The greatest need in the Church and in our country is revival. We need the awakening of sinners and rekindling of saints. Unless we experience the blessings of revival, the Church in our country will be severely diminished over the next century. History gives us examples of these seasons of refreshing, from the Book of Acts to the 19th century. Revival comes from the Holy Spirit as He wields the scepter of the Word, subduing the souls of men to the power of the Cross. Revival power has touched many different cultures in different eras. What does it look like? There are some common marks that describe this renewing of Biblical Christianity. These marks all involve obedience to the commands of Jesus, the King and Head of the Church. True revival comes in the midst of ordinary, faithful Christian ministry. How do we pursue revival? We obey the commands of Christ. We pursue the Great Commission, to go and make disciples by teaching what Christ commanded. What is the goal of the Great Commission? The stated aim is obedience to the commands of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20) What should Christian leaders do? We seek to set certain things before the brothers (1 Timothy 4:6). We want to train ourselves for godliness, and so set an example for the believers. (1 Timothy 4:7, 12). There are basic truths and practices we want to “command and teach.” (1 Timothy 4:11). What should we do? By God’s grace, we should seek to build a congregation that revolves around and is shaped by the Word. When our land is filled with congregations that are shaped by the Word, we will know that revival has come. But revival will not just happen. We have to be willing to pursue Biblical priorities for the Church. There are certain characteristics of a revival culture, and it all comes down to people trained by faithful Word-based ministries. Ministry is about people. What sort of people are raised by a strong, Word-centered ministry? People trained by the Word will:
1. Love Biblical Preaching—2 Timothy 4:1-5. Preaching matters. Strong pulpits are at the center of any true revival in Church history. The commitment to regular, expository, Christ-centered, soul-searching, Bible-saturated, Spirit-anointed preaching is vital for a healthy congregation. Preaching of the Word of God transforms lives, and is the means by which the Holy Spirit creates new hearts. Today, the younger generations are hungry for something of substance, and the commitment to expository, Christ-centered preaching is heavenly manna for the soul.
2. Love to Worship in Spirit and Truth---John 4:20-24. During seasons of revival, people love to worship. Strong congregations gather on the Lord’s Day for the purpose of worship. In fact, all mission work is driven by this goal of seeing men and women turn from idols to serve the living God. Worship is our reason for existence, and when we gather on the Lord’s Day to worship, we do so in obedience to Christ’s command, empowered by His Spirit, and governed by His Word.
3. Enjoy the Lord’s Day—Exodus 20:8-11, Psalm 92, Hebrews 4:9. A joyful embrace of the Lord’s Day is a vital element of Christian experience, and so we seek to revive a delight in Sunday as our “market day of the soul.” Historically, this delight in our Christian Sabbath has been expressed by embracing a commitment to public worship, morning and evening on the first day of the week. Lord’s Day evening worship is rare in our day, but could be a crucial help to our enjoyment of the Sabbath and simplicity of life in general. This commitment to one day out of seven devoted to worship, rest, simplicity and fellowship would be a timely antidote to the busy-ness of our society. If we saw Christians devoting this first day of the week to their risen and ascended Lord, we would have a different country. We ought to pray for a revival of Lord’s Day experience.
4. Believe the Gospel—Galatians 6:14. Revival preaching produces a generation of men and women who know and love the Gospel. There is much confusion about what the Gospel is, and how it should be communicated. We believe the Scriptures are clear, that there is good news for sinners, that the Gospel centers on the obedience, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe that this message is the only hope for fallen Man, and that all people ought to be urged to repent and believe the Gospel. Revival occurs when large numbers of people respond, repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Declare and Defend the Truth—1 Timothy 3:15. Revival Christianity is full in its explanation of Truth. The Church needs to recover her identity as a “pillar and buttress of truth.” Doctrine matters, because the Gospel matters. Any sound explanation of the good news requires a full, robust system of truth. When the truth is discarded, evangelism and spiritual life quickly follow.
6. Pursue Godliness—Titus 2:11-14, Sermon on the Mount. People converted to Christ have understood and embraced the truth. This truth is not only to be learned, it is to be lived. In fact, when the truth is not lived, it has not been fully understood. Historic Presbyterianism provides a remedy for the shallow Christianity we see all around our society. The remedy for Christianity-in-name-only is a high view of God’s Law as the standard for spiritual growth, and a firm reliance on the grace of the Holy Spirit to help us keep God’s commandments. We passionately pray for revival. When scores of people get serious about holiness, we will fall on our knees and thank God for a favorable answer.
