Revival is...

[canadyjd]

Revival is a work of God Holy Spirit where believers are enabled to boldly proclaim the gospel, unbelievers are drawn to understand and believe the truth, their sins laid bare and their spirits convicted of their need for a Savior.

The response is faith in Christ and glory to God.

Peace to you

 

[John of Japan]

"Two common and popular errors taught by preachers today are (1) that revival is not possible in this day of apostasy and (2) that revival is a sovereign act of God that should never be sought and can never be actually expected" (Flanders, p. 57).

 

[John of Japan]

"Want of personal holiness, unction, power in prayer, and in preaching the word--the want of holy living and consecration to the work--of self-denial, and energetic effort in the ministry--these, no doubt, are the principal reasons why revivals are so few and far between, and of so superficial character at the present day" (Charles Finney, Reflections on Revival, p. 69).

 

[JesusFan]

"Two common and popular errors taught by preachers today are (1) that revival is not possible in this day of apostasy and (2) that revival is a sovereign act of God that should never be sought and can never be actually expected" (Flanders, p. 57).

Biggest revival will be during the period of the great tribulation and antichrist, and revivals are indeed a sovereign movement initiated by God at specific times and for specific purposes

 

[JesusFan]

"Want of personal holiness, unction, power in prayer, and in preaching the word--the want of holy living and consecration to the work--of self-denial, and energetic effort in the ministry--these, no doubt, are the principal reasons why revivals are so few and far between, and of so superficial character at the present day" (Charles Finney, Reflections on Revival, p. 69).

Spoken by a true heretic though

 

[Van]

Is a revival when God places a spiritually dead person into Christ and makes the person alive together with Christ with the washing of regeneration?

 

[Tenchi]

A poster since banned opined that American Christianity is declining, and I agreed, saying that America needs revival. In this thread I'd like to see single words, short phrases, quotes, and Bible verses telling what you think revival is, how it comes, etc.

Hey. New guy to the site, here. I saw this thread and thought I'd weigh-in since I have a somewhat unique circumstance from which to speak on the matter of revival. In 1979, my grandfather's church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Ebenezer Baptist Church) was the epicenter of a big revival that, for many months, stretched across Canada, extending into the States also, Christians from as far away as Britain, even, travelling to Saskatoon to observe what was happening. Years later, when my grandfather retired from pastoring, he joined the Canadian Revival Fellowship, and visited many churches all across Canada, the States, and South America, preaching to spiritually cold, apathetic, well "leavened" churches a message of revival. The stories he told us of the incredible things God did in restoring churches to spiritual health were sometimes hair-raising, always astonishing, and inevitably involved prayer, repentance and confession of sin, healing of rifts among believers, and overt demonic resistance. There are a number of videos on YouTube of my grandfather - Bill Mcleod - recounting stories of the many instances of revival he saw God enact in churches across North America. Give them a look-see, if the matter of revival is of interest to you.

 

[canadyjd]

Spoken by a true heretic though

I never considered Finney a heretic?

Peace to you

 

[Dr. Bob]

Reminder - we do NOT use "heretic" when talking about true believers who happen to hold other doctrinal interpretations/views that you hold. IF they are real heretics, using the word is allowed.

Was Finney a heretic? Finney did not hold traditional theology we Baptists maintain. He denied the doctrine of man's depravity, teaching that humans can please God without the intervention of His grace. Salvation was up to man, so much of his "innovation" in evangelism was on the mental/emotional level.

 

[John of Japan]

Spoken by a true heretic though

What would you call his heresy? I've read his "systematic theology" for a seminary class (just a collection of articles), and he's a lousy theologian, but certainly not a heretic.

Finney influenced many of the revivalists who followed him. He had unified city-wide campaigns (including the Presbyterians), and was followed in that by D. L. Moody, R. A. Torrey, John R. Rice, and influenced Billy Graham through Rice.

 

[John of Japan]

Hey. New guy to the site, here. I saw this thread and thought I'd weigh-in since I have a somewhat unique circumstance from which to speak on the matter of revival. In 1979, my grandfather's church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Ebenezer Baptist Church) was the epicenter of a big revival that, for many months, stretched across Canada, extending into the States also, Christians from as far away as Britain, even, travelling to Saskatoon to observe what was happening. Years later, when my grandfather retired from pastoring, he joined the Canadian Revival Fellowship, and visited many churches all across Canada, the States, and South America, preaching to spiritually cold, apathetic, well "leavened" churches a message of revival. The stories he told us of the incredible things God did in restoring churches to spiritual health were sometimes hair-raising, always astonishing, and inevitably involved prayer, repentance and confession of sin, healing of rifts among believers, and overt demonic resistance. There are a number of videos on YouTube of my grandfather - Bill Mcleod - recounting stories of the many instances of revival he saw God enact in churches across North America. Give them a look-see, if the matter of revival is of interest to you.

