Doing It God's Way

"He must increase, but I [must] decrease." John 3:30 (KJV)

Revival is a God-event--it is His presence, His power that saves souls and transforms communities, not an eloquent sermon or a persuasive altar call. It seems to me that man's only roll in revival is to pray and get out of the way! God puts the burden on people to pray, and it may be only a handful of people whose hearts are pure and whose hands are clean. They are people of great faith--they believe they have a promise from God and that He can do nothing less than keep that promise.

Unlike an evangelistic outreach in which some souls may be saved but the community remains unchanged, revival turns the whole community upside down. People are suddenly aware of God's presence and His holiness--they no longer pursue their sinful desires, but cry out to God for forgiveness and mercy. Bars close, gambling ceases, the police are hard-pressed to find anyone to arrest. The presence of God is so powerful that people do not need to hear a sermon to be saved, no invitation to receive Christ is necessary. Man's role is very small in true revival--that way, God gets all the glory!