(Isaiah 32:15-20, KJV)
Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.
And my people shall dwell in peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.
Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.
(Isaiah 32:15-20 MSG)
Yes, weep and grieve until the Spirit is poured down on us from above And the badlands desert grows crops and the fertile fields become forests. Justice will move into the badlands desert. Right will build a home in the fertile field. And where there’s Right, there’ll be Peace and the progeny of Right: quiet lives and endless trust. My people will live in a peaceful neighborhood— in safe houses, in quiet gardens. The forest of your pride will be clear-cut, the city showing off your power leveled. But you will enjoy a fortunate life, planting well-watered fields and gardens, with your farm animals grazing freely.
A close look at the story of creation will reveal that there was a preceding emptiness, voidness, chaos, disorder and darkness that heralded the move of God by His Holy Spirit. The Bible says that “the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”. You will agree with me that this situation of emptiness and formlessness has always preceded every genuine cry to God for revival; it has always preceded every genuine move of God upon the earth. We can rightly say that the ‘default state’ of any life or any people is that of entropy and chaos until God, by the Holy Spirit, intervenes.
Our present day condition warrants such mighty intervention of God. We can say like Prophet Isaiah that “Except the Lord of host had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah”. The darkness that has pervaded our generation is so thick and palpable that you cannot but notice it around you in your everyday life. In our generation, we can see that the truth has fallen into the streets and nothing is done about it. Infact, our Churches have become an incubators for sinners; causing more decay in the society. The ‘sprouting’ of new churches everyday seems to bring along with it a commensurate increase in ungodliness and sinfulness. Ours is such an untoward generation wherein the immoral, the corrupt and the ungodly are the role models of our younger generation; we have no good examples in most of our leaders anymore. Even with all these troubles, we have refused to call upon the Lord to come to our rescue. O ye faithful pilgrim, do you not see that we urgently need a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our land as in the days of old? Or would you rather we continue in this darkness, voidness and emptiness?
The days of the early church were glorious days of revival. This was preceded by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost after a period of tarrying to form the Church, empower her, and do wonderful things through her. But even before the apostolic era ended, there was a decline which continued until the dark ages when Christianity became a religion that was devoid of the power of the Holy Ghost. Individuals began to cry for revival, and subsequently the Reformation was born. Since then, there have been different times and periods that necessitated the outcry for genuine Holy Ghost revival. Here we are, speaking again of the urgency and primacy of such a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will transform our lives and our generation, turning our wilderness and deserts into very fruitful fields and make righteousness, justice, and peace to be at home with us.
THE PERIOD THAT PRECEDES EVERY TRUE REVIVAL
Considering where we read earlier in Isaiah 32:15-20, we will realize that there was a transformation that took place in the badland deserts and wilderness before they became a fruitful field. It is dangerous to assume that this transformation took place overnight. It would mean omitting a very crucial process that ushers in every true and lasting revival. Infact, a careful consideration of every true revival in the Scriptures and in contemporary times reveals this indispensable process.
When a farmer procures a land, whether a wilderness or a desert for farming, there is a labour he has to carry out if the land must be transformed into a fruitful field. These are some of the things that he does and nobody praises him for; because it is hidden from their sight. The first thing that is paramount in the heart of this farmer is how he is going to clear the land of every weed and other things that will impede the growth of whatever he will be cultivating on the land. This is what the Scriptures call “the removal of the dross and the breaking of the fallow ground” (Proverbs 25:4; Hosea 10:12). Your life cannot be filled with the weeds of sinfulness, compromise and the flesh and yet expect God to send you the early and the latter rain. Uhn-uhn! it cannot happen because it will only end up propagating the weeds instead of the correct seeds and ultimately, the correct seeds will be choked up by these weeds.
Oh! How I pray that you will settle down and allow the Silversmith to take away the dross from your life, that a vessel may come forth for Him. This is the first stage in the cultivation process. The other stages include the plowing and planting of viable, incorruptible seed (of God’s word), followed by pruning/purging and watering in order to achieve the full potential of fruitfulness. It is after the farmer has played his part that he can now expect an early and a latter rain (Joel 2:23). The latter rain which we are crying desperately for is going to herald a great harvest of souls and the second coming of the Lord Jesus. But before this happens, there is a cultivation process which must take place in our lives. Even after the rain has descended, there is still a continuous pruning process that is aimed at increasing fruitfulness.
In preparation for the revival in the early church at Pentecost, the disciples had to be called by Jesus first (Matthew 4:19), after which He laboured over their lives in a consistent manner in discipleship over three and half years. Then, He instructed them to tarry in the city of Jerusalem in prayer and thanksgiving until they are endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:13, 14). If we also must experience such a mighty outburst in our generation, there is a tarrying which we must do, and the time to do it is now.
