Month: January 2021

The very word revival stirs up a variety of thoughts, feelings and sentiments when raised in the context of church culture. I suspect most of us have at some pointed prayer or longed for one, ideally both. Whether or not we have ever read about or experienced one I want to look at how we view them. I believe there are two primary ways of thinking about revival. We can view revival as an event or an outcome.

This may present as a strange way of considering the subject but I think it highlights something very important. I remember decades ago reading a comment by Dr. Larry Crabb in one of his counselling books. He raised the idea of working toward our goals and praying for our desires. I think there is wisdom in that idea. I can easily apply it to my arthritic knees, particularly my left one. I pray for healing, my desire, while at the same time working toward my goal of maintaining the function of my knees by specific and regular exercises.

In applying that to revival, as with my knees, there is a twofold process to consider. We have revival as an event and when I hear people speak of it that is how others often seem to perceive it. Yet if we dig and little deeper and excavate some of the rubble, I think we will see it as an outcome,  an event as the result of something. Clear examples of that are major revivals we see in scripture. We will begin with Josiah.

2 Kings 22:8–13 (NKJV)

⁸ Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. ⁹ So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord.” ¹⁰ Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

¹¹ Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. ¹² Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, ¹³ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

Here the book of the Law was found and was read to Josiah. He began to reign at age 8 and was now 26. In hearing the book of the Law read Josiah was moved to initiate a major revival in Israel. The event we see is a revival, major change in Israel. However, this event is the outcome of something that took place 8 years earlier.

2 Chronicles 34:3 (NKJV)

³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.

The groundwork for the major revival and reforms of Josiah was his pursuing of Yahweh years earlier.

The most important revival most of us in the church know of began on the day of Pentecost after Jesus crucifixion and resurrection. We find it in Acts and the event in response to Peter’s first sermon was 3,000 people being saved (Acts 2:1-42). This was only the beginning of powerful revival, healings and miracles. In Acts 1 we have evidence that the event on the day of Pentecost was the outcome of a 10 day prayer meeting. Yet a deeper look shows that all of this was preceded by a larger plan.

Revelation 13:8 (NKJV)

⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Jesus crucifixion and resurrection were planned from the beginning of the world. So, back to my knee example. Let us desire revival in our lifetime, an event that transforms our communities and the lives of many. In concert with our desiring revival let us continue in the place of prayer trusting that our Father is planning on bringing it about as an outcome of our praying and a furthering of His purpose.

Heart focus may sound odd given that we see through our eyes. However, what affects our lives the most is not where we have our focus at any given moment so much as how we are looking. That is, the factors that are adjusting our focus. What we see depends both on what we see and how we see. This is why Jesus highlights the importance of how we look.  

Matthew 6:22–23 (NKJV)

²²  “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

The above verses, like any others, have a context. Jesus message here and in the broader passage is about our heart focus. The word ‘good’ is translated as ‘healthy in the ESV and ‘clear’ in the NASB but the literal meaning of the Greek word haplous is ‘single,’ as in being focused on one thing. This is how the KJV translates the word and captures the meaning. In the preceding verse Jesus addressed our focus by referring to our heart and later He connects it to pursuing two things, God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)

²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

From these verses and their context, we should arrive at the idea that Jesus thinks our focus is important. That what affects our seeing is what our heart is treasuring. We can ‘see’ this by reflecting on many different gospel examples. Think of how the religious leaders saw the poor and broken as sinners deserving of their status while Jesus saw them as broken and lost and needing compassion and salvation. They saw the same people but they looked through different hearts. Jesus even had to rebuke His followers at times for holding wrong heart attitudes that affected their seeing.

So, let us get to the ‘how’ of what Jesus is instructing. Adjusting our focus by adjusting our heart attitudes. If we familiar with how a laser works, we know it is concentrated light. Its effectiveness comes from a intense concentrated focus. In a similar manner our spiritual effectiveness comes from developing a concentrated focus. What enables us to develop and maintain a single heart focus is intentionally shaping our heart attitude. Paul put it this way.

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.

When we choose to intentionally and habitually focus on the true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good and virtuous we develop hearts that sees as Jesus sees. Our eye is good and our body is full our light. Our heart focus is on what He values and we walk in agreement with the kingdom of God.