This is from Mr. David, from our congregation…
Some people pray for revival and imagine that ’signs and wonders’ will declare that when it happens, but I was rolling around the thought that maybe we are part of a revival right now - right as we speak - and one that is all the better for not being particularly visible. I mean, is 1100 individual prayer rooms in Brasil last year not a ‘wonder’? What about the dozens of new ‘academies’ being opened by Oasis Trust, Emmanuel Schools Foundation, the Anglican Church etc. etc.? Or Orthodox, Catholics & Protestants all working together as part of Alpha - is that a ’sign’? Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong, but I am not praying for a revival where people ‘go all wobbly’ in the streets (although I don’t mind that either). Something a bit more reformatory, creative and redemptive is where my heart is at. And I think we are already beginning to see it.
I love it, David. I would love to see more people thorough transformed by an encounter with God, the good news transforming people’s lives. But I think that is too small a vision. I really want to see society transformed. Not looking for much then eh?
What do you want to see? What do you pray for?
Tags: prayer, revival, signs & wonders
Since I’ve just discovered that you’ve linked to my bit of whatever, I thought it might help to give a little explanation on where I’m coming from. It’s actually quite simple
i. In England, the period most fondly looked back on (in terms of ‘revival’) is generally the mid 1700s - John Wesley, George Whitefield etc. preaching to crowds of 10,000 in open fields etc. But when you look at church attendance figures of the time, you see that the Church did not grow at all - in fact, all denominations declined over that period, barring the Baptists (who held steady) and the Methodists (who hadn’t existed before). There were a lot of ‘charismatic’ type happening - healings, people speaking in unknown languages and making animal noises, and people climbing trees (according to the Bible Society guy I heard this off) - plus a deal of nominals becoming believers. But no transformation of anything much really.
ii. Fast forward a generation or so: William Carey & the birth of the British missionary movement; William Wilberforce & the abolition of slavery; Quaker industrialists building towns to house their workers; the Sunday School network educating children (only 200 years later than in Scotland!) etc.
[I'm not a great historian, so forgive my poor research]
But the point is, back in those days, all the ‘exciting stuff’ happened and society was left pretty much the same, with the exception that those who were christians were more likely to actually be believers. It was in the successive generations that saw the transformative renewal of (aspects of) society.
In Britain, the charismatic movement has the ‘exciting stuff’ since the 50s, more or less. Perhaps now we are beginning to see the second side of the coin?
David - good comment and thanks for clarifying! I think you must have been listening to the same Bible society guy as i have: Martin Robinson. I love him!