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Why has revival bypassed America?• Most of us believe that America needs revival. • It’s our only hope for survival.• Recently read an article by George Otis, Jr. of the

Sentinel Group:Of the nearly 800 true citywide revivals he has studied since the mid-1990’s only 2 have been in the U.S.A. and none have been in any other Western nation.• Why has true revival bypassed America?

• Another question many ask: Why do we not see the healings here that are almost routine in other parts of the world?• The answer to both questions is intertwined. • I have thought about, mulled over and prayed about

this for years. • My conclusion has led me to make some corrections

in my own life. • Let me set it up before I attempt to answer it.

• The statistic of 2 in 800 is startling, and we can have 1 of 3 responses to it:

1. Deny the facts – Many who have never experienced true revival take this route.

• This then begs the question of What is revival?• Is revival something you do or is it something that

happens to you?• Is it revival when you put up a banner or put an ad

in the paper proclaiming “Revival!”? • Is it that “electric” feeling we get during some of our

services?• Youth Camp Revival – Is that true revival?

• Definition: True revival is when God’s Presence shows up in a community in such a tangible way that it impacts every level of society.

• It transforms lives, restores marriages, brings societal changes and economic renewal.

• Bars are closed for a lack of business and jails are emptied because crime has all but disappeared.

• It will even impact the physical world. • And, it has a lasting impact on individual lives,

families and on the community as a whole.

Revival in the Fiji’s – “One of the most astonishing aspects of the revival in Fiji is how God is renewing creation which man has destroyed. After decades of destruction, whole coral reefs are being revived, shoals of fish are returning to the island's waters and rivers, and crabs have been seen walking on the beaches for the first time in years. Even previously unfruitful trees are bearing fruit, and the vines are blossoming again.”

Revival in Almolonga, Guatemala• Town of 20,000• 92% of population is born again• 4 jails are now closed for a lack of crime• 36 bars to 3• Past: 4 truck load a month of produce • Now: 40 truck loads a week• 1000% increase in agricultural productivity• From a couple of churches to more than 2 dozen

• This didn’t happen 100’s of years ago. • It’s happening right now. • True revival affects every area of life.The 2nd response: Why has revival bypassed America?2. Blame God for it • This is usually the response of those who stress the

sovereignty of God over the free will of man. • Their attitude is if God wants to bring revival He

would do it whether we want Him to do it or not.• But . . . Isaiah 62:7a – Give the Lord no rest until He

completes His work . . . (NLT)

2 Chronicles 7:14 – If My people, who are called by My name, will 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. (NIV)

• These verses and others like them, clearly show a part we play in all this.

• It is God’s will to bring revival, and the holdup is not on His end.

• God has a perfect will, but He has designed things in such a way that we are to pray it into reality.

• Our response to Him plays a major role in what He does and when He does it.

“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” If He wasn’t willing to bring heaven to earth, He wouldn’t have

us pray for it.

The 3rd and correct response:3. Take personal inventory of your short-comings• The problem is on our end; not God’s. • There’s a disconnect between us and God

somewhere. Where is the disconnect?• Many ask the question: Can revival save America? • Yes, it’s our only hope, but I believe there’s a better

question to ask. Do American Christians really believe they need to be revived?

• There’s a lot of uncertainty right now. • Our economic conditions are bleak. • The government is hopelessly polarized, and there

is a bitter cultural war raging in our streets. Despite all that, do we really see the need for a transforming revival? Leonard Ravenhill: We don’t have revival because we are willing to live without it.• Whether we experience revival or not will largely

depend on how we see our need for it. • Right now, it doesn’t appear that we are desperate

for it.

A.W. Tozer: Revivals come only to those who want them badly enough.• Desperation is not something we care to admit. • To be desperate is usually perceived as weakness

and even laziness.• There is even a hint of being needy in it. • We Americans are a proud lot. • We are self-sufficient, and if there is a problem, we

can find a way to fix it. • Because of that, there is an element of

complacency about praying for revival.

• For example, this led me to a bit of self-revelation about my own need for healing.

• The Holy Spirit showed me I was not really desperate for it.

• Back to playing sports days—you play through pain. • You learn to deal with it and move on. • The Holy Spirit showed me that I’ve done this with

the pain of needing healing. • I just deal with it and play through. • Instead, I need to really begin to seek God for it. How much do I want it? Am I desperate for it?

• If you think about it, we are not really hungry for healing in our country.

• We have great doctors and all the medicine we need, so we’re not desperate for it.

• Heard stories from the coal fields of southern West Virginia during the early part of the 20th Century.

• They told of miracles, healings and even raising people from the dead as commonplace.

• Rarely were people able to go to a hospital. • All they had was God; He was their only option. • There was a hunger and humility among them, and

God met their need.

