The Purpose of Revival

After the fire consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, we read that "the glory of the Lord filled the house" (2 Chronicles 7:1). This is the purpose of revival. It's not our glory, and it's not the salvation of souls. It's not the blessing of Christians. It's not the vindication of our doctrine; it's not the establishment of our church, and it's not the blessing of our denomination. It's the glory of God! He shows Himself mighty on behalf of those who have paid the price. "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together..." (Isaiah 40:5).

We read in the New Testament, "The light...of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). He becomes real and we see Him. Hallelujah! He dominates the scene. He fills our vision, and He becomes the fairest of ten thousand, the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star as we've never seen Him before. He ravishes our hearts, and we know Him and love Him and give ourselves to Him in consecration afresh because we see Him.

The purpose of revival is the coming of the Master and the glory of the Lord. "We beheld His glory," said John, "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). He was writing at the end of his life, and he saw that when he was a young man. John says in effect, "We beheld His glory. I'll never forget it. I'm an old man now, but that glorious moment when we beheld His glory, oh, what a moment! God came, the glory of His power, the glory of His presence!" We can say with Moses, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory."

The Produce of Revival

"When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever" (2 Chronicles 7:3). There was a sense of awe. We must never lose the sense of awe. Worshiping, they said in effect, "God is great. God is good. God is glorious. God made all these things. God, I stand in Your presence. By Thy grace I have access. Who am I that I should have access? Oh, You are so great! And as You come down from transcendency to become imminent right here, I bend, I bow." They bowed; their faces were on the pavement. There is a sense of awe, and a sense of unworthiness. Who am I that God should come to me? We have a sense of joyfulness. We say, "Praise the Lord!" There was joy!

I was in a Bible College in Cape Town, South Africa for twelve and a half years. One year, 1972, God came to that college for a whole term. The students put away their studies. They gathered in groups. What a sense of prayer! What a sense of love! It was almost tangible as they moved amongst each other. There was such a difference. God was there. The corridors rang with joy. Oh, the joy of those days! The praise of those days! They praised the Lord. They rejoiced in His presence. How we need God like this! How we need God to come amongst us in this way. How we need God to pour out His Spirit that we shall see the glory of God.

There was a man called Gypsy Smith years ago. He was a preacher. He took a piece of chalk on one occasion, and he drew a circle on the ground all around him. Then he threw the chalk away and got into the circle. He got down on his knees, and he said, "Lord, I need reviving, and I'm not coming out of this circle until revival has come into the circle." Anyone need some chalk?

Shall we not confess with Gypsy Smith our lack of revived hearts? Confess our failure, confess our laziness, confess our lack of dedication, our lack of motivation, our lack of love. Confess our cold heart. The heart can get very cold in the ministerial world. We get so full of activity and lose the touch of God and our heart can grow cold and hard. It needs the plow of God to go into it. Oh, let us go to God in prayer!