In the Old Testament, offerings were prescribed by God himself. If sacrificial worship was improperly offered—by wrong method or attitude—the glory of God’s presence was most often withheld. In the New Testament, the greatest sacrifice was given by God himself—His Son Jesus Christ. The glory of God’s presence now lives in us believers through the Holy Spirit. Our sacrificial offerings are humbled hearts and obedient lives. If we choose to allow pride and disobedience to dominate our lives, the glory of God’s presence will be veiled. The visible/tangible presence of God is predicated on the sacrificial offerings of His people.
To the degree that we submit ourselves to God and His ways, we will see revival arise and spread. Think of how an enormous forest fire begins to burn. With the smallest of embers, fire ignites. The fire spreads as it finds fuel to burn, which is the forest itself. Enormous impact is made through the conflagration that starts with the smallest spark.
As we, God’s people, submit ourselves fully to Him, we become the ember—the spark—that ignites a flame. A great fire will burn and spread only if that flame continues to find fuel. The fuel for revival is the sacrifice of our lives for God’s presence and the ways of His Kingdom. It isn’t enough to simply say that we love and trust God; the proof of our love and trust is in our obedience to His ways and our passion for His presence.
“Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me’” (John 14:23-24a).
Revival isn’t a week of church meetings. And it isn’t an event to make us feel spiritual. It is a lifestyle of passionately pursuing His holiness and presence. If we become focused on worldly pursuits, our passion for God grows cold, and the fire has no fuel to keep it burning. The impact of our passivity is costly—in individual lives, families, neighborhoods, cities, and nations. And the opposite is true as well: as we allow our lives to burn with passion for Jesus and His Kingdom, the impact will be a revival fire that intensifies and spreads, bringing many to Christ.