SOVEREIGN GRACE LIFE

Revived ~ Renewed ~ Restored ~ Reformed

Lasaro Flores / P.O. Box 298 /Boling, TX 77420

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NOTE: Although I’ll be using articles from various authors, it does not mean I agree totally with what they write. But after reading them, I believe some benefit can be derived from them with respect to Revival and Spiritual Awakening.

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MY PURPOSE

There is a fourfold purpose for this newsletter: It goes out for Revival, for Renewal, for Restoration, and for Reformation. Perhaps to some this means the same thing, yet I believe that there are four aspects of a Life that experiences the Sovereign Grace of God that will be manifested when believers experience these four things in it. It is my desire that “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10) will be pleased to use the articles, not only for His awesome Glory, but also to “revive (His) work in the midst of the years” (Habakuk 3:2); and as a result, we should be willing to “endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).

REVIVAL REVEALS THE TRUE CHRISTIANS

By Lasaro Flores

As I have stated before, Revival is only for true Christians; and the reason for this is because only those that already have the Life of Christ in them are capable of being Revived; for as 1 John 5:12 states – “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life”. But why would a Christian need Revival? Well, again, as I said before, the reason is, sad to say, because of Christians backsliding into sin, and as a result, the Life of Christ is no longer evident in the life of them. It is as I have used a plant that produces fruit to illustrate this. When everything is as it should be in order for the plant to be healthy and productive, then we can say that that plant is “full of life”. But take away the water and the nutrition it needs, or let some infestation of bugs or some disease come in, then that plant will start to “die”. You’ll see the symptoms and the effects of that in the plant; and of course, in the production of its fruit.

This is, of course, what happens to the Christian who backslides. At one point, the Life of Christ is evident in their lives simply because they are “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and so, “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9) will be manifested. But then, one begins to notice a change in their lives: They no longer delight to be “nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6), and also, they began to “mind the things of the flesh” (Romans 8:5); and because of this, the” fruit unto death” (Romans 7:5), or “the works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19ff.), will again be seen in their lives. In other words, it can get to the point where it may be said of them by others that perhaps they were not really “Christians” in the first place. That, of course, is the danger that exists when professing Christians backslide into a life of sin. Personally, I know people that at one time were very “fervent in the Lord” (?), but now one can see no difference between them, and the unconverted.

In this article, I would like to share with you in what way Revival reveals who are true Christians. The reason we can do this is because ONLY true Christians, as I said, are capable of being revived. Therefore, there will be some things that will be evident in the true believer that will not be true in the other. Of course, I’m not writing this article with the intention of judging every professing Christian to see whether they are true Christians, or not. I’m writing it so that if we are concerned about our own personal relationship with the Lord, since it’s possible we might not be conscious of our backsliding, that we might judge ourselves with the Word of God. I’m afraid, if what I see in the Christian community today is proof of it, there are multitudes of professing Christians whose walk is more “of the world” (John 15:19) instead of being of those whose “conversation (citizenship) is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20) that have been delivered “from the power of darkness, and…translated…into the kingdom of (God’s) dear Son” (Colossians 1:13).

Nevertheless, the Christian is exhorted throughout the Scriptures to always examine themselves and to be conscious where they stand in their relationship with God. The Christian is never to take for granted that they are true Christians simply because they claim to be one, or that they believe in Jesus. In fact, the Lord himself warned us about that in Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”. So it is of the utmost importance that if we are concerned for our souls, that we pray with David: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24). But also we need to do what the apostle Paul tells us in his second epistle to the Corinthians: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (13:5).

Now, when Revival comes, there will evidently be some things that will occur in true Christians that will not take place in false professing Christians. But this can only be true if God is the One who sends the Revival because He is the Only One who can Revive, Renew, Restore, and Reform the backsliding Christian. So by Revival I don’t mean by one going to some special Revival meetings, or listening to some particular preacher, or getting real emotional because of how you feel, or doing certain things, etc., etc. Also, Revival is not either just simply becoming more “religious”, i.e. going to church more often, or reading the Bible more, or even telling others how God has touched you. Although it’s true that Revival will cause the backsliding Christian to “repent, and do the first works” (Revelation 2:5), yet the emotional and physical aspects that might be manifested in what might be called Revival is not true Revival. In fact, lot of the things that I mentioned may be seen in the majority of professing Christians in the churches today without a Revival!

