Recent Revival
This
page describes the renewal that many Christian groups are experiencing in
recent years, and offers a balanced approach to receiving it.
I. Background
Since 1994 various Christian fellowships around the globe began to spontaneously experience a pronounced increase in charismatic manifestations. Traveling missionary Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne helped to introduce what became known as the "Toronto Blessing" to the Toronto Airport Vineyard Fellowship in Canada, which in turn spread it across North America, notably to the Brownsville Assembly of God church in Pensacola, Florida. The leaders of this movement call it "The Father's Blessing."
II. Harvesting Wheat, Pulling Weeds
My experience convinces me there indeed is a profound move of God occurring. After visiting Pensacola I was happily surprised to find an uncompromising emphasis on repentance, not sensationalism, and the Lord worked strongly with me there.
However, I would also warn that not everything at these services should be embraced. As Derek Prince says "whenever there is a revival, the first one to wake up is the devil." Satan sows weeds among wheat—what would you do in his position?
In fact, all revivals now regarded as legitimate had both wheat and weeds present during them, all the way back to Pentecost. We won't have the perfect revival until Christ returns fully at time's end.
While I do not endorse everything in it, I generally encourage all to experience this wonderful outpouring of God, especially since modern American Christians can be hyper-analytical or young-white-and-uptight. It's more common to error on the side of stifling the Spirit under the guise of preserving orthodoxy.
We need a fresh blast of the Holy Spirit.
III. Manifestations
Some of what people are experiencing is simply a resurgence of gifts present in pentecostalism and in the charismatic movements for years, such as praying in tongues, prophecy, resting in the Spirit, visions, healing, "holy laughter", etc. However, lately it seems there are more occurrences of resting in the Spirit, laughter, dancing in the Spirit and others.
As with any manifestation, such as resting in the Spirit, sometimes people fake the experience either out of ignorance, or to get attention, or they to do it simply because others do. Regardless, that should not dissuade us from the legitimate gift.
A manifestation can be judged by:
This commnity lives out the power of the Spirit:
People of Praise
Interview
The mixed seed and mixed harvest nature of this legitimate revival is well-described by Derek Prince in
Uproar in the Church
Access a thorough, sober review of the "Toronto Blessing" (6/96)
Faith & Order Committee Report to British Methodist Conference
- Whether it is consistent with Scripture. Though note that Scripture does not require that all types of miracles be listed for them to be legit. Rather, it says the whole world doesn't have room for all that Christ is doing. Jn 21:25.
- The fruit it bears (love of God and others; repentance, joy, humility, peace, unity, joy, self-control, selflessness, generosity, purity, etc.), and
- Whether it elevates your human nature (which God married himself to in Christ). For example, supernatural laughter elevates the natural gift of laughter; but barking like a dog or twitching spasmodically doesn't elevate anything naturally good in a person (and doesn't give God much glory!) It would appear the enemy has sowed weeds.
Here are two extremes to avoid.
- It's All Bad. Some are anti-supernatural to begin with, so because they didn't already have charismatic experience with common gifts like praying in tongues, they have a much tougher time with anything more pronounced.
- It's All Good. Others indiscriminatingly support the entire movement and end up harvesting weeds with the wheat (e.g, allowing others to make animal noises, or become hysterical for attention.) Be aware of some "anything-goes" preachers who do not guard against abuses.
As with anything, the right response is to receive the good and remove the bad. However, we don't want to the presence of bad to keep us from the wealth of good God wants for us.
IV. Heaven's Resources
I have a river of resources for all My people to draw from, an abundant flow of grace, so full of power, so rich and deep, a vast ocean of resources in every area for your life. Call on My love and I will send you My Son to free you, heal you, and to bring joy and peace to the darkness of the world where you live now.
Seek My healing and I can stop disease, restore limbs, bring sight to the blind, raise the dead. Seek My provision and I will bring a hundred circumstances into line in a matter of hours or minutes and take you to such abundant provision for exactly what you need, just when you need it. When you seek My knowledge and wisdom, I can use you as a vessel to speak words of truth, to devise solutions to your problems, to set the captives free.
I have the storehouse pouring out and overflowing with Heaven's resources for the world's every need. Don't ever think I Am is unable or unwilling. But you are My vessels, My avenues of this storehouse to bring Heaven alive to this earth today. How 'big' is your faith?
Come closer to Me and allow Me to work in you, for I am calling
every day to manifest My presence. Believe in the power of who I am
and humble yourself to receive and let flow all I long to pour out in you
and through you.