Why Revivals Burn Out
The safety and integrity of any building is founded on the principle that the building itself must stay true to the foundation.
The foundation of any building sets the parameters for what is to be built. And while there are times when the building itself will reach beyond the footprint set by the foundation, it is always held in place by that foundation. This is a simple yet critical point when we consider what the normal Christian life should look like. The Church was birthed in revival: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the overwhelming presence of God upon a people that changes us individually and corporately until it eventually impacts a city. This was our beginning, our foundation. Why should we expect to build upon anything less than God’s heart revealed on that day? Everything built upon that foundation must live in honor of those same boundaries/values. But then, because that foundation can take greater weight, it must be built upon to take it to higher levels, as God always takes us from glory to glory.
The Nature of Revelation
“What we call revival is simply New Testament Christianity, the saints going back to normal.”
God reveals things to us to increase our understanding of inheritance, as revealed truth draws us into a relationship with Him where our understanding illustrates the nature of His covenant with us. Revelation leads to experience, which in turn leads us to greater revelation. Truth stewarded well attracts greater truth. God always intended that stewarding truth well would take us to new levels of glory.
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law (Deut. 29:29).
This really is an astonishing statement. Whatever has been revealed in times past is our present possession. And that promise is eternal. This promise is God’s perspective on what has been given to us, meaning it is settled in His mind. And yet if we look at history, we’d have to admit that some things were understood and practiced at previous times that are not as clear today. Any breakdown in the effectiveness of this promise is not on God’s end of the equation. It’s on ours. And the breakdown continues as long as we fall for the lie that our inferior demonstration of the power, purity, and love is what God ordained for this season. It’s simply not true. He did not ordain lack. He stated that truth was to belong to us, and truth experienced always leads to freedom and liberty. These are the expressions of true citizens of His Kingdom. Somehow what they knew then was not kept at the forefront of their thinking or managed well in their lifestyle for the next generation to inherit. Truths are to be a part of our spiritual inheritance, revealing what God is calling us into.
“My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from now and forever” (Is. 59:21).
This promise overlaps the previous one from Deut. 29:29, in that even the prophetic words were never to depart from our mouths, nor the mouths of our descendants, forever! God has always had a plan to incorporate the gifting and experiences of multiple generations into one ongoing expression of His purposes on earth. This is never clearer than in revival. Revival is truly where Heaven invades earth.
It probably needs to be stated here that when I talk about revelation, I’m not talking about adding to Scripture. The Bible is complete; don’t add, don’t take away. But we need revelation to understand what has already been written. When the Holy Spirit comes upon a person in revelation, it is a most wonderful experience. Sometimes it is extreme, usually with some sort of power encounter involved that expands our understanding of a subject or issue. And sometimes revelation comes in a very subtle way, which is usually primarily a cognitive level. Obviously extreme moments are easier to remember. But it is often the subtle that is where we are tested most, in that the prevailing question is this: Will we steward what was given until God has accomplished His purposes in us through that truth? These moments are primarily cognitive, in that they touch our mind/perception.
“God has always had a plan to incorporate the gifting and experiences of multiple generations into one ongoing expression of His purposes on earth.”
First of all, there is a level of truth that is common for all people with no need for additional revelation. As I understand it, there are three different witnesses that testify of our understanding of truth: 1. Creation itself speaks of the nature and existence of God. It reveals Him for all who are interested. 2. The laws of God are written on our hearts. You don’t need to grow up in a civilized country to know that stealing is wrong. We carry that realization in our heart. 3. Jesus enlightens the heart and mind of every person who comes into the world. (See John 1:9.) It seems that this may be where due north is established in the heart, which is the absolute sense of right and wrong. Everyone receives that when they are born into this world. But there is more, and the Holy Spirit is needed for such increase. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).
Every truth reveals the nature of God and is ultimately an invitation to enter into a relationship with Him in order to enter the promised lifestyle that illustrates the revelation given. Whenever God reveals truth to us, He is inviting us into ongoing experience that testifies of Him.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, illustrates this reality quite well.
I love the study of revival in Scripture and in Church history. The Old Testament story of Nineveh, addressed in the book of Jonah, is mind-boggling, even for New Testament times. It might be one of the most underrated moments in all of history, certainly worthy of focused attention. And then there’s the story of Ephesus in the New Testament, found in Acts 19. Each city saw an invasion of God’s presence that brought transformation of life for their entire city.
