By now you might have heard of the alleged “Revival” show at Asbury, which is presently continuing as an elongated worship service, on day 11 as I write in mid February 2023, taking place at the liberal, worldly, and unbiblical Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, USA, a Methodist/Wesleyan institution, which may well be an advertisement stunt for them. Thousands of people have flocked to Wilmore from various parts of the country and world in an attempt to “experience revival.” It's even been reported in the New York Times and Fox News. Prominent so-called "Christian" leaders have called it a revival. Other people are saying "time will tell" whether it is real or not. No, actually many times we don’t have to wait for time to tell whether it is real or not. Those that don't know how to wield the Bible as the Sword it is, may say this, but the Bible doesn't. We can know now whether it is real or not right out of the starting blocks, and its not even in its infancy anymore, its eleven days in! The Bible makes that clear. All you need to do is test what is happening, examine and scrutinize it closely, and judge it carefully by the Word of God alone—which is no different than testing any other teaching or practice or preacher, including the unBiblical and worldly contemporary and country “worship” music that most evangelicals embrace and happens to be the actual driver behind this duplicitous, flesh-based, charismatic, hyperemotionalism, pseudo-revival counterfeit, deceiving and deepening the wool over their eyes to even greater levels—and you will know whether it is true or not. One does not need some gigantic validation to prove something untrue or potentially wrong or suspect, an egregious philosophy of neo-evangelicalism, which is how they typically treat all teachers and preachers that profess to be Christian, like Ravi Zacharias for instance, amongst countless examples. Every fine detail must be scrutinized and tested, not just large immoral externals. Using God's Word as the infallible standard and authority, we are to “try the spirits” (1 Jn 4:1), “prove all things” (1 Th. 5:21-22), and to “search the scriptures daily whether those things were so” (Ac 17:11). This is the details to the finest point, every word and action, knowing that "a little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump." (1 Cor 5:6; Gal 5:9). The Bible warns repeatedly about spiritual deception, and particularly so in the last days. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim 3:12). We are warned about the devil’s subtlety:
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Cor 11:3-4).
But the simple-minded, which are the gullible, do not have the discernment and discretion to tell the difference between subtle error and truth, so they "believe every word" (Pr 14:15). Their allegiance isn't to God's truth but to their own opinions, lusts and other people. The simple are taken by the flattery and charismatic oration of false teachers (Rom 16:17-18; 2 Pet 2:1-2), all of which occurs because they are unregenerate and thus without the indwelling Holy Spirit of the truth (Pr 1:20-23; 7:7; 8:5; Ps 19:7; 119:130; etc).
Apparently this movement started after a sermon and prayer of confession of some sort, on February 8th proceeding a formal university chapel service that grew into a daily, larger meeting of students and others coming in from all over, including the well known false teacher, new age mystic, and extreme evil heretic and notorious NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) Todd Bentley (who once claimed to activate the power of God by kicking a woman in the face with his biker boot), who announced that he is “booked to spend several days” at the "revival," though it doesn't appear he had a part in the "revival" itself. That this dark servant of Satan is attracted to this "revival," and then gave a positive proclamation of it after attending it for a few days, is all the proof one needs how heretical it really is. This is what the demon-possessed heretical Todd Bentley had to say about it yesterday, Feb 18:
"I have a new hunger for the word, prayer and the Scripture is alive with fresh revelation. I also still feel that tangible love of the Father and a holiness that I felt while attending Asbury, my personal prayer times are much deeper! Time to release the Impartation to others as the fires of Revival are spreading everywhere!"
Yikes. "Fresh revelation" eh. Those are Satanic words, since the revelation of Jesus Christ was fully complete with Rev 22. In another place, he says,
"I have two words to describe my experience at the #Asburyrevival and its love and holiness. The Holy Spirit lingers and you feel tangible waves of his presence!"
This is new age mysticism and it fits actually well with this false revival and the environment that has produced it. They desperately want to "feel God's presence." Both the "love" and "holiness" of this heretical university are fully corrupt and unBiblical. The fact Bentley is comfortable being there and then the positive exclamation about it, on its own reflects the "truthfulness" of this "revival," and the actual darkness it is cloaked in, and should cause anyone that has even an ounce of love for God and His Word to flee from it, to condemn it, and to expose it, in obedience to God's Word. Its a red herring to say that the people of Asbury University don't want Bentley there — it doesn't change anything concerning the nature or character of the "revival," since we see that a ravening wolf in sheep's clothing is comfortable partaking. And he is not the only one, there are more, which are mentioned in one of the points below.
But there are many other, Biblical reasons, I found 10, why this Asbury "Revival" is a fake, counterfeit, purely emotional, experiential, and flesh-driven drama that is entirely void of God's Word and Biblical truth, and NOT a legitimate move of God. In fact, in any given service, the Word of God is so rarely mentioned, for all intends and purposes its actually absent, so they essentially set aside preaching the gospel in favor of a mystical experience. But when it is preached, many falsehoods and doctrinal inconsistencies are uttered.
Anybody who is in his right mind should think that this stuff they are witnessing is crazy and unbiblical. The point is not to be in your right mind though. The entire production is to disengage from the mind and from the Bible and allow yourself to be manipulated. The emphasis is on the experience you'll have, which is caused to make you feel the Holy Spirit is doing something, when in truth it is "another spirit" at work (2 Cor 11:4). The points below prove that abundantly.
