If you attend “revival” and it is not a move of God in real life, it is not going to change a generation. If it sustainable only as an attraction, it will sell its soul to be a conference center instead of a Kingdom Center. It will contain several popular rides. It will provide some excellent examples of architecture that remind you of your Pinterest favorites. It will cause you to think, “Now, this is how I would do it if I were hosting a revival.”
If it does, it is not revival.
If a revival is staffed with event planning and hot music attractions, it is not a revival. It is a counterculture. It is a subculture. It is not a kingdom culture.
It develops its own language and colloquialisms. It finds something quaint and comforting in its subculture. It develops its own distinctives. It carves out some “at this revival we do this” markers introduced to each new attendee.
It is not a revival of preserved kingdom purpose. It is another restart of a mini-movement based upon attracting a following. the idea of replication and accumulation dominates. The idea of transformation dims out.
“More of us” is the plan. A bigger mini-movement is the goal. The leaders soon run out of time to maintain the assignment because they are too busy making the rounds. The heroes of the mini-movement emerge. The promise becomes, “Come here and you can become the next hero.”
If it does, it is not revival.
Welcome to the Revival Cruise and Theme Park fantasyland.
The machine is running. The systems are on go. The unmatched operational integrity thrills engineers.
“We have learned excellence. You can be a franchise as well.”
“Attention to detail is as strong as Disney here on the Revival Cruise. Every night at 9pm we have the ministry time fireworks show, a favorite in the revival land showcase. In partnership with other revival land heroes, we take you on a fantasy land tour of our theme park. For your safety, please follow all revival cruise guidelines.
“Inside the lines, you can do whatever you wish. And wishing upon a star might mean you will be one of the lucky ones.”
Look for photo ops and selfies along the way. Let the little child in you dream again. Above all else, be impressed.
If it does, it is not revival.
You realize that if any ministry prayed for 15,000 people they would see the same percentage of them healed, set free, and touched by God. You are praying for 15, however, and you think this 15,000 means revival. If you prayed for 15,000 – and you may lack nothing more than stamina of spirit to do that as well – you would see the same or better results.
You realize that your ministry experiences Glory as regularly when the people arrive with expectations about God. The impressive parts of the revival cruise and theme park fantasy distract you from that real world. But, that real world is where you will birth revival.
You won’t bring it home from the cruise. You won’t have it because you hire event planners for your own conferences. You won’t have it because you land some of the heroes for your conference poster. You won’t have it because you have a famous worship leader. These are a distraction from the attraction, in fact.
It is the real world, in which God transforms the people He has already given you. that births a reviving of preserved purpose. After you get home. Get over the cruise. Get on with the real world of discipling, fathering, and leading. More talk of the cruise will only make you want to buy your own cruise line.
