When true Holy Spirit Revival happens, the saved are revived, the lost are saved, and they are both filled with the Power of God from the promises of God!  They are now commissioned and passionate about changing the world around them.  Acts 1:8;  I Cor. 12:1-31.  These promises, this wonderful experience, is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth.  Acts 2:38; 10:44-46; 11:14-16.  This passionate explosion, in most cases, happens during a real Holy Spirit led revival.  The sleepy or complacent believers are set on fire by the Holy Spirit and called to change their region!  This always results in the lost being saved and set on fire right alongside them.

Revival in Hebrew is Chayay {khaw-yah'-ee}.  It means to be quickened, to be made alive, to be restored to life or health, from sickness, from discouragement, from faintness, from death! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It encompasses the resurfacing of a greater love and passion for a Holy and Righteous God than they usually have ever experienced.  Revival moves beyond the heart of nominal, complacent Christianity and is usually marked by a life that is lived in holiness because He is Holy. 

Revival also stimulates an aggressive hunger and passion for His Word and a desire to be with those of like precious faith.  It is a convicting awareness of personal and corporate sin, a spirit of humility, and a desire for repentance and growth in righteousness.  Revival invigorates and always deepens a believer's faith, opening his or her eyes to spiritual truth.  It marks a new beginning of a life lived in obedience to God through intense worship, prayer, fasting, repentance and the reading of God's Word.  Revival breaks the fascination, deception and power of the world in which we live, which blinds the eyes and hearts of men.  Isaiah 44:18, 2 Corinthians 4:4.  True revival from the Holy Spirit generates both the will and power to live in the world but not of the world.

In the USA, the first revival, also called the First Great Awakening, produced an upsurge of devotion among Protestants in the 1730s and 1740s.  It resulted from authoritative Holy Spirit inspired preaching that brought Godly conviction to the hearts of both saved and unsaved alike, young and old.  It revived this sense of Godly conviction, which is separate from condemnation, Romans 8: 1-5, and released an awareness of the awesome nature of a Holy and Righteous God, and that salvation can come through Christ His Son and Him alone.  Breaking away from the traditional religious mindset, the Great Awakening made Christianity intensely personal to the average person.

 

 

 

 

In turn, the person must respond from the heart, acknowledging his or her need.  Then, in a powerful way, the Holy Spirit draws back the veil the enemy has cast over the truth, allowing that person to fully see themselves in comparison to God's glory, majesty and holiness.  Obviously, such comparisons bring great humility and repentance, but also bring an awareness and awe of God in relation to His great love for them personally and His truly amazing grace for His creation.  For the believer, unlike the original conversion experience that brings about a new relationship to God,  revival represents a restoration of fellowship with God.  It always takes them to a new place, a new level, a new depth of intimacy and love with the God who created them.  After salvation, the first tactic of the enemy is to distract you with the cares of this life or busyness of new ministry or even a religious lifestyle. We can become weighed down with the cares of life, rituals of religion, even ministry, and we soon find ourselves just going through the motions - thereby losing our first love.  It's then that we no longer experience the joy of serving Christ.  True revivalinitiated by the Holy Spirit helps restore that first love, passion and intimacy towards Christ.

Revelation 2:14-16  talks about the problem of compromise with the world and incorporating worldly values into our belief systems.  Revival helps us to rightly discern what values we should hold.  Matthew 7:15-23 discusses the problem of tolerating false teaching in our churches.  We need to examine the fruits that we bear and compare them to the message of the Bible.  Revival helps us to discern the truth.  Revelation 3:1-6  describes a dead church, a church that goes through the motions outwardly, but there is nothing underneath; there is no intimacy.  Here is a picture of nominal Christianity, outwardly prosperous, busy with the externals of religious activity, but devoid of spiritual life and power.  Revival helps to resuscitate spiritual life.  In Revelation 3:11, we are further warned against spiritual complacency, a life that does not bear fruit.  True Holy Spirit inspired revival will always bear great fruit in the life of the believer.

 

 

 

The non-believer comes and is delivered from sin and guilt, and the believer will always move passionately closer toward living a righteous life under the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Believers will be seen once again spending time in worship, prayer, reading and obeying God's Word, which ultimately leads to a greater depth and availability of Holy Spirit power in the believer's life.  This usually results in passion to disciple other new believers.  This kind of intimate relationship with our Savior is where ministries are born, miracles, signs and wonders happen, and souls are saved.  You will see believers once again begin to powerfully use their spiritual gifts to change the atmosphere around them. 

When true Holy Spirit led revival has been ignited in the hearts of complacent believers, souls will be taken from the kingdom of darkness and will enter the Kingdom of Light.  Homes, marriages, churches, communities and our country will be changed, one ignited believer at a time.  Through true Holy Spirit led revival, we can and will change the atmosphere around us, not only in the spiritual realm, but also in the physical realm! 

 

 

 
 

 

The only things that have real substance are those things which we accomplish in the spiritual realm for the Kingdom of God.  We, as the church, must get back to being hungry, holy and spirit led!  We must get back to being a people whose desire is to KNOW their God intimately!  That's Revival!  

Greg and Connie Stoffel
Senior Founding Apostolic Pastors of 

Ignite Revival Ministries and Sequoia Worship Center

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