What is Revival?
On April 8, 1966, on Good Friday, just two days before Easter Sunday, Time Magazine published one of the most controversial covers in history, asking the bold and direct question: “Is God Dead?” People of faith across America were outraged that Time Magazine would have the audacity to ask such a question and release it over Easter weekend.
Without providing a definitive answer, the author questioned the relevance of God and implied that, many churches and seminaries were slowly abandoning the traditional belief in a real, divine, omnipotent God, in favor of a God who was more symbolic. One of the prominent liberal theologians attempting to write God out of the field of theology that the article focused on included Rochester’s own, William Hamilton, a professor at Colgate Rochester Divinity School. As a result, thousands of letters poured into Time Magazine and countless angry sermons were preached in churches across America.
God Answers
You could say, God answered this question Himself, just a short time later, with the last Great Spiritual Awakening known as the Jesus Movement. Starting in the late 1960’s, the awakening lasted into the early 1970’s. Time’s, June 21, 1971 cover, referred to the movement as the Jesus Revolution. Time Magazine was forced to declare, God was in fact, not “dead!”
The Awakening started in the most unlikely segment of American culture who, for the most part, were considered the misfits, characterized by long hair, free love, music, psychedelic drugs, Eastern mysticism and civil disobedience. It was the hippie movement. Most churches in America were not welcoming to hippies. But, God, in His great love, reached the unreachable outcasts. This awakening had transformative, relevant, and lasting impact on society and the church as a whole, influencing music through an informal worship style, and had an overall appeal to young people throughout our nation.
The Great Rochester Revival
Ever since I first came to the Lord in 1984, I have always been fascinated with revival. I have spent countless hours studying the outpourings and visitations of God’s presence throughout history and praying the God would “renew them in our day” (Habakkuk 3:2).
The roots of revival run deep in the City of Rochester. The Charles Finney Revival was part of the Second Great Awakening. Presbyterians called it, “the Year of the right hand of the Most High.” There were 100,000 salvations in Rochester in 6 months. The revival shut down bars, crime dropped significantly, and new churches were birthed. The Rochester revival was considered by many, one of the greatest revivals in history.
Revival vs Awakening
Greg Laurie, in “Awakenings, Revivals, and the Church,” says, “America needs a spiritual awakening, but the church needs a revival. ‘Revival’ and ‘awakening’ are often used interchangeably, but there’s a distinction. An awakening is when God sovereignly pours out his Spirit, and it impacts a culture. That is what happened during the Jesus Revolution. A revival, on the other hand, is what the church must experience. It’s when the church comes back to life, when it becomes what it was always meant to be. It’s a returning to passion.” Psalm 85:6 says, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” That’s our heart for the inception of Revive Church. A church birthed in new life, to bring new life.
Healing What’s Broken
Many are stuggling to get through life. Anxiety, fear and depression are at an all-time high. Plain and simple, Jesus came to heal what’s broken (Luke 4:18). At Revive Church, we know the healing that can take place in a person’s life when they receive Jesus Christ and their lives become completely transformed through His love and power. For those who need more support, for the past 5 years, my wife and I have led a thriving healing ministry at His Tabernacle Family Church in Horseheads, NY, called Healing Journey. Through this ministry, we have seen many receive healing of lifelong wounds and complete restoration.
Why do we need revival? We need revival to revitalize and restore people’s love relationship with God and His presence their lives. “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalms 16:11. You don’t have to wait until tomorrow for your revival, you can have it TODAY!