1. Even though there appear to be no spirit slayings, uncontrollable bodily jerks, birth groans, drunkenness, hysterical laughter, roaring, howling, braying, or clucking (as far as I am aware) which are elements of Charismaticism, the Asbury "revival" is still foundationally Charismaticism, which is wholly unbiblical. Any sort of "revival" found in these types of environment are characteristically false. Even when the Charismatic/ Pentecostal elements of revivalism are not present, majority of revivals are still unBiblical. Revivalism in itself is unBiblical. Like many other Pentecostal / Charismatic type of “revivals” preceding this one, in some cases many years, such as the Toronto blessing in the 80’s, Promise Keepers moment and the Azuza Street (which together with the Keswick movement, founded the Pentecostal movement) this one is ever as chaotic and fanatical, charismatic, emotion-driven, experiential, enthusiastic, truth-less as the rest (including the ones that have occurred at this same university in the past), and like those, this is a counterfeit, pseudo-revival, meant to deceive the people into believing a lie that is based around man-centredness, humanism and not the truth, and following after their fleshly feelings and word-faith heresies, and the people external to it are ever as infatuated with this new emotional drama, like the "Athenians and strangers" in Greece, who "spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing." (Ac 17:21).
2. Charismaticism is a major characteristic of this pseudo-revival, but the foundations of false soteriology and false sanctification are playing a big part as well in this counterfeit movement. The Methodist Asbury University is a holiness-Keswick theological institution after the Wesleyan tradition, so its doctrinal beliefs and practices are laden with Keswick-type of holiness theology, which is almost entirely unbiblical and heretical, though practical holiness is far removed from the lifestyle of the people that attend here, so doctrinally they are Keswick, practical, neo-evangelical. Many of these people, especially the faculty, very likely believe in an Acts 2 type of Pentecostal repeat, an outpouring of the Spirit, even though that will never occur again. Many are also deluded by a false belief that the end times will characterize national or world-wide revival, while the Bible says the very opposite—that of end-times apostasy. This is exactly what we see. As one watches the interviews, the expectations are unscriptural, and they appear as if they are on drugs.
3. It is missing what revival actually is. Many are attempting to make the case that a genuine move of the Holy Spirit has sparked this revival among this bunch of college kids who are gathered together singing flesh-worshipping, unbiblical CCM songs, cuddling on the floor, crying, and “repenting” of something—though, nobody as of yet has said of what they are supposedly repenting of. There is no evidence that the university itself or the people attending have renounced the world’s vain, fleshly pop culture that permeates the lives and minds of college-age "Christians," with its unisex behaviour and appearance, feminism, homosexualism, transgenderism, rock and roll and CCM music and other ungodly worldly music, fornicating, drinking, drugging, etc. One local news agency claimed, "Certainly, emotion is involved but it is also genuine life change, repentance, and confession of sin.” Allegedly the Holy Spirit has been “radically transforming lives." We know one thing for sure, neither the kids nor the school leadership has repented of their loads of false teachings (not just false sanctification, but false soteriology, false Christian living, rejection of separation, spiritual formation which is a form of demonic contemplative mysticism, i.e. eastern religion, etc), feminism, unBiblical egalitarianism, the false repentant-less heretical social gospel, their soft-on-homosexuality teachings (even admitting sodomites into the university), or the ungodly worldly music they dare call "Christian" contemporary worship, etc — so whatever they call “radically transforming lives," it isn't what the Bible says about it. What we do see is a massive display of hyper-emotionalism as opposed to a genuine call for true repentance and real conversion, as all true revivals are (e.g. Jon 3; Acts 2; 3-4). There has been zero emphasis on sin, repentance, Christ's redeeming blood, regeneration, separation from the world, or casting down unscriptural imaginations. Yet they preach and sing of God's "love," but God’s love cannot be understood or experienced properly until the sin issue is dealt with, which is dealt with by true Biblical repentance and conversion. Any “love” that is not defined biblically is a satanic imitation.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 Jn 5:3).
"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." (1 Jn 2:3-5)
So the "love" being experienced allegedly at Asbury is at best sentimentalism. Its definitely not Biblical love.
Furthermore, an open sodomite student has claimed that sodomites have been leading "worship" —
Just. W😳W. How terribly evil and heretical can neo-evangelicalism get! (all Protestant denominations by the way, and others, fall under the same umbrella of neo-evangelicalism heresy, though some of there heresies may differ). Asbury University is a bastion of every evil and unclean spirit masquerading as "Christian." This is wickedness and to call it a "revival" only compounds the eternal damnation in hell fire that these evil professing hypocrites have coming. The appropriate question is what Christ says in Matt 23:33,
"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"
The reason they haven't repented is because they are not genuinely converted in the first place, and yes we can judge that (read Can We Judge Someone to be Unsaved? Such as the Reformers or John Wesley?). True conversion comes with actual objective evidence and fruit, and they don't have either. And were they to be verily converted now, which would make it then an actual true revival, there would be true fruit of repentance, because no one is saved without repentance and no saved person is without immediate fruit:
"But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." (Ac 26:20).
The "revival" is not in tune and in line with the truth of God's Word. It is inauthentic and bogus and NO ONE is truly saved by bogus "revivals" regardless of what neo-evangelical heretics and apostates claim. The one true gospel is not being preached according to scripture, but "another gospel" (2 Cor 11:4; Gal 1:6-9) of no-repentance, easy believism, and quick prayerism of asking Jesus into your heart. These are not a biblical doctrine of salvation. This is not how you see people saved in scripture. It isn't permissible to function in an unscriptural way for evangelism. This means these people are "accursed." (Gal 1:8-9).
4. Its pursing after a mystical sensing of God's presence, which is a Charismatic experience. Nothing is done in line with God's Word, which isn't really to be found anywhere. It is all purely humanistic, flesh-driven, man-centred effort that attempts to summon up the Spirit of God to work. And what we see is exactly what the flesh produces, what it always produces, which is erroneous, worldly, fleshly emotion, and enthusiasm, even fanaticism, but none of this is Biblical, and does not result in genuine new birth conversions. True Revival arises only from God, is brought about by the Spirit of God, and its ALWAYS strictly according to the words in God's Word. Experience or emotionalism plays NO part in it. In this pseudo-revival, no one has even opened Bibles (definitely not King James Bibles, which is the Word of God in English) and the Word of God practically never invoked.