Charles Grandison Finney was born again on the morning of October 10, 1821, and was filled with the Holy Spirit in the evening of the same day. He said, “I used to spend a great deal of time in prayer; sometimes, I would literally pray without ceasing; I found I couldn’t live without enjoying God’s presence.” It was said of the Moravian revival that there were years of daily preparations in prayers and of their own lives that preceded such a mighty outpouring which impacted several lives, even 100 years after the visitation. It was also said of Samson in his revived state, “And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan” (Judges 13:25).
This revival God wants to send, and that which we have been crying for must not meet your heart unprepared, in sin, backsliding, still given to the works of the flesh and compromise. All these will only produce strange fire from the altar of your heart to God, and it will definitely consume you and your generation. May our vessels be found prepared for the imminent mighty outpouring of God in Jesus’ name.
EXCERPTS FROM THE INDELIBLE IMPACTS THAT CHARACTERIZED EVERY TRUE REVIVAL
“And when the day of Pentecost (the beginning of revival) was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place… And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”
(Acts 2:1,4).
The coming revival will be heralded by the mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost, who will come to fill (satisfy) all the vessels that have been waiting in preparation for Him, and there will be glorious indelible impacts accompanying it. Please note that the Holy Ghost from heaven had a particular address where some thirsty souls are tarrying for Him to come and fill them.
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 2:41-47 KJV
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Acts 4:31-35 KJV
We can go on and on considering such glorious eternal impacts made on the lives of men by the genuine revival which took place in their own time. The revival that took place during Ezra’s time that brought about a massive genuine repentance by the children of Israel who had intermarried with the heathen is worthy of note. We actually need such type of revival, because the present day church is in an unholy romance with the world and its system. In fact, we have tried to keep the machinery of the church working without the power of the Holy Ghost. Several Churches can go on for several Sundays in a year without an addition of a saved soul to their congregation. Such things have to stop as we cry together to God for a mighty visitation upon our individual lives.
In our contemporary times, the revival that took place during C.G Finney’s time is also worthy of note. It was said that at least 600,000 converts were made with eighty five percent of those converts remaining true to the Lord. It was said of Finney that the most ordinary statements would cut men off their seats like a sword, would take away their strength and render them almost helpless as dead men. We need such revival even now in our generation.
Cornwall is a village in England where after a hundred years that John Wesley had passed there, a British noble passed through it and could not get a glass of liquor to satisfy his lust, because a revival took place there 100 years before. Pour afresh on us such tremendous baptism of the Holy Ghost that will impact our generation and change the landscape of our land forever.
Early in the 20th century, there was what was regarded as the Korean Pentecost. Everywhere, revived Churches began to see drunkards, gamblers, adulterers, murderers, thieves, self righteous, Confucianists and others transformed into new creations in Christ. The Korean Pentecost was characterized by the unity and cooperation which prevailed amongst Christians, the remarkable numerical growth of the churches, the wonderful religious awakening of 1907 which affected 50,000 converts, the noteworthy interest in the word of God, the dedication of national Christians to service including generous giving, and the wonderful prayer life of the Korean church. The Korean revival was born out of intense prayer, and this remained an integral part of the Korean church life throughout the twentieth century.
CONCLUSION
The present situation of things in our churches, where we have just a special one-week program tagged ‘a week of revival’, will not bring us the much needed revival. There is a deliberate price to pay if we must experience the prize of a genuine revival. There is a tarrying that must be employed in order to receive this revival fire. Revival will only come to men who are willing to give it all it takes, irrespective of how much it may cost.
Remember that the revival in the early church was at a particular address where some people who had paid the price for it gathered together. C.G Finney as a young Christian, often had such precious seasons of communion with God that he said, ‘it could not be described in words’. He had frequent days of fasting and intense prayer, which characterized his ministry throughout his lifetime. At times, he was burdened so much for others that he literally groaned deeply and loudly. Oftentimes, a great burden came upon the new converts. Sometimes they prayed a whole night until they were physically exhausted with the burden for the salvation of the unsaved. Prayer meetings multiplied, resulting in many being brought to the Lord.
We need men of this spiritual caliber in our generation. Men who will agree together and say, ‘We will not rest until the Spirit be poured on us and our generation from on high in a mighty way’; men who will not mind the number of days that they are to tarry until they are endued with power from on high. Our generation will continue to waste away until there will arise vessels of mercy like Finney, Wesley, Paul, Peter, Ezra, Elijah, etc. who will be responsible enough to hold unto God for the fulfillment of His word to our generation.
John Knox, a great man of God, prayed like this: “God give me Scotland or I die!.” Again, John Hyde who was a missionary, prayed, “God give me souls or I die!”. George Whitefield also prayed and said, “God, give me souls or take my souls.” May we begin to also pray in our generation, “God give me revival or I die.”
May God send us such a mighty outpouring in this end time that will herald the second coming of our Lord Jesus.Let us pray…
