“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall
live.’” (John
11:25 NKJV)
As
another year arrives, will it bring more of the same—ho-hum, been there, done
that—or a dynamic sense of renewal—a rebirth of hope? God will do the latter, if we reject the
former—and this is what we call, “revival.”
The story of the raising of Lazarus from the grave is an illustration of
genuine revival. It is described in
John, chapter eleven.
SICKNESS
AND DEATH ARE A REALITY. Jesus loved
Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha—but that did not prevent him from
becoming ill and dying. Churches have
life cycles too—they are living organisms and are subject to spiritual disease
and death. Some churches remain open for
business, and go through the motions of life—zombie-like—but, are dead
concerning vibrant life in Christ. It
can happen to any church, no matter how strong it is today.
HEALTH
AND LIFE ARE ABOUT RELATIONSHIP. Martha
spoke to Jesus about her beloved brother’s demise, and regretted it, while
tearfully, wistfully longing for his resurrection. Her mistake was in thinking of resurrection
merely in terms of an event—something at a point in time. Jesus revealed to her that resurrection was
in a Person—in Himself, the Lord of Life!
We can try to schedule a “revival” as an event—indeed the fact is God
might use a week or meetings and an anointed preacher to ignite a revival—however
you can’t put God on your calendar. He
doesn’t schedule an appointment according to what you believe expedient. We observe that in John 11, as Jesus hears
about Lazarus’ illness, but makes no move to go to him, arriving only after he
has been dead for four days! Revival is
about a fresh encounter with Christ—a deeper revelation of His person and is
about His glory.
Jesus said, “Take away the
stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this
time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to
you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:39-40)
STRENGTH
AND BLESSING ARE ABOUT RENEWAL. By the
authority of His Word, Christ summons Lazarus from the dead. You can have preaching without revival, but it
is unlikely you will have revival without preaching. There is a power unleashed through God’s
truth that brings renewal.
·
Renewed
Vitality. His eyes opened. Lazarus could hear again. He had strength to move. All that was once part of his life was
reenergized. When the church experiences
true revival, life returns to what was once a corpse.
·
Renewed
Liberty. Lazarus was still bound by
grave-clothes. Jesus demanded that he be
set free. Revival brings freedom from
bondage—whether alcohol, pornography, greed, bitterness—and such enslaving
evils.
·
Renewed
Testimony. Lazarus had a story to
tell! The enemy was so threatened by it,
that as they conspired to silence Jesus, they discussed putting Lazarus to
death also. Revival is not the same as
an evangelistic effort, but the two are often associated as one because to be
renewed means our passion for the Great Commission is restored and our
testimony has conviction behind it because we see what God has done.
May
God do such a work among us for His glory in 2014!
