NOTHING would please the Lord more or stir up the devil faster than a genuine revival. Nothing would more quickly prepare the church for its modern Pentecost and the finishing of the work or more surely thin the ranks, threaten our finances, and invite renewed persecution than an all-out, whole-souled revival.
We have known for years not to look for the entire church to be revived. "That time will never come." --Selected Messages, book 1, p. 122. But that is not the point. In the light of today's trends, what would be the chances of opposition within the church or of persecution without, if we now called for true revival and full reformation? This much we know:
Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the early church, and 1he spirit of persecution will be revived, and the fires of persecution will be re kindled. The Great Controversy, p. 48.
So serious are the risks involved that to move from impulse could mean disaster. But not to advance at all would be failure.
Such were the hazards also of Christ's own ministry, perfect though it was. He knew full well the heavy spiritual casual ties and the loss of much-needed support that would attend His preaching. "Many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (John 6:66). Jesus could not fail to apply the test, but neither could He escape the burden of disappointment and sorrow that accompanied the tragic results.
Great Losses--Greater Gains
So will our monumental decision for revival be made, prayerfully perhaps even grimly but surely. For we shall know as Christ did that however great the losses, far more will be gained. Chief of these gains will be the favor of God. If heaven is made glad when one soul is reclaimed, what will be its joy when the Lord sees His slumbering church awaken to its renewal of piety and power? Jesus must have looked toward that day when it was said of Him, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied" (Isa. 53:11).
Whether the losses from the tests of revival be large or small, they are always serious. But, as in the early church, they are not irreparable. After having been shown those who will prove unworthy, Ellen G. White said, "Their places were immediately filled by others taking hold of the truth and coming into the ranks."--Early Writings, p. 271.
Not only will such losses be promptly re placed, but there are other benefits as well. Do you have loved ones who have lost their way? One of the most welcome surprises of revival will be the reclaiming of these discouraged souls in large numbers. When the storm of persecution really breaks upon us, the true sheep will hear the true Shepherd's voice. Self-denying efforts will be put forth to save the lost, and many who have strayed from the fold will come back to follow the great Shepherd.—Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 401. (Emphasis supplied.)
As the harvest is greater than the seed-sowing, so will the closing of the gospel age be greater than its beginning. In that earlier day, "the church beheld converts flocking to her from all directions. . . . These scenes are to be repeated, and with greater power. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the former rain, but the latter rain will be more abundant.—Christ's Object Lessons, pp. 120, 121.
A New Day for the Church
With the infilling of this grace will come a new and vital experience to the church.
When the reformation begins, the spirit of prayer will actuate every believer and will banish from the church the spirit of discord and strife. --Testimonies. vol. 8, p. 251.
Notice how this spirit of prayer and fellow ship is similar to that of the day of Pentecost.
The Spirit came upon the waiting, praying disciples with a fullness that reached every heart. The Infinite One revealed Himself in power to His church. It was as if for ages this influence had been held in restraint, and now Heaven rejoiced in being able to pour out upon the church the riches of the Spirit's grace. --The Acts of the Apostles, p. 38.
How many other blessings will accompany these, we cannot tell. Their number and magnitude are all included in "the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). But this oneness of communion with Christ, in the same need and for the same goal, what a difference it makes! How it breaks down all the distracting and divisive elements that would separate us from God and from one another! How else could our hearts be opened to the fullness of the Spirit in readiness for the last great work of the gospel, except through the fellow ship that revival brings?
Elijah prayed for revival whatever the cost. So must the church pray now. As Dwight L. Moody is said to have suggested, "Let those who want a revival first draw a circle around themselves, kneel down within it, and stay there until revival comes." Only let the circle be multiplied in our case by the hundreds of thousands all around the world. Think what earnest prayer on such a scale might do to change everything that stands in the way of Christ's fervent desire for His people!
It is neither too late nor too early to begin. Why not pray today, tomorrow, and until revival comes in all its glorious power?
