Revival?

A touchy subject lately among evangelical and conservative churches and Christians in general is whether or not we are entering into a revival, much like the days of the Great Awakening of the 1700's. A revival is considered spiritual renewal in the life of the church. Are we entering into a revival? Many events throughout the world point to this. The 1960's through the 1980's was the official 4th revival in the history of the U.S. (called the Fourth Great Awakening). I think that the reason revivals occur is due to the extreme circumstances of our culture and where we are at, as a nation, spiritually, morally, and whether or not the Christian population is willing to step out in faith and believe that God can do anything.

The Bible says that in the last days, the Spirit of God will be poured out among the believers (Acts 2:14-21). Whether or not you believe this or not, the last days are NOW. Jesus' first coming, as God in human form, was the beginning of the last days. Jesus' second coming will be THE final day. So we are in the last days... why should we not expect that scripture is true and that the words in Acts (and many, many other passages) are for us NOW.

Let me rewind a little and enlighten... The U.S. is very much a blessed nation. And yes, it IS founded on biblical principles (whether you believe that or not is not an issue here - it is fact). Around the world are many other nations that have been suppressed by those who do not seek God and do not want him to rule over their land... and they have seen terror and calamity for ages. The Holy Spirit is very active in oppressed nations among the believers there. It has to be because of the power Satan has on other nations. I have seen things in third world countries (specifically India) that would scare people into belief in Jesus. Satan is real and his power is real. Just like the Holy Spirit, Satan can live IN us and I have seen this firsthand. Now why do I explain this? Because the U.S. is BLESSED. God has found favor with the leaders of our nation. He has found favor with our people. We are, in a sense, an extension of Israel. But this is slowly eroding away. As our culture embraces immorality (laws apart from God's laws), we drift further from God. Without belief in God (foundation for a moral truth), there is nothing to weigh morality against. As we take God's word away from our nation (removing scripture references, the 10 Commandments, prayer in public/government places, etc.), what we are doing is taking God away.

We either revive our nation or we perish. We are not invincible. God is. Do you want the power of the Holy Spirit? It will be poured out if only we ask. Believe in the power of God and share his saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ with people around you. He will give you gifts of the Spirit if you only believe that He can.

To sound like a drunkard (as the apostles were called in Acts), the end IS near.

Lord, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'm not scared because your holding my breath, I only fear that I don't have enough time left, to tell the world that there's no time left...