The Holy Spirit is the key to understanding Gods Word, and if we don't allow it to guide us, we stumble.

Quotes posted by Charity in the OP of this thread
To help us find characteristics of true revival and reformation as well as false revivals.


What can we glean from the above:

TRUE REVIVAL
--hunger and thirsting after God, earnestly seeking His blessing
--asking in faith
--feeling great dependence upon God
--personal caring for friends and neighbors to find Christ and truth
--denouncing the world
--self denial to follow soul testing truths
--understanding the perpetuity and obligations of God's law
--exalt the justice and benevolence of God
--highly estimate the grace which provided an atonement for sin.

FALSE REVIVAL
--emotional excitement
--feeling God's special blessings are being poured out
--great religious interest
--turning away from soul testing truths which require self denial
--mingling true with false
--neglect of the testimony of the Bible
--wrong concept of perpetuation and obligations of God's law
--divorce God's justice from His benevolence
--under estimate the grace which provided an atonement for sin
--sink God's benevolence into a sentimental concept
--seeking favor of the world

The list above are "fruits" to help us identify between true and false religious "revivals".

However, a revival is not a list in which we can check off the items, and consider ourselves 'revived". A true revival is a heart, mind and soul commitment to surrender all to Christ, and follow His Word, led and empowered by His Holy Spirit.

An example from history that has been sited happened between two men, each of whom initiated two powerful movements and do show the importance of "fruits" in evaluating a revival.

D'Aubigner in "History of the Reformation" pictured the experience of both movements (the reformation and the counter reformation) by describing the experience of their two key leaders -- Luther and Ignatius Loyola.

The experience of both men was very similar in their early years. Both were deeply sensible of the multitude of their sins. Both were seeking reconciliation with God, and longed to have the assurance in their hearts of God's favor. These two notable figures of the sixteenth century, both had entered religious orders seeking to leave the world behind and follow God and both would become founders of two spiritual powers which warred and countered each other for four centuries, yet at one point, in the beginning, they were brothers in their religious experience.

But from that point the two experience different revivals and followed entirely different paths.

Ignatius instead of recognizing that his remorse and guilt for sin was to lead him in repentance to the cross to find forgiveness and cleansing, came to believe that the remorse that was plaguing him did not come from God but from satan and he resolved never more to think of his sins. His resolve fell back upon himself.
Luther, on the other hand found the scriptural truth of righteousness in Christ. Luther turned toward Christ for salvation, and Bible for his inspiration.

Both found a mentor in their early days. Luther met Staupitz with the Bible in his hand who pointed him to Christ. Ignatius met an old woman, a visionary, who, instead of proclaiming remission of sins to the repentant, instead predicted visitations from Jesus. Thus Ignatius did not seek truth in the Holy Scriptures; but imagined in their place immediate communication with the world of spirits. Visions came erelong to confirm Ignatius in the conviction at which he had arrived. He began to live in ecstasies and contemplation.
"These numerous apparitions had removed all his doubts; he believed, not like Luther because the things of faith were written in the Word of God, but because of the visions he had experienced. 'Even had there been no Bible' says his apologist, 'even had these mysteries never been revealed in Scripture, he would have believed them, for God had appeared to him'. Luther, on taking his doctor's degree, had pledged his oath to Holy Scripture, and the only infallible authority of the Word of God had become the fundamental principle of the Reformation."

**

Luther was not perfect in all his decisions and understanding, his was not yet "a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times", yet he was on the right path and his submission to Christ and the Word, enabled God by the Holy Spirit, to do a great work through Luther to restore knowledge of the truth of righteousness in Christ.
Ignatius was led by another spirit to counter the work of the reformation.

True Revival

Matt. 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:5-7

"Most professed Christians have no sense of the spiritual strength they might obtain were they as ambitious, zealous, and persevering to gain a knowledge of divine things as they are to obtain the paltry, perishable things of this life. The masses professing to be Christians have been satisfied to be spiritual dwarfs. They have no disposition to make it their object to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; hence godliness is a hidden mystery to them, they cannot understand it. They know not Christ by experimental knowledge". {CCh 186.1}

True revival is not an exciting, ecstatic feeling that floods over a person for a few minutes. Though overwhelming gratitude and love for our Savior is part of it. But if a person then returns to their daily life and continues in their carnal pursuits and habits, simply relying on that feeling they experienced on that one particular day as evidence they are now saved and not too worried about their "little" sins, then it was not revival at all, but just an emotional moment, and they are still dead in their sins..



