"What Is A Revival?  Part I"
Dr. Rick Flanders

READ Matt. 5:33-37

The United States of America has experienced in its history great periods of religious revival that have profoundly affected our country’s culture and history. A nation-wide revival called “The Great Awakening” laid the foundation for our independence. Of this period, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “It seemed as if all the world were growing religious.” A second “Great Awakening” in the early eighteen-hundreds held our society under its influence for forty years and brought about the end of slavery. Revivals have spread out to be national events. Some revivals have shaken whole cities or counties, but have not spread further. Many revivals have taken place within a single local church. Regardless of its size or influence, a real revival is a powerful and wonderful thing.

A revival is not a special series of services at a church, under a tent, or in a big public auditorium. Revival campaigns have been held in these places, but the special services themselves do not constitute a revival. A real revival is the reviving of the Christians’ love for God. A great American named Charles Finney said,

“A Revival is. . .the renewal of the first love of Christians, resulting in the awakening and conversion of sinners to God.”

Mr. Finney knew what he was talking about. He took part in some of the greatest revivals of all time, in which thousands became Christians, morality came back to communities, and the churches grew in number and in holiness.

The great need of America in the 1990's is a revival. Our county needs a revival; our churches need revival; our country needs a great revival of true Christianity!  In the Bible, Psalm 85 describes what a revival is and how to get it. Let every believer in Christ read this chapter again!