Acts chapter 2 gives us details about the early church after Pentecost. You remember that Jesus spent 40 days with His disciples after His resurrection. Then, just before He ascended back to heaven, He gave a final set of instructions that we call The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1: 4-8). The disciples were to wait in Jerusalem until God sent the Holy Spirit to empower them to carry out His instructions to go and tell others the good news about Jesus. In Acts chapter 2, starting with verse 1, we see the disciples gathered together, waiting as instructed. They had walked daily with and lived with Jesus for three years but had not yet received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Not until that day, when they were gathered together (about 120 people), and the Holy Spirit invaded the whole house, and each one was filled.

 Scripture tells us that after the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, these uneducated men and women from Galilee began to evangelize the great crowd of people present in Jerusalem. People from all over the world. People who spoke many different languages. People who, without the miraculous intervention of God, would not have been gathered in one place and able to hear the Gospel of Jesus. Acts 2:41 tells us that in one day, about three thousand souls accepted Jesus as LORD and were baptized. In one day, God allowed 120 followers of Christ to be in Jerusalem and preach to those from Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth, sharing the Good News and making disciples of 3,000 people. Verses 41-47 of Acts chapter 2 give us a glimpse into the behavior of spirit-filled believers. They met together, they studied the Word together, they learned doctrine together, and they prayed together. In other words, as spirit-filled believers, they had a deep hunger and thirst for a growing relationship with Jesus. These believers also prioritized God and His will above all else. This commitment to God and His will created an environment that God used to bring new people into His kingdom daily.

       We as believers are filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment we accept Jesus as LORD, repent, and are saved by His power (Ephesians 1:13-14). Read that sentence again. We are not required to wait in the upper- room until He comes; the Holy Spirit indwells us at the moment of our salvation. If this is true, why do we not see people coming to salvation through Christ daily? I believe this is where the revival part comes in. 

       First, let’s be sure you and I define revival the same way. I am not referring to a set of planned, evangelically focused meetings that we in the Bible Belt have traditionally referred to as Revival Meetings.  Many of us had fond memories of weeks when our church came together each night, and a visiting evangelist preached. Some of us may have accepted Jesus as Lord during a “revival week.” But biblical revival is not that.   

My heart resonates with John Piper’s definition of revival. God is the originator of true revival, and we, as sinful people, often drift into apathy for Him and His love for us. But, because of His love for us, He will, at times, give us a fresh outpouring of His Spirit and grant us revival.  

Biblical revival is God-initiated. Biblical revival brings great change to individuals, churches, and entire regions or parts of the world. Biblical revival comes when God acts. But scripture and history both tell us that God is able and willing to act when His people repent and call out to Him in prayer. Here are some scriptures to meditate on as you consider the need for revival. Isaiah 57:15, Psalm 80:18, Habakkuk 3:2, Psalm 85:6, Hebrews 5:12, and Hebrews 12:12.

Historically, we see a few common threads when we study the Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, and the 1905 Welsh Revival. First is a confession of sin (see 1 John 1:7-9). Then, there is an outpouring of prayer from God’s people. Before the Second Great Awakening (circa 1795-1835), we have records of businessmen in New York who would meet and pray every day for 1 hour, specifically for revival. These meetings soon grew to include so many people that whole businesses closed for that hour every day for over a year leading up to the time of national revival. Thirdly, individuals and congregations become very serious about living holy lives (2 Timothy 2:19-21, James 5:16). As we confess our sins and pray, we become committed to living lives that glorify God. Fourth, I believe we begin to see individuals who are not ashamed of the Gospel and live daily with an urgency to share Jesus with everyone around them.

Biblical revival leads to obedience to the Great Commission and successful evangelism. When we confess our sins, become devoted in our prayer lives, and get serious about living holy lives, we begin to have an urgency about evangelism.  We are filled with God’s power to share the Gospel with people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Our hunger and thirst for a deeper relationship with the LORD create an environment where the LORD can add daily to our number. May this be true of us, my sweet sisters!