Signposts of Revival
By Matt Brown
For several years now I have had a growing sense that we are on the precipice of another great move of God, and nationwide and global spiritual awakening.
This feeling only grew as we obeyed God’s call to “Call 1 Million young people to fast and pray in the Roaring Twenties.” My close friend Malachi and I along with some other friends sensed that while the 1920’s was known for something, the 2020’s would be known in a different way — “The Roaring Twenties” will be known for a great move of God as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah roars His glory.
I don’t know when, where or how revival will take place, but there are already signs of it.
While great trials and hardships have covered the earth through a global pandemic, political and racial unrest, and so many other difficulties, I believe the pressing is not the end, but that God will produce something unbelievable through all of this that is for our good and His glory.
One of my dear friends, Robby Gallaty a pastor near Nashville, Tennessee has seen an outpouring of the Holy Spirit recently as hundreds and hundreds of people are being spontaneously baptized in every service and there is an unusually strong sense of God’s presence in their meetings. People have been driving and flying in from states across the nation to be in their church services and prayer meetings as the news spreads of an unusual and great outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
There is a great hunger for God these days. There is a great desperation for God to move in the chaos and brokenness of our world.
In American history there is known to have been two “Great Awakenings” in which there was an unusual outpouring of the Spirit and presence of God and millions swept into the Kingdom of God in a very short period of time. There have been many other “Great Awakenings” around the world throughout history since the first outpouring took place in the book of Acts during the time of the early Church.
I have been in ministry for twenty years, and I have frequently seen God do amazing things in ministry, but I have never proclaimed revival is coming like this. However, I now am saying this. I cannot shake the growing sense I have felt in prayer and in many other ways that God is about to do something extraordinary and beyond the good things we normally see God do.
Have you ever wondered what the terms “revival”, “awakening” and “move of God” mean?
I want to share 5 signposts of what a genuine move of God looks like with you today:
1. Revival has an unusually heightened sense of the presence of God.
One of the clearest signs of revival is the unusually strong sense of the presence of God.
The Bible tells us that “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20) God is with us even when we are alone. Scripture says we are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5) But when we gather with others in worship, prayer and the reading of God’s Word there is a distinct and wonderful sense of God’s presence.
In revival, there is an even more unusually strong sense of God’s presence. We have experienced Him in church services, and in times of personal prayer, but in revival the experience of Him is even greater than this.
God’s presence in revival is unforgettable, unmistakable and unmissable. Once you experience God in revival, you are never the same. It marks your life in a way you will never be the same. You will be forever changed, and forever hungry for more of God.
The presence of God is so distinct in revival, that when true revival happens, people will drive from hours to experience it. That is what’s happening at my friend Robby’s church right now — people are driving in and flying in from around the nation, and bringing their friends - pastors are bringing their staff and leadership - because they are hungry for God to do something in them, and to do the same thing in their own church.
2. Revival has an unusually strong conviction, confession and repentance of sin.
Another clear sign of revival is an unusually strong conviction of sin. People often stand up and openly confess secret sin in services where true revival is happening.
There is weeping, brokenness, confession of secret sin, and deep repentance that takes place when revival happens.
Christians are people who regularly confess of, and repent of their sin. Christians are not perfect, only Jesus is perfect, and so they must regularly clean house and do what 1 John 1:9 tells them to do. But they still sometimes get bogged down with besetting sins, and hidden sins. The presence of God in revival - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit brings with it a great conviction of sin.
John 16:8 tells us about the Holy Spirit: “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”
Wherever the Holy Spirit is poured out in great measure, there is a great measure of conviction and repentance of sin, and an outpouring of true righteousness and holiness.
Once you’ve experienced the presence of God in revival, you don’t want anything to keep you from being close to God like that, and so you immediately rid yourself of whatever’s been holding you back.
3. Revival brings a greater grace for the common Christian disciplines.
When you experience the great presence of God in revival, your hunger for God skyrockets. You will never be the same again.
My friend Malachi has told me that we need a special grace from God to fast. This is probably true of many Christian disciplines like fasting, prayer, reading and meditating on Scripture.
When revival comes, there is a greater grace to do the common Christian disciplines that at times have become arduous for a Christian to do. Their faith in God has grown tired and stale, but revival rejuvenates and revitalizes their love for God and His Word.
Philippians 2:13 tells us, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Yes, we should discipline ourselves to follow and obey Jesus and to implement habits of drawing near to Him, however ultimately it is God who works in us even to give us the desire to know Him more.