How much do we really hunger for God’s touch on our nation and in our church?• Hunger is a universal need. • We have basic hungers or appetites which are

needed to sustain life—food, sleep and water. • We may have other hungers: success, comfort, or

security to name a few. • But, here is the really important question for us: Where on the list do we place our hunger for the presence of God? • Revival is triggered when that hunger is greater

than all others.

• As a bit of self-examination, take fasting for example.

How did you respond to fasting when I declared a 21 day fast for the church? • That will give you a clue where on the list you place

seeking the presence of God in your life. • The # 1 goal of fasting is always to gain a greater

presence of God in your life. • To deepen your relationship with Jesus.

• In the Song of Solomon is a story which illustrates what I am talking about.

Song 5:2 – I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: "Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night." • The bride = believers • The lover = Jesus • He is calling us to a deeper walk with Him.• He comes and knocks . . .

Jesus said to the Church at Laodicea: Revelation 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (NKJV)

• This verse is usually used in reference to salvation. • But, the context is of Jesus desiring to come back

into the center of our church and our lives. • The Amen, the True & Faithful Witness, & the One

who created all things is standing there knocking. • He is a gentleman and waits for us to open & to

invite Him in.

• When we do finally open the door, He will come in and our fellowship will be sweet.

• Jesus is speaking to a group of believers here who have essentially left Him out of their busy lives.

• Yes, they give Him attention for about an hour on Sunday morning, but that’s about it.

• They are too busy to invite Him into the center, so He stands outside knocking.

• Unfortunately, He will not knock forever.

Song 5:3 – But I responded, [to Jesus’ knocking] "I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled?" • She is already in the comforts of bed. • Everything’s luxurious around her. Should she get up, put on her robe and get her feet dirty to let him in? • There’s no question that she loves him, but he just

came at an unexpected hour. • This is the hour for sleeping not intimacy.

• Jesus calls, but we often respond with something like, Bad timing Jesus! I’m too busy enjoying all the blessings You’ve given me.

• But Jesus’ response is: I didn’t give you those blessings to turn your attention and affection from Me. I gave them to you, so your love for Me would be deepened.

4 My lover tried to unlatch the door, and my heart thrilled within me. 5 I jumped up to open the door for my love, and my hands dripped with perfume. My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt. 6 I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply.

• It is obvious that she loves him, so her inner debate of rather to open the door or not was brief.

• When she unlocked and opened the door, her lover was gone!

His presence had been repelled not because of her overt rejection of him but by her hesitation. • A hesitation brought on by a momentary distraction

by less important matters, like comfort and ease. • The story gets worse for her . . .

7 The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me and stripped off my veil, those watchmen on the walls.

• They didn’t recognize her as the bride of the king. • So, they treated her like a prostitute roaming the

streets at night. • She did not have his scent on her and her claim to

royalty was not perceived as real.

• Jesus calls out to us, but we hesitate because of other things distracting us.

• He then moves on to places where people are truly hungry for His presence.

• Because of that, the church of Jesus Christ in America is not very highly regarded.

• We are like the bride mistaken for a prostitute in the streets.

• We don’t have the scent or the glow of our Lover, Jesus, because we rarely spend time with Him.

• We have too many luxuries to distract us. • We don’t realize how much we really need Him.

Why has revival bypassed America?Why do we not see the miracles they see in other countries?• No matter how hard it may sound—it really comes

down to pride and a lack of hunger on our part.• When I travel to the 3rd World and see the hunger

and the humility among the people, I wonder how long God is going to put up with us.

• The Bible clearly states that God hates pride and arrogance.

• But, He delights to lift up the lowly and the downtrodden.

Where do we go from here?• The # 1 prerequisite for revival is prayer. • Most revivals of the past began with a group of

people praying in unity for revival to come. They didn’t just pray once; they prayed until heaven took over.Isaiah 62:7a – Give the Lord no rest until He completes His work . . . • We need to get ahold of this and press into God like

our very lives and nation depended on it. • Guess what? • They do!

My prayer is that we won’t have to lose our blessings in this country in order to put us

in the place where we will truly hunger and thirst for His presence and revival.

• 2nd thing we need to do: Seek His PresencePsalm 27:4 – One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. (NIV)

Why was King David a man after God’s own heart? • His # 1 heart’s desire was to have more of the

presence of God in his life. • Nothing else mattered more to him. • We need that passion in our lives. • Once we get it, it will transform our lives. • It’s our only hope!

Do you have that passion? Why not? Do you want it? • If you do, then ask Him for it and don’t stop there. • Keep asking and keep seeking until the heavens

break open & we witness the outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

• Now you know why revival and miracles have bypassed our nation.

• God wants them to come in a big way, but only our humility and hunger will pave the way.

Lord, let revival come to Elkins and let it radically impact this community! And, let it begin with me!

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