How Will The Church Address This New Revival?
In my last blog, I shared how I believe the next movement of God, the next revival to the generation younger than myself, will be like an “artesian well” rather than a “Latter Rain” as was the method of last century’s revival method. Jesus wants to “reveal Himself”, give revelation of who and what He is to today’s generation of believers. How is He going to do this? I do not know! Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His Plan, His Will, to you personally! Allow the Holy Spirit to be the “revealer”, the “orchestrator”, the “conductor”, and you be willing to be an “obedient” follower to what He reveals to you! He is “revealing” Himself to this generation by arising with in the believers of Jesus Christ since His Spirit already reside there! God IS amongst HIS PEOPLE, His Body, the CHURCH!
The established Church has always resisted revival; that is a historical truth. The newly birthed apostles first opposed the Holy Spirit’s movement among the Gentiles, thinking that he was only moving with in the House of Israel, His nation, to His people. The “Big Wigs”, or leadership, of that first century did not at first “get it”, but instead tried to “figure out” what the Holy Spirit was doing rather than just following its lead! They had to “experience” “personally” the Holy Spirit’s working through dreams, visions, and being put on the spot of actually having to “do” their faith before they would lay down their theology and interpret the Law the way they saw fit. Finally in Acts 15 they call a council in Jerusalem to discuss the controversy among the “Pharisees” in the Church, the “Law” abiding believers, and the radicals, those who have “experienced” the Holy Spirit’s movement outside the Jewish culture of Church, a different mindset and theology than they were currently practicing. They can not deny what the Holy Spirit is doing, address it, accept it, then do a bold move: they move on IN UNITY! That is the pattern that the 21st century Church has again been called to follow. Address what the Holy Spirit is “doing” and “revealing”; this is called revelation. Then accept that revelation. Finally move on; be obedient and “do”, yes, actually “do” what the Holy Spirit has revealed! This will produce UNITY, not division!
Two blogs ago, I shared how the “Big Wigs” of this new Church did not “get it” at first until they were willing to “yield to”, “trust”, then “obey” revelation given to them through the Holy Spirit while the Holy Spirit was already doing His work among them. The established Church has always resisted revival. This “artesian well” movement of allowing the Holy Spirit to arise, then overflow gently into the parched, thirsty, drought filled culture now existing in the world, will look, at first, as a “muddy mess” to the “Big Wigs”, today’s leadership, unless they are willing to look beyond the “mud” to the “fruit” that will arise from this watering of “Living Water” that is over flowing out of its believers in Jesus Christ and allow the seeds planted by past and current generations to arise and produce fruit.
Actually, I personally don’t think this revival will look as messy, because the power of God will arise from with in the believers and flow outward from them. Each and every believer who accepts this revival, accepts what the Holy Spirit is reveal, accepts how Jesus is revealing Himself to His Body, the Church, will have the “power” that is promised in the book of Acts. The “artesian well” of living water will not gush, not be a gyser, but a slow, continuous, gentle flow out of believers into the lives of people around them, offering, then giving them life. It will perform as a quiet movement, but a profound movement. People will sense something happening with in the Church flowing out to a parched community, forcing them to acknowledge it.
In the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries, the church has produced “forms” through programs. The church today is great for programs. They have done evangelistic programs and crusades, offered discipleship courses, experienced “home church” movements as well as “mega-church” movements offering all kind of “services” to different needs with in the Church, experienced a “missional” movement calling the Church to network as well as return back into the communities where they exist, etc. Our mindset has been, “Lord we have built this form; now fill it with your Spirit.” We, the Church, have tried to orchestrate, initiate, design, build, and implement these different forms, then asked the Holy Spirit to fill them. This “artesian well” movement will not fill these forms, but flow outside these forms, actually doing what these forms were designed to do, but will just flow outside the establish bounds the Church has established, and look like a muddy, uncontrollable mess. Like Japan after a tsumani, it will look devastated. But unlike a tsunami, a hurricane, a tropical storm, or a devastating flood, this movement will not come forth as a geyser or gush of forcible destruction, but as a gentle flow, the gentle flow of the Holy Spirit, that will dry parched areas, watering seed, and producing fruit in season. The Holy Spirit will “do” what the Church thought their forms would “do”. Let’s tear down the “forms”, quit relying on them, and just listen to the Holy Spirit and accept His flow of Living Water to arise and flow out of us!