Having said that, let us consider how Revival Reveals The True Christians; and since Revival is from God, He will deal with us by His Spirit so that “the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16) and we can “be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). In other words, what I am saying is that True Revival is SPIRITUAL, and it is that aspect of Revival we have to be concerned for; otherwise, we can be deceived if we rely on the emotions or feelings for the proof that we have been revived. But let me say this: I am not denying that the emotions and the feelings are involved, and can be touched, in True Revival. Nevertheless, we have to be mighty careful that we don’t look to them; for as the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is the spirit that quickeneth (re-vitalizes; revives); the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63).

Whenever a Christians starts to backslide, he may still be made conscious of his spiritual declination. To put it in another way, when a Christian gives in to temptation (for whatever reason), and sins, that Christian will be convicted of it by the Holy Spirit. He will “sorrow to repentance” and “made sorry after a godly manner”; “for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of” (2 Corinthians 7:9,10). This will bring him to confession of his sins with a holy desire to be forgiven in accordance to 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. There will be a holy fear for having sin against God. Cp. Psalm 32:1-5; 38:1-10, 17,18,21,22; etc.

But then, if the Christian remains unrepentant and continues on his sinful ways, his heart will harden, and actually be deceived that everything is alright between him and the Lord. We are warned in Hebrews 3:12,13 - “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”. Such a person can keep on “acting” as a Christian without actually “living” as a Christian. In other words, they will do a lot of the “normal” things a Christian should do that can be seen by others, yet at the same time, they will also do things that will be more consistent with the world and the life of the unconverted. But oh, the thoughts of the mind and the desires of the heart, which only God can see, reveal how far they have backslidden! This is what happened to King David when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed in order to hide his sin! If God of His mercy hadn’t sent the prophet Nathan to ”discover” his sin and bring David to repentance, he most likely would have continue in a backslidden life!

O people of God, we are not exempt from backsliding. There is not one true Christian that can truly say that they will never backslide. In fact, we are exhorted: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). In fact, what the Lord himself said of His people of old, He can say the same of us. Consider seriously Hosea 11:7 – “My people are bent to backsliding from me“. Not only are we attack by the world and by Satan to bring us to fall, but even our own selves join with them to do so. The Lord complains: “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin” (Isaiah 30:1). This is why we need to pray with the Psalmist: “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression” (19:12,13). But notice that the Psalmist recognizes that he can’t do it of his own, but calls upon God’s mercy and grace to keep him from falling into sin and of the danger of apostasy, or (as some believe), a life of adding sin to sin. This is what backsliding does to the Christian; so “let us…come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16); and do this each and every day!

But, how does Revival reveal the true Christian from one who is not? Well, first, we have to consider that every true believer has experienced the NEW BIRTH; or is “born again”, or “born from above” (John 3:3,7), and becomes “a new creature (or creation)…in Christ” so that “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17); or as Ephesians 2:10 states it: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”. But we have to remember that the true Christian has two natures: The old sinful nature we’re ALL born with, but in Christ we are given a “new nature”, which is “the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24), and “which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Colossians 3:10) so that we “should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). In backsliding, the true Christian falls back into living in the old sinful nature in disobedience and rebellion to God, but in Revival, he is Revived, Renewed, Restored and Reformed to walk again the New Life in Christ; and not simply becoming “religious”, but walking “even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). Revival will bring this out; and as the Lord himself told the church at Ephesus: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen (backsliding), and repent, and do the first works (revival)…” (Revelation 2:4,5). In other words, the Revived backsliding Christian will again manifest the graces and the fruit of the Life of Christ that will be totally contrary to the way he was living before being revived!

