Revival Lectures One — E.A. Johnston

Revival as a Great Awakening

In 1740, when God moved through New England, it was called the Great Awakening. Revival has often been referred to as an awakening. At Gethsemane, Jesus faced the crisis point of his earthly ministry, and his disciples slept right through it.

The Church’s Crisis of Spiritual Sleep

Today, the church is in a crisis point, and we are sleeping right through it. It's a sad fact of history, friends, that when the church needs revival the most, she is the least interested in the subject.

From Human Resources to Holy Ghost Power

When the church has grown accustomed to operating on money and manpower, rather than by prayer and holy ghost power, she is living proof she is blind to her own sad condition. Unlike the Laodicean church, because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, the church in need of revival is seen as the time period of the disciples between Christ's arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection appearances, where they spent their time huddled in fear and non-productive, locked up behind closed doors, or going back to their former secular activity, as opposed to the same men who, after the day of Pentecost, are new men with a new power and a new purpose, focused on eternity, and preaching with power, signs, and wonders, turning the world upside down everywhere they go, and turning the devil on his head in the process.

A church, self-absorbed, is like a turtle in the sand, slow and concerned only of improving its own nest, as opposed to a church that's on fire for God, that's like a comet streaming across the sky, in mighty power and wonder, and leaving a smoking mark on the earth when it's finally spent, which is the picture of the church in the book of Acts.

The Purpose of the Revival Lectures

The following messages on revival are meant to encourage the study of revival, to realign the church back to a thrice holy God, giving her once again her true state of influence over society, and a heaven-sent voice of authority.

A Personal Calling to Study Revival

I was 13 years old when I attended a series of revival meetings conducted by an itinerant evangelist from Canada. During those meetings, God moved in my young heart, and I was brought to know Christ Jesus as my Savior.

And it was also a time in my life where God birthed in me a love for the study of revival. I've devoted my life to the study and promotion of revival. I've traveled all over Great Britain and America, visiting scenes of historic revival.

These lectures, friends, are written from five decades of experience of the study and prayer for revival, the writing and preaching on the subject of revival. The following lessons are arranged in a particular order to aid us in our study of revival, and to stir our hearts to pray for revival.

Studying Revival Before Experiencing Revival

When one looks at history, it's often the study of revival that's a prelude to actually seeing revival. An instance of this is seen in 1741, where an obscure Scottish pastor by the name of William McCulloch began reading his congregation accounts of the revival occurring in the colonies under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield.

His congregation became burdened for revival in their little town of Cambuslang, and this pastor soon invited George Whitefield to come and to preach there. And the result was the remarkable Cambuslang Revival, where thousands gathered on the preaching brace in the back of the church, and where Whitefield wrote in his journal that the scene looked like a battlefield, with the wounded strewn about the ground, crying in agony, What must I do to be saved?

Signs of Spiritual Decline and the Need for Revival

But when a church enters into a cold state of dead formalism, there is evidence of spiritual decline and need for revival. When there is little burden preaching, there will also be little burden prayer.

When a church is self-focused, there is little burden for the hell-bound, and consequently, little evangelism, either corporate or in personal witness. We need the refreshing breath of the Spirit of God upon us in a revelation of the holy presence of God.

We need a God-consciousness in our midst once again, if forever again to feel the power of God in a meeting. This stirring revival study is not just for the busy pastor, but for anyone who is burdened to see revival in our day.

Revival as the Nation’s Only Hope

Listen, friends, if our nation does not turn back to the God of the Bible through a God-sent revival, then we have no hope as a nation. It is my prayer that these revival lectures increase our knowledge of revival and stir us on to pray for revival in our day.

The Spirit of Antichrist and Moral Chaos

In these last days in which we live, the spirit of Antichrist is already in the land. Our society spins out of control into moral chaos as the nations sit like dominoes on the very brink of destruction.

Revival is our only hope. It is my prayer that these lectures will increase our burden to see revival in our day. Let me pray. Oh, great God, You are the God of revival. You've been pleased, Lord, to send us showers of effusions of Your grace in former times as You've had mercy upon this land.

National Repentance and the Call for Mercy

Our nation has turned her back on Thee. We've legislated You out of our country. Subsequently, we haven't seen a national awakening in over 160 years. Our land is barren spiritually. It's under Your remedial judgments.

And yet, we're like the Jews in the days of Your prophet Amos whom You sent one remedial judgment right after another upon them and where You lamented, Yet have You not returned back to me, saith the Lord of hosts?

Reestablishing Christ’s Preeminence in the Church

Oh, great God, have mercy upon us, I pray. Be pleased to look down, come down upon our spiritual bankruptcy and our great need of Your presence in our churches at this hour. Come, great King, and reestablish the preeminence of Christ in our sanctuaries and the prominence of Christ in our lives.

Come save this godless generation of young people today who are blinded and enslaved by the devil himself. Send revival our way, I pray. I pray these things in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.