The Long-term Effects of Revival

It's exciting to see what's happening in Lakeland. In my 32 years of covering the charismatic movement, I've never seen any "revival meeting" get so much attention so fast. Everyone, it seems, is talking about it. A long line of respected leaders have attended the meetings to see it for themselves. Most have come away saying it's a genuine move of God.

After only 50 days, someone said the revival is still a "baby." So it's not fair to pass judgment yet. That is for God to do. But at the same time, we can look at history to give us an idea of what to expect. After all, it's well known that those who don't learn the lessons of history are bound to repeat them.

There are many examples of revivals that have had long-term effects on the culture. The First and Second Great Awakenings in the 1700s and 1800s had enormous impact on our nation which in some ways we are still experiencing today. For example, it began a cycle of revivals in this country that continues. Compare that to Europe that hasn't had the same sort of revival movements, or where revival is snuffed out as it was in France with the Huguenots. Other revivals such as the one in the Hebrides Islands are discussed in books on revival, but I think most would agree there was not much long-term effect.

The Pentecostal movement which started at Azusa Street has had many revivals over the years and has had an enormous impact felt around the world. Yet many Pentecostals long for the "good-old-days" of revival that they experienced when they first came to Christ or received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many-- instead of praying for souls or even for more of God in their lives-- will pray for revival. The excitement that touches the spirit and the closeness to God that one feels in the service is something that many people long for.

In my own career I've covered several "famous" revivals such as the ones in the 1990s in Toronto, Canada; Pensacola, Florida; Smithton, Missouri; and the meetings of Rodney Howard-Browne in Lakeland, Florida.

Those were great moves of God, I believe. Yet other "revivals" haven't always had such a positive effect. One, for example, broke out in the Dallas area in the mid-1980s when some services with a well-known charismatic preacher turned into extended meetings. Everyone was talking about it. Healings were taking place and those who had been healed put their crutches and other medical paraphernalia on the walls around the church. It was really something to behold.

I remember that ministry contacted me wanting coverage in Charisma, saying that the revival was the "greatest revival since Azusa Street." I attended and could tell there was excitement, but never felt it was worthy of comparison to the Azusa Street revival. I also knew that time would tell if the prophecy about a greater revival than Azusa Street would come to pass. Obviously it didn't. The revival died down, the pastor of the church went through a scandal a few years later, and the church building where the revival took place has been torn down, someone told me, and the property is now owned by the city government.

Another revival in the 1970s had an unfortunate affect on the church where it started. The revival was in San Jose, Calif., at one of the major Pentecostal churches in that city with a young evangelist I have long admired. It went on for months and everyone was talking about it. Sadly, there was a major church split as a result of the revival and that church actually went out of existence.

I cite these two examples (and there are more) as just a word of caution about what's happening in Lakeland, Fla. Just because people are excited, don't say --as someone is quoted as saying--that it's the greatest move of God since Azusa Street. The revival may actually be short lived, or the long-term effects not so pleasant, if things begin to go awry. What is happening in Lakeland is so wonderful that I believe we must nurture it and help it avoid pitfalls that could cause its demise.

I attended the services with Todd Bentley in Lakeland a second time recently when Bob Jones (the prophet, not the university) and Bobby Connor were there. (Click here to read my observations from my first visit.) I was moved by the nearly two hours of music and worship that night. The tone of the service was more serious than the first meeting I attended. Both Bobby Conner and Bob Jones ministered powerfully. Even though I had been warned by some friends who disagree with some theological points of Bob Jones, I sensed nothing wrong in my spirit. I was encouraged by attending.

I'm glad to see "revival" breaking out. It is wonderful to hear the testimonies of healing and even stories about people being raised from the dead. I hope the revival continues because I believe that it is a fresh move of God. But the focus must be on more than just what's happening in Lakeland (which is my hometown) and on only one ministry. What we need is a move of God that will impact the entire body of Christ-- not just 6,000 to 10,000 people in Central Florida on any given day, plus those who watch on TV, or the couple thousand who watch the streaming video on the Internet.

