Will We Ever See Revival In New Zealand again?

By Emeritus Pastor David Barnes

January 14th 2022

When we think about Revival, we think about the people of God coming alive (2 Kings 22-23) and the lost being saved (Acts 2)

There is so much to be said about Revival but I’m limited to just a few comments in this short Article

Today’s revivals have often looked back for inspiration to Charles Grandison Finney who is considered to be the ‘Father’ of modern-day revival methods

Finney led a Revival during what is called the Second Awakening in Rochester New York USA, between 1825-1835 and it is claimed that anywhere between 100, 000 – 500, 000 people were saved

The modern-day Evangelical Movement including Billy Graham the great Baptist preacher and evangelist of the 1950’s through to 2000, Keith Green the famous singer/musician/evangelist of the 1980’s, Movements like Vineyard Churches, Promise Keepers, to name just a few, continue to look back with great admiration to Finney and his Revival

Finney was the ‘father’ of ‘decision theology’; everything he did in his Rochester Revival was aimed at persuading a person to make a decision for Christ regardless of God’s calling and grace upon them

Finney’s theology was terrible: In his so called ‘Systematic Theology’ he said that “Christ could not have died for anyone else sins than His own” and also said, that Adam and Eve’s original sin (Genesis 3) was “anti-scriptural and non-sensical dogma”

Finney also believed that Man(kind) was responsible for saving himself and then living a moral life; and if he failed to live a moral life, he lost his salvation

Much of the modern-day Evangelical Movement is based upon Finney’s ideas and practice that says, “God is NOT sovereign in Revival, Man(kind) is”

Theologian Michael Horton PhD said about Finney that, “no other single man is more responsible for the distortion of Christian truth in our age than Charles Grandison Finney”

One of my absolute favorite theologians is Martyn Lloyd Jones who was saved in the early 1900’s Welsh Revivals

In his Book, ‘Knowing the Times’ Jones quotes a remarkable statement made by Finney

(Page 82 quote) “The converts of my revivals are a disgrace to Christianity’ and if I had my time over again, I would preach nothing but holiness”

Michael Horton PhD goes on to say, “Today’s Church Growth Movement has made human choice and emotions the center of the Church’s ministry...and replaced the preaching of Christ with the preaching of conversion”

I don’t believe that revival is a result of human choice and emotions, I believe that real revival is an act of the sovereignty of God

In my opening statement I said, “When we think about Revival, we think about the people of God coming alive (2 Kings 22-23) and the lost being saved (Acts 2)”

By the sovereignty of God, in revival, His people come alive (2 Kings 22-23)

At the end of King Manasseh’s reign, Judah came under the judgement of God

2 Kings 21: 10-15

Upon Manasseh’s death, his son Amon became king, he was so bad the people killed him and at the age of 8 years old, Josiah was made king of Judah.

Hilkiah was the priest

18 years later when Josiah’s men were repairing the Temple of God Hilkiah found the Word of God hidden away somewhere in the Temple!

When Josiah the King heard the Word of God being read to him, he humbled himself before the Lord

2 Kings 22: 8-13

The prophet Huldah then sent a message to Josiah saying that because of Josiah’s response to the Word of God the Lord would delay His judgement upon Judah for all of Josiah’s lifetime

2 Kings 22: 8-13

Josiah then led a nationwide revival

2 Chronicles 34: 29-34

Josiah became the greatest king in Judah, second only to king David because he, 2 Kings 23: 25 ‘turned to the Lord’ = revival

By the sovereignty of God, in revival, the lost are saved (Acts 2)

As Jesus promised, on the Day of Pentecost the Lord filled the Church with His Holy Spirit

Acts 1: 8; 2: 1-4

Then Peter preached the Word of God to the crowds of people in Jerusalem

Acts 2: 14-22, 25-28, 34-36

The Word of God ‘pierced their hearts’ and 3, 000 were saved that day = revival

Acts 2: 38-41

Finally,

The last revival we had in New Zealand was late 1950’s-to very early 1980’s; Jennifer and I got saved at the tail-end of that revival

We desperately need revival again – we need a sovereign move of God to awaken His people and save the lost!