indifference to Revival -- part 1

Indifference.  It is not always nor necessarily offensive.  One can be indifferent to any number of things, without detriment either to oneself or to others.  One may be indifferent to how it is that birds can fly, without harming either birds or oneself.  Indifference, in principle, is not immoral.  But when one's attitude and behavior towards something needful and important may be characterized as indifferent, such an one may be guilty of gross sin and may indeed cause much harm by reason of his or her indifference.

Thus, questions related to the moral implications of indifference must be considered in relation to a given subject.  In the case at hand the subject is Revival.  Indifference to the need for Revival--especially, in the face of the great Apostasy of our time, is immoral, it is sinful, and it invariably results in serious harm to oneself and to others.

Remarkably, there is a certain, numerically large class of professing Christians, to whom the very notion of Revival is utterly meaningless--if it is not in fact repugnant.
Firstly, though, it is probably needful to define what is meant by "Revival".  It was recently objected to me that the word 'revival' is not in the Bible.  But neither are the words "trinity", "rapture", and "omnipotent", for just a few examples, found in Scripture.  Nevertheless, all of those words--including the word "revival"--represent ideas and doctrines which are thoroughly Biblical.  The word "revival" has essentially the same meaning as the word "revive", which means: "to restore to life; to renew vitality; to recover, repair, quicken", etc.  As the word Revival is applied to the lives of Christian persons, both individually and collectively, it means: 'to restore to life' both faith and hope in Christ, where that may have waned; 'to renew vitality' of one's zeal in service to God and man; 'to recover' oneself from worldliness and carnality; 'to repair' damaged or broken relationships, where possible; 'to quicken' (re-energize) one's 'first love' to Christ.

Each of the foregoing illustrations involving the meaning of the word "Revival", suggests one idea which is common to them all, namely: the idea, that one's spiritual life can be, and sometimes may need to be, restored to a higher plane, from a place of (what Charles Finney called) "declension" (moral decline, or 'backsliding').  Few, indeed, are those Christians (if there truly ever was any--besides Christ) who, from the very first moment their hearts were set aflame with the love of God (in regeneration), they have never wavered, never diminished, never faltered, in their faithfulness, love, and service to God.  Every Christian who ever lived has needed, from time to time, personal Revival.

But Revival connotes something reaching even beyond personal, spiritual restoration.  For, Revival has a purpose far greater than Christians' personal peace.  Christians furthermore need joy and gladness, to be truly happy in the Lord.  Beware, not to conflate peace and joy, as though peace and joy are one and the same thing; they are not.  A Christian can have peace but lack joy and gladness.  Whereas peace has to do with one's own (right) standing with God in Christ; yet, joy and gladness are connected with certain realities 'outside of'--though still affecting--one's own spiritual life.

Soul-winning is one such 'reality' just mentioned.  Soul-winning, according to Scripture, brings joy and gladness to the genuine Christian.  Answered prayer is another such 'reality' which is directly responsible for bringing joy and gladness to the Christian who will pray according to Scripture.  Christian fellowship is yet another one of those 'realities' which is essential to Christians' possession of joy and gladness.

In the fullest sense of its meaning, Revival entails, first of all, renewing individual Christians to a right standing with God.  Then, when Christians are thus restored--through washing of the Word, repentance, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, their desire toward the things of God is thereby rekindled.  A renewed commitment to fulfill the purpose and calling of God ensues, which is manifested in soul-winning efforts, zealousness in prayer, and fervent desire for Christian fellowship.  Then, THEN, I say, Revival in the Church breaks out to touch the unsaved world for Christ.  When it appears that multitudes are being brought to repentance and faith in Christ through the efforts of the Church, people are wont to say that "Revival" is 'happening' at such and such a place.  But that latter result, practically speaking, is all that most professing Christians suppose is meant, evidently, by the word Revival.

Although--due to the gross negligence of ministers who fail to feed their flocks with truth and instruct them in the paths of righteousness, most professing Christians do not know the way to Revival, even if they may perceive the need.  The result is horrifically described by the prophet Joel, whose entire prophecy (consisting in three chapters) speaks specifically to this present generation, thus:

Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.  The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD’S ministers, mourn.  The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.  Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.  The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.  Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.  Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.  Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?  The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.  How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.  (Joel 1:8-18)

If ever the Christian Church--and the unsaved world--needed Revival, it is right now.  In part 2 of this series, we are going to take a look at some particular obstacles to Revival.  As I wrote, above, at the head of this essay: "[T]here is a certain, numerically large class of professing Christians, to whom the very notion of Revival is utterly meaningless--if it is not in fact repugnant".

The very suggestion, that many Christians are indifferent--if not in fact opposed--to Revival, is appalling.  But true.