“And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” Acts 19:19-20
October 31, 2025
“Revival means awakening, stimulating the life, bringing it to the surface again. It happens primarily in the Church of God, and amongst believing people, and it is only secondly something that affects those that are outside also” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival). There can be political and cultural “revivals” where there is a return to the foundational principles of good governance and a general allegiance of God’s moral law. However, this is not revival in the biblical sense. The revival among Christians in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-20) became the occasion where the gospel proved its power. There was confession of sin. An overwhelming consciousness of sin is experienced. Sin is always finally against God. There was a willingness to make a clean break among the believers with their past. They were genuinely convicted of their sins and made it known by burning things that had monetary value. Sometimes the effect on one’s pocketbook is a gauge of spiritual commitment. Interestingly, there was an immediate improvement in the moral tone of the community. Also, there was an adverse reaction to change in the moral tone. The community was threatened and hostile to its loss of prosperity. What effect might genuine revival among Christians in America have upon the evils that are celebrated in the public square?
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To what extent does the present condition of our culture have upon me?
Is there some specific thing in my own life which I need to put off in repentance? Am I hungry for more of God?