"When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" -John 5:6
Growing up in Indian churches in Oklahoma, one thing I took for granted was the number of revivals taking place during the spring and fall seasons of the year. I enjoyed the preaching, singing, and the fellowship. It seems like every week during those seasons there was a church within a reasonable driving distance that was having revival services and they would invite any church to come and join in. The churches on the reservations here in Florida do plan, pray for, and schedule revival services during those same seasons of the year. The number of reservation churches here are not the same as the number of Indian churches in Oklahoma, so it seems like there aren't as many revival weeks here compared to Oklahoma. I say all that to say this... I was asked one time, "Why do you plan revival services at the church?"
The question made me stop and think. "Do we plan these just because it's always the way we have done it? It's tradition?" I prayed. God answered. The reason we schedule revivals in our church, not that every church has to do it, is because we need it. WE NEED REVIVAL! Not just in OUR country, OUR community, OUR church, but mostly I need it in ME.
Let me share 3 things about revival.
#1. Recognize my Condition
John 5 tells of a place where people with various "conditions" gathered together seeking healing. They waited for a pool of water to stir up and the first one in after it stirred would be healed, they said. The Bible mentions these folks are impotent, blind, halt, and withered. We, in the church, have the same conditions. There are times we too are Impotent. There is no power in what we do. We run out of power when we get unplugged from The Source. Time to get plugged back in. Aren't we blind too sometimes? We either don't "see" God in my circumstance or we don't see the need for Him altogether. Halt means they had a condition in their ankles where they couldn't walk. Think about that, as long as they're sitting, you couldn't tell they had the condition. We too, when we sit in a pew on Sunday, can't tell this "condition" is present. It's when we walk every other day of the week that we see our walk with The Lord is not what it should be. Then there's the withered folks. I think we've all felt withered, just dried up. Our cup, which once was overflowing, seems empty. These conditions were present around the pool at Bethesda, they are also present in our churches. We need revival. I won't see the need until I recognize my condition.
#2. Routines and Reservations
We're introduced to a man that had a particular sickness for 38 years. That's a long time to suffer. For some of us, maybe it hasn't been 38 years we've had this condition, maybe it's been a week, a month, a year, a decade. Only you know. Jesus asked him a simple, yet powerful question. "Do you want to be healed?" It's a simple question, but it's soooo deep. Do we really want to be healed from our condition? Some have made it feel comfortable to live with their condition. When Jesus asks do you want to be healed, we are actually OK with saying, "No, I'm alright." Or some will do exactly what the man did. We give our list of excuses. Why I can't be healed right now. "I'm too busy," "I'm too young," "I'm enjoying life the way it is right now," We're OK being stuck in this condition. It has become routine and we learn to accept it. We don't have to. Whatever your reservation, what's holding you back, lay it down.
#3. My remedy is right in front of me.
Everyone around that pool was focused on one thing, the water. They were waiting for it to stir up. Then it was a race to be the first to get it. What they didn't realize was that what they really needed was right there in front of them, and it wasn't the pool. It was Jesus. Jesus told man, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." No water stirring required. Jesus is everything we need. I love what he tells the man too. Don't read over this part too fast. He told the man to "Take your bed with you." Why?
If he left his bed there, he'd have to come back. When Jesus heals us from our condition, he tells us, "Don't forget your bed." In other words, don't come back to what I just delivered you from. Too often, God does a work in our heart and after time, we find ourselves right back in the same place.
We need revival everywhere. It starts with me and you, as individuals. A wildfire can start with one single spark. I want to be that spark. Don't you?