True Revival

All true revival is the result of the crushing work of God in our inner man. The Word of God spoken by men of the Spirit in the power of the Word is like a hammer that breaks rocks in pieces. Jer. 23:29. This results in need over sin and need for a deeper salvation.

It is not possible to start a revival in the strength of man. It is ignited from heaven. Jesus said, “I have come to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled.” Luke 12:49. The first time this occurred was on the day of Pentecost, and since then it has happened repeatedly in generation after generation. It began on the day of Pentecost and contin­ued to grow in the time of the apostles. This revival was mani­fested in Johan O. Smith’s life and ministry.

The church has never been a denominational church. It is a movement in revival driven by the Spirit of truth and the workings of the Word in our inner man. From the very begin­ning until today, there have been faithful friends who have possessed this fire of the Lord in their hearts.

The year 1991 is a historic year for the church. It became evident that there were some in our midst who were not of us—evil people who distorted others’ understanding. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these people resisted the truth and the elders in the church. This created a great seriousness and a need for salvation among the friends and need matured into revival. The revival, which we had longed and prayed for, came to us with power, resulting in loud cries to God for victory over sin. This is God’s infinite goodness over the church.

Many were awakened and took stock of their lives. There were prayer meetings and people cried out to God. In many places, the intensity continued to increase. Rumors of revival spread around the world, and the expectation of revival at the New Year’s conference of 1991–1992 was great. The revival came powerfully at that conference; then it began to spread around the world. The way things happened is beyond all de­scription. We praise God for what has taken place among us!

Read the last page of The New Covenant and the Mystery Lawlessness by Sigurd Bratlie: “Think if there could be a re­vival in these end times, a revival that would stir us up to fol­low Jesus on the narrow way of life; for if we do not follow Him on this way, we can never walk in the steps of the One who did no sin. 1 Pet. 2:21-24. May there be a revival that stirs our hearts to die with Him that we might live with Him so that all this sorcery—this deception—might be exposed before Jesus comes again. Then God’s people will be endued with power from on high as they were before, and their faith will once again become real and effectual. 2 Tim. 3:8. When our suffi­ciency is of God, we are truly sufficient unto every good work and word.”

Unfortunately, despite all this goodness, some did not un­derstand what God was doing in our midst. From the very beginning, a few of them even opposed the revival and the instruments God used. In their local churches, the friends lost confidence in these people, and it can all be traced back to a lack of humility. We must have confidence in the shepherds God has given us, from whom we have received nourishment and exhortation. However, by God’s unspeakable grace, sev­eral of these people have been converted and are active mem­bers in our midst, to His glory. We praise God for this! Sadly, others have left us and have become our opponents.

There were also friends in various places who felt that the revival did not take hold fully in their home church. In some cases this is true, and in others it is not. They were keen to point out how the revival began and how “the young ones swept the older ones out of the way.” This description is com­pletely wrong! It is correct that some who did not love the truth and who resisted the brotherhood were exposed, but it wasn’t the young people who waged this battle. In the mean­time we saw that our elder brothers, especially brother Sigurd Bratlie, were good toward everyone—longsuffering, merciful, forbearing and forgiving—also toward stubborn, contentious people. That is spiritual strength! That is how brothers work who are driven by the Holy Spirit! Each individual was given abundant opportunity to repent, but God didn’t give grace to all of them. They hardened themselves and left the church despite the brothers’ longsuffering and care.

True revival means having a living contact with God and being devoted to the Father’s workings in our inner man in all of life’s circumstances. This inner working of the Spirit is a working in the mighty power of God. Eph. 1:19. The same power that raised Jesus up from the dead also works mightily in us. This gives us power over Satan, and we are enabled to serve and lay down our lives.

True revival means being constantly awake and serving in the newness of the Spirit. While we serve at the altar, we our­selves are offered. Our desire is not to feel good and please ourselves; we want to please the Father by our lives. This is the hidden life with Christ in God, and God who sees in secret rewards us openly. We are placed into the ministry. This is an anointed ministry, well-pleasing to God and man. Luke 2:52.

After a revival there is always a danger and a tendency for those who have been awakened to slide back into a human way of serving God, according to the oldness of the letter. People usually continue in the form of the revival without their spirits being circumcised from the flesh by the cross. This is the same as new wine in old wineskins. Someone who continues in the oldness of the letter will not experience growth in the virtues and will slip into the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. The result is factions, unrest and divisions. Such people go beyond what is written and are puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 1 Cor. 4:6.

All this is the work of man. Such people do not guide people’s hearts to love God, but to love those people who assist them in becoming outwardly prominent in the church. Those who used the revival to seek their own will never re­main standing as servants in the living church of God. God will see to it that they are exposed. The history of the church shows this with all clarity. “Have I therefore become your en­emy because I tell you the truth? They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you.” Gal. 4:16-18. “For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Gal. 1:10.

We must take this matter seriously so we can stand in God’s secret counsels and receive our nourishment from Him. Then we will be able to serve with His Word according to the strength He gives (not according to the strength people give), so that the revival can continue to grow in power and grace in our lives for the edification of the church.