Thankfully Bentley is urging those who attend to take the revival “to the world.” Now we're beginning to hear of reports of revival breaking out beyond Lakeland, and we’ll report on these outbreaks as we hear of them. Some of them are coming from people who have attended the services in Lakeland and who have indeed "taken it home." But they haven't necessarily gotten the same media attention that the Lakeland revival has received. Of course most of the media attention has been from GodTV and the live streaming services that are available on the Internet. So far, there's been very little secular coverage beyond The Tampa Tribune and The Ledger (the two nearby newspapers) and a few local TV stations.

As a former newspaper reporter I can predict the media coverage that will eventually happen. First will come the "isn't-this-odd-but-interesting" type of story about the people shaking, falling over, the loud exuberant praise, and how unconventional Todd Bentley is with his tattoos and his saying "bam" when he touches people and they fall over. (As I wrote this someone e-mailed a story to me from The Ledger in Lakeland, where I once worked, which proves my point. Click here to read it.)

Next will come stories about the money, reporting on the offerings and who is getting how much, implying that something is wrong financially. Those stories will be followed by stories reporting criticism from people and ministries who don't agree with the revival, or investigations about some of the healings. All the healings that are reported aren't necessarily the miracles they appear to be. Sometimes healings are gradual yet the secular critic doesn’t always understand this, and will call these "non-healings."

Finally, there will be coverage of the people being raised from the dead. Even assuming that every report is accurate, it will be impossible to track down every one, or the media will find detractors-- even those who want to hurt or stop the move of God-- denying that it's true. This will discredit all of the healings and miracles and the revival itself. Next, you can predict a backlash from the ministry, which will assume that everyone's against them. Or they will say that any criticism at all is denying the power of God or, on a lower level, questioning the integrity of the ministry.

We saw this pattern, or a variation of it, in the coverage of the Brownsville Revival and in the Toronto Blessing. In those instances major coverage came from the secular media after one or two major media sources, such as The New York Times, signaled to the other media (which typically follow each other in their coverage) as if this story was OK to cover. The mainstream culture, and especially those with a secular humanist mindset, are not inclined to cover revivals. They don't get excited when there is good praise and worship or when people are exalting Jesus. To them it's an odd sideshow. There's a long history of them making fun of it, going back to the fictional character of Elmer Gantry who is Sinclair Lewis's embodiment of all huckster preachers.

I'm concerned when I hear references in Lakeland to the "healing revivals" of the 1940s and 1950s-- especially with A.A. Allen and William Branham. That's because those revivals did not really touch the mainstream of America and in those two instances the ministers fell into disrepute before they died.

The focus of any revival or ministry must be on Jesus and on changed lives, not on revival itself or on the ministries involved. I was glad to hear an emphasis on Jesus when I was in Lakeland. My spirit sensed that there was a genuine flow of the Spirit in the services.

However, criticisms are beginning to come about the revival—not so much from the secular media, but from leaders in the body of Christ who are unwilling to publicly criticize but who feel there are extremes (from their perspective) that could derail the revival.

After 49 days the revival is still vulnerable, almost like the tiny flame mentioned in Isaiah 42:3. How sad if that flame is snuffed out (as have been most revivals in the past) before it has the opportunity to grow into a raging fire.

I’ve been impressed with how open Stephen Strader—the pastor who invited Todd Bentley to come to Lakeland—and Bentley have been to those who encourage them to keep the revival on track.

A genuine revival must be more than lukewarm Christians flocking to meetings and getting excited once again about God touching their lives. It must change people's lives who then in turn change the culture around them. That is really the revival we need in America.

So let’s pray that this revival grows. Pray for the leaders who are under enormous pressure to minister seven days a week under the glare of national and international media, as well as critics—both those who want to destroy the revival as well as those who want the revival to stay on track so it can continute to grow.

Meanwhile, let us know of outbreaks of revival you know about so we can check them out and report on them.