How to Promote and Conduct a Successful Revival

Two passages of Scripture might well form the watchwords of every true revival, watchwords that should never for a moment be forgotten. The first is a portion of Zech. 4: 6, ‘*Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts”; the second is, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:6$). In the conduct of any real revival, the Holy Ghost must occupy the place of supreme and absolute control. Revival is new life, and only the Holy Ghost can impart life.

I. THE HOLY spirit’s PART IN A REVIVAL

Let us look definitely at the Holy Spirit’s part in a revival, or, in other words, at what the Holy Spirit must do if there is to be a true revival,

I. In the first place the Holy Spirit must inspire us to and guide us in prayer. In regard to the great revival that is to come some day to Israel, God says, “I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants ot Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication.’’ So also, if there is to be a true revival in any church or community or nation, God must pour out upon them the spirit of grace and of supplication.

The work must begin with Him. We are living in a day when there are many indications that God is doing His part to do this very thing for us. Prayer is the vital breath of a true revival. Prayerless revivals are a sham. But we know not how to pray as we ought, and if there is to be acceptable and effective prayer, the Holy Spirit must help our infirmity and teach us how to pray (Rom. 8: 26, 27). We need to cry to God that He will not only pour out upon us a spirit of grace and of supplication, but that He will also by His Holy Spirit teach us how to pray. Doubtless He is already doing this in a measure, but we need a larger measure.

2. The Holy Spirit must have the superintendency and direction of all the revival activities. It was so in the apostolic church, which was a revival church. The Holy Spirit chose the officers (Acts 20: 28), He directed where His chosen servants were to preach and work (Acts 13: 1-2), He oftentimes directed in a most minute way, and in ways that those directed did not altogether understand (Acts 16:6-8). All the plans for the revival, and all the details of the plans should be submitted to the Holy Spirit for His guidance; He should be the recognized chairman of every committee.

3. The Holy Spirit must give power to the preaching and to the testimony. When Jesus gave to the disciples the great commission to go out and evangelize the world. He said, “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Paul in writing to the church at Corinth said, “I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” Again, in writing to the church in Thessalonica, “Our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.” Whoever does the preaching in the revival, whether it be the pastor or the evangelist, the whole dependence for results from the preaching must be upon the Holy Spirit. Whoever testifies, we must look to the Holy Spirit to give power to the testimony. Many a preacher of very small gifts has been mightily used of God because he and the people looked to the Holy Spirit, and ,many a man of naturally large gifts has accomplished nothing of real and permanent value because the dependence was upon him and not upon the Holy Ghost.

4. The Holy Spirit must convict men of sin. Jesus said in promising the Holy Spirit to the disciples, “and He, when He is come, will convict the world in respect of sin.” A revival without conviction of sin, deep, pungent, overwhelming, is not a true revival. It is true that a great many may be converted and born again without the deep and overwhelming conviction of sin that others have. They may come in as quietly as Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened, but when there is a deep and true work of grace, there will be a deep and overwhelming conviction of sin on the part of many. It was so on the day of Pentecost; as Peter preached in the power of the Holy Ghost a loud cry went up from men who were pricked in their heart, “Men and brethren, what must we do to be saved?” There has been similar conviction of sin at every genuine and lasting revival since. This is beginning to be so in the church to-day. From all directions come reports of deep conviction of sin. Now it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict men of sin, and we must depend upon Him to do it. We must ask Him to do it. We must expect Him to do it. Nothing is more futile than to try to convict men of sin by any unaided powers of reasoning that we may possess. The natural heart is so blind, and especially so blind as to its own condition, that the supernatural grace of the Spirit is necessary to open the eyes of the soul to its real condition. But the Holy Spirit, where dependence is placed upon Him, is constantly administering His power to convict even the most careless of sin.

5. The Holy Spirit must regenerate. Revival is new life, and new life to the unsaved comes through regeneration, and it is the Holy Spirit’s work to regenerate. Men are saved not through works of righteousness which they themselves have done, but according to God’s mercy, who saves us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” If there is to be a mighty revival in any church, ministers and people must look to the Holy Spirit to regenerate men. He can do it; He is doing it every day where dependence is placed upon Him. He is touching the hearts of men and women, seemingly almost beyond the reach of the grace of God, and quickening and transforming them by His almighty power. Let us ask Him and expect Him to do it in our own community. What He did in Saul of Tarsus in Damascus, He can do in many another Saul of Tarsus in Chicago, or in any city or village of the land.

6. The Holy Spirit must sanctify, consecrate and fill. A revival means not only life for those dead in trespasses and sins, but, furthermore, new life, life more abundant, for those who already have some life. It means complete surrender to God, a setting apart for God, a filling with God, for Christians; and all this is the Holy Spirit’s work. He is the sanctifier and the filler (i Pet. 1:2; Eph. 5: 18). Many are trying to cleanse and fill themselves. No! no! Look to the Spirit to do it for you and for others.

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