The Need for Revival
By Billy SundayBefore there was Billy Graham there was Billy Sunday – the most prominent evangelist of the first half of the 20th century. A former baseball all-star, Sunday’s name became synonymous with “revival.” God used the fire and preaching of Billy Sunday to bring revival to millions of Americans. But while Sunday was noted for his fiery preaching rather than his writing, he penned an article 105 years ago that is still relevant today.
Following are excerpts from that message . . .
A revival is not material; it does not depend upon material means. It is a false idea that there is something peculiar in it, that it cannot be judged by ordinary rules, causes and effects. That is nonsense.
Revival is like a farmer and his crops. If you do a thing, results always come. The results come to the farmer. He has his crops. That is the result. He has to plow and plant and take care of his farm before the crops come.
Religion needs a baptism of horse sense. If you tell a farmer that crops only come when it pleases God and it is no use to plow your ground and plant your crops in the spring, that is all wrong. And if you preach the doctrine that revival is some random act of the divine, farmers won’t believe it. They know better.
The problem is that multitudes want revival, but they don’t want self-denial. Now, I am not a member of any lodge, and never expect to be. But if I was a member of a lodge and there was a prayer meeting on the same night as the lodge meeting, I’d attend the prayer meeting. To spend time at the lodge is to misspend your time.
You are robbing God when you spend time doing something that doesn’t amount to anything, when you might do something for Christ.
And another thing – don’t sit around reading trashy novels instead of the Word of God.
We say we want revival. But we must first want God. Oh, Lord, send us revival!