Revival Is a Climate Change
By Michael Catt
I am a product of the Jesus Movement. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the winds of revival blew across America. With revival, came a climate change.
In a land that was consumed with riots, an unpopular war and hatred, revival changed a generation. In many ways, it saved us from a revolution.
Out of that movement came many revival leaders (people who were saved and later became pastors, missionaries and church leaders). Hundreds of thousands were baptized in those days.
PHOTO: Jordan Ladikos / Unsplash
Yet, the church by and large rejected the movement. Dead religion will always reject a move of God’s Spirit. God will upset the status quo in revival. People who were once qualified to lead, are no longer qualified. Revival will upset the norm.
I believe we are seeing the initial answers to prayers that have been offered up to God for decades. Those of us with first hand experiences of revival are praying, “Lord, do it again.” We don’t know what the end result will be. It may be mercy drops to keep us longing for much more. Or, it could be the beginning of a flood. What we are seeing at Asbury and on other campuses in the last few days can not be denied. It’s not been worked up, it’s been prayed down. No fanfare. No promotion or hype. Just a call to confession and repentance.
It seems, the winds of revival are blowing. They aren’t hurricane force winds yet, maybe not even gale force winds, but they are putting wind in our sails and the church is becoming aware of a stirring, moving in our midst. Time will tell if this is a major or minor movement among God’s people. My prayer is that we will fan the flame until we see this movement spread across the land and cross every denominational and ethnic line in our land. We need this fresh touch from heaven.
Thanking God for what has happened isn’t enough. Thanking God for what IS happening isn’t enough. We need a revival that leads to an awakening. God doesn’t want us to settle. We must cry out for a deeper work. One that prunes and purges. At the same time, we must expect the battle that is to come. The devil and dead religion will fight any fresh move of God.
Are we desperate for revival? My mentor, Vance Havner said, “The tragedy of the day is that the situation is desperate but the saints are not.” This generation is longing for an authenticity in the church. Not hype, smoke and mirrors. They want to see the real deal. They need to see a genuine move of the Holy Spirit, consistent with the revealed Word of God. One that is undeniable and takes us into a new dimension in our walk with God.
Revival is both personal and corporate. It happens in desperate people, in God’s timing and for His glory. Historically, it has often started with young people. It is birthed in prayer. It is sustained by surrender to the Holy Spirit.
Such a genuine move of God will penetrate the culture, heal the brokenhearted, result in an expansion of the Gospel and bind up the broken hearted. It will set captives free. Revival will change the atmosphere. It has the elements of worship, warfare and witness.
On February 24th, the movie The Jesus Revolution will be released nationally. It is based on the true story of the Jesus Movement in California. I've told many people, it could be that what we see happening right now is God making a road in the wilderness, clearing a path and opening a door for a film to grab the hearts of a generation. My prayer is that this generation will see, whether at Asbury, another campus, their church or in a movie theater, a mighty move of God that will mark them for the rest of their lives.
It is the ultimate climate change. It changes the environment. It clears the air of dead religion. It fills the air with an aroma of praise and the sounds of testimony. It is a mighty rushing wind that blows out the cobwebs in dead churches. The climate in our land has been polluted by racism, false religion, idolatry, addictions, crime, human trafficking, drugs, alcohol, corrupt politics, the media and so much more. Only a revival can blow this smog of sin out.
Until we have such a movement that radically moves the needle, removes the blinders, and restores hope among any and all, we will continue in a downward spiral.
Critics will say, revivals don’t last. Neither does a bath, but it does good to have one! My prayer is that this generation will see a genuine revival that changes the direction of their lives. They will live out the message of revival (which is the life of Christ lived out in us and through us) and leave the revival meetings with a burden they can not shake. We need revival leaders who will say as Wesley said, “I am not to consult my own ease but the advancing of the Kingdom of God.”
May we not rest, until we see it.
Michael Catt is a pastor, author and movie producer. He was the pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, since 1989 until his retirement in 2021. He was an executive producer for the 2008 film, Fireproof. He has also written several books.