God's Revival Tool Kit?

When it comes to enlightening the human heart to truth and personal need it takes the Lord. With this in mind let's consider what God has in His "Revival Tool Kit". What tools and procedures does Jesus use to fix His Church? 

Throughout the 2000 year history of the Church there's been numerous occasions in which the Lord has performed heart surgery on the Body of Christ. Records show that revivals can be confined to a particular local church, a town, a region or even an entire nation. The important thing in all this is to understand that ever revival, small or large, effects individuals. Small revivals are made up of few people, large revivals simply effect larger amounts of people. 

There are two portions of Scriptures listing the Revival Tools of God, The most familiar is 2 Chr.  7:14 - Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 

1) Humble ourselves

2) Pray

3) Seek God's face (not His hand)

4) Turn away from sin (live in obedience to God's Word)

This is God's "Revival Formula". Clearly the tools listed require deep personal involvement. I feel it's important to mention here that as individuals we aren't in control of other peoples decisions. We have, however been given control, by God of our own decisions. Ever child of God can experience personal revival regardless of what others do. Be encouraged, no one is capable of stopping you from your own spiritual awakening. When we take and consistently apply God's "Revival Tools", with an honest and sincere heart we will walk in personal revival, enjoying intimacy of fellowship with Christ and fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. 

There's another list of "Revival Tools" in Joel 2 that I feel is more directed to Church Leadership.

Joel 2:15-17  Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritagee a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'" 

This part of God's "Revival Tool Kit" addresses the corporate need of God's people in a local church setting. Clearly there's a need for local church prayer meetings, a time for a consecrated fast and a solemn assembly. A time set apart for no other purpose than seeking God's face in humility for the need of a spiritual awakening among God's people that will restore credibility to Jesus name as well as Christianity in general. If there was ever a time in the history of the Church that we need this it's today. Over that past few decades there's been so many moral failures, so many broken marriages, so much questionable behavior! Are the unsaved able to look the Church for better way to live? When light looses it's brilliance how can it show us the path when  there's darkness all around? 

The common denominator in genuine Holy Spirit revivals is prayer and the prayer meeting. It shouldn't really surprise us. Jesus instructed His disciples to wait for the power of God from heaven. They responded by gathering daily in prayer. It was on day ten, the day of Pentecost when the "mighty rushing wind and "fire of God" filled not only the place these disciples had chosen to meet in but it also "filled them". The book Acts records the affects of this incredible encounter with the Holy Spirit. Why not today? Why not here in Canada? It can and will happen if we choose to use God's "Revival Tools" as He has purposed. 

I want to suggest that if you have revival in your heart, if it`s something you really have a passion for, then God has already begun. Share your vision for revival with your local church leadership (be sure you do this in a Jesus pleasing way). As far as local church goes I convinced that in order for revival to happen in a local church it`s essential for leadership to embrace and carry that vision and then too pass it on to the congregation. This is what I see as  pictured for us int Joel 2:15-17. 

The Word of God is the authority for what we believe and why we believe it! There`s such a powerful Word of encouragement following Joel 2:15-17. One that is meant to encourage us today. Joel 2:18 & 19 - Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. 19  The LORD answered and said to his people, "Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. Clearly, if God is stirring our hearts to revival and we faithfully do our part then God will do His. He`s looking right now for hearts through which His will can be accomplished. He hasn`t put revival hunger and passion in your heart to frustrate you but to prepare you for His will to be realized. 

I`d like to conclude this part by reminding us that a revival consisting of 100 people is made up of 100 revivals. A young pastor is said to have asked a well seasoned Revivalist how he could get a revival happening in his church. Here`s the answer he got, `I want you to go back home and upon entering your living room take a piece of chalk and draw a meter and half circle on the floor. Then I want you step inside the circle and pray this prayer. ``God revive everything inside this circle``. Revival in my family starts with me. Revival in my local church starts with me. Revival in Canada starts with me.