Secondly, Revival will reveal the true Christian by the desires that will be manifested by one who has experienced it. A backslidden Christian will show what he desires by the way he speaks and the things he does, i.e. his language will reveal what he really desires; and of course, what he does is simply the actions of his desires. Let me illustrate: A backslidden Christian will generally speak of worldly, carnal, and temporal things; and if by chance, they mention anything with respect to eternal and heavenly things, it will be so superficial and “denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5) of those same things. But then, also, the backslidden Christian will do those things that are more compatible with “the old things” (2 Corinthians 5:17) he did “in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Ephesians 2:3). Let me give one simple example: A backslidden Christian will spend will more time in front of the TV or in other worldly activities than in prayer and in the Word of God. But once a backslidden Christian experiences Revival, his desires will be Renewed that once again Prayer and the Word of God will be a delight, whereas in his backslidden condition there was no time for prayer or the study and meditation of the truths of the Gospel. Prayer is no longer the repetition of words, but a communion between the heart of the believer and the heart of God. Also, the precious Word of God is no longer tedious and burdensome, but a delight and joy to study and obey it; and this, day and night! Hallelujah!!!

In the third place, Revival will reveal the true Christian by bringing him, or her, to follow holiness (Hebrews 12:14) and to stay away from any appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). In a backslidden condition, the Christian does the opposite, which gives the enemies of the Gospel reason to call Christians hypocrites because they see that their lives are not consistent with what they profess to be. In fact, the believers in Christ are referred more as saints than Christians (only 2 times: Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16), so it follows that when the true Christian experiences Revival, then the following will be true for them: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1); “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (mode of living); Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15,16). Why? Because the true Christian was “chosen…in (Christ) before the foundation of the world,” to “be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4); “for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Fourthly, Revival will reveal the true Christian in bringing the Christian to put more value in the eternal and heavenly things. When first experiencing God’s grace in salvation, “the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:12,13), turns our hearts and eyes to those things that are consistent with “our conversation (citizenship)…in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). In backsliding, we become more concerned with temporal and worldly things that we actually “love…the world,” and “the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15); and this, we are warned, that “if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him”. But Revival will renew the Resurrection Life in us so that “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”; and this can only be true, if the following is true: “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).

But then, fifthly, Revival will also reveal the true Christian by filling his heart with love for the lost and to be a faithful witness. You know, it is inconceivable to think that a true Christian will not be concerned for the salvation of others. In fact, as everyone who has experienced God’s Free and Sovereign Grace in salvation will testify, that concern for the lost souls, is one thing that will preoccupy their hearts, especially their loved ones; just as it did Andrew: “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:41,42), and Paul: “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3). This is not an option, people of God; for we are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that (we) should shew forth the praises of him who hath called (us) out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9), because we are commanded to “be witnesses unto (the Lord Jesus) both in Jerusalem (our hometown), and in all Judaea (our state and nation), and in Samaria (neighboring countries), and unto the uttermost part of the earth (the whole world)” (Acts 1:8). But this will not true for one who is in a backslidden condition; for if they don’t care for their own souls, there will be no concerned for others, including their own spouses, children, parents, siblings, relatives, or their friends!

Finally, in the sixth place (of course, there are more manifestations of true Revival than just six), Revival will reveal the true Christian by causing him, or her, to fall again in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is stated in I John 4:19 that “we love him, because he first loved us”, which is true of every true Christian! But what causes a man, or woman, to be unfaithful? Is it not because they are no longer in love with their spouse? Yes, indeed! When a Christian backslides, they leave their “first love” because they fall in love with their sin! They cannot truthfully answer the question, “What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?”, and say as before that “yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem” (Song 5:9,16). Why? Simply because they no longer love the Lord as before! There is no excuse for it! When one is in love with the Lord Jesus, there is nothing that the true believer, won’t forsake, or will permit to come between them. But once a Christian backslides, his love for the Lord grows cold and no longer desires Him, as in Isaiah 26:8,9 – “The desire of (my) soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early”. Ultimately, this is the proof of true Revival; and this is to “love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity” (Ephesians 6:24) “with all (our) heart, and with all (our) soul, and with all (our) strength, and with all (our) mind” (Luke 10:27).