What is in fact occurring in chaotic Charismatic counterfeit circles like the Asbury "Revival," is not genuine revival but a pursuit after a form of mysticism, a natural adjunct to the psychological, self-esteemism, and false social gospel that these students have been immersed into for all their life. This "revival" is emphasized by emotionalism, sentimental feelings and fake fleshly worship that has zero basis in Scripture, that seeks after some mystical and unBiblical experience of "the presence of God." Spiritual formation (contemplative mysticism) probably has played an important role in producing this dangerous heresy in the students. The aforementioned local news agency has admitted so much, going to bat for the pseudo-revival. Apparently they had a “revival” at Asbury back in 1970, when “Students who were in the room where it happened could feel the presence of the Lord.” Really... These neo-evangelical Keswick-type false revivals exacerbate this yearning for a feeling of God's presence or a sense of His presence that is subjective and mystical, and not Biblical, since there is not even one passage of scripture that says anything about sensing or feeling the presence of God. Whatever feeling someone may have can only cause deceit or confusion.
In addition to the language of "sensing God's presence," they've been praying for "God to come down" or "fire to come down" and "asked God to be with [them] in a special way." In 1 Ki 18, fire comes from heaven in answer to Elijah's prayer that burned up the "sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench." These occasions in the OT or even during the time of the apostles in the 1st century, are not normative for today. David could lose the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit was upon him in a unique "upon ministry" (not "in") of the Holy Spirit for his service as King of Israel. It was symbolized by the anointing with oil. In Ezekiel we read of the presence of God leaving Jerusalem because of the apostasy. We don't read anything like that in the NT. What we do know is that God's presence is everywhere. That's called His omnipresence. He is present everywhere, but there is more to the presence of God than His omnipresence. God is everywhere, but He is with believers in a unique way (Is 41:10). Before the Holy Spirit came, Jesus wanted believers to pray for the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13). After Christ's ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, they didn't keep praying for Him to come, to be baptized by Him, even to be filled with Him. He's already there in the born again believer. You don't ask for what you already have. You just believe that you have it, and you know that you have it because He witnesses to our spirit that we are the children of God (Rom 8:16), but that is not some special sensing or feeling. From that position, being a child of God with the indwelling Spirit of God — being faithful to God, actually faithful to Him, since the just live by faith, requires trusting in the presence of God, whether the feeling is there or not.
The Holy Spirit never leaves the born again believer, but will not fully fill the believer, that is, fully control him as He would like, when he is not submitted to Him. The filling of the Spirit comes by yielding to the Holy Spirit, rather than quenching the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is yielded to BY true repentance of sin and error, and then obedience to the whole counsel of God, to all His words, commands, principles and precepts. None of any of this is occurring at Asbury.
Jesus is said to walk in His local churches or with groups of truly redeemed saints (Rev 1:19-2:1; Matt 18:18-20, 28:19-20). He wasn't with the Laodicean church, but not because they weren't praying for Him to stay or because He wasn't welcome in the church or because they didn't have "revival" of the kind we see at Asbury. The people of that church had turned from Him, not because they didn't profess Him or pretend to belong to Him, but because they had turned from His truth, from His words, from the one and only salvation that He offers. Repentance and true regeneration were not friendly and welcome doctrines at Laodicea. They had a different way, one that didn't clash with their lusts. They were an apostate church, while thinking they were a true church. This is an apostate church full of apostate believers, a church full of Judases.
And that is the precisely what Asbury University/Chapel is, and 99% of all other evangelical or evangelical type churches, schools, and organizations. These events or activities that the neo-evangelical charismatics attending the "revival" attribute to the Holy Spirit are unscriptural or non-scriptural, including this mystical sensing of God's Spirit, and just plainly made up. Fiction. They're not true. They are lies. The message of "revivals" like Asbury completely clashes with the teaching of scripture.
5. Music is the magical glue that binds the people in this event. Not truth. Not a hunger and thirst after God's righteousness (Matt 5:6; Jn 6), which is found in the Word of God. Certainly not a true gospel (which isn't even preached) and true conversions, which is a desperate need in these neo-evangelical, worldly, liberal environments, which would then subsequently manifest itself in truth by spreading outwardly. If you took away the flesh-driven terrible worldly and ungodly music, the circus show would quickly come to an end. The music point alone tells us this is not a true Biblical revival. Music exacerbates this yearning for some kind of emotional high that they get to call "sensing God's presence." The One True God of Heaven and Earth, One God in Three Persons, Who alone dictates what is just and true, is ONLY worshipped in "spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23-24). He is truly worshipped in no other manner, but this "worship" at Asbury is modern Baal worship, worshipping at Baal’s golden calf, as they dance in their seats with their repetitive, hypnotic, sensual contemporary worship-of-self music.
Practically 100% of the music being sung and played in this "revival" is NOT Biblical but contemporary, unsound dumbed-down lyrics, unBiblical melody, with a kind of falsetto effeminate voice, singing into microphones ice cream cone style by syncopated breathy and sensual tones, with a standard rock guitar jamming look and typical rock trap set too, and bodies grooving like in a night club. Grimaces, bending backwards some, swaying side to side, head bobbing, all to the groove of the audience with their hands lifted high and eyes closed, bodies swaying sensually to the carnal beat. The music originates from Hellsong, Bethel, Elevation, Maverick City music, etc. The music of the heretical and ungodly false teachers Dave Crowder and Chris Tomlin are also continually played, which music (all of it) should be cast into the fire where it belongs. Over and over they play the same horrible, demonic, trance-inducing songs, which music is loved by heretical neo-evangelicals. This is post-modernism neo-"evangelical" "Christianity," so don't call it a revival and definitely don't call it Biblical Christianity. It's also impossible to tell whether some of them are men or women. Men have long hair, women have short hair and wearing pants, but looked androgynous. Though these receive total acceptance of their “worship,” the Bible portrays them as unsaved people (Jam 4:4; 1 Eph 5:5-11). The lack of respect and honour for God, is further noted with men wearing hats in the services. If something that simple cannot be revered, a clear command in Scripture (1 Cor 11) then we truly know how unbiblical and heretical these services really are.
