Prayer for revival should include:
• Confession. Since the last revival, the world has acted according to its nature. The church has not and needs to take responsibility for the results in the world.
• Submission. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in revival and cannot be manipulated by prayer meetings, fasting, etc. We cannot produce revival; it has to be given.
• Optimism. In order to request revival properly, we must plead the promises of God in Scripture. In order to do this, an optimistic eschatology is absolutely necessary.
• Knowledge. The last revival in America was in the mid-19th century. In order to pray intelligently, we need to read histories of previous revivals. We should know what we are asking for.
• Focus. We should pray for the church, not the world. If the church is revived, the world will soon be affected. Within the church, we must pray for the preachers and teachers.
• Solid Doctrine. We must pray biblically. The prayer must be based on a good grasp of biblical basics: sin, salvation, the cross and resurrection, etc.
• Self-Control. Because we have had a great drought with regard to revival, the temptation to emotionalism and sensationalism will be great if revival comes. We must pray with self-control for self-control.
• Confession. Since the last revival, the world has acted according to its nature. The church has not and needs to take responsibility for the results in the world.
• Submission. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in revival and cannot be manipulated by prayer meetings, fasting, etc. We cannot produce revival; it has to be given.
• Optimism. In order to request revival properly, we must plead the promises of God in Scripture. In order to do this, an optimistic eschatology is absolutely necessary.
• Knowledge. The last revival in America was in the mid-19th century. In order to pray intelligently, we need to read histories of previous revivals. We should know what we are asking for.
• Focus. We should pray for the church, not the world. If the church is revived, the world will soon be affected. Within the church, we must pray for the preachers and teachers.
• Solid Doctrine. We must pray biblically. The prayer must be based on a good grasp of biblical basics: sin, salvation, the cross and resurrection, etc.
• Self-Control. Because we have had a great drought with regard to revival, the temptation to emotionalism and sensationalism will be great if revival comes. We must pray with self-control for self-control.
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