| Revival or judgement
Strange though it may seem, there are distinct similarities between the
ways of God in revival and in judgment. Throughout the prophets the thought
of a divine visitation is used to describe blessing and revival on the
one hand (Jer 27:22) and a season of judgment on the other (Jer 50:31).
Likewise the overflowing rain could picture a time a spiritual revival
(Ezek 34:26) or of divine judgment (Gen 6:17). Another figure used of
the mighty operation of the Spirit in revival is fire from heaven (1 Kings
18:38; Acts 2:33), but it is also typical of the judgment of God (2 Kings
1:10). All this may be partly explained by the fact that there is an element
of judgment present in every revival. The purifying and quickening of
the people of God are moral and spiritual necessities. Because of His
very nature, God cannot and will not permit spiritual decline to continue
unchecked. He is ever halting and reversing the trend of the times by
means of revival - or judgment. Where His people are not prepared for
the one, they shut themselves up to the other.
Arthur Wallis, In The Day of Thy Power, p215
Revival averts the judgement of God
A revival of religion is indispensable to avert the judgments of God from
the Church. This would be a strange preaching if revivals were only miracles.
And if the Church has no more agency in producing them than it has in
producing a thunderstorm. We could not then say to the Church: “Unless
there is a revival you may expect judgments.” The fact is Christians
are more to blame for not being revived, than sinners are for not being
converted. And if they are not awakened, they may know assuredly that
God will visit them with His judgments.
How often God visited the Jewish Church with judgments because they would
not repent and be revived at the call of His prophets! How often have
we seen Churches, and even whole denominations, cursed with a curse, because
they would not wake up and seek the Lord, and pray: “Wilt Thou not
revive us again, that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?”
Charles Finney, Lectures on Revivals of Religion, Chapter
2: When A Revival Is To Be Expected
When revivals cease judgement must come
It is most significant that since the Reformation, revivals have recurred
with increasing frequency. Again and again, God has rescued that which
had gone beyond all human aid: what could have saved the church but these
gracious interventions of almighty power? The need can but grow more urgent
as the age draws to its close. When revivals cease to flow from the mercy
of God, judgement must come.
D. M.Panton, quoted Arthur Wallis, In The Day of Thy Power,
p214
Revival removes reproach from the church
A revival of religion is the only possible thing that can wipe away the
reproach, which covers the Church, and restore religion to the place it
ought to have in the estimation of the public. Without a revival, this
reproach will cover the Church more and more, until it is overwhelmed
with universal contempt. You may do anything else you please, and you
may change the aspects of society in some respects, but you will do no
real good; you only make it worse without a revival of religion. You may
go and build a splendid new house of worship, and line your seats with
damask, put up a costly pulpit, and get a magnificent organ, and everything
of that kind, to make a show and dash, and in that way you may procure
a sort of respect for religion among the wicked, but it does no good in
reality. It rather does hurt. It misleads them as to the real nature of
religion; and so far from converting them; it carries them farther away
from salvation. Look wherever they have surrounded the altar of Christianity
with splendour, and you will find that the impression produced is contrary
to the true nature of religion. There must be a waking up of energy on
the part of Christians, and an outpouring of God’s Spirit, or the
world will laugh at the Church.
Charles Finney, Lectures on Revivals of Religion, Chapter
2: When A Revival Is To Be Expected
Without revival the church will decline into
oblivion
Nothing but a revival of religion can preserve such a Church from annihilation.
A Church declining in this way cannot continue to exist without a revival.
If it receives new members, they will, for the most part, be made up of
ungodly persons. Without revivals there will not ordinarily be as many
persons converted as will die off in a year. There have been Churches
in this country where the members have died off, and, since there were
no revivals to convert others in their place, the Church has “run
out,” and the organization has been dissolved.
Charles Finney, Lectures on Revivals of Religion, Chapter
2: When A Revival Is To Be Expected
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