EXACTLY WHAT IS REVIVAL?

A Synopsis of USCAL Upper Midwest Region 7 Roundtable | May 20-21, 20014 —Mark W. Pfeifer

21 leaders gathered at Atonement Church in Fargo, North Dakota for the inaugural USCAL Upper Midwest Region 7 Roundtable. 

Following an incredible hour of prayer, the group assembled at the Roundtable.  The question was…

🤔 WHAT IS REVIVAL?

This may seem like a simple question, but with so many variables and assumptions about revival, it has become a very complicated issue.

▶︎ Exactly what is revival?  

▶︎ What does it look like?  

▶︎ How do we know if we’re in revival?  

▶︎ Can we be in revival and not know it?  

▶︎ What’s the end game?

One of the participants answered the question by quoting Duncan Campbell.  Revival is “a people saturated by God.”  👍🏻

That got the ball rolling.

But then the question came up:  🤷🏻 “Exactly what does ‘a people saturated with God’ look like?”  

▶︎ How can one tell if they are saturated?  

▶︎ Are there degrees of saturation?

👉🏻 This illustrative question was specifically asked, “What does it look like for a local butcher to be ‘saturated with God?’”

The discussion continued…

Someone (who ironically used to be a butcher 😁) suggested that “a people saturated by God” may include at least two parts.  

F I R S T :  There is AWAKENING. 

S E C O N D : There is REFORMATION.  

In other words, the “saturated” butcher would first have a personal awakening.  

▶︎ Awakening to what?

This is where John 16:8 came into focus.  Jesus said the Holy Spirit would, “…convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”

✔️ Specifically, the butcher could be described as being “saturated with God” when he is awakened to personal sin, an awareness of the need for righteousness in Christ, and the reality of Satan’s judgment.

This butcher would develop a different opinion of himself and others through this revelation, forming an entirely different worldview.  This would change the way he thinks, talks, believes, and behaves.  Simultaneously, he will develop an awareness of the presence of God in his life.

But what about the second part - REFORMATION?

▶︎ What does reformation look like for this butcher to live out his faith among “a people saturated with God?”  

Revival is not complete until personal awakening creates social reformation.  This is when revival goes from…  

⃕ Personal to Public,

⃕ Church to Culture,

⃕ Spiritual to Systematic.

The purpose of Revival is never fully complete until a community (church) is formed that confronts systematic sin in the culture simply by its antithetical existence.

…which brings up the next question…

▶︎ What would a city “saturated by God” look like?

THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN THE CITY

Revival in the church is a divine interruption of normal proceedings with an acute awareness of corporate sin, the need for corporate righteousness and the inescapability consequences of judgment.

Just like the personal journey of the butcher, the church that is “saturated by God “will make an inevitable impact on the community by their conduct and their invitation for others to join their way of life. 

📖 The Church of Jerusalem experienced two major outpourings of the Holy Spirit.  One in Chapter 2 and the other in Chapter 4.

In both instances, Luke records the end results of these outpourings in his conclusion to these two events.  Using similar language, he describes a community of believers beautifully functioning together in continued worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and evangelism.

But that’s not all!

The power and explosive 🧨 growth of the church could not be ignored in the city.  The “people saturated by God” experienced a change in the way they lived, loved, spoke, shopped, ate, worked, etc.  

Being saturated by God rearranged people’s priorities and shifted their allegiances – and the city took notice!

These changes were a threat to the existing social structures, both in the marketplace and in the government.  A clash → 💥 ← of these two completing systems was inevitable.  

This clash of Kingdoms is described by the Hebrew writer as a shaking in Hebrews 12:28-29, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”

The Book of Acts recounts the conflict that ensued when the church formed in the midst of Romans society.  It created a backlash from the Jewish community and the Roman officials in places like Lystra, Philippi, Corinth, Barea, Thessalonica, Ephesus, etc.

Nearly everywhere Paul went, the gospel created “a people saturated by God” that challenged social structures in their cities.  This is how an AWAKENING becomes a REFORMATION…

…individuals had personal encounters with God and created a community around those experiences that invited others to join their alternative society.

They became a city within a city…

🎯a people within a people…

🎯a society within a society…

🎯a nation within a nation…

…that challenged existing power structures and eventually replaced them.  

This became the foundations of Western Civilization.  

A CATALYTIC CHURCH

Finally, someone explained how a little dye in icing 🧁 can produce big changes.  That is called a catalyst in scientific terms.  

Jesus spoke of leaven 🍞 in this light.

👉🏻 A church comprised of “saturated people” creates a CATALYTIC church. 

Then we worked out this question…

WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A CATALYTIC CHURCH?

Here is the list:

1. A Catalytic Church is a Church that Prays:  Prayer helps prepare the harvest and gives us wisdom to be directed by God in bringing it in. 

2. A Catalytic Church is a Church of True Conversions: This is much more than attracting people to Sunday services.  While that might be the initial step, a true Catalytic Church produces people who are sold out and loyal to the Lordship of Christ.

3. A Catalytic Church is a Church of Love and Truth:  There must be a balance.  Sacrificing love for the sake of truth is wrong – but so is sacrificing truth for the sake of love.   Both must remain in balance like two sides of a single coin.

4. A Catalytic Church is a Church is a Family:  Humanity matures and performs the best in a family environment.  It is the most natural and fundamental communal element.

5. A Catalytic Church Creates an Environment Conducive to Growth.  Before God created humans, He created the garden.  Before he created birds, He created the air.  Before he created fish, He created water.  Before He created plants, He created the earth.  Before He created the earth, He created space.

And?

This shows us that God creates atmospheres before He creates life 🌎.  Perhaps we are trying to create disciples before we have created the proper atmosphere in which those disciples can live and thrive.

Catalytic churches have an ethos of life and growth.  This is created by prayer and worship and produces a joyful and celebratory atmosphere.

CONCLUSION:

Revival starts in the hearts of individual people (like the butcher) when they become aware of sin, righteousness and judgement.  They become a catalyst in local churches, helping others to experience the same.  

A community of awakened Christians create a Catalytic Church that forms an environment where true disciples are made.  These churches offer a superior way of life and invite others to join them.  They naturally confront and resist existing systematic structures that support cultural sin, following the Biblical model in the Book of Acts. 

THE END