Four Characteristics of a Revival

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8 NASB77)

Genuine revival is a work of the Holy Spirit, not something generated by men using preaching, evangelistic methodologies or campaigns. This interesting article, "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down" An essay on some aspects of the history of revival FEBRUARY 17, 2023 | MICHAEL A. G. HAYKIN, spoke of the history of revival. Here I would like to quote their four characteristics of revival.

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Four characteristics of revival
Yet, for all this, there are some recurring characteristics in all revivals, whatever their historical setting and whoever the leadership involved. Let us look at a number of these characteristics as they occur in the following definition of revival by the Australian historian Stuart Piggin.

Revival is a sovereign work of God the Father, consisting of a powerful intensification by Jesus of the Holy Spirit's normal activity of testifying to the Saviour, accentuating the doctrines of grace, and convicting, converting, regenerating, sanctifying and empowering large numbers of people at the same time, and is therefore a community experience.

In what follows we focus on three marks of genuine revival that Piggin notes in this definition and add a fourth that comes from observations made by Jonathan Edwards, whom Piggin - following Martyn Lloyd-Jones - describes in his book as "the church's theologian of revival par excellence."

1. Revival is a work of God in which God takes the initiative and presences himself in power and glory.
2. In times of revival, according to Jonathan Edwards, the Spirit primarily uses the Word of God to powerfully impact people.
3. Revival is a powerful intensification by Jesus of the Holy Spirit's normal activity of convicting, converting, regenerating, sanctifying and empowering.
4. Revival involves also a powerful intensification of the Holy Spirit's normal activity of testifying to the Saviour - in other words, revival is a Christ-centred event.

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When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you. (John 16:13-15 CSB)

Since I found this article in Facebook, I will also add some comments by the one who posted the article, Joel Arnold, on the lack of theology of revival in the New Testament epistles.

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Matthew Walker:
What is the difference between revival and walking in the Spirit? Why doesn't Paul pray for it in any of his prayers? Why is there no theology of revival in the NT epistles? (Maybe there's something close to it in Galatians as Paul calls the people back from potential apostasy?)

Joel Arnold:
I've tended to have the same concerns. My preset is to be reserved and wait for the clarity of time with things like the big recent event. The Haykin article was helpful to me by giving a pretty careful, thoughtful survey.
I'm thinking things through. There are a couple of events where OT kings or prophets were able to see a distinguishable, mass-conversion event. There are also some events like that in Acts thought it's harder because the period is transitional. It's not a slam dunk, but I don't think I can dismiss the possibility that transformation might come in punctuated, dramatic ways at certain rare historical junctures.
My core test for a purported revival would be whether it leads people towards careful attention to Scripture and Christ; also whether we begin seeing genuine, practical spiritual fruit that remains. Emotional outpourings have to be secondary to that.
I think your observations are helpful. This is why my preset is caution. I don't think we're supposed to live as though revival is our hope. The bulk of spiritual transformation is going to happen the slow, hard, pedestrian way. We ought to buckle down and work hard at it, then be delighted if God does something more dramatic that bears the marks of genuine salvation.
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