When we have real TRANSFORMATION...it will show up in our living, our churches, our communities and our businesses.
Jesus promised that His people would be filled with the Spirit, ambassadors of the Gospel and forerunners of His Kingdom. We are supposed to be God's image bearers in the world, manifesting His glory everywhere. We are supposed to be DIFFERENT.
Our forefathers prayed, preached, worked and hoped for something more. REAL CHANGE. They believed that God would come and transform His people so that they would live in the world as He intended.
I believe every generation longs for an AWAKENING...God's empowering presence to RENEW His people for more vital living and more faithful ministry in the world.
Does God want TEMPORARY or LASTING renewal? Temporary could be described as getting a spurt of transformation during a season of dryness, only to dry up again later. Lasting is a continual renewal that is sustained regardless of dry and barren conditions.
Surely, God must want our renewal to be be LASTING! He longs to send a revival that will provoke us to join His cause and regain our fervor! He longs for His people to receive His divine touch and then do something with it.
Think of it like this...God gives birth to a plant in your garden. We can all agree that this in itself is a miracle from the Lord. But to make the plant grow, the gardener needs to work hard: cultivating, planting, weeding, feeding and watering.
What is REVIVAL? re-viv-al = an improvement in the condition of strength of something; a reawakening of religious fervor; a restoration to bodily or mental vigor, to life or consciousness, or to sporting success.
Perhaps Revival has key elements that we need to consider...
Renewal
When you look at a clock on the wall, you expect it to keep time. However, if the battery is running low, it slows down and will not keep the correct time. The same thing happens to us...we run down spiritually, emotionally, physically and even missionally. We need to be REMINDED and RENEWED so we can be REENGAGED in the work of God.
Renewal happens when we are revitalized. Just like a battery...it cannot recharge on it's own...it has to be plugged in for a charge to take place.
Reformation
Reformation is the ongoing practice of bringing every aspect of life and ministry into a greater conformity with the Gospel. Unlike renewal...God's supernatural gift...reformation takes place when we work faithfully to address our shortcomings and areas of weakness.
We are called to action. Even if God visits us with a supernatural "touch" of renewal...we must still be active in pursuing His will for our lives. Going to church does not make me a Christian. Standing in my garage does not make me a car. Going to church is part of the process God uses to GROW me and RENEW me...therefore it is essential that I do my part.
Revival
God is still reviving His people. We can describe it as a "great awakening" that sweeps through our country or visits a local church...but in essence REVIVAL renews God's people for carrying out God's purposes in God's world.
We see this in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament on the Day of Pentecost...when God poured out His Spirit to INDWELL and EMPOWER His people for ministry!
The Bottom Line
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the GLUE that holds it all together. If we rely simply on reformation, we'll approach our Christian walk as a task and a goal we can achieve if we work hard enough. However, that will lead to pride, frustration and eventually exhaustion. If we simply rely on revival, we'll approach our Christian walk with a heightened excitement, passion and felt empowerment that has to constantly be stirred up or sought after.
True renewal is a gift from God but it is one that involves His empowering Spirit and our faithful response.
