I’ve just about decided that today’s church doesn’t need revival nearly so much as we need revelation. Revival is “an improvement in the condition or strength of something; a reawakening.” It’s a time-honored tradition in the church that calls up images of fresh faith, stirred emotions, and awakened zeal. David, Nehemiah and Habakkuk spoke of revival under the Old Covenant, and down through the years the church has experienced dramatic periods of revival. But the term is absent altogether in the New Testament. Luke, Peter, John and Paul speak instead of revelation: “a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.”
What the church lacks today is revelation of the fullness of the Gospel. A people who only half-embrace grace, disregard adoption, miss the fullness of Christ, and skip past the Kingdom can never be anything more than legalistic, insecure, powerless, and adrift. Though I cringe at the harshness of that statement, I fear more that we have left the treasures of the Gospel unwrapped and have unwittingly forsaken our heritage. If we knew who we were and the fullness of who Christ is we would no sooner lose our momentum than a prairie fire in a windstorm.
Perhaps instead of praying for revival we ought to pray with Paul “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give [us] a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; having the eyes of [our] hearts enlightened, that [we] might know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe…” (Ephesians 1:16-20)
Dispatches from the Shadowlands 
Good stuff man.
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Thanks Pal! You are good stuff!
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Revival requires vival first. I suspect that vival and revelation are the same. Personally, I am sure they are.
Thanks, Don. You are one of my Kingdom riches.
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The Word tells us that “…we see now as through a glass darkly…” Revelation is the dust cloth that clears the window and allows us to see the Kingdom that’s all around us.
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It will take us eternity to know the wisdom of God’s heart,and if we honor God then his will we can live accordance to it. Prov 1:23, Prov 1:7, 1cor 2:9, Psalm 19:9, Thank you Father for this teacher.
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Once again…I love your perspective. I know you feel the church has lost a lot. I have been encouraged while being here in England to hear the heart of local churches through those who attend. It seems a commin thread in our town is that the church wants to open it’s doors to the community and help them discover the Love of God. How we do that does imact other peoples theology of God…but at least people are moving closer to Father. I agree we do need revelation!!! Oh, Father, show me what you see and them pierce my heart to respond on the way you would.
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James! I just realized this is you! Thanks for the encouragement! Can’t wait to hang with you and Margaret and to be introduced to your world!
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That has been a very prominent prayer of mine in the last few months as well. I love praying Paul’s prayers, but Ephesians 1 is my favorite. Thanks Don. You may be outta sight, but never outta mind! Blessings!
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Stumbling across this posting was like finally getting a stuck window open in a hot, stuffy room. I just breathed in a gulp of your fresh air and feel refreshed. Thank you. I’m anxious for more.
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Thanks Willow! That’s pretty descriptive, and very encouraging. Lots of smiles and grace to you.
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