If we want revival, the first requirement is to admit that we need revival. That we need more than we have now. Watchman Nee called it the Normal Christian Life. Revival is when people who have been experiencing the average Christian life or the typical Christian life begin to experience the normal Christian life.

In Luke 20:18, Jesus says, “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” In revival, people are broken. They repent. A cold, dead faith becomes a warm, living faith. Life is changed in practical ways. During the Welsh Revival of 1905, jails and taverns were empty. When the church is revived, it affects people outside of the church. Entire towns are converted during revival.

During the early Anabaptist revival of the 1520s, hundreds of thousands of people were converted – entire villages. In many places along the Rhine River, the majority of the people were swept into this revival. Their hearts were truly broken over their sins. They were willing to do whatever it took to follow Jesus. Their lives were characterized by holiness and obedience, and their neighbors and even their enemies noticed it.