Again, let me re-emphasize: Since true Revival is the work of God by His Holy Spirit, it is SPIRITUAL! The six manifestations that I referred to are produced by the Holy Spirit, and not by the one who experiences Revival. Since we are Revived by God, He also Renews, and Restores, and Re-forms the Life of Christ in us by His Holy Spirit, so that His fruit, which is the Life in Christ in us, i.e. “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22,23), will again be seen in our lives; “for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But this will only be true if we already have the Life of Christ in us which we receive in being “born again”, so that “if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25), says Paul; for “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9), but ”as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (v.14).

On the other hand, many that profess to be Christians have not the Life of Christ in them simply because they are not “born again”. On them, Revival does not have a “spiritual” effect on them since they are dead spiritually. Now, they might have some semblance of the manifestations of Revival, but it will be due to the feelings and emotions they experience during Revival. To them, Revival is just a “religious experience”, so any effect they show will just be “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). In other words, they’ll appear as having been revived by being more religious, but they’ll continue living without the power of the Holy Spirit; or we can say that they are as the “tares” as compared to the “wheat” of Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43), or as “the foolish virgins” of chapter 25, verses 1-13. In fact, they’ll be like those of Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”.

So you can see how dangerous it is to be in a backslidden condition! To be a backslider is to be a rebel against God, and right at the edge of apostasy. How we need to cry out to God for mercy so that He will send us one; not only for a personal Revival, as David prays: “Quicken (revive) thou me according to thy word” (Psalm 119:25), but also for the people of God: “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (85:6). Revival is the only hope for a backslider; for it will determine whether they have life in them, or if they are still dead spiritually. Yes, Revival will reveal who are the true Christians! May it please the God of all grace to heal our backslidings, as He promises in Hosea 14:4, and to bring us back to the Cross in brokenness of heart and repentance of our many sins so that we can now live in the Power of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen!

EVIDENCES OF A BACKSLIDDEN CONDITION

From Revival

By Richard Owen Roberts

Backslidden Christians are evident everywhere. They are in the churches and out of the churches. They are in the pews and in the pulpits. They are on boards and are bored. They are on committees and teach Sunday School. The backslidden seem to be more numerous than the upright and their influence throughout the world vastly more profound. While backsliders do not all manifest the same traits, evidences of their condition are not difficult to pinpoint. The following characteristics merit our serious attention.

9. When aspirations for Christlike holiness cease to be dominant in your life and thinking, backsliding is there. For the backslidden, holiness seems both unattainable and unnecessary. Not so for the earnest Christian who takes to heart the Biblical injunction …Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16). Knowing the truth of the words, holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14), the active Christian makes Biblical holiness the great goal of his life. Every time he falls short, even by a fraction, he is grieved and confesses his shortcomings to the Lord with pleas for help that he might do better.

Not so the backslider. Weary of the claims of God upon his life, he crowds out aspirations to holiness with self-centeredness until thoughts of holiness lose their grip and actually become somewhat repugnant to him. Whereas he once lived to be holy, he would sooner die than be holy. Having choked out the love of holiness, the backslider finds contentment in his current condition. He neither hungers nor thirsts for righteousness nor feels grief for its lack.\

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Marks of Revival

James I. Packer

The features of revival movements on the surface vary widely, perhaps as a result of different settings, yet indeed God appears to delight in variety. Nevertheless, at the level of deeper analysis, there are constant factors recognizable in all biblical and post-biblical revivals, whatever their historical, racial, and cultural settings. They number five, and are described below.

