Even in ancient Israel, it was God’s people who got right with Him first (revival), and then as many did, the nation was changed (transformation). If you make the distinction that spiritual awakening will not happen unless God’s people are revived-and that is why you are calling for prayer for revival-then you are correct in doing so. When praying for a nation, it is more accurate to use the terms spiritual awakening or community/national transformation, rather than revival, to describe what you are praying toward. Though many revivals have spawned large enough spiritual awakenings that society has changed, that is not a given. History shows there have been significant smaller revivals where there was not a noticeable change in communities or regions. This transformation is a wonderful thing, but it is not revival. In the Welsh Revival of 1904–05, jails closed and policemen had to do other things to pass the time because there was virtually no crime. Many past revivals were widespread enough that society changed for the better. They are often the first people converted in a revival. 2) In almost every church there is likely a significant percentage of people sitting in the pews who have never experienced true conversion. Then people always come to Christ as a result. Confusion over using this as a synonym for revival comes because of two factors: 1) Great numbers of lost people coming to Christ always happen in the midst of a revival because the Church gets right with God and comes together in greater unity. A spiritual awakening occurs when an unusually large number of unbelievers come to faith in Jesus Christ. He moves in a powerful way to bring about repentance of sin and complacency, empowering believers in a fresh way with His Spirit to live as they should. In the truest sense of the word, revival means God is doing a sovereign work of grace among His people. You cannot be revived if you are not already alive in Christ. Revival is something that happens to the church and to believers. All of these uses can cause misunderstandings when we speak of revival. Three other issues associated with revival add to the confusion: Some churches have used the term for years to mean a set of special meetings other groups that rally prayer for a nation will use the term to mean the spiritual renewal of that nation, and some groups equate revival to mean a display of outward manifestations. We have additional confusion with another term that many incorrectly use as a synonym for revival: spiritual awakening. However, a great deal of confusion exists as to what we mean when we use the term revival. Desperation for another significant move of God’s Spirit is on the rise in the Church today. There seems to be much talk about revival among pastors and leaders of denominational and parachurch ministries.
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