Revival: Lasting Change or a Passing Cloud

Wisdom is needed for any move of God to be sustained. When revival comes, the presence of these three components determines whether it will bring lasting change or be a passing cloud. They are the Holy Spirit’s: 1. Power, 2. Fruit, and 3. Wisdom.

We have had revivals before, haven’t we? We have had moves of the Spirit where people come and catch fire but the region or city where the move is taking place is left unchanged.

And we have had renewals where a lot of people get filled and it does very little to bring any dimension of societal transformation or reformation.

So, the question remains with each new revival or move of God: is it a passing cloud or will it produce lasting change?

The Three-Cord Strand Is Not Quickly Broken

The Lord has given different graces to different facets, denominations, people, groups, and different parts of the body of Christ. But we need all three dimensions: power, fruit, and wisdom. As it says in Ecclesiastes 4:12, “The one may be overpowered and two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Let’s pray, believe, and cultivate the fullness of the fruit of the spirit, the fullness of the gifts of the spirit and the wisdom ways of God for every facet of church and kingdom life. Let’s go for the three-cord strand that cannot and will not be quickly torn apart by the enemy.

Because when we have the three chords, then the spiritual warfare backlash will not prosper. Then the implants of witches and warlocks that come to break this stuff up will not prosper. Then the little gossip stuff of competition will not prosper.

When we have all three strands working together, then it’s not a passing cloud, then it is sustained and then the revival atmosphere and culture becomes channeled into being sustained and then into more than only great meetings.

Wisdom is needed for any move of God to be sustained. This is something we have wrestled with before and we need to wrestle with again.

When Revival Comes—Don’t Miss Your Moment in Time!

Revival moments come only once or twice in a lifetime. To miss such a moment could be to miss the purpose of God for a generation. The generation that refused to cross over the Jordan did not know that they had only one day to make the decision and missing that day meant 40 years in the desert.

Asbury Revival

At the recent Asbury Revival, people came from all over the world to sit in His presence. While at the revival, I asked the woman next to me where she was from, and she was from Norway and came to receive a touch from the Lord.

Rick Ridings, the founder of Succat Hallel House of Prayer in Jerusalem, recently went to the Asbury Revival. He met a young man there from Chile. He was so hungry for God that he sold his car to get there for these meetings. A couple of young Hispanic men heard about what was going on, and they came to the meetings from Chicago. These men were not believers, but they were there because they were hearing reports about something authentic and were hungry for God. And so the man from Chile ends up leading the young men who came from Chicago to the Lord.

That’s stunning and amazing how God used desperation and hunger to meet other people’s needs and bring them to the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are strategic moments in time that we dare not miss! We’re there right now. We are at a crossover period of time. We’re there.

I recently have written how the three signs prophesied by Bob Jones that would mark the beginning of the billion Soul harvest have been fulfilled (read the article, “Signs of the Times: Billion-Soul Harvest Has Begun”). We’re there.

It’s a moment in time, folks. I am declaring it’s a moment in time. It is NOT—almost, but not quite.

Let us not be a people who miss our moment in time, and it ends up having to be said of us that it was almost but not quite.

Rather, let it be said of us in this era, in this strategic time, it’s not a passing cloud, but rather we will gain momentum and bring forth lasting change.

Now let me backtrack a little bit and review a little bit of history for a moment.

1967 Jesus People Movement

Fifty plus years ago, in 1967, the Jesus People movement broke out—a youth revival starting on the streets that swept across the country exploding in college campuses.

People were being saved in coffee houses everywhere. It was radical for its day. Can we not believe for something even greater in our day?

Historian and author of the Jesus People Movement, David Sabatino, gives us a glimpse into those Jesus people days. He describes how the Jesus People Movement can be traced to California where in 1967 the Living Room Coffee House was opened as a mission to local inhabitants.

“Early missionaries included Arthur Blessitt’s ministry to Los Angeles Sunset Strip District. Then the nightclub became a 24-hour home for wayward youth. Blessitt’s antics, most notably his hip sloganeering of Christianity, “Why don’t we drop a little Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,” quickly won him the affections of the youth, even though the established church watched on uncomfortably.

“It was also during this phase in 1967 that the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, one of the largest movements in Neo Pentecostal history, got its start. A group of professors in Duquesne University in Pittsburgh sparked a fire amongst their students, after they themselves were baptized in the Holy Spirit and the fire quickly spread to Notre Dame and South Bend, Indiana to the University of Michigan. From there, it spread around the world.

Since its inception, Pentecostal historian Vincent Sinan writes in The Century of the Holy Spirit, ‘The Catholic movement not only has gained approval of the church, but has also touched the lives of over 100 million Catholics in 120 countries.’”

3 Movements Birthed at the Same Time

There were literally three movements that got birthed at the same time-period in the church. This was another three-cord strand!

One was the beginning of the Catholic Charismatic movement, which basically moved into all the mainline denominational churches, where hundreds of thousands of people were baptized into the Holy Spirit.

The second is the Messianic movement where Jewish people found Jesus as their Messiah.

Then the third strand, was the hippie free-love movement which resulted in the Jesus Revolution. I recently saw the movie “Jesus Revolution” that then centers around the birthing of Calvary Chapel in the 1960’s with Chuck Smith and an unusual young man named Lonnie Frisbee who moved in signs and wonders, and he did evangelism in California, but he didn’t just remain in California.

This movement spread from the west coast to the east coast. I lived in the Midwest, and there was a touchdown in the Kansas City area for sure. I’m in Nashville right now and the finger of God in another realm and the way I hear it, having lived in Nashville now they say Nashville was called the Third Coast.

It’s Time for Another Jesus Revolution

I just saw the Jesus Revolution movie. I’ve just been to Asbury and that fire has been spreading to multiple universities. It’s now breaking out at other college and universities that aren’t necessarily Christian Church based universities. And that’s what needs to happen.

Let’s pray that this will jump over the color and the economic lines. We need that to happen. When I was at Asbury I saw people from every racial background and also from different economic backgrounds.

I encourage you to watch the Jesus Revolution movie and share it with others. It is without a doubt one of the best Christian films I have ever seen in my lifetime. It is outstanding!

The timing of this release is something only God could do in conjunction with the fire that is being released at universities and campuses. May this fire go to every continent.

And may the Jesus Revolution movie be used because we don’t only want a Jesus movement, we need a revolution! What would happen in America if we really saw this? Sustained.

This is the Kairos moment, and we must get behind this movement and we must see it become a revolution. It is time for you to fan to a flame both “first love” of the Lord Jesus, and “mature love” for the body of Christ and those who do not yet know Him!

Now let’s just go for it. Can we do that? Absolutely we can. It’s time. It’s a moment in time. Let’s let this be lasting change and not a passing cloud.

Closing Hymn

It’s time for the church to rise up and take a stand!

Rise up, O [church] of God!
Have done with lesser things;
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the king of kings.

Rise up, O [church] of God!
His kingdom tarries long;
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.

Sustaining Revival with Lasting Change!

James W. Goll

This article contains content adapted from Chapter 12, “The Call to the Future” in James W. Goll and Lou Engle’s book: The Call of the Elijah Revolution.

If you want to prepare as a front-line participant in the next Jesus Revolution and billion-soul harvest, you’ll love James Goll’s NEW book, Revival Breakthrough: Preparing for Seasons of Glory, Awakening, and Great Harvest! When you order your book from God Encounters Ministries, you will also be emailed 12 bonus video devotionals by James W. Goll, one to go along with each chapter of the book! Order your copy and get ready to sustain revival with lasting change today!