Revival - How Do We Know When We Get There?

So you’ve opened up your Mapquest or your GPS system and put in an address of where you like to go. You route the best plan that it is both efficient and minimizes detours or delays. You set out for a destination and you have even mapped out your estimated time of arrival. You’re on your way!

If only revival was that simple. You might have a destination in mind but you don’t always know how to map it and especially what the estimated time of arrival will be. You might lay out certain values or expectations but the point of arrival is still uncertain.

In my previous article I talked about defining revival. Today I want to explore several indicators that revival has truly come to your community and even yourself. I want to map out a few ways that you can tell that revival is occurring. Well we know that TRUE revival doesn’t have a point and a map that we called the destinations but it is more about the journey in the experience that leaves indicators along the way. It’s a way that we know that we’re headed in the right direction.

We’ve seen it in the past and we perhaps have even experienced it in recent years when revival has truly taken route in your local church or in your community. It isn’t just an individual thing but it is a coordinated effort resulting in clear ways.

Let’s explore a few of these. What are the signs or results of revival?

1. Deeper devotion to prayer.

2. There is the fervent desire for more of God.

3. The community, Christian and non-Christian take an interest.

4. The community is impacted in a positive way.

5. Sin, including the sin of gossip and slander is replaced with a heart of love and compassion.

6. Greater unity is being developed.

Revival can be a reality in your own life as well as Church & community. Scripture offers many examples especially as you read about Josiah. Read 2 Chronicles 34:33.

2 Chronicles 34:33 -- So Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

Revival is clearly marked by change. Positive change in the communities including attitude as well as cooperative spirit begins to be evident throughout the community. A people who are saturated by God are those that have experienced God and His outpouring impacts everything in our community.

Once we experience God in such a remarkable way we will long for His presence in our communities. We will find God‘s love expressed in tangible ways that strengthens further work that God is doing in our communities.

Read my third article as a relates to this topic addressing the subject of evangelism.  Related on the topic of evangelism is another article that I wrote on how everyone can be involved in evangelism.