What Kind of Revival Do We Need?

First, we need a revival of Truth. Many in the Church today are abandoning Biblical orthodoxy. Some might question whether or not my theology is Biblically sound, since I write so much about experience. I will get back to that, but my theology is firmly rooted in Biblical Truth. I am thoroughly evangelical.

Christians whose experience is not firmly established on God's Word tend to look for spiritual reality elsewhere, but the Bible is the only source of spiritual Truth. Many people who are fascinated by supernatural power tend to look for it in the wrong places, but nothing is more powerful than God's Holy Word when rightly understood and applied. God never intended for His Word to be merely assented to or intellectually grasped. That leads to legalism, deadness, and bondage. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Second, we need a revival of the application of Scriptural Truth i.e. a revival of obedience. Many Christians live in the realm of theory, and have no idea how their beliefs work out in practice. People who don't know how their faith works are easy prey to those who would lead them astray. Many people can demolish Christian arguments on an intellectual level, leaving Christians confused.

Christians who have worked out their faith on a practical level (Philippians 2:12-13), however, are another story. My brother has a coworker who is in a cult. This coworker has an answer for anything my brother says about this cult, but is silent in the presence of a testimony, and a life lived out in dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Reading God's Word with the intention of obeying it will help Christians establish the habit of applying God's Word in every area of life, and will open their hearts to understanding what is really True, and what is false (John 7:17). Christians with these habits and this understanding are unstoppable in the arenas of witness and service. This leads to a third point.

We need a revival of the heart. "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:21). Obedient Christians are really the only ones who love the Lord. You can see in this last reference a reinforcement of the Truth that obedience leads to understanding. Obedience leads to a deepening of one's relationship with Jesus. Christian living is not a list of rules. Christian obedience flows out of a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. And that testimony is irresistible!