New hope for revival

The Holy Spirit wants to initiate revival among everyday people but we must open our hearts like Isaiah, says Michelle Nunn

I’ve recently watched Jesus Revolution again with some of our 20s group at Nantwich Elim. The story is not their story, or a part of history that they were familiar with. But like me, they enjoyed the film. They were encouraged to see how the Spirit of God initiated the awakening of a generation for whom the church had lost hope.

It was awesome to see sun-soaked beaches overflowing with new young believers, filled with a new hope and clamouring to be baptised in the sea in a new move of God.

Seeing what the Holy Spirit did in the 60s gave our 20s a renewed hope for their generation. They talked about their fears for their own and younger generations, and their concerns about the influence of tech, media and alternative spiritualities. Revisiting history may not always be appealing, but hearing what God has done in previous generations can inspire hope.

The Bible prophets knew people need hope, and I have found that reading and praying through the book of Isaiah each year renews my hope. I find myself encouraged by the rich images of revival it provides, along with empowering promises that pour forth from its pages.

Like the movie, the ancient book of Isaiah shows that the Spirit wants to initiate revival amongst everyday people, experiencing everyday challenges like addiction, financial challenges, sickness, and relationship struggles, as well as everyday emotions like anxiety and fear.

“Say to the anxious and fearful: ‘Be strong and never afraid. Look, here comes your God! He is breaking through to give you victory!’” (Isaiah 35:4, The Passion Translation)

In Isaiah we find hope alongside honesty, reality without a rationalism that’s so dismissive of God, and images of revival that are recognisable, resonating with the needs of our own communities. Isaiah recognises that human life can be difficult: children can be rebellious (Isaiah 30:1), women (and men) complacent and too comfortable (Isaiah 32:9), the human heart can be distracted by idols (Isaiah 29:13), communities can collapse into depravity (Isaiah 10:21), and even favoured kings can die in the prime of life (Isaiah 38:10). Yet, despite all this, God is with us (Isaiah:7:14).

Isaiah knew, just as we are experiencing worldwide, that human existence is challenging and humankind cannot solve its struggles like security, food scarcity, racial tensions, pandemics and global warming alone. We need God, who can make all things new and better than before (Isaiah 43:19; 65:17 & 60:17-18).

Isaiah underlines the truth that God transforms situations when the Word is spoken and the Spirit is poured forth from heaven over a broken creation. Things change: the wilderness flourishes and justice, righteousness and peace prevail as people feel secure, able to live in a quiet confidence (Isaiah 32:16-20), trusting in God rather than humankind for their stability (Isaiah 33:6).

Isaiah’s God is big enough that people and places are transformed. His vision is neither limited to one generation nor exclusively hoping for the primacy of one group of people (Isaiah 56:7). It is eternal and everlasting (Isaiah 26:4 and 40:28) yet grounded enough in reality that we too can recognise the signs of revival as people turn back to Jesus and experience deliverance from turmoil, strife and debt and also the deep inner healing of their souls.

Revival is about people turning wholeheartedly to – or back to – Jesus, and experiencing God’s transforming power in their everyday lives. True revival will extend beyond the walls and boundaries of our places of worship, making the ordinary experiences of life extraordinary as people are renewed in the love of Jesus, and with boldness and courage co-labour with the Spirit for the common good. Isaiah’s recognisable revival makes me want to reach out to God in prayer for something that is more than a good feeling felt by God’s own in our Sunday services – something that will truly bring transformation of people and places.

In 2009, in our little market town of Nantwich, we went from being a college church to a community church. At the time, losing so many people to the relocation of Regents Theological College, we wondered whether the church would survive. But the dramatic change and hard pruning brought abundant new life from which we have seen the transformation of our own hearts, our community and the land upon which we worship.

We have seen people saved, healed and baptised in the Spirit, sometimes in church and at other times beyond the church’s walls and boundaries. We have seen new mission birthed and now welcome up to 3,000 people each week through our community hub and business park.

Across our Elim churches there are countless stories to be shared of how God is responding to our dependency on him and our desperation for ourselves and the younger generations. So let’s recognise the many and varied tell-tale signs and be expectant for the move of God to come. Let’s keep opening our hearts like Isaiah to the new possibilities, knowing that God responds to the grateful, yearning, prayerful heart, and trust that in God’s time and God’s way revival will come, impacting us all in our everyday lives in extraordinary ways.

To find out more about the Jesus Revolution film visit: jesusrevolution.movie

Michelle leads Nantwich Elim Church and is a member of Elim’s National Leadership Team

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

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