As someone who identifies as a Pentecostal / Charismatic, I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit and hold firmly to what we see in Acts 2 where the Holy Spirit fell on the early church with undeniable power. I believe that gifts of the Spirit are in operation today and hold to the the reality of miracles and the expectation that God still moves supernaturally in modern times. Yet, there’s a subtle danger within our movement and it’s the obsession with “revival culture.” Christians within our movement chase the next big outpouring, the latest anointed preacher, uncommon manifestations… at the expense of daily discipleship.
Revival shouldn’t be our goal. Signs and wonders aren’t something we should be actively pursuing. God Himself, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the only One we should be going after. When we fix our eyes on revival instead of on Jesus, we’re building our lives on sinking sand; the sand of “revival” experience. Revival culture promises packed altars, hours of worship, manifestations and stories of entire churches and sometimes even cities transformed overnight. Don’t get me wrong; these things can and do happen. God is sovereign and gracious. But when we actively to seek revival as an end in itself, we’re moving away from Biblical Christianity and into subjective experiential “Christianity” (if it can even be called that). We can know we’ve been infected by so-called revival culture if we display any of the following:
We hop from conference to conference, livestream to livestream, looking for the next emotional high, masked as “revival”. Faith becomes revival-driven where we “experience God” rather than our faith being daily and life-encompassing. When the meeting ends and the lights go out, people feel empty again because the presence they experienced was tied to atmosphere, music, and crowd energy rather than to a personal relationship with Christ.
Revival culture elevates experience over obedience. Jesus warned the crowds who followed Him for miracles: “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe” (John 4:48). The Pharisees demanded a sign, but Jesus called them an evil generation for seeking one (Matthew 12:39). In our day, we do the same; we judge the authenticity of our faith (and the faith of others) by how many goosebumps we felt or how “strong God’s presence was” in a meeting, rather than by whether we’re walking in daily holiness and obedience to the Lord (loving our spouses, being honest in all things, rejecting the works of the flesh, etc).
Revival culture breeds disappointment and cynicism. When an expected revival / move of God doesn’t come, or when it seems to come and then fades out just as quickly as it came, people burn out. Some leave the faith entirely, convinced they were fooled and it’s all fake. Others become cynical toward anything that appears supernatural, even genuine moves of God. Both responses are a result of the failed promises of revival culture.
It can open the door to deception. A desperate hunger for revival often blinds those seeking it to strange fire. History shows that some of the most excessive and even heretical expressions of so called “moves of God” have popped up during seasons of revival excitement (think the Toronto Blessing). Those involved in revival culture often get into very strange and unBiblical manifestations and doctrines and walk in offence towards those who don’t follow suit.
Pentecostalism was born in prayer rooms, not stadiums. The Azusa Street Revival started with a small group seeking God’s face in humility, not marketing the next big event for people to come to and “experience revival”. The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Daily disciplines, not periodic explosions of “revival” is what we’re called to as followers of Jesus. In fact, Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). He calls us to take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23). The Christian life is a life of daily obedience: loving God, loving our neighbor, forgiving our enemies, walking in absolute honesty, serving the poor, sharing the gospel; day after day, whether we feel “the anointing” or not. Paul the Apostle was used by God in extraordinary signs and wonders and this is what he wrote, “I want to know Christ, yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). His deepest longing was Christ Himself, not the miracles that he saw take place through his ministry.
Let’s be clear: signs, wonders and miracles still happen today. The sick are healed, demons are cast out, prophetic words are given, speaking in tongues and interpretations continue to edify the church and on the list goes; God hasn’t changed. But these things, while absolutely awesome, are not the evidence that we’ve finally “arrived” spiritually or that we’re holy. These things mean nothing relating to our personal walk with the Lord. These are gifts and God can use anyone to manifest His power through, even those who hate the people of God (Romans 9:17). When the Holy Spirit moves powerfully, it’s a sign that the Gospel Message is true… not that the one being used by God is true. The greatest moves of God in history, Wales 1904, Azusa Street 1906, the Argentine revival, the Brownsville revival, began with repentance and desperate prayer, not with a desire to be known as some kind of a revival hub.
- Whether Pentecostal, Baptist, etc, we’re called to the simple yet costly path of following Jesus day by day. How can we do this?
- Rise early to meet Him in prayer and the Word, even when you feel nothing
- Obey Him in the big things… and in the so-called “little things”
- Love the difficult people in your local church
- Share the gospel with those you come into contact with on a daily basis
- Walk in humility, repentance, and holiness day by day
That is the Spirit-filled life; true Biblical faithfulness to the Lord. When we seek God alone, revival may come as a sovereign gift. People, churches and entire cities may be shaken by God’s power. Thousands may be saved and miracles may begin taking place on a regular basis. But if this doesn’t happen, we’re still the children of God and we’re called to walk with Him in simple daily faith and obedience. Our joy is not in a revival outpouring; it’s in the One who loves us and gave Himself for us on the Cross.
He is enough.
