Who would deny that children grow steadily, day by day, and yet also experience several growth spurts? Likewise, we should seek daily, regular growth by the ordinary means of grace, which is Word, Prayer, and Sacrament. That should be given faithfully Sunday by Sunday, week by week, from the Church, and in Christian homes, Christian schools, etc.
That's our baseline. We shouldn't expect or anticipate massive, constant revivals, constant spiritual growth spurts. Note, that isn't an anti-revivalist sentiment. That is a pro-revivalist sentiment. True revival is rare, and if persons are continually growing by the ordinary means, those in the Church shouldn't need a massive revival constantly (though we all need continual growth in the faith).
But revival is good for believer and unbeliever alike. Revival could be a spiritual growth spurt, a huge jump in sanctification that lasts because rooted in the Word of God piercing the heart by the power of the Spirit. Revival could also be someone, usually many, coming to saving faith in Christ by the Word coming in the power of the Spirit on many at one time. We can have individual "revivals", large jumps in our spiritual growth that last, and God in His kindness even grants general "awakenings" of whole regions of town or states or countries, where many are genuinely converted, and those converted who have grown lax are reignited spiritually.
But remember, the kingdom of God grows like a small mustard seed, or like leaven, Matt. 13:31-33. It spreads almost imperceptibly. It is not as if God intended to wrap up the growth of His kingdom in a few decades after Christ came, or a few hundred years. Nor did God intend for us to be fully sanctified and perfected this side of glory. If we pray as if "revival" is to be the norm, we've made that which is unusual the normal, and likely have supplanted the ordinary means of grace and diminished the actual word of God, genuine prayer, and proper use of the sacraments.
At the same time, who can say that we should not be diligent in praying for revival, for sanctification, for conversion of many? Do we not always do this if we are seeking to be faithful to God, to have the spirit of Paul for his kinsmen according to the flesh?
The problem is that our nation has been steeped in Revivalism, a bankrupt or at best compromised stirring up of so-called Revivals. American Christianity has sought to norm the abnormal, to have revivals replace the ordinary means of grace. We want growth spurts without steady growth, not realizing that steady growth is usually the soil out of which growth spurts can come. This really began not just in the 1800's, but I would argue even with Whitefield and Wesley in the 1740's (they both neglected their families to "ride the circuit" in revivalistic fervor, abandoning the norm and baseline of ruling over their own household well; this of course is a requirement to even be a minister of God preaching the Word to others, I Tim. 3:4-5; see Wesley's abysmal failures in marriage here: https://www.christiantoday.com/article/the-sad-story-of-methodist-founder-john-wesleys-marriage/129376.htm and Whitefield's here: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-38/whitefields-curious-love-life.html). It is not a stretch at all to say that Whitefield and Wesley likely should have been examined to see if they were disqualified from ministry, given the neglect of their first calling to their wives and homes. It seems that the ordinary means of grace exhibited in faithful living in the home, God's way, was not their way.
Reading Ian Murray's Revival and Revivalism, it seems the purest revivals took place around 1800 and continued for some years, possibly even decades. Genuine revival is always portended by fervent, heartfelt prayer by the few that are righteous and convicted (by the Spirit) to plead that God would pour out His Spirit in powerful ways upon many people, for salvation and sanctification.
But even in the revivals of the early 1800's, in some locations it was mixed with much nonsense and emotionalism. In other places it seems to have been quite pure, leaving people in solemn silence at the hearing of God's Word, tears for their sins, but not bizarre hooping and hollering and general absurdity.
What is revival, really, but the ordinary means of grace taking fire by the power of the Holy Spirit? Word, prayer, and sacrament. The Apostles would not leave to serve tables but appointed others to do so, so that they could "give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4).
Daily growth through the ordinary means, and as God wills, full-blown revivals may be granted to us, when the Church, and especially its Elders, plead and pray to God that He would grant such. This is something that we Elders should be giving ourselves to continually, constantly, understanding rightly how God has promised and intended to build up His kingdom. It grows slow and steady, but with growth spurts. Ordinary means of grace punctuated in God's kindness with rare refreshings of mass revivals.
Pray for both in their proper order and place. The Church today needs to stop supplanting the Holy Spirit and trying to manufacture and schedule constant revivals of the Spirit. They actually harden people in the long run, and likely harden the Spirit against sending true times of spiritual refreshing.
I am committed, by God's grace, to dedicating more time in fervent prayer (may God grant me fervency!) for the sanctification of sinners week in and week out by the ordinary means of grace, and also that the Word would so penetrate in various forms, from street preaching to Sunday School classes, to social media broadcasts of sermons and reasonings from the Scriptures, to bring a true Awakening in our nation by the power of the Spirit through the Word of God. May this lead to genuine repentance, godly sorrow over sin, a love for God and His Word, to seek first His kingdom and righteousness, that the hearts of fathers would be turned back to their children as households are restored to God for His glory.
Comments
Post a Comment