For the past five or so years, the word revival has been on everyone’s lips. Many of the latest Christian songs feature prayers for revival, there are sermons declaring revival, podcasts discussing revival, the list goes on. For many, this may feel like lip service or a longing rather than a reality. As Baptists, we can be cautious to label or let ourselves be excited about the possibilities of revival. However, there are rumblings now, a hint of wind across the western world, and a sense that revival is here and now. Perhaps it is time to pay attention, be expectant, and ask the question that Melinda Cousins asked at the recent Autumn Assembly, “What might Jesus be up to?”.
Turning to the past and seeing what previous revivals have featured can help us gain clarity on what’s happening today. Ironically, while we have many recorded revivals in our books, they have all been different. British historian and author Professor David Bebbington noted during a recent talk, Times of Refreshing: Renewal and revival, then and now, at Flinders Street Baptist, that revivals have taken on different forms for different contexts. From the gradual and orderly Presbyterian revivals, or the excitable and spontaneous Methodist revivals, to the more modern large-scale revivals of the great Billy Graham crusades, they all have taken various forms throughout history. The line is very clear, revival won’t take one specific form. So, what can we draw from history? Bebbington pointed to two key factors: crisis and expectation.
In 1875, revival broke out in Moonta, South Australia. This was preceded by well-publicised deaths and a strike, a crisis which brought many into the Kingdom of God. The pandemic was a tough time for many churches in our movement. It brought logistical challenges, waning attendance, and a general sense of grief and loss. In John 15, Jesus speaks about his Father as a gardener who prunes to bring about more fruit. What if those tumultuous years were a pruning in preparation for the fruit we are beginning to see now? Mark Sayers, in his book A Non-Anxious Presence, writes that crisis always precedes renewal, and so perhaps the wilderness many of us found ourselves in was soil primed for Spirit-filled transformation.
A recent Bible Society UK report indicates the Spirit is moving; not with a rushing wind but a slow breeze across the entire country – a quiet revival. In the UK, statistics show there are approximately two million more people attending church in 2024 than there were in 2018, with the greatest increase coming from the 18-34 age group. Anecdotally, across the US and Australia, we’ve heard of similar stories of people attending churches out of the blue or coming with a friend.
As churches, it’s time to be expectant of what the Spirit is doing in the hearts and minds of those around us. We must pray expectant prayers that God will move powerfully, and that He will bring many into our communities to follow Jesus. These stats represent more than an increase in numbers, they represent a move of God bringing sinners back into relationship with Him, and the beginning of their apprenticeship with Jesus.
So, the question becomes, what now? Bebbington suggests now is a time for preparation. Our world is in a state of crisis, if it’s not cost-of-living, it’s housing, more and more people are finding themselves in crisis. People are becoming disenfranchised, and the “good life” that was promised to them is becoming increasingly out of reach. People are yearning and, as such, are becoming more open to the Gospel. Churches have an opportunity to be a container for people’s grief and despair amidst this crisis and offer them hope through Jesus. We must lean into prayer and ready our communities to bring others into the Kingdom of God. Expect the Spirit to move like it has moved in the UK and is already moving in Australia.
Words like renewal and revival should be on our lips as we faithfully prepare for the move of the Spirit in our communities.
Several of our churches and pastors have been and will continue to gather and pray for God’s work in our churches and communities. If you’d like to get involved, please contact our office at [email protected].
Words by Nick and Lucy Lawrence
Glen Osmond Baptist Church