Awareness of God's presence. The first and fundamental feature in revival is the sense that God has drawn awesomely near in his holiness, mercy, and might. This is felt as the fulfilling of the prayer of Isaiah 64:1ff: "O that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence . . . to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence." God "comes," "visits," and "draws near" to his people, and makes his majesty known. The effect is the same as it was for Isaiah himself, when he "saw the Lord sitting on a throne" in the temple and heard the angels' song — "Holy, holy, holy"— and was forced to cry, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips" (Is. 6:1-5). It is with this searching, scorching manifestation of God's presence that revival begins, and by its continuance that revival is sustained.

Responsiveness to God's Word. The sense of God's presence imparts new authority to his truth. The message of Scripture which previously was making only a superficial impact, if that, now searches its hearers and readers to the depth of their being. The statement that "the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb. 4:12) is verified over and over again. God's message—the gospel call to repentance, faith, and holiness, to praise and prayer, witness and worship—authenticates itself unambiguously to men's consciences, and there is no room for half measures in response.

Sensitiveness to Sin. Deep awareness of what things are sinful and how sinful we are is the third feature of revival that calls for notice. No upsurge of religious interest or excitement merits the name of revival if there is no profound sense of sin at its heart. God's coming, and the consequent impact of his word, makes Christians much more sensitive to sin than they previously were: consciences become tender and a profound humbling takes place. The perverseness, ugliness, uncleanness, and guilt of sin are seen and felt with new vividness. Under revival conditions consciences are so quickened that conviction of each person's own sinfulness becomes strong and terrible, inducing agonies of mind that are beyond imagining till they happen. The gospel of forgiveness through Christ's cross comes to be loved as never before, as people see their need of it so much more clearly.

But conviction of sin is a means, not an end; the Spirit of God convinces of sin in order to induce repentance, and one of the more striking features of revival movements is the depth of repentance into which both saints and sinners are led. Repentance, as we know, is basically not moaning and remorse, but turning and change. Peter's listeners on the day of Pentecost were "pierced to the heart," which literally means to inflict with a violent blow, a vivid image of an acutely painful experience. Shattered, the congregation cried out, "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter showed them the way of faith, repentance, and discipleship through Jesus Christ, and three thousand of them took it (Acts 2:37-41). Revival always includes a profound awareness of one's own sinfulness, leading to deep repentance and heartfelt embrace of the glorified, loving, pardoning Christ.

Liveliness in Community. A revived church is full of the life, joy and power of the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit's coming, fellowship with Christ is brought right to the center of our worship and devotion; the glorified Christ is shown, known, loved, served, and exalted. Love and generosity, unity and joy, assurance and boldness, a spirit of praise and prayer, and a passion to reach out to win others are recurring marks of a people experiencing revival. So is divine power in their preachers, a power which has nothing to do with natural eloquence.

Fruitfulness in testimony. Revival always has an evangelistic and ethical overspill into the world. When God revives the church, the new life overflows from the church for the conversion of outsiders and renovation of society. Christians become fearless in witness and tireless in their Savior's service. They proclaim by word and deed the power of the new life, souls are won, and a community conscience informed by Christian values emerges. Also in revival times God acts quickly; his work accelerates. Truth spreads, and people are born again and grow in Christ, with amazing rapidity.

Such in outline is the constant pattern by which genuine movements of revival identify themselves. Christians in revival are accordingly found living in God's presence (coram Deo), attending to his word, feeling acute concern about sin and righteousness, rejoicing in the assurance of Christ's love and their own salvation, spontaneously constant in worship, and tirelessly active in witness and service, fueling these activities by praise and prayer. The question that presses is whether revival is actually displayed in the lives of Christian individuals and communities: whether this quality of Christian life is there or not.

INVITATION TO SALVATION

In order for one to experience Revival, they first need to have Life, otherwise they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) and “alienated from the life of God” (4:18). If you have not been “born again” (John 3:3,7), then you have not the Life of Christ in you according to 1 John 4:12 – “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life”. If this is true of you, then you do not need Revival but Salvation in order to have Life.

You may obtain this Life in Christ Jesus by believing in Him; for “this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (v.11). At the moment that a spiritually dead sinner believes in Him, he “is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Is this true of you at this very moment?