How to think about Revival
As you may or may not know, there seems to be a genuine revival going on in Lakeland, Florida.
Living here in Great Britain, surrounded by skeptics, I’ve been trying to think about how Christians should be thinking about this apparent move of God’s Spirit in our midst. So, I’ve thought of a few ways that can help inform our thinking process.
1. ”Love is…kind; … it is not arrogant or rude. …Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things…” 1 Cor 13: 4, 7 – I believe that as Christians we should first have high hope, faith, and love in our hearts. And, according to Scripture, love believes and hopes all things. So, I believe and hope that this is a real, genuine move of God.
2. “…eagerly desire spiritual gifts.” 1 Cor 14:1 – We are to eagerly desire God’s spirit and His gifts. So, when we hear reports of God working mightily, we should be glad because we are seeing what we are seeking!
3. “…test everything. Hold fast to what is good.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21 – To balance, we shouldn’t be push-overs. We all are aware of the weird and wild excesses of some in the name of “the move of the Spirit.” So, we follow Scripture’s clear instruction to test everything.
Anytime God shows up in power, it’s hard to categorize nicely because God is God. He’s not easily boxed in. So, I know that some of us will be tempted to be overly-critical of such events. But, let us hold the instructions of God’s Word together in a holy tension as we believe, trust, desire, and test. After all, the same Holy Spirit that inspired those words is the same Holy Spirit that brings revival.