True revival awakens a deep and growing trust in God. A recognition that His ways are true and righteous and good. Revelation 14 combines this deep trust with a call for us to fear Him Who made us. God, Who loves us with an everlasting love, is not to be trifled and bargained with. Spiritual awakening is revealed in the persons life as their desires change from self pleasing to desiring to please and bring glory to God. We live in a dangerous, doomed world. A world that is heading straight into utter disaster and destruction. A loving God is NOT going to pacify us in our evil habits. Sin is a serious, destructive force which God will wipe out entirely. He is not going to simply smile as we continue to cling to our sins. God wants to CHANGE us, so we can live in a sinless world! Yes, we are to come as we are to Him, for we cannot change ourselves, but God loves us too much to leave us in our sins. He wants to REVIVE us! A revival is a spiritual awakening.

Ephesians 2:1-4 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ

Yes, revival is an awakening from the deadly control of the spirits of disobedience, unto a NEW LIFE . Human nature tends to be lazy and sluggish in the face of our moral responsibilities, and Satan knows how to take full advantage of this to keep us in a spiritual stupor that guarantees us as his prisoners heading for eternal death.

A true revival is a resurrection from a carnal nature to a nature that follows the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:5-7, 11-14 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,...
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh? for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.


The need to repent of our sins is central to experiencing the revival, experiencing this resurrection from being dead in our sins, to being alive in Christ.
But repentance isn't something we can just "do" because it's necessary. It is something we are led to, by the Holy Spirit as we begin to grasp our need for salvation. To genuinely repent we first need to come to the cross and understand what happened there so we can be raised from our sins unto new life in Christ.

What are we missing when there is no real revival?

Zech 4:6 Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

You have not, because you don't ask. You don't receive because, when you do ask, you ask for the wrong things. James 4:2


If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:13.

ASK

Mathew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.

The Holy Spirit is
Christ?s greatest gift for His followers?the gift which brings all the other gifts with it.

Before returning to heaven, Jesus gave this valuable gift of love to His disciple.
Valuable gifts are not to be pushed or forced on someone.
They are given to people who express their desire for this gift and appreciate it enough to genuinely want and ask for it.

Yes, we want revival, but there is no genuine revival without the Holy Spirit.
Jesus must live in our hearts through the Holy Spirit for spiritual life to be revived in us.
Revival isn't just changing a few habits. Revival is BEING changed by the power of the Holy Spirit to become more and more like Jesus.

The drawback for many people is a hesitancy of surrendering self to our Savior. People want to hang on to their self-sufficiency.
God will accept nothing less than unreserved surrender.
The true Christian is in constant communication with Christ. He lives in fellowship with Christ. As we study scripture, and focus on Christ the Holy Spirit transforms the minds and hearts of all who are earnestly longing to have their will conform to the will of Christ. To become more and more Christlike is their desire.
We cannot use the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is to lead us. Through the Spirit God works in His people "to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).
But again the problem is that many people do not submit to this. They don't have enough faith in God to trust their lives to Him. They want to manage their own lives. They are pushing the Holy Spirit away, saying, this far and no further into my life and choices. This is why they do not receive the heavenly gift of the Holy Spirit that leads to thorough repentance and newness of life. .

To move toward revival, we need to ASK, in prayer, ask for the Holy Spirit to give us a new heart and mind, Don't ask just once, but plead for it.

We also need to SEEK

Jer . 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Deut. 4:29 But if thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
1 Chro. 16:10 Glory in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.
1 Chro. 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God.
Matt. 6:33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

What does it mean to seek the Lord with all our hearts?

It means to search with an honest, sincere, humble attitude. To desire to know and experience His presence. It means to search scriptures with a longing to get to know God better. Too often people search for God with a divided heart. Even the disciples, though outwardly they had left all for Jesus' sake, had not in heart ceased to seek great earthly advantages for themselves. The carnal person wants to follow Jesus on one hand, and please Him, but it's not with the whole heart, he isn't surrendering his whole life to Jesus. That means that his heart is divided, wanting to live according to God?s will and his own wishes simultaneously. But that doesn't work. Ultimately it's a plea to self govern and simply get some good ideas from God to do so. But when the heart isn't committed to this search, diligently, thoroughly seeking Christ , it just doesn't bring revival.

ASK, SEEK,
SURRENDER

?The Lord is willing to do great things for us. We shall not gain the victory through numbers, but through the full surrender of the soul to Jesus. We are to go forward in his strength, trusting in the mighty God of Israel. {RH, July 1, 1884 par. 8}
There is a lesson for us in the story of Gideon's army. The ten thousand men who chose to follow Gideon were a small company compared with the vast and powerful army they were to meet. But the Lord would not work with them; for their trust was altogether too much in their own strength and skill. ...
God must be sought on your knees; you must go forth to meet the people through the power and influence of his Spirit. {RH, July 1, 1884 par. 10}

The natural instinct is to "self govern".
But we are to "die daily".
That is, every day surrender our lives to Christ to do His will.

