Revival Impetus

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:42–43 NKJV

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

The Moravian Revival (1727, East of the Czech Republic)

1) A Moravian historian writes: “God says; ‘It shall come to pass I will pour.’ This was His promise through the prophet Joel. The first fulfillment of this promise was on the day of Pentecost. There is nothing in the New Testament to indicate that this was to be the one and only fulfillment of this promise. On the contrary we read in the book of Acts of many outpourings of the Holy Spirit, as in Samaria (8:14-17) as in Ephesus (19:1-7) and even in the case of the Gentiles (10:44-46). Church History also abounds in records of special outpourings of the Holy Ghost, and verily the thirteenth of August 1727 was a day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We saw the hand of God and His wonders, and we were all under the cloud of our fathers baptized with their Spirit. The Holy Ghost came upon us and in those days great signs and wonders took place in our midst. From that time scarcely a day passed but what we beheld His almighty workings amongst us. A great hunger after the Word of God took possession of us so that we had to have three services every day, viz, 5:00 and 7:30 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. Everyone desired above everything else that the Holy Spirit might have full control. Self-love and self-will as well as all disobedience disappeared and an overwhelming flood of grace swept us all out into the great ocean of Divine Love.”[1]

2) “A hundred years pass by since that marvelous baptism with the Holy Spirit--years of almost continuous revival and blessed missionary service. So numerous are their missionary stations that it may truly be said the sun never sets on them.”[2]

3) “It is now a century since they have had intercourse with men in the infancy of civilization. During that time they have been laboring in all the different quarters of the world, and have succeeded in reclaiming many a wild region to Christianity. One of their principles in carrying on the business of missions, is, not to interfere with other men's labors; and thus it is that one so often meets with them among the outskirts of the species, making glad some solitary place, and raising a sweet vineyard in some remote and unfrequented wilderness. Oh, when one looks at the number and greatness of their achievements, when he thinks of the change they have made on materials so coarse and unpromising; when he eyes the villages they have formed and he witnesses the love and listens to the piety of reclaimed savages who would not long to be in possession of the charm by which they have wrought this wondrous transformation? Who would not willingly exchange for it all the parade of human eloquence and all the confidence of human argument?”[3]

Revival under John Wesley

1) John Wesley was the son of an Anglican clergyman from Epworth, England. He was dissatisfied with the state of the Church of England. He was deeply moved by the great need and deplorable conditions of the poor. At 8:45 pm on the evening of May 24, 1738, John was reading the preface to Martin Luther’s Epistle to the Romans when he became genuinely converted, born again. John began to fast and pray for himself, his brother Charles, and George Whitefield. The Church of England closed their doors to their ministry. As a result, they began ministering to large crowds in Britain and in America. Many were gloriously touched by the ministry of John Wesley and the Methodist revival was born. The revival that came to Great Britain spared it from experiencing the mayhem, death, and destruction that took place in the French revolution. Revival can rescue our nation as it did Britain.

Revivals of the Nineteenth Century

During the nineteenth century, the Protestant church began to drift from its founding tenets into what became known as “higher criticism”. People stopped attending traditional church and simply stayed home. Toward the end of the century, God raised up evangelists like Charles Finney, Dwight L. Moody, and R. A. Torrey. These men who preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit due to their fervency and commitment to prayer and fasting.

Azuza Street Revival

1) In 1905, the Holy Spirit fell again in Los Angeles, California. Methodist and Holiness Christians had been praying and fasting for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit as in the book of Acts. This revival was accompanied by the gift of tongues as in the book of Acts. This was the beginning of what became known as Pentecostalism.

The Waning of Western Revivals

a. Revivals in the West are notorious for ending due to a lack of prayer.

b. Our history books are filled with tributes to past revivals.

c. Why doesn’t revival last? Is it God’s will for revival, or the effects of revival to last? YES!

d. History reveals that revivals not only begin through prayer, they are also maintained through prayer.

e. Revivals that began with prayer and fasting eventually cease because the fire on the altar of prayer has been allowed to go out.

1) Leviticus 6:12–13 (NKJV) “And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. 13 A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”

Revival Prayer Impetus

Impetus is the force that produces movement in a car when the gas pedal is pushed. If the gas pedal remains engaged, the car moves along by impetus. If the gas pedal is disengaged, the impetus ends, and the car continues to move based on momentum. If the gas pedal is not re-engaged, momentum will end and so will movement. Movement through impetus is different than movement through momentum. The car will come to a halt. Impetus in prayer initiates movement in revival. Once revival begins, impetus in prayer must be maintained if revival is to continue. When impetus in prayer ends, the movement in revival continues under momentum but eventually comes to a halt. Once momentum ends, all that is left is a monument to the past.

David Yonggi Cho: “When the Holy Spirit bring revival as an answer to prayer, the impetus of the revival must be maintained for there to be a continuation of that revival. If prayer is ever forgotten, the revival will move from impetus to momentum. Eventually, the special visitation of God will end up as a monument to the past.”[4]

Restoring a Lifestyle of Prayer (Effective and Lasting)

A DESIRE to pray (Luke 11:1 “Lord, teach us to pray”)

A DECISION to pray

A TIME to pray (Acts 3:1 The hour of prayer)

A PLACE of prayer (secret place)

Free from distraction

Free to engage in prayer

A WAY to pray (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4 The Model Prayer)

A CONTINUATION to pray (Luke 18 Parable of the Woman and the Judge)

Do not grow weary in well doing

In due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

[1] The Great Moravian Revival (https://www.gospeltruth.net/moravian.htm) [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] David Yonggi Cho, Prayer: Key to Revival (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1084), p. 20

Related Media

Related Sermons