Come Down, Lord!

 For part one go here . So what we do? We know a little bit of what is possible, but we are confronted with the Church’s lukewarm condition.   What do we do?   One thing we have found studying revival is that almost invariably there is a connection between prayer and revival.  Our problem is actually simple one.  We do not have because we do not ask.  And when we do ask it is half-hearted and insincere.  We are not importunate in our praying. We pray briefly, often carelessly; and there is often a measure of hypocrisy in our praying because there are things that revival would accomplish we don’t actually want. We are addicted to things of the world and unless we are laying those things down, dealing with the idols of our hearts we can’t expect God to hear us. I want to give you three examples of the connection between importunate prayer and revival: First, in the Hebrides .  When things were at their worst it was two women who twice a week...

* Unless otherwise indicated excerpts are taken from Revival! by Brian Edwards, Authentic Records of Revivals by Reid and The Power of Prayer by Samuel Prime.  The following has been transcribed from a sermon preached at the Church at War conference in Waterloo, Ontario (with minor edits). We have heard with our ears O God our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their days in the times of old… and the psalmist when on then to plead with God to do it again. - Psalm 44:1 Can you say what he said?  Can you say that you have heard what God has done in times of old?   I think many of us don’t even realize what is possible with God because we haven’t heard.  We’re not asking for revival because we don’t know what revival is.  We haven’t heard the stories of when God has come down among the people.   After giving an account of revival in the Hebrides Duncan Campbell asked the people a question: “My dear people, do you good folk understand what...

In a book titled  The Turn of the Tide , Vernon Higham  wrote that once we have faced the potential of revival nothing else will do .   He added, " His touch alone will suffice.  We have no option in the matter.  Only  revival  will meet our need...  We try to bring little buckets of blessing... but what is this in a drought?  We need a drenching. We need showers of rainfall from heaven and the only one who can provide them is God."    Are you burdened for revival?   I was encouraged and challenged by the testimony of a father who on the discovery of dishonesty in his son stayed up all night to pray for him - and got the victory!  His son was gloriously saved.   Is it any wonder that Spurgeon urged the importance of at least occasionally praying all through the night?    Where is that same valiant spirit among us?   A minister speaking on  revival  (in 1840) asked questions...

  I started this blog in 2020 out of a burden for revival.  But my interest in revival goes back to 2003 when I first read Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill.  Since then I have given a good part of my spare time to the study of revival.  It is something I have longed for, hoped for and prayed for.  So when I first learned that revival had come to Asbury Kentucky I was eager to learn more.  Naturally, I wondered, is this the real thing?  And that is precisely what many others are wondering still.  Some have already written it off as empty emotionalism.  Others have suggested it is demonic rather than Christian.  And still others have welcomed the "Asbury revival" as a genuine move of God.  So which is it? I have hesitated to weigh in for a number of reasons.  First, it seemed prudent to give it time.  It was Gamaliel who wisely said. " Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be o...

 "I'd be happy to go to heaven tonight..." 

Updated October 28, 2020 Here I want to recommend books on the theme of revival.   By that I do not mean biographies of men used in revival like Whitefield, Wesley or Elias. Rather, I mean books written either about the subject itself or books that give accounts of revival. Years ago I was introduced to Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill.   That book (in 2003) changed my life.  In fact it had more of an impact on me than any book since.  From that point I have had a growing interest in the subject of revival and also a growing burden to see the Lord revive the Church in this country.    In 2004 I discovered Sermon Index .  That year I heard three sermons/talks that dramatically impacted me.  The first was titled Ten Shekels and a Shirt .  Though it isn't a sermon on revival, the subject of revival came up.   It was a sermon that changed my perspective on God, missions, salvation and revival.   The second was a gripp...

Leonard Ravenhill offered this definition of revival in America is Too Young to Die .  There are other good definitions out there, but this one has a prophetic ring to it.   "Revival is the act of the Spirit upon believers who have lost their first love. Revival is the restoration of true doctrine.  Revival is the rekindling of the power of prayer in individuals and in groups. Revival is seeing that God must be vindicated either by His mercy in pardoning - or by judgment! Revival is the ascendancy of the spiritual over the material . Revival is the Spirit's passion within the believer to know and to obey the total will of God. Revival is the willingness to forsake all - that God might be all-in-all to the individual and to the Church. Revival is the "no-time-limit" operation of God on the saints, resulting in a moving of God among the sinners. Revival is the redeemed, sobbing with broken hearts over a nation of broken lives from breaking the comman...

I discovered this book last March.  After reading it I posted the following on our church blog: "It wasn't a hard read.  It was actually a very simple straightforward read.  It was also very difficult to put down!  But it was hard in another way:  it was painful.  It was convicting on a level few other books are. Its odd (isn't it) that this book is out of print.   I can't think of a book more urgently needed at this time!   Is it because we no longer see our own need?  Is it because it is too painful?  I don't know the reason, but it is a situation that needs to be somehow rectified.  If you are going to read a book on revival I would beg you to begin here.  But that raises a problem.  There are few copies available anymore; which means you may need to write Richard Owen Roberts.  Don't hesitate to do so.  This books needs to be reprinted.  If you read this book here's what you will gain: ...