7. Understand Conversion—2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Ephesians 4:22-24, John 3. Revival preaching explains how someone becomes a Christian. We need to have a healthy doctrine of conversion. What does it mean to be a Christian? How does a person become a Christian? In an age where these questions are answered in a multitude of unhelpful ways, we want to urge a Biblical doctrine of conversion. We become Christian, not by doing good things or receiving the sacraments, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our minds are challenged by the truth of the Word, our hearts are renewed by the Holy Spirit, we are thus enabled to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we now live in obedience to the commands of Christ in a vigorous pursuit of godliness.
8. Pursue Evangelism—The Gospel of John. This understanding of the Gospel, the Truth, godliness, worship, conversion, and all the rest are brought to bear in our evangelism. Revival Christianity is vigorous in its evangelistic passion. We want to see millions of conversions across our country, because that is the only hope for true cultural change. As we tell people about our Savior, what do we say? How do we explain the Gospel? What sort of life are we inviting people to enjoy? How is the Christian life different from that of a non-believer? Our evangelism is directly affected by how we understand the Gospel, conversion and the Christian life.
9. Extend Gracious Hospitality—Romans 12:13. What has happened to the Christian Church? Why are we no longer known for gracious hospitality? Relationships ought to be important to us, so fellowship in one another’s homes ought to be important to us. Hospitality is really just the practice of love for one another. Seasons of revival are characterized by a warmth and love between Christians. We need to recover the old notion of face to face communication (using real words!). Our current society communicates in a short, curt, surface manner. The joyful witness of the Church depends on this recovery of warm, loving, gracious, old-fashioned hospitality.
10. Build Christian Families—Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Revival Christianity restores the dignity of the family. Families are in desperate trouble in our country, and yet they are the basic building block of all society. We learn our earliest and most permanent lessons of life watching our parents and siblings. The nurture of family worship and piety is essential to our mission as the Lord’s Church. Healthy marriages and families depend on Biblical principles, and we desire our families to be havens for the aroma of Christ.
11. Joyfully Embrace Church Membership—Acts 2:42-47. The Church matters. She matters because she is Christ’s bride. She is His body. He is her Head. Membership in the local Church is not an abstract ideal—it is a tangible, concrete reality! We are part of one another! We share our struggles and joys together! We hold each other accountable, and spur one another on to love and good works. The taking of membership vows simply reflects this reality within the body of Christ. When a mass of people get serious about being part of the Church, we will know revival has come to our land.
12. Pursue Biblical Leadership—1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, Acts 6:1-7, Acts 15. Jesus Christ cares how His Church is governed. To be sure, we would never say that Presbyterianism is essential to be a true Church, because the true Church exists wherever the Gospel is preached, sacraments administered, and discipline upheld. However, we would also never say that Church government is unimportant. Presbyterianism is how the Chief Shepherd has arranged for His sheep to be pastored. Leaders lead. Officers of the Church think through the practical implications of Presbyterianism and how we ought to lead Christ’s flock.
Spiritual Labor of the Eldership
How will we measure and encourage strong Christian living?
Ministry of the Diaconate
To the Brotherhood—Galatians 6:10, Acts 6
To the Neighborhood—Galatians 6:10, OT, Matthew 22:37-40, James 2
13. Commit to the Great Commission—Matthew 28:18-20. Biblical leaders need to be men of character and vision. We are here to see souls won to Christ and then strengthened in the faith until their last breath. Jesus’ Great Commission is our “mission statement.”
14. Commit to Congregational Prayer—Isaiah 56:7, The Book of Acts. All of the above will be impossible without a commitment to congregational prayer. God uses the prayers of His people to accomplish His purpose. Revival harvests have always been preceded by seasons of preparation. The soil has been prepared through fervent corporate prayer. This neglected weapon of divine power is able to tear down strongholds, and we dare not lay it down. An army would be foolish to march into battle without its armor and weapons; the Church is equally so when she neglects this all important ministry of earnest, fervent, corporate, intercessory prayer. We want to pray for revival, the lost, our evangelistic witness as salt and light, national/world missions, and our own leadership. We are powerless without divine aid, and congregational prayer is our corporate declaration that apart from Christ, we can do nothing.
“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.” Psalm 85:6-7
“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down” Isaiah 64:1 |
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