Remembering Revival Words 6

I am continuing to remind myself of words that have stirred in me about revival over the last 5 years from BuyTheField.

We'll Know It.

originally penned August 26, 2020.

I want to keep pondering it and praying it.

"When revival comes, we'll know it." T.M. Moore

Martin Lloyd Jones says, "Revival is God acting." That means that salvation is the reviving movement of God. That means that desire for holy relating among one another on this normal Wednesday is the reviving movement of God. That means that today, participating with God for the life of the world is the reviving movement of God. Revival is God acting. And it is happening moment by moment, breath by breath.

And thoughout history there have been recorded pockets of time and gatherings of hearts where revival comes to particular peoples in particular places and that when it happens, they knew it.

I'm trying to put this thought into words for my own heart to hear. I can be living my normal days longing for the reviving of the Holy Spirit or living my days not particularly longing for the reviving of the Holy Spirit and either way, all at once, I could become aware of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit (bible book of Joel, chapter 2) in an unusual, out of the ordinary visitation with me, my wife, my family, my friends, my church, my community, my country.

WHATEVER HE CHOOSES.

WHOMEVER HE CHOOSES.

WHENEVER HE CHOOSES.

WHYEVER HE CHOOSES.

WHEREVER HE CHOOSES.

HOWEVER HE CHOOSES.

Bible book of Psalm, chapter 115, verse 3. "Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever pleases Him."

I want to keep swimming in this. Listen to Lloyd Jones words.

*"Take the terms that are used- He is 'poured out', 'they were filled' or He 'fell upon them'. Here are these people, they are the recipients but the action is outside, it is objective if you like, it is given, it is the Lord who does it."

*"The point I am establishing, then, is that these very variations in the way in which this happens all point to the same fact, that the given element is the important one. You cannot stereotype or systematize this, or say, 'Very well then, this is what you have to do.' No, it is always this given element, the pouring out, the falling upon, the being filled. In other words, all these variations establish the lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ in this entire matter. It is He who is the giver, it is He who is the baptizer. He does so in His own way and in His own time and we must never lose sight of this all important principle."

*"Perhaps it will help us to grasp this if we put it like this. The same thing is true, of course, of all the great revivals in the history of the church. They are most important in this matter. The difference between the pouring out of the Holy Spirit and a revival is simply one of the the number of people affected. I would define revival as a large number, a group of people being baptized by the Holy Spirit at the same time. The Holy Spirit falling upon, coming upon a number of people assembled together. It can happen in a chapel, in a church. It can happen in a district. It can happen in a country."

*"In light of all this, therefore, there is nothing that is so clear about the history of revivals as the sovereignty and the Lordship of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. You cannot get a revival whenever you like, or work one up. It is wrong to say that if you fulfill certain conditions or do certain things a revival will come. So many have said that . I have known many who have taught and practiced that, who have done everything that they have been instructed to do, but the revival has not come. The answer is that it is entirely His gift and entirely in His hands."

*"It is something that happens to us. It is something that takes place with respect to us. It is given. It is His action and not the result of something that you and I do."

Slow to consider.

Stirred.

So stirred.

Wondering.

Waiting.

Wonder.

It opens up a pocket in my heart filled with wonder and anticipation of, all at once, being in that moment when you undeniably know that revival has come.

"When revival comes, we'll know it."

There's more.