Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
John 3:5-8

By: Jim Wood, Founder of Wears Valley Ranch

When I was a pastor in Atlanta, I was asked, “When are we going to schedule a Revival?” I explained, “If you mean you’d like us to plan a week of special meetings with a guest preacher and guest musicians, we can do this. But we will not advertise it as a revival, because that is not something we can schedule. If you want a true revival, start praying.”

For many American churches, “a revival” is something we plan and control. True revival is God’s sovereign work, and we cannot control it. When God does move in an extraordinary way, there are those who attempt to control it, take credit for it, or even make money from it.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
Acts 8:18-23

Much is being written about the current signs of God’s work in calling his children to repentance and prayer. One preacher publicly lamented the way that “The Jesus Revolution” movie celebrates what he sees as a sad departure from the way things should be. He actually felt that doing away with wearing a coat and tie was shameful accommodation to hippie culture. While I must admit I thought this preacher looked great in his suit and perfectly knotted tie, I wonder what he would have said about Hudson Taylor dressing and grooming like the Chinese in an effort to reach the people of China. Does he believe that Jonathan Edwards, or John Calvin, or the Apostle Paul all wore a suit and tie? One sure impediment to revival is an insistence that God reinforce our own subculture, while offering an unfamiliar new life to people in other cultures.

I have personally lamented efforts by out of shape middle-aged preachers to squeeze themselves into ripped skinny jeans and t-shirts. But is there really a difference in the spiritual value of a preacher in a $900 suit and a preacher with $900 sneakers?

Someone recently suggested, “If we seek revival, we are likely to end up in emotional manipulation and showmanship. If we seek the Lord, genuine revival is a byproduct.” There is nothing wrong with praying for revival, but we should not long for revival in hopes of preserving our comfortable lives. We need to understand that true revival will bring a change in us, not just in others.

After years of serving the Lord Jesus, the apostle still longs to know him more:

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:10-14