This past week we had our Fall Revival at Bethlehem. Our attendance was better than usual and a good spirit seemed to pervade the services. We received a record love offering for our evangelist and that seemed to me to say that he was a wise pick. We had some of the best special music that we have had on such an occasion. Now, I feel that if I were to run a poll of the church they would say we had a good revival, and I'm thankful for that. I say all that with an old saying rattling around in my mind, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." It can look good, smell good, and have a great reputation but the only way to really know is to take a bite. How does that apply to Revival? I would have to say it is a bit more subjective, but I think everything I have said about our Revival earlier was like bragging on a bowl of pudding. We need to take a bite, i.e. we need to see Christians drawn closer to the Lord. What does that look like, or to keep with the analogy, taste like?
Revived Christians are people who have renewed an old friendship. Typically we rejoice in that and are eager to share it with others. In terms of a revived spirituality it will be "sloshing out all over."
Revived Christians are eager to catch up on that relationship. I think the manifestation of that is really twofold. First, there is a keener interest in the Bible and second, there is a greater desire to pray. If you think about it, that really is what we do when we catch up on an old friendship, we talk with and listen to our friend.
Finally, revived Christians are people who enjoy being around other revived Christians. Like the saying "birds of a feather, flock together." We want to sustain and build upon this deepening relationship. That is best done in a group setting.
So, did we have a good revival? I think so, but I'm also going to be evaluating it by the criteria above.
