Over the past 100 years or so, well-meaning Christians (including myself) have prayed and sought the Lord to send revival to the nations of the world. We have heard about great moves of God in the past like the ones that occurred in California (Azusa Revival), Britain (Wales Revival), and Florida (Pensacola Revival) just to name a few. Although we have seen God do many great things during those times, those moves of God, for whatever reason (and we could all argue many points), were never sustained.
One reason that I believe that the Church has not seen revival and societal transformation like it so desires, is because Jesus NEVER told us to pray for revival to come. WHAT?! Yes, believe it or not, Christ never told us to pray for revival. Now before you jump all over me and label me a heretic, allow me to explain this position.
In the book of Saint Matthew (6:10), Jesus' disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. One of the things that our Lord taught them during that time of instruction was to pray "that His Kingdom would come." He never once told them to pray for revival. So the question is if they didn't pray for it, then why do we?
The word of God teaches that God's people are destroyed due to a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). A word that is synonymous with the term "lack of knowledge" is the word ignorance. Webster's dictionary defines ignorance as: Destitute of knowledge; uninstructed or uninformed; untaught; unenlightened. Something Unknown; undiscovered. The reason why we have/host revival services and pray for revival is due to the deficit of knowledge that we possess concerning the Kingdom of God and how it operates.
What is the Kingdom? In a nutshell, The Kingdom of God is the government of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is the preeminent ruling authority in all of heaven and earth to which every government and kingdom of every nation is subject. We, the people of God, are the citizens and ambassadors of this kingdom who have a divine mandate from our governmental leader (Jesus Christ, the King of this Kingdom) to expand the influence of our heavenly government into every sphere of society into which we are called. Ultimately, establishing His will (His influence, attributes, desires, government, etc.) on earth as it is in Heaven.
The Kingdom of God and your understanding it is of immense importance. How important? It was (and still is) so important that its message is THE ONLY message that Christ ever preached!! The ONLY ONE!! (Did you know that?)
Need more proof? It is so important that Christ instructed us to "seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matt. 6:33) Seeking implies looking until you find what was/is lost or until you come into a full understanding of the thing that you're seeking after. And the word "first" has implications of something that ought to be your primary focus. Christ thought that this message of the Kingdom was so important that the very first words that came out of His mouth when His ministry became public were "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Matt. 4:17)
What am I really saying? I am saying that we pray ignorantly for revival due to our lack of understanding about Christ and His Kingdom. You see inherent in the Kingdom is healing, deliverance and the revival that we pray for and long to see. We ignorantly seek and pray and ask God for the fruit (healings, deliverance, salvations, revival, etc.) instead of praying that the root (The Kingdom of God) which produces those things would be in perpetual manifestation in the nations in which we live. In the Kingdom, there is grace for the transformation of the nations, not just revival.
Due to our ignorance, not only are we, the people of God destroyed, but the world around us that we are called to impact and influence perishes as well as it eagerly awaits for the full manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19); in whom the Kingdom now resides (Luke 17:21).
So beloved, don’t pray for the fruit (revival), but make a demand on the root (His Kingdom) and watch the “kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord & of His Christ.” (Rev. 11:15) #AMEN
Scripture References:
*Hosea 4:6*Matthew 4:17
*Matthew 6:10
*Matthew 6:33
*Romans 8:19
*Luke 17:21
*Revelation 11:15
Suggested Readings:
*The Bible (search Kingdom, Government)
*Rediscovering the Kingdom: Dr. Myles Munroe
*Understanding the Kingdom: Dr. Myles Munroe
*The Kingdom of God in You: Pastor Bill Winston
This article was originally written by Pastor Warren G. Curry, Jr and is a publication of Life Changers Ministries International. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2011
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