The FCAP prayer letter sent at the beginning of this year contained a strong emphasis on both revival and its outward signs. Our hope is to see a huge movement of the Holy Spirit happen in our commercial aviation mission field around the world in 2025. While revivals never happen “on cue,” and only by the will of human beings, hope for real revival is always appropriate for the true believer in Jesus Christ.
It is important to define revival before we seek it. Historically the term refers to something that happens among people who are already Christians or who live in a society where regular exposure to the Christian faith is likely. This has been the case historically when times of revival have come on a national scale. Revival involves men and women coming to Christ for salvation, but it also often applies to existing believers suddenly and dramatically experiencing a “quantum leap” in their level of love for, and devotion to, God.
This contrasts with something else which is also vital we sincerely pray would occur, and that is an “awakening.” In this case, we refer to a historically known mass conversion of human beings who had never heard the gospel up until that point. This tends to happen in countries where the Gospel has never been preached or has been either suppressed or forgotten.
For us, the nature of our global mission field requires a sincere desire for both these phenomena. We cannot want one without the other. We must seek both.
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Acts 3:19-21
