A recent article, published in a sound Christian publication, emphasized prayer and revival. The author described how the church today is paralyzed and powerless. He made the following plea: “The church today is filled with Christians who seem to have no desire to grow in the Lord or experience revival. These Christians (as he calls them) need to begin praying and seek revival and become un-paralyzed and powerful.”  

     Since the author tells us these church members have no desire for those things the Bible tells us a truly regenerated believer will have the desire for what cause is there to believe that these church members are truly regenerated?

     I appreciate this publication, its message and its articles. I appreciate this article with its emphasis on Christ as the only hope for the world. I also appreciate its emphasis on repentance, prayer, revival, being filled with the Spirit and the power of Pentecost. However, the colossal issue not addressed, nor even mentioned, is the fact that, by far, the vast majority of church members are unregenerated; they have never been truly born again. 

     Having been saved now for over 40 years and in ministry from age 36-80, I have been in many different denominational and non- denominational churches and through many different theological camps. I’ve seen the religious folk, busy church folk, nominal professing Christians (without possession) and zealous but unregenerate pastors, leading lost church members. My issue with this article is with its initial statement. This statement stands out as representative of something flooding churches across America today. This is the lack of realization by ministers, like the author of this article, who call to today’s church in America to somehow better itself. Their message, often like this one, is saying “Church, quit being dormant; come out of your lethargy; become zealous; pray; read your Bible; be evangelistic.”

     As true as all of this is, a vital ingredient is being bypassed: the need to seriously question church members about their personal salvation. Doubtful testimonies and lack of spiritual fruit need to be challenged with the genuine gospel. Before doubtful salvation can be challenged, true salvation (along with its fruit and how to have it) must be preached. This means the first ones who need their salvation challenged are those pastors and preachers who aren’t doing this. 

     In the above mentioned article, the writer says we must “find an answer to our paralyzed and powerless church.” Certainly, in every evangelical church, there will be genuinely born again believers in need of personal revival. But the real problem in most churches lies in the vast number of unregenerate church members. The answer here is regeneration. It’s not about reviving, it’s about “viving,” getting spiritual life itself.

     The real irony is in the article’s next statement: “Thank God for their service. But they need to be hungry for the Word and for revival if they are going to be powerful.” Initially, this author of the mentioned article tells us these church members have “no desire to grow in the Lord.” Now, he assumes these church members are Christians who need power. They are not desiring the true Word of God, the Lordship of Christ, the victorious Christian life, nor personal revival, but are satisfied to live in their powerless lethargy. Why shouldn’t their salvation experience be questioned and challenged? 

     If these hearts were really hungry and regenerated, crying out for more power, prayer, joy and reality in worship, they would be seeking revival! Yes, preach revival to the

saints, teach on faith, prayer, the Spirit’s filling and evangelism, but first be sure it is to encourage the reviving of saints, not prodding of the lost. 

     Sheep are hungry to do what sheep do and to feed on what sheep feed on. Regarding “evangelism”, nowhere in the book of Acts do we see saints being shamed, goaded or brow beaten to witness for Christ; they did it because it was their new nature to do so; sheep naturally produce sheep; saints naturally win souls. Yes, it is well for God’s saints to have their souls stirred by His preachers and by His Spirit to evangelism, but this doesn’t come by packaged programs or arm twisting and headlocks to force the unwilling to comply. Then this author/minister, who actually represents the plethora of preachers and preaching saturating American churches today, goes on to add insult to injury by “thanking God for their service.” In other words, “Thank God for dead, lifeless, consecrated flesh.”

      The most wearing and futile ministry any preacher can have is to try to revive “goats.” Goats don’t want revival, nor are they lovers of the same things sheep love. Sheep are lovers of the truth; goats have “not a love of the truth.” (II Thessalonians 2:10) Churches need to hear sound salvation preaching, so those who will come can come to Christ for genuine regeneration and true salvation. Keep in mind that revival means reviving of the saints; evangelism pertains to salvation of the lost. We’re talking about personal “revival” in the hearts of believers, not the popular spring and fall evangelistic outreach meetings where a dead church is supposed to now be winning the lost in the community to Christ. It is common in any church or community where God is reviving His saints that He is also awakening the lost and readying them to hear the gospel. Preachers should be preaching evangelistic messages to the lost and personal revival to truly regenerated believers. With this, revived saints will then go forth winning souls, and serving in Christian service, because this is what is normal for saints to do. This is what genuine saints want to do.

     The saints who need reviving will, in their heart of hearts, want it; they will respond. They needn’t be browbeaten; they want it; they want to do it; they will do it. God does this for His saints while at the same time He awakens the lost to hear about salvation. God sovereignly prepares the hearts of the lost, those he will be drawing to Christ. When God brings together the awakened lost and the revived saints, we now have “revived saints,” ready to reach out evangelistically to the awakened lost souls. (Sheep beget sheep; goats beget goats.) God has now properly prepared his saints to win souls. He has properly stirred and drawn the hearts of the lost to be awakened to hear the salvation message. Then those who come, and become born again, join the assembly of the saints. All have a love for the truth; this “love for the truth” comes with all true regeneration.Those who have no interest in hearing the real gospel, have no desire for genuine truth, no desire for the real Jesus—but will follow some semblance of religion and preach some falsely modified version as salvation message—these God and the Bible call goats. (2 Cor. 13: check salvation verse) The goats have the world and the world system for their truth; they have no hunger for God’s truth, neither do they have heart, nor hunger, for true worship. (no desire to worship in Spirit and in truth; scrip ref.)

      Sheep and goats cannot dwell together in harmony. Let God sift as He will, but whatever the cost, saints must live as saints. Sheep will hunger for God’s fodder, His will, His truth, His Spirit and to bring the lost to Christ. A dead church holding a meeting they are calling revival to win the lost are dead men, looking dead, feeling dead, using the right God words, delivered by dead spirits to reach out to dying souls. This is not what God calls “revival.”  This is a dying man throwing an anchor to a drowning man. They twist and misrepresent the true gospel and are what God calls “the blind leading the blind.” (scrip. ref.)

     Messages meant for reviving the saints will have a different focus than those meant to call the lost to Christ. Revival is for regenerated believers who, for whatever reason, now seek revival. Evangelism employs messages meant to convict and convince the lost to come to Christ. But, what about the unregenerated who think they are regenerate and come to attend a revival meeting? Every revival meeting should address this issue and present the true gospel of salvation along with expected accompanying fruit.

      Let us tread carefully and prayerfully, because this is a delicate issue. Without being judgmental, let us without equivocation or hesitation employ scriptural judgment pertaining to God’s clear distinction regarding true regeneration as we present the new birth and its new creature characteristics. Scriptural doctrine regarding true salvation (genuine rebirth) must be distinguished from that of a false, counterfeit salvation or just plain unregeneration. True regeneration will be accompanied by fruit-bearing demonstration that is very scripturally distinct from fruit-barren acclamations. “Let the redeemed say so” but before they do, let them live so.

     Revival is for professors who are possessors. Evangelism is for non-professors and for those who are professors only, but do