Each story in Scripture and in Church history provokes me to a pursuit of all that God has made available in my lifetime. But the problem I have with most studies on revival is that conclusions are made based on the history of revival, and not on the nature or promises of God. That means that when a revival ended due to greed, competition, self-promotion or the like, it is assumed that it was God’s will for it to end. And while it is God who can bring an end to such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it was not because God no longer wanted a revival. It was because He refused to align His outpouring with the soulish attempts of His people to control and direct Him. Perhaps the best illustration for this is the biblical responsibility of priests of the Old Testament, with the fire on the altar. It was God who lit the fire on the altar, but it was the priests who kept it burning. It is the same today. God initiates the mighty outpouring of His Spirit (fire), and we sustain or correctly steward the outpouring for His glory and the transformation of cities and nations, which is still in His heart.
And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out (Lev. 6:12, 13).
For a simpler example, consider this: Since revivals rarely last past two years, the common thought is that revivals are to be the occasional visitation of God to give a boost to an otherwise failing or weak Church. It rarely takes into account that God lifted the anointing for revival because of the sins or compromises of those leading it, which none of us would support.
God will often bless the unbeliever before He blesses the carnality of the Church. The blessing of God upon the unbeliever is His invitation, or calling card, for them to come and taste more of His goodness. As it is written, it’s His “kindness that leads us to repentance” (see Rom. 2:4). Blessing upon the unrighteous calls them to the source of that blessing, the Father. But if He blesses the carnality of the Church, He strengthens our independence, rebellion, need to be in charge. Throughout history He lifts His favor and blessings from the group of people who have entered into self-promotion, jealousy, and building personal empires from the move of God. Revivals have more than their share of such careless responses to the favor of God given in times of outpouring. He lifts the glory from us for our protection.
Pentecost, the True Foundation
The Scripture says that the apostle and prophet are the foundation of the Church. (See Eph. 2:20.) But Pentecost is the foundation of church life, in that it was their introduction to the filling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. That made everything that was thought to be impossible for the child of God now quite doable. This was most likely the greatest paradigm shift in all of history. Now, frail humanity had access to the divine in which, through grace, they were enabled to do what only the Son of God could do. That in essence is what grace is: divine favor given through the enabling presence of God. This was sure to change everything for all who see it as it really is.
It could be said that if there was ever a meeting that people didn’t control, defile, or redirect according to their opinions or religious preferences, it would have to be the gathering of 120 persons on the day of Pentecost. (See Acts 2:1-21.) No one knew enough to get it wrong. Those involved in this life-changing event first invaded Heaven with their prayers and intercessions for ten days. And yet they had no clue what God was about to do. They just knew they were to pray and then He would do something new. As a result, they became the target of Heaven. And Heaven hit its mark by taking a small crowd of hungry and humble people and changing the known world through them. Should it not be of concern to us that we have not continued with the nature and Spirit of our beginnings? Obviously, I believe it should be a primary concern. We can’t guilt or shame our way back to the foundation. But we can repent, confess, and earnestly pray our way back.
When Jesus addressed the issue of first love that was missing in the Church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4, He told them to return to the deeds they did in the beginning. Perhaps that would be good advice for us as well. Again, we see the biblical emphasis on sustaining what got us here—our foundation. Our beginnings must be recognized, honored, and valued for them to be of use in all that we’re building. We must not forget what got us here. It wasn’t technology, brilliant programs with lighting and sound. Neither was it through great campaigns and united endeavors by multiple churches involved, as valuable as these things are. It was Him. He became pronounced and conspicuous in and upon the Church through the outworking of the Holy Spirit, in and through His people. Yielded people, sometimes ignorant and simple, are the greatest tools in the hand of the Lord.
“Yielded people are the greatest tools in the hand of the Lord.”
Learning from Culture
One of my all-time favorite commercials is a United Airlines commercial from 1990. I bring it up on YouTube every once in a while, to watch again. I’ve even played it for our staff. In the commercial the owner of a business announces, “I got a phone call this morning from one of our oldest customers. He fired us. After 20 years, he fired us. He said he didn’t know us anymore. I think I know why. We used to do business with a handshake. Face to face. Now it’s a phone call. Then a fax. ‘I’ll get back to you later.’ With another fax, probably. Well folks, something’s got to change. That’s why we’re going to set out with our little face-to-face chat with every customer we have.” One of the guys objects saying, “But Ben, that’s got to be over 200 cities!” To which the boss responds, “I don’t care.” At this point someone comes in with a stack of airline tickets. He then hands them out to each of his team members. Then one of the guys asks the owner where he was going. He answers, “To visit that old friend who fired us this morning.”
