Revival

     Periodically churches have revivals. Those are evangelical meetings with the intent of the church body to gain new converts. Revivals are to grow the local church (with a small "c").  Revival, on the other hand, is growing the spiritual Church (with a capital "C"). Sometimes local evangelical revivals spread and result in widespread spiritual revivals, such as the Great Awakening in the early 18th Century. That's true revival!
     Many believe that "revival" is returning to the joy that once was after conversion. The assumption is that there should have been joy if indeed one who was before subject to spiritual death suddenly has  the hope of eternal life. There is a certain affinity between hope and joy in that those who have hope should be joyful! Revival can indeed return a person to their original spiritual celebration, but that's not the primary objective of revival. Christians should not be thinking about themselves but others.
     Joy is associated with contentment. People who are not content with life cannot be bountifully joyful, nor should they be. Of course, people should be joyful for their hope but that is egocentric. The Great Commission is others-focused:

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. (Mark 16:14-15)

     The apostles had been elated when Jesus was alive  and performing miracles. With Jesus dead, a pale of gloom had set in. Although two had seen "dead" Jesus arisen, with the skeptical apostles, there was no joy in apostolic Jerusalem. Jesus suddenly appeared in the locked room with the eleven apostles, and noted their gloom. They were thinking of themselves! They once had faith but with Jesus's death, their elation waned. They needed revival to lift their spirits, reinforce their belief, and grow the Church.
     Why would Jesus care about whether the Church grew or not? Because he so loved the world that he wants that  none should perish (John 3:16) Jesus made it clear that, that is the source of Christians' enthusiasm. Because Christians have the hope of salvation, they should want that others have the same hope. Christians should also want that none should perish because that is agape love.
     What would revive the hope of the apostles? Going into the world and proclaiming the gospel! That's Bible. People can improve their own emotional and spiritual health by caring about others. Christians' are revived by loving others enough to care about their eternal souls!
     One atheist which I paraphrase said, "If Christians were as religious as they say, they wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that those they love are going to Hell!" That is a call for action. The apathetic Church is much like the hard-hearted apostles who were merely thinking of themselves! Sure they cared about Jesus's death but they had missed the point.
     The occasion of Jesus dying is called Good Friday. What was so "good" about Jesus dying? That event provided hope for all mankind! The apostles missed the point for Jesus's purpose, and Jesus was not pleased. Here he was alive after being dead where he found eleven of his most prized disciples still not understanding. What would give them the joy which they once had? To go unto the world and tell the people the good news: Jesus died but yet he lives!
     You see, revival is two-fold: for the apostles and for the people. If we quit worrying about our own spiritual interests which should already be affirmed, and worry about the lost souls in the world, revival will come. Thus, revival is more about others than ourselves. Sure we need revival but how can we be revived if others are dying? Most people miss the point of revival. It is for Christ but to benefit Christ who wants that none should perish, Christians must have a burden for those which are perishing. The spiritual well-being of those around us is what revives us. Face it, Christians get excited, or so they should, when people are born-again. The angels rejoice when even one sinner repents (Luke 15:10). Why shouldn't we?
     Jesus told the apostles to go unto the world for the good of others and also their own spiritual revival. They needed to show love for others! Caring about the eternal destiny of sinners is how best to show agape-type love - loving others as God so loves us!
     That's not merely commentary; it can be validated. King Hezekiah cleansed the Temple:

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. (2 Chron 29:3-6, ESV)

     That was evangelical revival - getting their own "house" in order in preparation for obtaining others to their House. As Hezekiah cleaned God's Temple, Christians are to clean their own. Of course, in both cases, its really God who does the cleaning but Christians must be willing to have their temple cleaned just as Hezekiah desired to have God's Temple cleaned!
     It follows that with the Temple cleaned, the Israelites began to be joyful. They went into God's house, worshipped, played instruments, and sang. They had revival! Something, though, was missing. Note this:  "And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly" (2 Chron 29:36), Although sacrifices had been made and communion with God served there was more to do:

Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. (2 Chron 30:1; ESV)

     They celebrated the Passover, but Hezekiah wanted that others come celebrate with them! One idea which everyone must understand is that even for Hezekiah and the discerning Israelites, Passover celebrated redemption long before mankind was redeemed. To clarify further, Jesus's death and resurrection was during the Passover celebration. Whereas the Hebrew people escaped death in Egypt at the original Passover, Gentiles and Jews escaped death at the New Testament Passover. Originally it was the blood of a ram whose blood was sacrificed on the wood of the door. At Jesus's death it was the blood of the Lamb which was sacrificed on the wood "door" to eternal life  which is the Cross!
     Hezekiah knew what they were celebrating; it was a celebration of life! Not only their own salvation but the resurrection of Jesus! The Exodus was a time of judgment. Who would remain faithful to God who had provided the hope of salvation? Forty-years in the wilderness were the Jews forty "days" of temptation! Then in the end, all who were faithful and regenerated, were brought safely to the land of milk and honey! That is what the Passover is about - Jesus, his death, and resurrection! That's cause to celebrate, yet Jesus finds the apostles not celebrating the second Passover. They should have known full-well what the Passover was all about!
    As the Israelites had revival and celebrated the Passover again, that is the first step to revival. The second step is others. What about the world which God so loves? Hezekiah fulfilled the Great Commission. That far the plan had been working. The next step was a decree:

So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. 6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. (2 Chron 30:5-8; ESV).

     The decree was to go unto the world (Israel), and have them return to the Lord! Hezekiah's word's were like Jesus's who chastised the apostles because they also were also to go unto the world. Hezekiah's decree was a proclamation of the Great Commission!
     The Israelites corporately were to return to the faith they had when the Temple was built.. That is revival: the people turning back to God; not just Christians repenting, but the people doing so! Revival is for the people... Christians inclusive. It's not just for those in the church building but to bring the "sheep" in.
     Look at the disposition of the Israelites: as their fathers before them they were faithless and desolate; that's how Jesus found the eleven who should have been celebrating but were hard-hearted (stiff-necked) just as the Israelites were.  It should be clear that Hezekiah's revival was what Jesus instructed the apostles to do! "They were to serve the Lord their God." The Great Commission was to serve Jesus - their God! Isn't Holy Scripture well-planned by God? Hezekiah knew and understood the purpose of Jesus. The apostles did not! Hezekiah celebrated the Passover. The apostles were in doom and gloom.
    With that said, the world, not just the churches, need revival. Revival is going out unto the world and bringing them into the Church. That is not necessarily the church building but Jesus's "Ghost" residing in their temples. As with Hezekiah who cleaned the temple first, before offerings were made, sinners can have their temples cleaned by a washing with the blood of Jesus. That, my friends, is revival! What is it that those of the Church should do at revival? Clean our temples first in preparation for the crowd. Afterward, we are to go forth and bring them to the Lord.
     We all have "Christian" friends that we know may not be born-again. Most so-called Christians have not taken that first step! They don't need revival; they need the Lord.
     We all know people who are great sinners. Neither do they need revival; they too need the Lord. However, when a few or many are born-again the Church is revived, and the Lord is pleased as the angels sing! How can we be content knowing the world, even our loved ones, are destined for Hell? Revival is doing something about that. Our job assignment as royal priests is to bring the world to the Church - our Great Commission.