Piper in his A Godward Life brings the thoughts of Martin Lloyd Jones upon revival to the fore. I think his thoughts are brilliant but also helpful as only 2 weeks ago I was having a conversation about the ‘reality’ of revivals. Here are some of Lloyd Jones’ words:
“The greatest problem confronting us in the church today is that the vast majority of professing Christians are not convinced of the reality and the desirableness of revivals.” Lloyd Jones distinguishes them from evangelistic campaigns put on by the church and writes
“A revival is not the church deciding to do something with respect to those who are outside. It is something that is DONE to the church…the whole essence of revival is that it is something that happens to the church, to the people inside. And they are affected and moved and tremendous things happen.”
What happens? Lloyd Jones answers, “…It is in a sense a repetition of the day of Pentecost… the essence of revival is that the Holy Spirit comes down… What the people are conscious of is that it is as if something has suddenly come down upon them. The Spirit of God has descended into their midst, God has come down and is amongst them. A baptism, an outpouring, a visitation.”
“[People] immediately become aware of His presence and His power in a manner that the have never known before…Spiritual things become realities…[these things are] First and foremost the glory and the holiness of God…and that leads inevitably to a deep and a terrible sense of sin and an ‘aweful’ feeling of guilt… Then they are given a clear view of the love of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, especially of His death upon the cross… They begin to get a concern for the members of their own family… There is a constraint that is driving them. They talk about it to people…and begin to pray for them… Others who are outside begin to join the meetings and say, ‘What is this?’ So they come in and they go through the same experience.”
Pray for revival!
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