Lexicon of Evangelism

How many times have you heard it prayed, "God, send revival!"? Is it revival we really want God to send? Well...yes, but it's much more than that.

We need to do a little housekeeping regarding our "Christianese," that church-y language we speak.SSo here's a little clarification. Online articles, even academic ones, use the terms belowvery loosely, but there is power in words and strength in specificity, so let's aim for accuracy and clarity. Hopefully, others will follow suit.

Revival - 're' is to do again, 'vive' means to live, or having to do with life. So in Christian terms, only Christians can be revived, because only they have gained spriritual life. You can't be re-"vived" until you've been "vived the first time, so an unbeliever has to be "vived" before he can be revived. Therefore, revival is meant for the church, to rekindle our zeal for the things of God, to deepen our relationships with Him. Do some unbelievers get saved in a revival? Of course! We are urged to bring the unsaved to revival meetings where the Word of God is flowing to all who hear. But by definition, revival is a church event, or a move of God aimed at individuals that have already been saved. No doubt there can be ripple effects across the world, but when there's a true Great Awakening, we know it.

Brownsville Revival aka the Pensacola Outpouring

Toronto Airport Blessing

Welsh Revival

Awakening - to awaken is to see, become aware of or understand something new...in other words, an awakening is a result of revelation. Revival in the church can brings revelation that spills over into the secular realm, or in God's timing, He imparts knowledge of Himself that brings unbelievers to repentance, redemption and the Kingdom of God. Now we're talking, right?

According to an article in Northwest University's archive, "America has had a Great Awakening about every 80 years throughout its history, roughly in 1735, 1805, 1885, and 1965." But that article is mistaken, based on general knowledge that we have had 2 Great Awakenings. Isuza Street, the Brownsville Revival, the Toronto Blessing, and the Jesus movement, were mighty moves of God, but they were not Great Awakenings.

First Great Awakening - 1730s/40s

Second Great Awakening - 1795-1835

Great Awakenings are nationwide and can spread to other nations. The purpose of Great Awakenings, in addition to saving massive numbers of individuals, is to create reformation.

Awakenings and revivals change individuals, whereas reformations change systems. These systems can include politics, social structures economic practices and the church itself. Example -- the Protestant Reformation in Europe broke the imposed authority of the Catholic Church over both religion, and government, even initiating social reform. It inspired a new understanding of free markets, revealed individuals' rights under God, and ignited people's wills to interpret scripture for themselves, pursue education and economic freedom, and make rulers accountable.

Sermons preached during the First Great Awakening illuminated the principles set out in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution -- a great example of awakening spawning reformation. Those sermons did not preach revolution, but human rights bestowed by our Creator, and thereby influenced the colonists' revolt against England's oppressive rule.

Right now, we are just "out of the gate" of America's Third Great Awakening. The Church is expecting the billion-soul end-time harvest. The accompanying reformation will put Godly principles, through Christian leadership, at the top of the "7 Mountains of Influence" -- family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government. We have a lot to look forward to.

Kemala