Redefining Revival

Is a Counterfeit Creeping In?

By Mike Mazyck

I believe it is a dangerous thing to use words carelessly. Words reflect and shape our belief systems. They create our ideologies. They mold our expectations. Words become filters that impact our perception of reality. The way we define words shapes our actions. If a man labels his compromise as “grace,” he will embrace it. If he labels his sin as a “struggle,” he will excuse it. If he calls his lukewarmness “balance,” he will settle for it. The words we use to label the realities and experiences of our lives are of great magnitude.

And in the church today, there is a word I’ve been hearing that is causing me concern — a word I fear our enemy has repackaged with a new definition and slidden back into our everyday vocabulary with great subtlety: Revival!

It was only three years ago when we first began to hear the rumblings of a great revival throughout the Church in America. If you were following Christian headlines around that time, you would remember the story. On February 8th, 2023, at the end of a Wednesday morning chapel service at Asbury University, a group of students chose to remain in Hughes Auditorium for an extended time of worship after the scheduled service had ended. This act of piety became the catalyst for what was labeled “The Asbury Revival of 2023.” For the next two weeks, thousands flocked to Asbury for 24/7 worship. One popular megachurch pastor proclaimed that what was happening at Asbury was “a unique outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” As the world watched via livestream, pastors, influencers, and media echoed that proclamation: God was pouring Himself out in a miraculous way.

And now, as I type these words, we stand only three months removed from one of the greatest tragedies of our day — the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk. His death drew over 90,000 people to his memorial service, where believers and unbelievers alike heard the preaching of the Gospel. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, watched online. Over 65,000 new Turning Point USA chapters were applied for across the nation. College campuses held vigils and gatherings where thousands of youth came to honor his life and message. And once again, that word — revival — is being used to describe what is happening. Christian influencers, pastors, and news media all seem to be proclaiming with one accord, “America is experiencing a revival.” It seems that once again, God is supposedly pouring out His Spirit in an unusual way.

My friend, if those words are true, we should rejoice. Revival is the heart-cry of every true Christian and the greatest fear of our enemy. It is the closest thing we will taste of heaven in this life. But on the flip side, if we are misusing that word, it may be to our own demise. If the enemy can redefine the word and cause us to accept a counterfeit as the real thing, then he has us exactly where he wants us: We will never seek what we believe we already possess.

SO, WHAT IS GENUINE REVIVAL?

Google’s AI defines it as “the act of bringing something back to life or to a more active state.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “an improvement in the condition or strength of something.”

It’s my opinion that both definitions are closer to the truth than what we are experiencing in America today. Google seems to have chosen its words more carefully than we do: bringing something back to life implies it was dead before. Oxford’s definition implies a need for improvement or a lack of strength. Both definitions point toward something Scripture affirms: true revival is always built upon repentance and a return to holiness. Anything lacking these elements is not revival.

As A.W. Tozer said, “A revival that does not emphasize holiness is a sham.”

The seed of revival had been implanted in the heart of Isaiah when he saw the Lord sitting on the throne, high and lifted up. What was the response of Isaiah to this vision? “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” ( Isaiah 6:5)

Genuine revival took place in the heart of Ezra: “As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled… And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.” (Ezra 9:3,5)

Consider the immediate response of King Josiah’s heart at the beginning of his great revival: “When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.” (2 Kings 22:11)

Once again, true revival begins with mourning — not excitement. And I do not mean mourning over the death of Charlie Kirk, as tragic as that was. Revival begins with mourning over our sin and the condition of our hearts before a holy God. And then, when the season of mourning is over, radical change begins:

After being convicted by the rediscovered Word of God, Josiah went on a holy rampage through the land — destroying altars, smashing high places, and grinding the Asherah into dust. Few stories picture revival as vividly as the revival under King Josiah.

But what might revival look like in our era? Let us consider the great Welsh Revival of 1904–1905, widely considered to be the last major example of true revival. J. Edwin Orr, a leading historian of revivals, described it this way:

“The places of amusement and the taverns were practically empty… drunkenness was immediately cut in half… many taverns went bankrupt.”

Eifion Evans wrote:

“Crime had dropped to such an extent that magistrates had no cases to hear… Profanity disappeared… There was a great wave of missionary commitments as young men and women abandoned careers to go abroad.”

Evan Roberts, whom God used mightily in the Welsh Revival, wrote:

“Many left their prospects, their professions, their comforts, to preach Christ to the ends of the earth.”

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan wrote:

“I am honestly afraid of exaggeration… but the revival is doing in a few weeks more than centuries of legislation could accomplish.”

The Welsh Revival was not the only one. There were the First and Second Great Awakenings, the Moravian Revival, the Cambridge Seven, the Student Volunteer Movement , the 1857–1858 Businessmen’s Revival, the Hebrides Revival, the Korean Revival of 1907, and the East African Revival, just to name a few. But what was the common denominator in all of these genuine revivals? They were all marked by a renewed fear of God, deep repentance, and a return to holiness and piety.

In each of these revivals, the lives of individuals and families were completely upended. Cities and communities were radically transformed, nearly overnight in many instances. Hidden sins were confessed. Possessions were sold. Bank accounts were emptied. Men traded worldly success for missionary sacrifice. Days that had been filled with hobbies and entertainment were exchanged for times of fasting and prayer. We must understand that when a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes upon a person or a people group, the flimsy foundations of their entire life will be shaken, and they will be completely wrecked for the cause of Christ. There will be a Holy disruption to their entire way of life.

So now I ask you: Is that what is happening in America today? Are we truly seeing revival, or are we merely seeing large amounts of people gather to sing the latest Christian hits together? Are we seeing emotionalism or repentance? Is it possible we are beginning to embrace a version of revival that is far more comfortable — a cheap counterfeit that requires no real change — because real revival is something we want no part of?

To read more of Mike’s writing or to comment on this article, visit MikeMazyck.com