How to Think About A (Possible) Revival
Are we experiencing an unusual move of the Spirit in our day? How to think about this.
Are we in the midst of a revival? This was an open question many in the West were pondering even before the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk. Now, the response to his death has sparked prayer vigils, massive gospel gatherings, and, it seems, previously uninterested people going to church. What’s more, Gen Z is now the generation most likely to be attending church.
Some leaders are convinced we are in a revival. Others are not so sure, critiquing the political views that seem to be accompanying the spiritual renewal. Still, some want to wait and see if discipleship and long-term church attendance are the real fruit of this moment.
I love reading and thinking about revival. One of my favorite books is A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir by Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge.
How should a believer think about what we may be experiencing in the United States? Here are a few postures to consider:
Joy.
Have you seen the Jesus Revolution movie? You should watch it. It charts the rise of the Jesus movement in the 60’s and 70’s. Religion scholars debate whether or not that movement was a revival in the classic sense, but there is no doubt many young people, in the wake of so much tumult in the world, were turning to Jesus for hope. One theme has stuck with me. Chuck Smith, the Calvary Chapel pastor who was initially nervous about a movement that seemed to be led by converted hippies, came to embrace it. It may not have happened with the style that Smith would have envisioned or preferred, but he didn’t want to miss a movement of the Spirit. Billy Graham did a similar thing. We may not know if we are in a revival, but we can rejoice at young people turning to Christ, getting baptized, and committing themselves to living a life of spiritual courage and boldness, and attending church. And let’s pray for more of this. I understand people’s caution about over-reading the moment, but let’s remember that cynicism isn’t a spiritual gift.
Wisdom
Like every moment, but especially in this one, leaders need wisdom. I’ve seen some well-meaning leaders make pretty hyperbolic declarations about what the next ten years will look like, and I want to say to them, in love, to slow down. I believe good leaders never change their principles, but do check the weather. Churches should try to communicate those whom God may be sending their way in a way that makes the gospel clear. Our overall message doesn’t change, but do we tweak our tactics? In what way do we do that? What is the immediate context of our ministry? Is it our desire to be seen as being in step with the moment, or is it to encourage, nurture, and shepherd the newfound faith and courage many in our midst are experiencing? Are we truly pastoring the people and ministering to the community God has given us, or are we trying to pastor the internet? We need wisdom. Thankfully, we are promised in James that God dispenses this “liberally” to those who ask for it (James 1:5-6).
Humility
1 Chronicles 7:14 says, “And my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
This passage is originally referring to ancient Israel, but I think the message applies to followers of Jesus in 2025. Bob Russell says, “The first step to revival is humbling ourselves before God. Revival cannot come without it.” He’s right. Revival doesn’t begin with someone else’s heart. It begins at home with confession and repentance. Hubris and revival don’t go together.
What does humility look like? It asks God to use us to advance his kingdom in whatever way he chooses. It rejoices in others’ successes. It refuses to trumpet our specific methods as the way to bring about revival and instead rejoices in what God is doing.
Humility should also result in unity among God’s people around the truth of the gospel. A person truly praying and longing for a movement of the spirit is not someone creating unnecessary divides. I’ve seen a lot of folks use this occasion to attack pastors over minuscule differentiations in style. That’s not a sign of revival-fueled humility.
Faithfulness
As much as we earnestly pray for God to move, rejoice in that movement, and humbly seek his face, we should not assume that God is not also working through the ordinary means of grace. By this, I mean faithfulness in Scripture reading, prayer, spiritual disciplines, church attendance, and preaching of the Word of God, book by book. Often God chooses to raise up movements and leaders that lead to mass evangelism and conversion. For this, we should rejoice. And yet God is not less at work in the faithful pastors, in churches big and small, in communities around the world.
Do you long to see revival? Do you long to see God work powerfully in our nation? I do. If so, we can begin by being faithful to our families, our churches, our workplaces. We can be part of what God is doing by being bold in our witness, loving in our spirit, and humble in our approach.
In conclusion, I do not know if what we are seeing in the country is a revival. But I am thrilled by what I’m seeing among young people. And regardless of what historians may label it, we can rejoice and be glad in it.
That Jesus’ movement in the 60s and 70s may or may not have been a true revival. Nevertheless, a young man from a broken family got caught up in it. He walked the aisle at a Billy Graham crusade. He began attending a Baptist church and, a few years later, married his girlfriend.
That man is my father. The Jesus movement brought the gospel to my family. Let’s pray for many more such stories in this moment.
My new book, In Defense of Christian Patriotism, is available for purchase.