Revival: Covert & Overt

I would suggest that revival can take place at different levels with the end result always being that the Gospel is conveyed (notice I didn’t say “preached”, although that is one form of conveyance), that people come into salvation (which is more than just being “saved”) and God’s Kingdom become manifest.

I will use two examples from the New Testament to unpack this a little more.

The first example I will use I see as being in the covert class of revival.

In John 4:4 ~ 43 Jesus meets the woman at the well. It is “covert” in the sense that there is no “Flash/Bang” manifestation of the miraculous (signs & wonders). It is instead a personal encounter, a truth encounter, with a touch of the prophetic which culminates in the woman becoming an impromptu evangelist and her entire town/village becoming believers.

Next as an example of what I believe to be in the “overt” class is the account we have in Acts 2:1 ~ 41. Plenty of “flash/bang” in this. Very much in public during a special celebration. Tongues of Fire, utterance of tongues not learned . . . Peter saying “This is That” (in reference to the prophesy in Joel 2:28 ~ 29) . . . and at least 3000 come into salvation.

So, revival can come quietly . . . and sometimes not so quietly. (And probably in all the possibilities in-between). In each scenario people come to faith in Christ.

In the two listed above, the people were previously “non-believers”, so it makes the goal of revival appear to be that of reaching the unsaved.

But is it only that? What about 2^nd Chronicles 7:14? Could it also be a form of revival when those who have gone astray or lost focus or back-slid or what-ever get back on track, start praying and get refocused?