One of the things unique about studying revival, is that people see revival  through so many lenses.  The end is the same: God being fully glorified on  campus.  The means, however, are very different depending on which lens  you see revival through.  Each lens is a valid viewpoint on revival, as are all  of the various means toward which people with that lens seek revival.  Confusion often arises, however, when we do not understand each others’  viewpoints

For the next three weeks I would like to share a little bit about each “revival  lens” as I understand them.  In so doing, I hope to bring understanding that  leads to respect for each viewpoint.  After all, we need each of them for full  scale revival!  I hope you would take a minute to leave a comment too, as this  can be a profitable dialogue.

Revival Lens #3: Justice and Service

What they expect to see

People with this revival lens expect to see the Body of Christ meet the needs of the city.  They expect to see the poor cared for, orphans adopted, and the homeless sheltered.  They expect the church to be awakened from its apathy toward those in need.   They believe a revived church will rise up with a prophetic voice against the systemic injustices in their land and a servant heart meet the needs of the people in their land.

What they do to get there

People with this lens practice volunteerism and activism as a means to revival.  They seek to mobilize the Body of Christ to feed and clothe the poor, educate the underprivileged, develop non-profits, clean parks and creeks, and minister to the neglected and marginalized communities in their city.  The host larger gatherings to make their communities aware of systemic injustices and inequities.  They long to see the Body of Christ as a force of positive change and influence in their city.

Favorite  Scriptures

Isaiah 58, Amos 5, Jesus feeding the poor and spending time with the outcasts in the Gospels, Acts 4:32-35, and James 1:27

Is this your lens?

If so, what would you add to what I have written?  What other scriptures inform your viewpoint of revival?