Breakthrough Revival, Evangelist Darrin English is coming to the church in early April for a Spring Revival, we pray for revival, you hear the word itself frequently. In this blog, I wanted to take a small dive into what revival truly means to me.
There have been moments in history where “revivals” take place. Moments when church services are touched by the Hand of God and a normal service that usually lasts an hour and a half turns into five hour services that meet nightly for weeks and weeks. We have used the term tent revivals and especially in Pentecostal circles we have seen times like Azusa Street in the early 1900s and then later at Toronto Airport Vineyard Church in 1994 and still later in 1995 at the Pensacola Outpouring at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola Florida. Recently, we have seen revival services break out at college campuses across the United States, for example at Asbury College in Kentucky in 2023. Even now we see and hear the term revival being used as students at college campuses are surrendering and giving their lives to Jesus!
Even though you hear the term revival being used with these examples, that is not what the word revival truly means. Oxford Dictionary defines revival as “an improvement in the condition of strength of something, or an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again”.
True revival is marked by a rediscovery of the word of God, a restored sense of the fear of God, a return to God through confession and repentance, a renewed spiritual commitment as God’s people, and finally a reformation of true devotion to God. Revival is not about long church services, buildings, college campuses–revival is about a lifestyle where you as a Christ-follower are truly in love with God with your entire heart. You have such a passion everyday to pray, read his Word, and live like Jesus lived! That is Revival!
In Ezekiel 37, we read the story of Ezekiel prophesying to the dry bones to live again. There are four things that happen here that we can use today to bring revival to our lives.
In conclusion, we hear all the time in America that God wants to make America great again. America is only great if God is displayed as great in America. Because of love, God chooses not to act alone, but he chooses to use us for His glory. He wants to bring revival in us, so that all will look at us and say, we know that He is Lord. That is why He wants us to live out REVIVAL every day in our lives–for His glory!
What is Revival?
As we move towards the Easter season, the word revival has been used a lot at the Revival Center. Pastor Jason has been preaching a sermon series entitled Breakthrough Revival, Evangelist Darrin English is coming to the church in early April for a Spring Revival, we pray for revival, you hear the word itself frequently. In this blog, I wanted to take a small dive into what revival truly means to me.
There have been moments in history where “revivals” take place. Moments when church services are touched by the Hand of God and a normal service that usually lasts an hour and a half turns into five hour services that meet nightly for weeks and weeks. We have used the term tent revivals and especially in Pentecostal circles we have seen times like Azusa Street in the early 1900s and then later at Toronto Airport Vineyard Church in 1994 and still later in 1995 at the Pensacola Outpouring at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola Florida. Recently, we have seen revival services break out at college campuses across the United States, for example at Asbury College in Kentucky in 2023. Even now we see and hear the term revival being used as students at college campuses are surrendering and giving their lives to Jesus!
Even though you hear the term revival being used with these examples, that is not what the word revival truly means. Oxford Dictionary defines revival as “an improvement in the condition of strength of something, or an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again”.
True revival is marked by a rediscovery of the word of God, a restored sense of the fear of God, a return to God through confession and repentance, a renewed spiritual commitment as God’s people, and finally a reformation of true devotion to God. Revival is not about long church services, buildings, college campuses–revival is about a lifestyle where you as a Christ-follower are truly in love with God with your entire heart. You have such a passion everyday to pray, read his Word, and live like Jesus lived! That is Revival!
In Ezekiel 37, we read the story of Ezekiel prophesying to the dry bones to live again. There are four things that happen here that we can use today to bring revival to our lives.
- The Work of the Lord: In verses 1-4 we read the Lord did the work, not Ezekiel. That tells me that no one is too far gone and so spiritually cold or dead that God cannot bring them back to life. Even if it looks humanly impossible, nothing is impossible for God (see Mark 10:27)!
- The Word of the Lord: In Ezekiel 37, we read that God spoke to Ezekiel and told him exactly what to say and Ezekiel obeyed. Like Ezekiel, God is desiring to use us, but it requires us to be obedient and do what God has called us to do. God commanded, Ezekiel obeyed, God worked!
- The Wind of the Lord: In verse 9 of Ezekiel 37, we read that God sent the four winds to breathe life back into the dry bones. We read again of the winds of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:2, ”Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.” Like the Day of Pentecost, we need the power of the Holy Spirit active in our lives every day.
- The Will of the Lord: God wanted the dry bones to live again. His will for our lives is no different. He wants revival in our lives daily for His glory. God is passionate about His glory. That’s what He desires more than anything else, He wants the Holy Spirit to breathe life into us and make us an exceedingly great army!
In conclusion, we hear all the time in America that God wants to make America great again. America is only great if God is displayed as great in America. Because of love, God chooses not to act alone, but he chooses to use us for His glory. He wants to bring revival in us, so that all will look at us and say, we know that He is Lord. That is why He wants us to live out REVIVAL every day in our lives–for His glory!
1 Comment
Thank you