In the past two days, we have examined what causes the need for revival and the divine template God has established for obtaining revival from heaven. The question we will be considering today is this: Does the Church of the 21st century need revival? I strongly believe the answer to this question is yes. You may wonder why I believe so. When you critically look around you with the eyes of the spirit, you will observe several things that have resulted in the Church falling short of the glory of God in this modern generation. You will also observe that it is increasingly becoming difficult to uphold biblical principles in the public arena in many nations of the world, especially in the western world. The mention of the Bible, reading of any portion of Scripture, and the observance of devotional prayers are outlawed in academic institutions at all levels, in offices, and in other public places in some nations that were previously proud to be identified as Christian nations just few years ago. The Church has consequently toned down the commandments of God and stepped down Bible doctrines in many places whenever it is opposed by the acceptable culture and popular opinion of the people. The church, including some very big denominations, has clearly departed from biblical doctrine on issues relating to salvation, mercy-killing, marriage, divorce, remarriage, abortion, homosexuality and many more issues.

As seen in Ezekiel 3:17, in every generation, God is always seeking for watchmen who will speak His mind to the people, irrespective of the circumstances, warning them against doing things that are contrary to His will. Many Christians, including prominent Christian leaders, have openly abdicated this responsibility in public places because of the fear of losing face. If we will please God, we must stand firm in the sound teaching of His word (Ezekiel 3:17-21). This is where the problem lies: many preachers and teachers of the word are no longer warning the Church against apostasy and wickedness because of the fear of losing “valuable” members. Our Lord Jesus Christ sent messages of warning to the seven Churches in Asia, and we also must do the same today (Revelations 2-3). We must stand firm on genuine repentance as demanded and witnessed in Proverbs 28:13, Acts 3:19, 2nd Samuel 12:13 and Psalm 51:3-4. Note that repentance is not limited to unbelievers alone; every sincere child of God will always engage in self-examination to avoid the presence of unconfessed sins in their lives (1st John 2:1-11). Finally, warring brethren must be reconciled in line with Matthew 5:21-24 and Psalm 133:1-3. As you seek God’s face for revival today, He will answer you by fire in Jesus’ Name.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.