Why
​REvival?

The Challenge:

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Our culture has become increasingly consumed with selfishness and the promotion of individual egos.  Regrettably, this attitude of "living for me" has permeated the Church as well. In marked contrast, Jesus came "not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) For our world to change, it must start with us reflecting this sacrificial love and through us.

our hope:

Imagine the impact on our region if every follower of Christ in greater Grand Rapids would:
  • Clearly understand how prior revivals and spiritual awakenings in our nation profoundly impacted America for good;
  • Believe the truth that our Lord longs for His Bride to come fully alive, and that He has the power by His Spirit to revive her; and
  • That each follower of Christ would choose daily to humbly pray, seek His face and turn from any sinful ways; and, at the same time, turn toward courageous obedience, trusting the Lord to work through them to touch others’ lives for His glory.
  • We would love to see every follower of Christ living AAG: Always Available to God, 24/7/365!
 
If we assume a population of 1 million people in greater Grand Rapids and that about 10 percent of us are Bible-believing followers of Jesus Christ, that translates into 100,000 followers of Him in our region. If 100,000 men, women and children in our region really followed Him daily in His power and love, would that not greatly impact our area for His glory?
 
But, you say, isn’t that already the goal of church leadership in our area? Every week, hundreds of pastors are exhorting their respective flocks to become true disciples of Jesus. What can The Grand Awakening possibly do beyond that?
 
Let me respond:
  1. People need to hear the true stories of prior awakenings. You would be surprised how similar our situation today is to America in the late 1700s. Great Awakenings have profoundly impacted our land, bringing our nation back from the brink of ruin multiple times in our history, and leading millions to faith in Christ. We can help teach this rich history. Politics and education cannot eliminate the self-centeredness that is the core of our problems today. Only changed hearts can make that happen. Take 3 minutes to watch this video of the amazing Revival of 1857 (also found at the bottom of this page).
  2. We can call the church of West Michigan to extraordinary prayer for revival. This is the key! Jonathan Edwards called for this in his classic book, written almost 300 years ago entitled, "An Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God's People in Extraordinary Prayer for the Revival of Religion and the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom on Earth." Dr A. T. Pierson once said, “There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.” God always hears the humble, desperate, united and repentant prayers of His people. Starting in July 2014, we have been holding monthly (now twice monthly) prayer gatherings for THE church of greater Grand Rapids. Attending are believers from scores of different congregations crying out together for God to revive the church and awaken our area. We strongly sense God is hearing our prayers!
  3. We can call pastors and their congregations to partner together rather than remain aloof or—worse yet—compete with each other. We can do so much more as followers of Christ together than separately. Let’s address issues like racial unrest, sex trafficking, homelessness, fatherlessness, and ministry to international neighbors.
  4. We can promote our movement via mass media and social media. 
  5. We can praise God for all He has done, is doing and will do through His Church. 
I’m not suggesting this will be easy. But can we do less?