No true Biblical revival is occurring in worldly, spiritual adulterous, heretical environments such as this. True Biblical revival would produce repentance of this ungodly, unBiblical, flesh-worshipping music.
6. Females are preaching to men, which, again, on its own tells us this is not of God (cf. 1 Cor. 14:33-35; 1 Tim. 2:11-14). It seems whenever there is some emotional-driven upbeat, charismatic-type experiential "revival" event, we find women in charge and women teaching and preaching to men. The Asbury "Revival" is no exception, and its noted continuously in their services. The Word of God specifically deals with this issue, which was occurring in Corinth, women speaking in tongues (real languages that is, in the first century, that were abolished with the death of the last apostle),
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” (1 Cor. 14:33-35).
Later, Paul would again reiterate this teaching to Timothy:
“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1 Tim. 2:11-14).
Read this report Should Women Ever Hold Authority Over Men? for further Biblical exposition on this subject.
7. Supposed believers are possessed with demons and being freed from their possession allegedly at the "revival." How? Not by the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only Biblical means, but by physical incantations to the "Lord" to remove the demon, like a word-faith deliverance and exorcism service. A video online of the event shows people gathered around a woman in the middle of the aisles while another woman leading the exorcism insists,
“come out of her now in Jesus’ name. I (unintelligible) every attack on that body now in Jesus’ name. Every spirit..." followed by mass cheering and clapping.
One man tweeted about this:
“Young lady gets free from demon during Asbury Revival after having a seizure 🔥 after stranger began casting it out.”
This is untrue and a lie and its further possible that it was merely a medical emergency. The only fire that is happening here is the baptism of eternal hell fire. Its also pure Charismaticism and Pentecostalism, which are heretical. Saved people are never possessed by demons, nor are demons ever permanently removed in any way besides through the true gospel of Jesus Christ and the resultant new birth.
In Lk 11:14-26 Jesus warned about demons being cast out and then returning (vv. 24-26). This is why there are no instructions in the N.T. epistles about how to cast out devils. They are cast out properly through the preaching of the gospel, whereby sinners are set free eternally from the power of the Devil (Col. 1:13). The man mentioned here was never saved, for when the evil spirits return they find him empty. Empty of what? Empty of the Spirit of God. Therefore they return into this man, even more than at the beginning, and this mans condition turns out worse than at the first. Truly saved people can say,
"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:" (Col. 1:12-13).
8. The false teachers that are endorsing or aligning with this "revival" including Todd Bentley (already mentioned), Sean Feucht (heretic from the extremely heretical Bethel Church), Rick Warren, Mike Bickle, Francis Chan, Kansas City False Prophets and other dominionists (NAR) folks. All are scheduled to join Asbury “Revival” on the 23rd.
Rick Warren is an emerging church heretic; openly fellowships with evil Rome and affirms the antichrist pope whom he refers to as “Holy Father;” teacher of a false gospel which is completely devoid of any biblical substance, and it involves no repentance or actual saving faith but the result of performing a ritualistic act; Chrislam proponent and pusher which is Satanically evil since Allah of Islam is Satan, Warrens's heretical “Purpose Driven” theology is extremely unscriptural and built upon a false gospel of easy believism and quick prayerism and tons of other erroneous and heretical teachings; rejects sound doctrine openly, which is actually rejecting the truth; ordained three women to the pastorate at Saddleback Church, which violates the Biblical command for men to lead the local church and flies in the face of the extremely heretical and woke SBC's official SOF; and since retiring continues to promote heresies and "damnable heresies" (2 Pet 2:1) and a severely watered-down and heretical gospel, and ecumenical alliances that bring destruction upon those who engage in them; and much much more.
Francis Chan is likewise a false teacher of continuationism and charismaticism/healing, mixed with heretical Calvinism including the unbiblical TULIP which is his doctrinal background having been educated at Master’s University; a ecumenical heretic, yoking with heretics like Todd White and Joyce Meyer; embraces Roman Catholic heresies like transubstantiation and refuses to share the gospel with Catholics; proponent of Satanic "little gods" blasphemy even claiming he is both God and man; NAR promoter; etc.
Mike Bickle (founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City), is a ravening false prophet and wolf in sheep's clothing who is aligned with the Kansas City Prophets, better known as the Kansas City False Prophets; a charismatic/pentecostal heretic and has hosted such conferences several times with former SBC president, Ronnie Floyd; associated with several aberrant and heretical ungodly movements, including the NAR, Latter Rain movement (which includes false teachings on apostleship and prophets) and Dominion Theology; allows random people to prophesy in his church, which he claims led to him hearing God speak to him audibly; heretical prophetic teachings; ecumenical heretic; heretically claims that "the church" causes the Great Tribulation to come about and that Jesus will not return until "the church" starts “globally crying out” for him to return; and much much more blasphemous and dangerous teachings and should be avoided with a 100 mile pole.
This is extremely problematic in itself since all these men are utterly "false teachers" (2 Pet 2:1), and "false prophets" who are "ravening wolves" and "grievous wolves" in sheep's clothing (Matt 7:15), "ungodly men" who "turn the grace of God into lasciviousness" (Ju 1:4). All of them. But Neo-evangelicals love them, or at least some of them, which is tell-tale.
And these are all the people who are headed to Asbury University for the 23rd to conduct a huge false prophet festival, to keep the fire rolling of the damnable heresy. According to Collegiate Day of Prayer,
“Let’s ADOPT and saturate EVERY CAMPUS in America in prayer . . . and join us LIVE from Asbury University . . . with special guests Rick Warren, Francis Chan, Allen Hood and worship leaders from International House of Prayer, Circuit Riders + Black Voices Movement, and Met By Love Worship. Let’s believe God for REVIVAL amongst believers on college campuses and SPIRITUAL AWAKENING amongst the lost. Father, revive the saved and save the lost!!”
The only thing that is being produced by these apostate universities and false "revivals" is twofold children of hell, certainly NOT Spiritual awakening. Truly. Those that profess to be Christian continue on in their ignorance and confirmed to only lack the ongoing emotionalism and hype that this flesh-driven movement produces, and those that have no pretence of religion are made even greater twofold children of hell they once were (Matt 23:15). NO ONE is being genuinely saved according to Scriptural in these ungodly, unBiblical, and heretical environments!
9. True Biblical revival and thus conversion, is sober, controlled, not flesh driven, but truth driven from sound, clear, plain, exegetical preaching. But what we see here is a knee-jerk emotional reaction driven by music and not by sound Bible preaching and teaching. This is not biblical Christianity and its not true Biblical revival!
True, God-honouring worship is un-chaotic and unrestrained. In 1 Cor 14:33, the apostle Paul writes,
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
There is clearly a lot of confusion going on in these chapel services and clearly, nobody, especially the elders of these so-called churches, are holding these worshipers accountable to any biblical standard. Paul reiterates this truth again in the same chapter, v. 40,
"Let all things be done decently and in order."
The Apostle is teaching that our reverence to God should be characterized by truth, peace, structure, and order, with a focus on edification and instruction. The Holy Spirit does not lead true born again believers into behaviour that contradicts the teachings of the Word of God. Yet, while the rock band is jamming on the stage, and the people are swaying to the music as if in a drugged-up trance, there is woman painting a picture of a so-called "Jesus" with long hair behind the band on the stage, which is blasphemy and idolatry.
10. The seeking after signs combined with an absolute absence of Biblical preaching, zero word for word, passage by passage, precept upon precept preaching, reflects A LOT of what this movement is all about. Most of the people that have graced this building during these eleven days so far, would not know true Biblical preaching if it hit them straight between the eyes. Sound doctrine is everything, but these heretics claim that experiential "revival," i.e. signs, is more important than theology. The preachers (men) mandate and charge however is to preach "sound doctrine" (Ti 2:1) and "no other doctrine" (1 Tim 1:3) but these people long ago missed the memo. The reason is because Asbury University is apostate. Fully apostate.
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, but people are actually ashamed of the gospel. They preach something other than the gospel in order to attain "revival." They leave out unpopular features of the gospel to get results and then call it the gospel being preached. In the case of Asbury, they leave the entire gospel out. The gospel is enough, but it is the part that is perverted. The necessary part for the revivalists is the emotion and the excitement and the music and the hollering and the momentum. These are attributed to the Holy Spirit, even though they are just fleshly, carnal means.
Signs are something evident in a way of supernatural intervention apparently. Wouldn't God do obvious supernatural things, so that we know His presence is real? Isn't that "revival"? “If He doesn’t do those, how can people be revived? Or why should they believe in Him? People want to see some signs. Wouldn’t He give us those if He really wanted us to believe in Him? The absence of signs is not an absence of God working. He works in thousands of different ways in every moment. They are all supernatural but sometimes seen. People want more than God’s providential working through His Word. That isn’t enough. They want God to make it easy for them to believe by doing something amazing and astounding like what they read that Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, and the Apostles did. People desire direct supernatural divine intervention. So signs are faked, because people want them. They aren’t signs, because they’re faking them, which redefines even what a sign is. This is what we see at Asbury, where they are also conjuring up fleshly experiences that give an impression that something supernatural is occurring, when the very opposite is actually occurring. People here are claiming signs from a lowered expectation of what a sign actually is. Crying, cuddling, fake "repenting," hands raised into the air, a rock band jamming ungodly music, fleshly "worship" music, many people coming and staying, even from all over the world and the states, are NOT signs that the Holy Spirit is working. They are evidences of a very superficial, worldly and effeminate people, and apostasy. Even if it isn’t something supernatural, people want to feel something at church that might have them think the Holy Spirit is there. This is their evidence for God. Feelings, emotions, walking by sight.
The experiences are produced by people. They use music. They use a particular speaking voice. They create an environment that people can feel. They stay positive and upbeat, their audience then feels positive, so they are happy. Their upbeat, happy disposition says, Holy Spirit's presence. These effects can be caused, fairly easily. The Asbury "revival" does not seek after the truth of God's Word, but after signs and wonders, but Jesus said,
"A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign" (Matt 16:4a).
The seeking after signs is precisely the point here. These are wicked, ungodly people who have a pretence of false religion, but are inwardly hypocrites that are more interested in some supernatural signs than in loving God by obedience to His Word (Jn 14:23-24; 1 Jn 2:3-5). This is what Jesus says here, and it applies precisely to Asbury. They are spiritual adulterers, mixing truth and error, clean and unclean, Christianity with the world. And this is what God says of such that do this,
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (Jam 4:4)
Professing Christians aren't very interested in obeying God's Word, doing what God explicitly says, they are much less interested in doing the job of the Great commission in preaching the true gospel, than producing some big event that God doesn't promise. Why do they want the big event? I believe that what God said to Baruch in Jer 45:5 is apropros here:
"And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not."
Men are seeking great things for themselves. They seek after signs. They seek after great numbers of conversions and fleshly experiential euphoria. They should obey and be content with the results. If they did obey and were content with the results, we would not be in the mess we are in today.
Each one of these ten points here on its own condemns this "revival" as false and counterfeit, and its spirit as heretical and false, of "another spirit" (2 Cor 11:4). It is entirely egregious. It is "seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" (1 Tim 4:1). Literally.
The only truth that this "revival" reflects is the truth of end-times apostasy and how it is accelerating quickly in these last days of the last days.
While this false "revival" does not connect to the bible, it does tie into and quite PERFECTLY I must say, into the heresy of evangelicalism of whom many are captured by this deception and seduction, which is almost entirely apostate, including over at Evangelical denominations such as EMC (report coming next week Lord willing) and EBMC.
Though it may be anathema to many people to test and judge and expose their experiential "revivals," the Bible commands and demands the testing of everything by the Word of God, like the Berean's, to "receive the word with all readiness of mind, and search the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Ac 17:11). This is greatly honoured and loved by God, noted even here, calling the Berean's "more noble" than their brethren over at Thessalonica.
Just like we test and judge and expose all other error and heresies, including Calvin and Calvinism, and those who promote these heresies (like Grace Bible Fellowship), we judge this so-called revival as well.
The Bible precedent, and my Biblical responsibility, is to test the spirits,
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
Why? Here is one reason:
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" (1 Tim 4:1)
Let's consider now what true Biblical revival actually is.
How does True Biblical Revival Come About?
How is true revival engaged? In 1 Cor 1, Paul said God uses the foolishness of preaching to save. Not music; preaching. God saves people through "the foolishness of preaching." (v. 21). Preaching will not guarantee revival, but revival is generally the blessing of the Spirit on “the foolishness of preaching,” especially where preaching is doctrinally sound and Biblically based, I mean from God's true inspired and preserved Word. You can have the true Bible but not have true sound Biblical preaching. Biblical preaching that is sound and honoured by God, is preaching that is precisely, explicitly, and contextually in line with Scripture rightly divided and interpreted, not corrupted and given another meaning or story telling. The Holy Spirit is not in it when Scripture is mangled, misused, or abused. When the Spirit works in line with true Biblical preaching, He shows sinners their sin, their judgment and God's righteousness (Jn 16:7-11), that they are sick in sin (Lk 5:31-32), with the solemn wrath of God promised against them, and then the goodness of God grants repentance (Rom 2:4), so that all are without excuse (Rom 2:1-5; 1:18-25). In those that are deeply convicted, actually and genuinely acknowledging in humbleness and with a poor and broken spirit (Rom 5:5) that they are as sinful and wicked as God says they are (Jer 17:9; Rom 3:10-19) and that they deserve eternal damnation for their sin, and then exercise true repentance and saving faith, will lead to supernatural conversion, the new birth, which is revival. Whether that happens in one person or two or many, it is revival. Revival (the real thing) does not need many people for it to qualify as a revival, even though it has been typically defined as seeing a whole lot of people actually get saved — not just empty professions, but for them to become new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17-6:2).
So the best way to find out whether people are going to be revived, made alive, is by preaching the gospel to them. Instead of creating man-made fleshly counterfeits, or even praying for revival, we should obey the Great Commission. Instead of praying for power, we should assume we have enough, because saved people have enough. We should pray for boldness. We should pray that God would send out labourers. We should pray that we would have doors of opportunity open. That would be to do our job and create true revival.
Historians have noted five aspects to the Great Awakening (F. G. Beardsley, A History of American Revivals, 1904):
a. "There was little or no dependence upon external measures as a means for promoting a work of grace. Indeed, any great reliance upon means and measures would have been esteemed inconsistent with the prevailing conceptions of God's sovereignty..."
b. There were no protracted efforts to get up a revival.
c. Services primarily occurred only during regular service times.
d. There were no "anxious seats" or inquiry meetings.
e. Preaching was practically the only means employed for quickening the consciences of the impenitent.
Those points are Biblical, as long as the preaching is doctrinally sound. The truth is most of the false and fake revivalists people don't actually want the revivals that happened in Acts at Pentecost, and later after the healing of the lame man at the temple. They just want something that appears to be like it. If they really wanted it, they'd follow Scripture and simply preach and expound Scripture. They would see to preach only sound doctrine. But they don't. Many of them are so confused, they don't know left from right when it comes to sound doctrine. With slippery fingers, they hold on to parroted teachings and tradition. No revival movement has ever been successful without de-emphasizing doctrine. Doctrine divides, and division is the opposite of multiplication — the supposedly incontrovertible measure of revival.
But “the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness” (v. 18), which is why there is no solid, sound gospel preaching happening in this so-called "revival" at Asbury. Its foolishness to the gathering of fools that feed on folly of the flesh, to have true Biblical preaching of the cross, the blood and repentance, and everything else that comes with the true gospel.
Revival, Biblically, pertains to the lost, not to the saved. So in that true sense, the people at Asbury do need revival, but not what they think, since they have deceived themselves into believing they are true believers. When you look at the Hebrew and even Greek "revival" words of the OT and NT, they are about people who are dead, and made alive. Speaking about spiritual revival, people must be spiritually dead, who are then made alive spiritually, that is, they are converted. The mark of a true revival is unsaved sinners being genuinely and Scripturally converted to Christ through true repentance and saving faith, by the means of sound, exegetical, expository preaching of God's Word. This is what actual, true revival is, sinners being truly saved and converted to Christ, and that point is proven below, though it be not comprehensive.
Revival is for the Unsaved, Not the Saved
1. Soteriological revival is the revival we see throughout the Old Testament (OT) (the only place the word is actually found) including in Nehemiah (very often twisted into sanctification "revival"). The nation of Israel was lost. They have always been lost. At no point have they ever been saved (see 2 Cor 3:13-16; Ac 7:51-53 for instance), besides a remnant. God is continually calling His chosen people to salvation, to revival, including what we read in that very popular passage of 2 Chronicles 7:14,
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
That is true revival for Israel. It will happen in the Great Tribulation, the 70th Week of Daniel, the Time of Jacobs Trouble, ike Paul wrote in Rom 11:26, "so all Israel shall be saved."
2. The word revival primarily means to bring someone back from the dead. To resuscitate someone from a position of lifelessness. To revive. To restore to life. To quicken. Saved people aren’t dead people, nor are they dying spiritually. Saved people are never not quickened. They are always alive, and will never die spiritually (Jn 11:25-26). Revival has the same connotation as repentance in the OT, the word “return” frequently used to describe the volitional act of repentance unto salvation.
Changing the definitions of words doesn’t help the cause of revivalists/Keswick theologians.
3. A saved person has been revived, has been quickened, and has no need for revival because he continues in the state of revival forever, for some very important reasons. That however doesn’t mean he don’t ever need to repent again or be refreshed, of course he needs that on a daily basis, but these are altogether different terms and principles than revival. Though they have need for refreshing and renewing and repenting, they are alive, very alive and have never a need for revival or being made alive again (e.g. Pr 8:35; 4:18; Jn 5:39-40; 20:31; Eph 2:1-5; Jn 11:25-26; Rom 4:17; Col 2:10-15).
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Eph 2:1-5)
The truly saved person has everything he will ever need to live the Christian life received at the very moment of salvation (2 Pet 1:3-4; Rom 6:1-23). He lacks nothing and is missing nothing. And the power that he lives by never stops dwelling or working in him,
“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,“ (Eph 1:19).
God never stops working in and with His saints (Ps. 18:24-26; 48:14; Jer. 32:37-41; Jn. 10:1-5, 26-27; Rom. 8:28-39; 1 Cor. 1:6-9; Eph. 1:11, 13; 3:20; Phil. 1:6; 2:12-13; 1 Th. 2:13; 5:23-24; 2 Th. 2:12-17; 3:2-3; 2 Tim. 1:12; 4:18; 1 Pet. 1:5; Heb. 13:20-21).
4. It comes as a shock for many to learn that the word “revival” does not appear even once in the entire King James Bible. The hope of revival, which excites so many today, is not even a biblical concept in the NT. For revival being such a big deal according to many for those in churches, the NT doesn't once use the word "revival." If "revival" were so important for Christians, and something they should expect and be praying for, one would think, it seems, that it would appear in the Bible one time. It doesn’t. Though the actual word isn’t found, other terms related to it are found in Scripture, such as the Greek word “anapsuxis,” which carries the meaning of “revival" and found once in that great passage of salvation, Acts 3:19, translated into English as “refresh.” It’s referring to salvation:
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing [“anapsuxis”] shall come from the presence of the Lord;”
This is one of the best examples of revival in the Bible and the only one directly connected to “revival” in the NT, though you wouldn’t know it if you only knew the English word (“refreshing”). The one time occurring of that idea, refers ONLY to salvation. The refreshing, or reviving, occurs when God grants repentance and the sinner exercises that repentance and faith and is converted and his sins blotted out. That is the moment of “refreshing” or revival. It’s conversion. Only conversion. NOTHING to do with practical sanctification.
The word “revived” is also found twice in the NT, translated from “anazao,” in Rom 7:9 and 14:9. The former definitely refers to salvation, Paul recounting his own conversion briefly, “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” The later, Rom 14:9, refers to Christ reviving or being brought back to life literally from the dead (as is the meaning of the word) after His death on Calvary’s cross.
“For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived [“anazao”], that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”
We can go even further though with the Greek word “anazao” and see how it is translated the other three times found in the NT. Twice it is translated as “alive again,” both referring to the same event—the dramatic conversion of the prodigal son (Lk 15:24, 32). Both passages contain the same phrase wherein we find “anazao” — “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” Very clearly referring to his conversion, as adjudicated by God the Father.
The only other time it is found, it is translated as “lived not again” in Rev 20:5 referring to the literal raising from the dead of the unsaved after the one thousand year reign of Christ in His earthly kingdom.
5. In the Bible, the word “revive” and “revived” are translated from the Hebrew word “chayah”, which means: "to revive; to make alive; to quicken; to restore to life; to save; to be whole”. (Strong Concordance). This is all referring to what happens at salvation. None of these definitions of the word "revival" applies to the saved. The word “chayah” is translated into the following words in the Scriptures: live (106), lived (39), alive (34), save (13), quicken (12), surely (10), life (7), revive (7), recover (6), saved (5), revived (4), lives (2), preserve (2), quickened (2), recovered (2), certainly (1), keep (1), liveth (1), nourish (1), preservest (1), repaired (1), restored (1), saving (1), up (1), whole (1).
It is interesting to note that of the 235 some odd times the Hebrew word is used, nearly 200 of the uses refer to living, "life", "alive" or something similar, and being “save[d]” from something whether physically or spiritually. This terminology for the very most part is reflective of sinners absent of spiritual life. It is language reflecting salvation, someone dead and brought back to life. The word “quicken” is used eleven times in Ps. 119 and is translated from the same Hebrew word chayah and has the same basic meaning as “revive”, which is to make alive. Quickening always refers to what occurs at salvation.
Practically every usage of the word in the OT is referring to salvation, and that makes Biblical sense since Israel as a nation has always been unsaved (the context and syntax make that very clear: see here for example). The only time it’s ever used in reference to a saved person is when Jacob was revived after he discovered Joseph was alive. The explanation for that is simple: the Holy Spirit came and went on OT saints, so they would certainly appear as one in need of revival. But most cases in the OT where revival is mentioned, the people of Israel are unsaved.
6. Practically every reference to revival in scripture that is rightly divided and interpreted exegetically (not eisegetically) is towards unsaved people needing revival (the passages frequently used in support of sanctification revival are misused and twisted out of their meaning). Someone that has life doesn’t need to be revived, neither physically or spiritually. Ps 85, a favourite for support of revivalism, clearly speaks of salvation. Nehemiah likewise. The entire nation of Israel was unsaved (with the exception of very few, a remnant), which was the major cause of their captivity by Babylon. See here for proof how we know why Israel—God’s Chosen People—As a Nation was Never Saved in the Wilderness of the Exodus or Ever for that Matter.
7. Examples in scripture reflect that revival is for the truly dead, whether physically or spiritually. Elijah revived a dead boy, not one alive (1 Ki. 17). His soul had already departed from him. He was certainly dead. The lost son that comes to repentance and salvation in Luke 15 demonstrates what revival truly is, as his Father explains twice: "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." (Lk. 15:24a, 32). As noted in a previous point, the word “anazao” for revived is found twice in the context of God declaring his conversion. He was revived from the dead and now lives; he was lost but now is found! He had never lost any of that. He was revived once and for all.
