The Inside Out Revival

I have always been a “Pray for revival” type of guy. To be honest, the way I have prayed has been that revival “would come” or that God would “open up heaven.” The direction of revival was “up-down.” However, as I read stories of revival, I see that the movement was more “inside-out.” What I mean by that is that once someone is touched by God, revival has come as they act upon their revelation and experience.

I believe that revival is closer than we realise, and that we can experience revival if only we would steward the revelation and power we already have. I believe we are being invited into “The Inside Out Revival.”

Allow me to explain…

There is a story found in the book of Acts, Chapter 14, where Paul heals a man who was crippled from birth. The people from Lystra were so taken back by this they thought that Paul and Barnabas were Zeus and Hermes and began to honour them as such. No matter how hard these Apostles tried to convince the people that they were not gods, they wouldn’t listen.

The people were expecting their gods to come down and move in their city. They were looking up. Although they were not Christ followers, they were doing something we Christians do… They were looking up.

Paul on the other hand understood that revival, or miraculous movements, occurred when believers realise the power that was already inside of us. For example,

Paul tells the Corinthians that the power of God is like a treasure inside of us. (2 Cor 4-5) He writes to those in Colossae that it is “Christ in you the hope of glory!” (Col 1:27) To the Church in Ephesus he reminds them they have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:27). The reason we have such power is because God has already come down to us and done something amazing. Paul describes this to the Church in Rome by saying that that as Christ is, so are we! (Romans 5-8)

The point is that Paul realised that God had already come from Heaven to Earth. The “up-down” revival has already happened. The people of Lystra thought that when Paul and Barnabas moved in the power of the spirit and performed miracles, that this was a “up-down” revival so to speak – something coming down from heaven. But Paul told them this was simply them being human. (Acts 14:15)

Have we fallen so far behind Pauls teaching that we are now like those in Lystra waiting for God to come down? The reality is God has come down and changed everything! We are now in the days of the “inside-out” revival. We are full of the love and power of God! We are walking revivals waiting to happen!

All that is left to do now is simply act on the revelation and experiences we already have!