Realities of Revival Personal Corporate National — E.A. Johnston

The Need for Personal, Corporate, and National Revival

The reality of revival, recognizing the need for personal revival in the life, corporate revival in the church, and national revival in the land for the glory of God. As Asylum Discourse recommended at a time of sad spiritual declension in the church, great apostasy in our denominations, and gross perversion in the land, in a sermon whereby the following distinguishing twelve marks of a decaying condition are laid out and supported by the Word of God, Discourse.

Revival and Decline in the Church and Nation

The church and the land are either in revival or in decay. The pilgrim churches of New England were born out of the spirit of revival, and for the first thirty years they prospered under continuous influences of the Holy Ghost, but in the second generation there began to be a decay of vital godliness.

This decay was lamented by Increase Mather, who wrote, A prayer is needful on this account, in that conversions are become rare in this age of the world. The body of the rising generation is a poor, perishing, unconverted, and except the Lord pour down His Spirit in undone generation, many are profane drunkards, lascivious, scoffers at the power of godliness, despisers of those that are good, disobedient.

Others are only civil and outwardly conformed to good order by reason of their education, but never knew what the new birth means. Well those were the words of Increase Mather in his day, and if this was the spiritual atmosphere in his day of the early pilgrim church, how much more shall we examine our own decaying condition of the modern church before God, with gravity, and earnestness, and our profane and morally bankrupt society.

But as morning follows after a long dark night, times refreshing from the Lord will be poured out upon His church and the land, but then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord, His going forth is prepared as the morning, and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth, so says Hosea 6 .3.

I repeat friends, the church is either in revival or in decay. Let us examine twelve marks of decay as seen in the three main aspects for the need for personal revival, corporate revival, and national revival under the following heads.

Treating Sin Lightly

The need for personal revival, first and foremost, recognizing the need for personal revival in the life of believers by the following marks of a decaying state. Mark number one, when the people of God treat sin lightly, it is time for personal revival.

And Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord, above all that were before him, and it came to pass, it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam. Mark number two, when the people of God are self-reliant, and serve God with a divided heart, it is time for personal revival.

Self-Reliance and a Divided Heart

But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlands, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them, but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

Mark number three, when the people of God exhibit insincere repentance, and inconsistent lives, and do not live yielded lives under the Lordship of Christ, in obedience and holiness unto God, it is time for personal revival.

Insincere Repentance and Inconsistent Lives

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew, it goeth away. So says Hosea 6 .4. Mark number four, when there is no reality of God seen in the lives of the people of God, it is time for personal revival.

The Reality of God in Believers' Lives

And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, which passes us by continually. Second Kings 4 .9. The need for corporate revival. Mark number one, when the church becomes worldly, and slumbers on pillows of conformity and compromise, it is time for corporate revival.

Worldliness, Conformity, and Compromise in the Church

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos 3 .3. Mark number two, when the church relies more on money and manpower to advance the work of God, rather than relying on prayer and holy ghost power, it is time for corporate revival.

Dependence on Prayer Rather Than Human Strength

Thus he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit. Sayeth the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4 .6. Mark number three, when the church lacks a God consciousness, and there is no power of God in the meetings, then it is time for corporate revival.

The Power of God in the Church's Meetings

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bands were loosed, and the keeper of the prison awakened out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled, but Paul cried with a loud voice, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here.

Then he called for a light and sprang in, and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Acts 16 .26 -30. Mark number four, when the church lacks authority in the pulpit and influence upon society, it's time for corporate revival.

Spiritual Authority in the Pulpit

Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled, and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4 .13. Lastly, the need for national revival is seen in increasing decays.

The Fear of God in the Nation

Mark number one, when there is no longer a fear of God in the land, it is time for national revival. Let us now hear the conclusion to the whole matter, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Forsaking God for Broken Cisterns

Ecclesiastes 12 .13. Mark number two, when a nation forsakes the God of the Bible and turns its back on God, it is time for national revival. For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hooded them out, cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

A Sinful Nation Provoking God

Jeremiah 2 .13. Mark number three, when a sinful nation becomes God-provoking by actively promoting evil in the land and corrupting other nations, it is time for national revival. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors.

They have forsaken the Lord. They have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger. They are gone away backward. Isaiah 1 .4. Mark number four, when a younger generation rises without the knowledge of God and atheism is abounding in the land, it is time for national revival.

A Generation Without the Knowledge of God

And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. Judges 2 .10. That these affirmation twelve marks of a decaying condition hereby disclosed will lead the people of God to earnestly seek God in desperate nights of prayer and solemn assembly and to repent of their wicked ways in a turning back to the living God of the Bible as seen in the following means found in 2 Chronicles 7 .14.

Humility, Prayer, and Repentance for National Healing

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Let me ask you, friend, does our land need healing? Are our churches in spiritual decay? Are our young people going to the devil in droves? Is there a withdrawn presence of God amongst us? When was the last time you felt the power of God in a meeting?

God gets serious with those who get serious with him. In Malachi we read, return unto me and I will return unto you. Let us pray.