What Is a Spiritual Awakening? Plus, Signs of One.
The last great spiritual awakening in America was the Jesus Movement, which began more than five decades ago. I came to Christ during this time. I had a front-row seat, and I believe we can not only learn from history but also be inspired by it.
A few years before this movement took root, on April 8, 1966, a Time magazine cover posed a chilling question: “Is God Dead?” What a difference a few years can make, especially when God intervenes. On June 21, 1971, the words “Jesus Revolution” made the cover of Time with an article describing a very different scene, “Jesus is alive and well and living in the radiant spiritual fervor of a growing number of young Americans. . . If any one mark clearly identifies them, it is their total belief in an awesome, supernatural Jesus Christ, not just a marvelous man who lived 2,000 years ago, but a living God.”
Today, things are changing in America, and they’re changing for the better. There’s a new wind blowing across the nation, not only for the older generation, but among the young as well.
The last time I felt such cultural stirring was during the Jesus Movement. And it is my prayer that we are headed toward another great spiritual awakening.
What Is a Spiritual Awakening?
The words spiritual awakening and spiritual revival are often used interchangeably, but there is a distinction.
A spiritual awakening occurs when God sovereignly pours out His Spirit in such a way that it impacts an entire culture. This is what happened during the Jesus Revolution and at multiple times in American history, even before the United States became a nation.
What Is Revival?
A revival, on the other hand, is what the church must experience.
To revive something is to restore it, to bring it back to life. Picture a classic car—a real beauty—that’s been fully restored to its original condition. It shines. It’s as good as new. That’s what revival is like—coming back to life, waking up spiritually, and getting back to living the Christian life as it was meant to be lived.
A spiritual awakening starts with us. Because when we come alive spiritually, it can change everything.
5 Signs of a Spiritual Awakening
Thinking back on the Jesus Movement, I remember five things that were part of a typical church service during that time.
First, there was a sense of expectancy in the service. No one was ever late for church because you couldn’t find a seat if you were. You came expecting God to work. You came with a sense of openness, anticipating what the Lord was going to do.
Second, the Word of God was always taught. That gave stability to us. In fact, I still have my Bible from those days. I marked it up—so much so that some of the pages are coming out of it.
Third, people participated in the worship. We effectively saw what we simply know as worship now. In the late 1960s, there were no electric guitars, for the most part, on church stages. There were no drum kits. It was completely different culturally. Things we take for granted now didn’t exist back then. But people engaged in worship. They participated in it.
Fourth, believers brought nonbelievers to church. Evangelistic invitations were extended, and people were coming to Christ. Every week there was the sense that God wants people to be saved.
Fifth, there was a belief in, and a constant teaching of, the imminent return of Christ. We believed that Jesus was coming back again.
It’s Time to Rebuild
The kids of the Jesus Movement are now grandparents. But similar to that time, there’s been a period of hopelessness.
For far too long, we’ve endured constant negativity from pundits and the cultural wrecking ball of woke ideology. Academia, media, and entertainment have worked tirelessly to dismantle the values that built this great nation. This ideology has become a runaway train, barreling through our institutions and preying on our most vulnerable—our children.
But it’s time to rebuild. Like Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, we must rise to the challenge and restore the spiritual foundation that has been eroded.
While we can’t plan or manufacture a revival, we can prepare the ground for one. Or, as I like to say, we can “pre-prayer” the ground. Our job is to rebuild; God’s job is to pour out His Spirit (like we see in the Book of Nehemiah).
Let us be reminded of 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land” (NLT).
Our part as believers is to humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from sin. God’s part is to hear us, forgive us, and heal our land.
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