I have to admit tears come to my eyes at the most embarrassing times, not always when it would seem reasonable to others in the room. And this is one of those times. It moves me in ways that are hard to explain. It is so easy in ministry to forget what got us to the place where we are tasting some measure of the blessing and favor of God. Our problem is that we supposedly become experts, leaving behind the simplicity of childlike faith and obedience that brought us to that place of breakthrough. It is the honest and authentic, face-to-face connection with God and His people that He values. This example, silly as it may seem to some, illustrates what is important in Church life in general and is critical in revival. We must maintain the simplicity of devotion to Christ that brought us into a place of significant outpouring. That role of continually placing ourselves on the altar of His mighty work is what keeps the fire burning.
Original Design
Many years ago, I heard a great leader in the Body of Christ recount a fun story he experienced as a pastor. The congregation was growing wonderfully and had run out of room. In response, they were building a new sanctuary. Personally, he had no building skills, whatsoever, but wanted to be involved somehow. Finally, the contractor found something he could trust the pastor to be able to do. (I don’t remember the actual numbers for this story, but the principle is untouched.)
He asked the pastor if he could cut 100 two-by-fours to a length of eight feet. The pastor was excited to be involved. So, after everyone left for the day, he began to work on his assignment. He took the first board, measured eight feet in length with his tape measure, marked it with his pencil and cut the board. He then put the tape measure away and used the newly cut board to measure his next one. He figured it would be a lot easier than having to use the tape measure 99 more times. He drew a line at the end of the board. He then removed the previously cut board, put it in a stack and cut the one with the fresh pencil line. He then took that newly cut board, placed it on top of the next one and cut it. The problem with that method of measurement is that each time he measured from the previously cut board and drew a line, it was about one eighth of an inch too long. That wouldn’t be much of a problem if he was only cutting two or three boards. But having each of the 100 boards about an eighth of an inch longer than the previous put the boards at the end of the job around nine feet in length. His assignment was to cut them to eight feet. Small deviations amount to great errors over time.
“The resurrected Christ is our example: Jesus is perfect theology.”
This is a powerful lesson for me personally, as it speaks about adhering to the original standard for what God intends to do in our lifetime. The resurrected Christ is our example: Jesus is perfect theology. We often approach Church life this way, comparing ourselves with the previous generation with only an eighth-inch difference. But after 2000 years of eighth-inch differences, we have a Church with values, priorities, and lifestyles that don’t look anything like the original standard found in Jesus Christ. And to top it off, many consider it a virtue not to pursue deliverance, healing, salvation and cultural transformation. Jesus described His intent this way:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:12–15).
That passage, backed by our Master’s personal lifestyle of love, miracles, and purity, is the eight-foot-long board. What we have in most of our churches is the board that keeps getting cut an eighth of an inch longer than the previous generation and/or movement until 2000 years later, we end up with Church life that bears little resemblance to the standard. To make matters worse, we leaders redefine what we’re supposed to be doing to fit what we’re good at. That way, we can feel good about ourselves and our success. I’m not in this to feel good about myself. I’m in this because He called me to Himself and gave me life. And now I am responsible to do what He said, believe what He promised, and obey His commission, all in the context of love and purity.
When I say these kinds of things, it is never to bring shame or guilt. That doesn’t help. In fact, my desire is quite the opposite. Making such decrees is to give each one an invitation to true Kingdom-like hunger. It’s an invitation to pursue and embrace all that God has promised and purposed for our lives and ultimately for this generation. We just can’t get away with reducing our assignment to what we’re good at. For example, I may never be good at a miracle lifestyle. It makes no difference. We are called into this and must take it seriously. And in response to the call, I must embrace it with my whole heart.
Jesus, the Person of Revival
Jesus is revival personified. So many things stand out in examining the life of Christ, each of which testifies to the life of revival: His compassion, wisdom, powerful teaching and insights, miracles, and His ability to draw those who seemed to be the least deserving to Him. Volumes have been written just describing His life and His impact. Revival is rediscovering the beauty and wonder of Jesus. He, through the working of the Holy Spirit, comes to the forefront of our thinking once again in every great move of God. For me it is His power, His love, His wisdom, and His purity. Those four things express to me who Jesus is. And they express the nature of revival. As Leonard Ravenhill puts it, “God is one pent-up revival.”
