Revive Us Again
For those old enough, like me, to remember the old hymns we sang, you’ll remember the song titled “Revive Us Again”. “We praise Thee O Lord, For the Son of Thy love, For Jesus who died and is now gone above, Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah, Amen, Hallelujah, Thine the glory, Revive us Again.”
Revival. We certainly understand the concept. Our faith has stagnated, grown cold, maybe even died, and we need it to be revived. We want it brought back to health and vigor! In most cases we think of our church, but many times it can be our own personal faith and Christian walk, that has become too routine, too automatic, or too neglected, and has become stale and off track.
It’s been going on since the beginning. Once Adam and Eve sinned, the need for revival began. It has been a constant theme through all the years. Noah spent many years building the Ark because society as a whole had moved away from God and something drastic needed to change. A new start was needed. Revival. God called Abraham out of Ur, initiating the redemption story. Moses led the new nation of Israel out of Egypt on a long journey to the Promised Land because a reconnection with the one true God was needed, collectively and individually. The prophets spoke tough words of correction to their fellow Israelites. Renewal of God’s way based on his Law was needed. The southern kingdom of Judah would go into captivity because God had to take extreme measures to get their attention.
Jesus comes on the scene, the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, but also calling his listeners to repentance. Throughout the church age there have been many calls to revival. Augustine distanced himself from false teaching. John Wycliff would promote the Bible in the common language and decry politicizing the church. Jan Hus sought to have the Bible as the supreme authority, not the Pope, and fought against indulgences. Martin Luther would learn from Hus and finally broke with the Roman Catholic Church (or maybe I should say they broke with him). The Reformation became a huge revival effort.
In America, the Great Awakenings and what would be called the Restoration Movement, sought to bring people back to the Bible as the rule of faith and practice. In more recent times a phrase has emerged from theologians, “the church reformed, always reforming.” It’s a sad truth. Over and over the cycle repeats itself. The church, or individuals, seem to grow distant from, and cold toward, God, or at least lackadaisical. A drifting into worldly ways of thinking takes the place of Godly direction. Too often the church has sought power. Power corrupts, and individuals follow their leaders. Whatever the cause, something is needed to recreate a spark of vital, humble, active faith, for the individual, or the church.
Have you been there? Maybe a church you belong to needs revival. Maybe you need it. Life’s pressures, and life’s pleasures, work their hurtful ways on us. We get sucked in. We get lazy. And we neglect the spiritual battle going on around us (Eph. 6:12). God fights for our allegiance, and so does Satan. We aren’t forced into anything. We have a choice in what we commit to, the direction we go. But if we are not purposeful and intentional, we slowly move into values and beliefs more conducive to our culture. Satan uses culture as a tool. What do we need to revive our faithful walk with Jesus?
The hymn continues, “We praise Thee O Lord, For Thy spirit of light, Who hath shown us our Savior and scattered the night. Revive us again, Fill each heart with Thy love, May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. Hallelujah, Thine the glory, Hallelujah, Amen, Hallelujah, Thine the glory, Revive us again.”
Cross Point: We are told, "Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another" (Heb. 10:25), and "fix your eyes on Jesus" (Heb. 12:2) and "your word is a lamp to my feet" (Psalm 119:105).
Revival. We certainly understand the concept. Our faith has stagnated, grown cold, maybe even died, and we need it to be revived. We want it brought back to health and vigor! In most cases we think of our church, but many times it can be our own personal faith and Christian walk, that has become too routine, too automatic, or too neglected, and has become stale and off track.
It’s been going on since the beginning. Once Adam and Eve sinned, the need for revival began. It has been a constant theme through all the years. Noah spent many years building the Ark because society as a whole had moved away from God and something drastic needed to change. A new start was needed. Revival. God called Abraham out of Ur, initiating the redemption story. Moses led the new nation of Israel out of Egypt on a long journey to the Promised Land because a reconnection with the one true God was needed, collectively and individually. The prophets spoke tough words of correction to their fellow Israelites. Renewal of God’s way based on his Law was needed. The southern kingdom of Judah would go into captivity because God had to take extreme measures to get their attention.
Jesus comes on the scene, the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, but also calling his listeners to repentance. Throughout the church age there have been many calls to revival. Augustine distanced himself from false teaching. John Wycliff would promote the Bible in the common language and decry politicizing the church. Jan Hus sought to have the Bible as the supreme authority, not the Pope, and fought against indulgences. Martin Luther would learn from Hus and finally broke with the Roman Catholic Church (or maybe I should say they broke with him). The Reformation became a huge revival effort.
In America, the Great Awakenings and what would be called the Restoration Movement, sought to bring people back to the Bible as the rule of faith and practice. In more recent times a phrase has emerged from theologians, “the church reformed, always reforming.” It’s a sad truth. Over and over the cycle repeats itself. The church, or individuals, seem to grow distant from, and cold toward, God, or at least lackadaisical. A drifting into worldly ways of thinking takes the place of Godly direction. Too often the church has sought power. Power corrupts, and individuals follow their leaders. Whatever the cause, something is needed to recreate a spark of vital, humble, active faith, for the individual, or the church.
Have you been there? Maybe a church you belong to needs revival. Maybe you need it. Life’s pressures, and life’s pleasures, work their hurtful ways on us. We get sucked in. We get lazy. And we neglect the spiritual battle going on around us (Eph. 6:12). God fights for our allegiance, and so does Satan. We aren’t forced into anything. We have a choice in what we commit to, the direction we go. But if we are not purposeful and intentional, we slowly move into values and beliefs more conducive to our culture. Satan uses culture as a tool. What do we need to revive our faithful walk with Jesus?
The hymn continues, “We praise Thee O Lord, For Thy spirit of light, Who hath shown us our Savior and scattered the night. Revive us again, Fill each heart with Thy love, May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. Hallelujah, Thine the glory, Hallelujah, Amen, Hallelujah, Thine the glory, Revive us again.”
Cross Point: We are told, "Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another" (Heb. 10:25), and "fix your eyes on Jesus" (Heb. 12:2) and "your word is a lamp to my feet" (Psalm 119:105).