Online Reporter
Rev. Moses Matimba
It is revival time when, chief among men and women, they surrender their lives to Christ.
When Paul and Silas preached the gospel in Berea, many believed, including prominent Greek women and men of high standing. “Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:12). There is a tendency to associate the gospel message only with the poor, yet when the rich and influential also believe, it is a clear sign that revival has come upon the land.
It is revival time when idolatry is confronted through the stirring of the Holy Spirit.
Paul was stirred in his spirit when he saw that Athens was full of idols. He reasoned daily in the marketplace and with the philosophers until he was given a platform at the Areopagus to declare the message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 17:16-22). Where the Spirit stirs believers to confront falsehood, revival is near.
It is revival time when people are conscientized about the only true God.
To a religious and superstitious people, Paul declared the true God who made the world and everything in it, and who does not dwell in temples made by human hands (Acts 17:23-29). An invitation to the knowledge of the true God brings revival when people encounter Him personally.
It is revival time when people are made aware to seek the Lord who is near.
Paul called upon the people to seek God, “so that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). An invitation to seek after God is an invitation to experience revival. Those who have chosen to seek Him have never been disappointed.
It is revival time when people are made aware of the righteous judgment of God.
Paul was clear at Athens that God “has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed” (Acts 17:31). When people are made aware of God’s righteous judgment, the fear of the Lord returns, and we are in revival.
It is revival time when people are given the command to repent.
Paul declared that God “commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). When men and women turn away from ignorance and sin, revival has come. Repentance remains one of the critical keys to revival, and the call to repent is a sign that God is moving.
In every generation, God revives His people when truth is preached, idols are broken, hearts seek Him, judgment is remembered, and repentance is embraced. May this be our portion in our time.