Another key to revival is
DON'T FORGET -- REMEMBER

One of the reasons Israel was forever falling into unhelpful and destructive patterns is because they FORGOT. They forgot how God had led them in the past both spiritually and physically.
The more we allow the problems of life, or pleasures and temptations to be the main focus of our lives, the more prone we are to forget how God has provided, led, and blessed us in the past.

The first step in this is simply taking God for granted, taking His blessings for granted. and thinking we have managed on our own, and start looking to self more and more as the source of solutions and power. The world tells us to just "follow your heart", while scripture tells us the heart is deceitful above all things!

Ecc. 12:1 Remember now thy Creator
Numbers 15:39 Remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, that ye seek not after your own heart and eyes.

Deut 5:15 Remember you were a slave...and the Lord your God brought you out with a mighty hand, therefore the Lord commanded you to keep the Sabbath.
Ex. 20:8 Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy
Deut 24:18 Remember you were slaves.. and the Lord redeemed you
Deut 8:19 Remember the LORD thy God, it is He that gives you strength to get wealth
Deut 8:11 Forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping His commandments

Psalms 63:3,6,7 Because thy kindness is better than life, I will praise Thee.. .My soul shall be satisfied...When I remember Thee...and mediate on Thee...because Thou hast been my help therefore in the shadow of Thy wings shall I rejoice.

Psalms 77:11-12 I will remember the works of the Lord, surely I will remember thy wonders of old, I will meditate also on all they works and talk of your doings.
Psalms 103:3 Bless the Lord, oh my soul and Forget not all His benefits (blessings)

John 15:20 Remember the words I (Jesus) have spoken
Acts 20:35 Remember the words the Lord Jesus, how He said....

"We have nothing to fear for the future except we forget the way the Lord has led us in the past, and His teaching in our past history." EGW

Repentance

Without repentance there is no revival and no true reformation.

Back in Jerusalem when Peter was preaching, the people asked .
?What shall we do?? The first word of Peter's answer was, ?Repent.? Acts 2:37. . At another time, shortly after, he said, ?Repent, ... and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.? Acts 3:19.

A lot of people are sorry for their sins, but it is not an abhorrence to their sin, but rather sorrow for the consequences. Their sinning caused problems and they are sorry about the problems, but not really feeling any sorrow over the sin itself.
People may do the right thing and/or say the right words, not because they actually feel sorrow about their sinful ways, but because certain things are expected if they want to be accepted in that group.
Consider King Saul. Yes, his words sounded like repentance when Prophet Samuel told him his kingdom would be taken from him, due to his disregard to God's commands. He was very sorrowful, but his sorrow was NOT over his sins, he thought his actions were necessary and the whole thing was unfair, but he was very sorrowful over the consequences, and spoke words that sounded like real repentance, but there was no inner change.

A person who is truly repentant experiences change in the inner person. The definition of repentance is a change of mind. That is the literal, etymological definition of the Greek word for repentance: meta?change; noeo ? to think.
But it's even more than an intellectual way of looking at things. True repentance changes the whole conscience of our minds and hearts. A new mind and a new heart is promised and this is implanted by the Holy Spirit, Who leads us step by step through repentance.
It is a process, for first the person needs to yield to the influence of the Spirit of God. It is then that the conscience will be awakened, and the sinner begins to see the true nature of sin itself and what it has cost heaven to rescue people from sin.

David is an example of genuine repentance. His sin was terrible, but it looked like he was going to get away with it. Then the prophet Nathan opened his eyes to the horror of his sin. What does David do?
He did NOT start making excuses for his sin. Though a king, he did NOT threaten, bribe or silence the messenger. David was overwhelmed with guilt and horror as the nature of sin became real in his mind. His repentance was sincere and deep. David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul. He realized he had greatly dishonored His God as one entrusted with leading the people. He loathed his sin.

Some see guilt as only a tool of Satan, to be driven out of the mind at all cost. But guilt has it's place. It is to drive us to the foot of the cross in repentance! In his guilt David turned to the Lord, the One he had so miserably misrepresented, pleading for forgiveness. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, he wanted God to give him a pure heart and a renewed spirit. He longed for the joy of holiness?to be restored to harmony and communion with God. He longed for this from the depth of his heart.



When we come to God in such repentance we have His promise that He forgives. We no longer need to be under a cloud of guilt.


Like we said earlier, This is not a natural way of dealing with sin as the carnal mind will always seek ways to excuse sin. It is a process, for first the person needs to yield to the influence of the Spirit of God whose work is to draw us to Jesus. We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ. It's really when we behold the Lamb of God on the cross, that we begin to understand something of the terrible nature of sin, and the wonder of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance.