Is It Too Late for Revival — E.A. Johnston

A World in Spiritual and Social Darkness

It seems the world is sinking fast. Society is sick with pestilence and sick in sin. Everywhere you look, things look dark and grim. A mass society without any hope or direction. What tragedy will befall us next is on the minds of many.

Governmental Opposition and the Hope of Revival

Gloom and doom is all around us as the governments of the world try to smother Christianity by legislating God out of the land. Against this black backdrop is the glimmer of a white diamond as the church yearns for revival.

The Revival Remnant That Watches and Prays

There's always been a revival remnant who watch and pray for revival. At times, their numbers are small and seemingly insignificant. At times, they appear impotent like a water pistol against a house fire.

Praying for Revival in a Spiritually Dry Land

But nevertheless, the revival remnant remains. A small band of believers here and there exercising faith by meeting to pray to seek God to send revival rain to a parched land and a spiritually dry church.

Seeking the Lord for Righteousness and Revival

We read in Hosea, sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain righteousness upon you. The question arises, friends, is it too late for revival?

Revival as God’s Sovereign Work

The answer is no. It's never too late for revival. It's darkest before light. In desperate times, we hear the cry of the psalmist, Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

Revival is a sovereign work of God that man cannot produce and only God can send. But we can work towards it. We can set our faces to God. We can get on our knees and pray. We can turn from our wicked ways.

We can set ourselves to receive the revival wind when it blows. Listen, friends, I believe revival is not only possible, it is probable as long as we are expendable. In 1740, when God moved through New England, it was called the Great Awakening.

The Church’s Need to Awaken

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. Today, the church is in a crisis point, and we are sleeping right through it.

We need revival. We need God to send revival rain. Revivals of religion have always produced revival men, men who live in a different atmosphere than other mortals, men who have annihilated self with the cross and whose lives are broken alabaster boxes from which fragrances rise to the heavens, from the broken pieces of selflessness and self-sacrifice, men like the Apostle Paul, Luther, Wesley, Whitefield, Knox, Edwards, Vinnie, Spurgeon, Moody, each shared a common denominator of fire in their belly.

Revival Men Devoted to Christ and Eternity

They were each so eaten up with the gospel and thirsty for Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost. They could not stand idly by while others perished. They saw nothing but eternity, worshiped a holy God, and served a risen Christ, living not for earth nor its gains, but living only for heaven and its rewards.

Fearless Preaching of Sin, Salvation, and Judgment

When they preached, they linked the devil with sin and the cross with salvation. They preached hell and its fire, and Christ and Him crucified. Not one of them feared king, queen, or pope, and not one of them sought the compliments of man.