8. This was also the belief of our forefathers. They knew that revival was for unsaved people. Revival meetings of old by men like George Whitfield understood its true meaning, as did the General of the Confederate party, Robert E. Lee. Once upon being deeply moved by compassion over the students at Washington College, over which he presided, Robert E. Lee exclaimed:
"If God would bring a revival, that the students would repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ."
Historically there have been times where a relatively lot of people have been converted upon hearing true gospel preaching. We see some of these times in Acts. One was on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. This was followed by what happened in Acts 3 and 4. These are not normative events, because it was accompanied by actual signs and wonders, but many did repent (Ac 3:19) and believe (Ac 4:4). However, compared to the number of people who did not believe, there were still far more who didn't believe than who did. In spite of these numbers, it was still a major threat to be a born again Christian in Jerusalem as seen in the resulting persecution. We see one of these times in the colonial period of the USA under the preaching of George Whitefield. Unsaved sinners being truly dramatically converted to Christ.
9. Revivalism, the teaching intricately tied with Keswick-type theology, is tied to a wrong doctrine of salvation and sanctification and then the methodology that accompanies those. One of the reasons that the professions and decisions are called "revival" is because they are just professions and decisions. They aren't actual salvation and sanctification. They are experiences primed by manufactured, external stimuli, and labeled some type of work of God. Actual, real results are not expected. This point is built into their plans of salvation and doctrinal statement. No real repentance and conversion must occur for the revival of revivalism. You can plan on something that you can make happen. Since it is you making it happen, know then that it isn't God making it happen. God will do things that are of Him, characterized by Him. The planned revivals of revivalism are made by men, using human techniques. They are not revival. Revival can occur, concerning unsaved people, but it won't have anything to do with our planning of it. If it does occur, those with whom it does occur will be fully cognizant, clear thinking people. They will hear plain, thorough biblical exposition. They will be good soil, with hearts ready to hear, and then be truly and dramatically converted. If the soil on which the seed is cast isn't good, no other factor will change the result. Manipulating the soil with revivalism doesn't glorify heaven but makes unsaved people two-fold children of hell.
No revival movement has ever been successful without de-emphasizing doctrine. Doctrine divides, and division is the opposite of multiplication — the supposedly incontrovertible measure of revival.
Having a tent doesn't create a revival either. The "revival" in Burlington, NC that happened a few years ago, had a tent. Why a tent? I've been to "revival" conferences that had tents. The "revivals" of the heretic Charles Finney and the other 19th century revivalists were in tents. What does a "tent" have to do with it? It looks like what happened back in that day. It appears to be one of the conditions. The tent impersonates what happened and aligns itself as a necessary condition. It is parallel with the temples of Christendom, the ornate buildings that attracted men in the medieval period.
There is also no end-times “revival,” but rather apostasy. God’s Word does not show us any indication of a “revival,” of some event of many people being converted (if the word and principle of “revive” is being used correctly), but rather a great catastrophe of apostasy (1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:1-5; 4:3-4; 2 Th 2:3; Matt 24:10-12; Lk 18:8), besides what will occur with the Jewish nation in the Great Tribulation. That is a true revival in the sense of the word. The truly saved believers are warned not to be deceived. One could see that as persecution comes in the end times people will have to make a decision and if they are not standing on the solid foundation of Christ and His Word through the new birth, they will most certainly fall away into apostasy because they have never been regenerated.
10. The “revivalism” / Keswick theology heresy that runs rampant in churches today, is not biblical and not of God and it's further reflected in the prayers of adherents. True believers should not be praying, like “revivalists,” for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or that the Holy Spirit would come down and meet with them in a special way — these types of prayers. They are praying for some event accompanied by some indication that something amazing is occurring, a quasi-sign of some sort. Then they produce the cause for the effect with the music and the style of speaking. This was nothing like the great awakening with Whitefield in the colonial period, where true revival was actually taking place by the conversion of sinners.
No one should be praying for the Spirit to come, since He's already here. No one should be praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, because He has already been poured out. It happened in Acts 2. These are second blessing prayers. These are Keswick prayers. They are actually faithless prayers. Why would someone pray for something that already occurred? Why not just believe that it occurred? They want more of these events, these signs, these occurrences as a validation. They are seeking after signs. But Jesus says it is “a wicked and adulterous generation [that] seeketh after a sign” (Matt 16:4), and that is another indication of an unregenerate estate.
Instead of praying what the revivalists pray, believers should pray like what the Apostle Paul did for the church at Ephesus in Eph 3:16:
"that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man."
Believers have all the power of the universe within them in the Person of the Holy Spirit and obedient faith will strengthen that power, not anything else.
God's Word is powerful. The Holy Spirit will work through God's Word. God has promised. We should, like the apostles, pray for boldness in preaching the Word of God, so true reviving could occur in the hearts of the unsaved. Pray for doors of opportunity. Are these two prayers, boldness and opportunity, big events? They are obedience to God. We should look at obedience to God as a big enough event for us. God is already working providentially all around and all over. God's power is immense and He wants us already to acknowledge it, not seek for more.
In conclusion, the above should suffice to show that the concept of reviving or revive refers to salvation, a reference to the lost in need of conversion, though it could be greatly expanded with further Biblical exposition.
Ask yourself a few questions: Does Christ not indwell the saved permanently? Are we not to be filled with the Holy Spirit at all times? Is not the Word of God sufficient? Why, then, chase after signs and wonders as though unusual manifestations prove that God is at work while neglecting what God has already given us? Or why not study the Word of God to see and understand what “revival” truly means, and whether it is even found in there, rather than simply parroting the theories of others?
Unfortunately the false teaching of “revivalism” rampant among Charismatic groups, neo-evangelical churches and IFB churches has corrupted the minds of many. It is nothing more than a man made act used to draw people into the pews (and fill the coffers) or to create some sort of fleshly and euphoric experience. Yes many regular attendees at these churches do need revival but not as the revivalists and others might think. Majority need to be saved, so yes they need to be revived, just not the revival show being offered to them by the “evangelist” or "worship" musician.
Click here if you've never been revived by God or are unsure.