I just finished leading worship in a revival service (the second in a month). I must say that it is exciting to be a part of something like this, but the question that flows through my mind comes from the origin of the word: Revival - to live again.
To live again, you must have lived before. The "life" being talked about here is not that of a physical birth, but rather that which Jesus spoke of to Nicodemus- a Spiritual birth. This Spiritual birth can not take place without "confessing with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead."
"Confessing" means that you admit it to those around you; you bear witness of it in your life.
"Lord" means that you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, Christ, Anointed One - that He fulfills the prophecies of the scripture, that what He said is true.
"Believing" means that you understand and accept as truth what has been said by eye-witnesses, history and Jesus Himself about what God did for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
These culminate in a change which takes place inside and out in your life - a new life - when you give your life to Christ Jesus!
But, as often happens in many lives, the cares and concerns of this world choke the new life and cause it to remain immature or to stagnate.
This is when revival is needed.
Now, this is when it becomes interesting:
Without first living, you can not live again.
But the need for revival comes as a direct result of immaturity or stagnation.
The reasoning is, therefore, that if you are currently maturing and growing in your faith, there is no need for revival (because you are currently living out the NEW LIFE you were given).
[Of course there can be arguments for how revival services and such can motivate you more, but that is not the issue I am addressing. I am addressing the issue of maturing in your new life with Christ.)
To really see this in living color, look at the life of Jesus and ask this question: Did Jesus ever need revival?
The bottom line is this:
As my church is getting ready for our own revival services in a few weeks, I pray that we realize that revival does not come from the services themselves, but from the closeness we have with the Lord. We should also remember that revival is ALWAYS preceded with prayer and confession. We must also remember that true revival occurs in one heart at a time. So, we can all accurately say, "Revival is up to ME and MY relationship with Jesus" So, quit pointing fingers at the next person - If you are a Christian who is stagnate or immature in your walk, it's up to YOU to return to the Lord and continue your new Life in Him.