REVIVAL: DO WE NEED IT?

Purpose of revivals:
1) Revivals lead the church to seek the Lord and His presence for spiritual renewal.
2) Revivals are needed because of our tendency to drift away from the urgency to reach the lost. 3) Revivals prepare the church for evangelism.
4) Revival focuses on harvesting the lost for Christ and the Church.
5) Revival calls the church to focus on the harvest.

3 STAGES OF REVIVAL

STAGE 1: PERSONAL REVIVAL. PS. 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:
1. What is it about "trouble" that causes one to need reviving? Stress. Robs us spiritually.
2. What did David expect God to do in "reviving?" Relieve the stress from his enemies.
When God personally revives us He: replenishes our spiritual well being, excitement, hunger.

STAGE 2: CORPORATE REVIVAL PS. 85:6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
1. What is the thing that God's people weren’t doing? Rejoicing.
2. What would cause a whole church to need revival?
3. Would a church itself know that it needed revival?
4. Does our church need revival?

STAGE 3: REVIVAL OF HIS WORK. HAB. 3:2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
1. Why would God need to revive His work amongst His own people?
2. What were His people doing if they weren’t doing His work?
3. Are we doing the work of God, or our own?

This shows that we must be constantly evaluating what we are doing- making sure it is God's works - we may need reviving!