Welcome to the BB! Very glad to see your post. I've heard about that revival, and plan to take some time soon to look the videos.

You've well stated the human conditions for revival, though I might differ some: Prayer absolute, repentance, confession, getting things right in the church are all right on target. R. A. Torrey and others would add compete dedication to the Lord.

 

[John of Japan]

Good books on revival:

John R. Rice: How to Have a Revival (1946, with articles by the well known evangelists of the 1940s), We Can Have Revival Now (1950).
Orr, J. Edwin. The Flaming Tongue, 2nd ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1975. Wonderful history of revivals!
Ravenhill, Leonard. Why Revival Tarries. Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship Inc., 1959. A classic!

 

[John of Japan]

Reminder - we do NOT use "heretic" when talking about true believers who happen to hold other doctrinal interpretations/views that you hold. IF they are real heretics, using the word is allowed.

Was Finney a heretic? Finney did not hold traditional theology we Baptists maintain. He denied the doctrine of man's depravity, teaching that humans can please God without the intervention of His grace. Salvation was up to man, so much of his "innovation" in evangelism was on the mental/emotional level.

As I said in my other post, Finney was a lousy theologian! But his books reveal a real dependence on the Holy Spirit for revival, though emotions would happen, of course. I don't think his writings would reveal that he depended on emotional response for revival.

His Reflections on Revival (Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship Inc., 1979) is good on this, and his Autobiography (the short version) also reveals his methods.

 

[John of Japan]

Biggest revival will be during the period of the great tribulation and antichrist, and revivals are indeed a sovereign movement initiated by God at specific times and for specific purposes

There are two views of revival: the sovereign act view (yours), and the human means view. Both views depend on God to send the revival. I don't know of any writers who say Christians can bring in revival all by themselves with the right tools. It is a work of God, who waits for His people to surrender, confess, pray, get things right, and wait on God. So the human means view is not that only humans can bring in revival, but that God waits for His people to get right and kneel before Him so He can bless them.

 

[John of Japan]

"When the D. L. Moody revival came to America and England, the moral and spiritual conditions were tremendously bad, even in many ways worse than conditions today. Conditions did not deter the power of God then and cannot prevent His blessing now, if His people pay the price for revival. God must feel it as an insult to His power an grace that people think revivals can only be had in propitious circumstances" (John R. Rice, Revival Can Happen Now, p. 26).

 

[John of Japan]

Finney's priorities for revival were on the Holy Spirit and prayer.

"All ministers may be, and ought to b, so filled with the Holy Spirit that all who hear them shall be impressed with the conviction that 'God is in them of a truth'" (The Autobiography of Charles Finney, condensed, p. 76).

"At the next meeting of the young people I proposed that we should observe fixed times for secret prayer for the revival of God's work; that we should pray at sunrise, at noon, and at sunset, in our closets, and continue this for one week, when we would come together again and see what further was to be done. No other means were used for the revival of God's work" (Ibid., p. 44-45).

 

[JesusFan]

Reminder - we do NOT use "heretic" when talking about true believers who happen to hold other doctrinal interpretations/views that you hold. IF they are real heretics, using the word is allowed.

Was Finney a heretic? Finney did not hold traditional theology we Baptists maintain. He denied the doctrine of man's depravity, teaching that humans can please God without the intervention of His grace. Salvation was up to man, so much of his "innovation" in evangelism was on the mental/emotional level.

he denied the need of the Holy Spirit as even fallen sinners still possessed now absolute free will capability, something both Arminian and Calvinist deny

Great Quote by Dr Sproul on His theolgy

"Finney's not a heretic, he's an Arch-heretic! He out Pelagianized Pelagius"!

 

[JesusFan]

I never considered Finney a heretic?

Peace to you

Great quite by Dr Sproul on his theology

"Finney's not a heretic, he's an Arch-heretic! He out Pelagianized Pelagius"!

 

[JesusFan]

Reminder - we do NOT use "heretic" when talking about true believers who happen to hold other doctrinal interpretations/views that you hold. IF they are real heretics, using the word is allowed.

Was Finney a heretic? Finney did not hold traditional theology we Baptists maintain. He denied the doctrine of man's depravity, teaching that humans can please God without the intervention of His grace. Salvation was up to man, so much of his "innovation" in evangelism was on the mental/emotional level.

I know only the triune God can and will judge his soul, but His theology really was bad and non biblical

 

[JesusFan]

What would you call his heresy? I've read his "systematic theology" for a seminary class (just a collection of articles), and he's a lousy theologian, but certainly not a heretic.

Finney influenced many of the revivalists who followed him. He had unified city-wide campaigns (including the Presbyterians), and was followed in that by D. L. Moody, R. A. Torrey, John R. Rice, and influenced Billy Graham through Rice.

I consider him the teach of Pelagius, who was condemned as being a heretic in his teaching and theology regarding salvation