I believe it is natural for us to be drawn to different aspects of His life. We find ourselves attracted to what has impacted us the most. The way He treated the woman caught in adultery illustrates His compassion beautifully and is an expression of revival. His love for children, unwilling for the disciples to make it all about the grown-ups, stands out to others. The point is, we are all attracted to different things about Jesus. And while I am especially moved by specific stories, I don’t have the luxury of deciding what parts of His life I am willing to follow.
I’ve heard people react to an emphasis on healing by saying, “Healing is not the whole Gospel.” And my response is, “Yes, that’s true. But neither is it whole without it.” It’s a part of a much bigger message: Salvation is to touch the whole man—spirit, soul, and body. But sometimes when something is ignored, or set aside because it causes controversy or pain, then it’s time to emphasize it for a season until it’s healthy enough to be sustained as a normal part of our lifestyle. But until then, it receives extra emphasis to bring it into its rightful place. We do that with our diets. Sometimes we’re lacking in certain things, so we boost our intake of vitamin C, for example, until our health becomes more stable.
Often when things are emphasized by a certain group or person, another person will say, “That teaching is out of balance.” I remember when I first heard someone teach on balance; it was a liberating word, because it carried with it the understanding that we often need to embrace conflicting ideas or practices to come into a place of health. But to be honest, most of the time I hear the word used today, it’s to tell me what I can’t have. It’s prohibitive, not inviting. For many, balance is middle of the road, somewhere in between joy and depression, or between hot and cold. That’s not the Gospel. But if balance to you means “red-hot for the power of the Holy Spirit,” and “red-hot in your passion for the Word of God,” then call me balanced. That is my pursuit. It’s never to be either/or.
He Becomes Conspicuous
Revival is a season where God’s presence becomes manifested much more openly. His presence and His will become what the hungry are preoccupied with. In revival, it is the nearness of God that becomes the most dominating factor. Some would argue that God is with us always, and that revivals are mere hype over what already exists. It is true that He is with us and will never leave us. But as true as that statement is, it is equally incomplete in every way. He makes Himself conspicuous to those who hunger for Him, as it was He who promised, “I will be found by you” (Jer. 29:14).
I’ve seen times when the presence of God is so pronounced in a gathering that musicians couldn’t play, singers couldn’t sing, preachers couldn’t preach, and the need for Christian activities all but vanished. Why? He is among us, and nothing else matters. The awareness of His presence is so pronounced that everything else fades into obscurity. Schedules dissolve, anxieties disappear, and reconciliation is in the air. The need to do something to satisfy our definition of a good meeting goes away while confession, repentance, and restoration in relationships become common, although they are seldom the direction given from the platform. In such moments I’ve had people ask me to invite people to faith in Christ. “When are you going to give an altar call?” Others have been miraculously healed when no one is praying for healing. And still others obtain the sound mind that was promised to them in their salvation. The mightier the manifest presence of God is among us, the less there is for us to do, except, of course, respond to Him. He leads in the dance, and ours is to follow. Our role in directing the meeting ceases. He is here. And He is Lord.
The beauty of this kind of gathering, that we cannot conjure up, is that the glory experienced in the corporate meeting often follows us home. Peace and joy fill our homes in new ways, while our workplace goes through a transformation of its own. Sometimes people want to know what is different about us. They can sense something has happened, but can’t put their finger on it. There are other times that His presence is upon me in such a strong way that I can’t sleep. Sometimes it’s the fire of His presence, sometimes it’s His raw power. I don’t analyze it. But neither will I ask Him to remove it. I assume it is His way of summoning me to Himself, and I must say yes.
I suppose it also needs to be said that in such times of glorious presence, He equally leads us into the disciplined study of the Word, into small groups for meaningful relationships, and wonderful times of thanksgiving, praise and worship. He’s the one who leads us into the most meaningful parts of life, each in their own place and in their own time. We can and must always trust His lead.
There are many ways to describe this mysterious but wonderful grace that is released over the people of God. We usually define it by what we value most in the Gospel, whether it be souls saved, bodies healed, or a new grace for worship and the priority in the gathering to delight in His presence. All of this, and more, is true. But it’s best to leave the direction up to Him and learn to follow His lead.