When revival comes, our desire to know God more goes through the roof. God instills a hunger in us that forever marks our life. We will never be the same.
Frederick Brotherton Meyer once said, “If you are not willing to give up everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing?” That is a powerful word to consider and prayer to pray. If you don’t have the desire right now for more of God, and for God to send revival, are you at least willing to say - God, give me the desire for these things?
4. Revival results in a passion to spread the news of what’s happening and more importantly the Good News of Jesus.
Revival results in a passion to spread the news of what’s taking place. It’s been said, “You don’t have to advertise a fire.” You don’t need to tell people to talk about it. God is doing something so significant, so world-altering that people share it with a fervor and life-change that people are drawn to see and hear this “fire” of God that has fallen on a church or a region.
People can’t help but talk about true revival. They share how God has come down. They share how God has set them free (2 Corinthians 3:17). Most importantly, they point people to the reality and power of Jesus Christ.
It’s been said, “The fame of revival spreads the flame of revival.” In great revivals of the past, people visit a true move of God and go back to their home town or church completely changed and they excitedly share what God has done and the same things often begin to happen in their own area as they share about what God can do.
The Person and work of the Holy Spirit is to empower us in our Christian lives, to give us power to witness (Acts 1:8), to fill our lives with God’s good character (Galatians 5:22-23), to give us grace and gifts to serve God’s Kingdom, to comfort us and many more things.
One of the roles of the Holy Spirit in revival is to point us to Jesus, and to true Biblical faith that changes us for the rest of our lives. Scripture says that the Holy Spirit always points us back to Jesus (John 16:12-15), and reminds us of what He teaches us (John 14:26).
When you truly have more of the Holy Spirit, you will have more of Jesus and more of God’s truth getting into your heart and life.
5. Revival often happens in many places at once to show it is God’s work and not mans.
Revival is a sovereign move of God. God always does great things, but revival and great awakenings do not happen every day. They are special and beautiful, and should be great cherished and prayed for.
Great revivals often come about from great movements of prayer, but we cannot force revival.
Some people believe if we do the right steps, revival will come, but I do not believe that. I believe when we pray and seek God, God will do greater things in our lives, and communities, however there is a difference between God moving in response to our prayers and repentance, and revivals and great awakenings. We cannot work up true revival. God does it in His own time and way, and all we can do is run to it when it comes, and protect it that He might get all the glory and honor.
When I was in High School I experienced genuine revival through a student-led worship night called “Monday Night Jam.” It was simply a one hour weekly worship night that came about after a catholic evangelist had visited our town. Many experienced true salvation in Christ and began a time of worship and the Holy Spirit was moving in their midst. This grew and grew to eventually include 400-600 students each week in a public high school of only 650 students. Students and church groups would carpool in on buses and cars from hours away to experience what God was doing during this time. The sense of the presence of God was so thick and extraordinary week after week that although I have continued to see God do great things in our life and ministry, I have never experienced anything with that high of a sense of God’s presence since those days. Students, even non-believers, would weep in the presence of God and put their faith in Christ week after week. It affected hundreds of churches across the region with a hunger for more of God. For an entire year, there were reported ZERO disciplinary problems in a public high school in America!
The following years when my close friend and I went to Bible college to study for ministry, we prayed and prayed God would do what he had done in our high school but to no avail. Yes, God did great things, but revival is special and a sovereign working of the Lord if and when He wills. Our prayers always make a difference, but revival is God’s work in God’s way and the best we can do is humble ourselves and pray and seek His face.
A great revival is coming.
I have had a growing sense that God is about to move in a great revival across America. I believe we will see an unusually high sense of the presence of God to meet the great needs people are feeling. I believe this decade will be marked by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah roaring His glory over our generation. I believe countless souls will be convicted of sin and swept into the Kingdom of God - their lives and families changed forever by the presence and glory of God.
There is nothing we can do but simply humble ourselves and pray and seek His face that He will do this now in our time, and again make His Name known throughout our generation.
Joshua 3:5 tells us, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." I believe this is a word for us today. Get ready for what God is about to do.
Matt Brown is an evangelist, author of Truth Plus Love, host of Think Eternity with Matt Brown, and founder of Think Eternity — a ministry dedicated to amplifying the gospel every day through podcasts, devotionals, videos, live events and more. Matt and his wife Michelle have three children.
