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Revival Through the Holy Spirit

There are a few things that are associated with a Holy Spirit revival.

A great sense of sin is experienced both by Christians and unbelievers.

Sometimes this sense of sin is the result of Holy Spirit preaching. Sometimes it is unrelated to preaching; it just happens.

Consequently, there is repentance toward God, confession of sin and restitution among the believers.

And confession that Jesus Christ is Lord by the unbelievers.

Because of this confession, repentance and restitution, the community of believers has great love and joy.

Because the confession that Jesus is Lord the new believers suddenly love the believer that they hated a few minutes before.

There is a great change in the moral climate of the community, even if a majority of the community is not touched.

Here are a few of the changes:

1. There will be much less profanity.
2. There will be much less drunkenness.
3. There will be fewer pre-marriage pregnancies, abortions, and divorces.
4. There will be much less sexual promiscuity.
5. There will be less lying and cheating.

However, when this awakening hits a community there will be a negative reaction in the people who have not been touched by the Holy Spirit.

It will happen first in the Christian Churches, all kinds, Catholic, Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, and liberal. The untouched will not sit still when their close friends become joyful, loving and moral. It will start with ridicule and then turn to violence. This reaction will spread to the secular side of the society because of these new Christians, white collar and blue collar, sophisticated and red-necks work side by side with their unconverted peers.

There will be a noticeable difference in the businesses in the community. The retailers will not like it.

I know all of this from three sources. One, the Bible, two, my own experience, and, three, Revivals in History.

1. Please read the following accounts of Revival and Riots.
A. Antioch in Pisidia—Acts 13:26-51 (envy)
B. Iconium—Acts 14:1-5
C. Lystra—Acts 14:6-20
D. Philippi—Acts 16:12-34
E. Thessalonica—Acts 17:1-9
F. Corinth—Acts 18:1-17
G. Ephesus—Acts 19:8-41 (economics)

Please keep this post; you will want to read these references at your leisure. If you do not have a Bible I will send you one, free.

My own experience and with other microcosm revivals will be in the next post.

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