The message I preach hasn’t changed. Circumstances have changed. Problems have changed, but deep inside man has not changed, and the gospel hasn’t changed. ~Billy Graham
Billy Graham was one of the greatest influencers of recent revival times. His messages were powerful, urgent and effective. He was an inspiration to audiences everywhere. He influenced millions of people and left a mark on society. If God moved in such a mighty way through Billy Graham, He can do it again in this generation, because God hasn’t changed.
A BIT OF REVIVAL HISTORY
Like so many Christians, my personal prayer is that the Lord will bring revival again. I echo the cries of those who are seeking God’s face for wisdom on how to minister to this generation, how to serve others and how to fan the flames. Below is an outline of some major past revivals, which helps to see history at a glance.
AD 30 Pentecost
1300s Pre-Reformation Revival (Wycliffe, Hus)
1517 Protestant Reformation (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli)
1727 First Great Awakening (Whitefield, Edwards, Wesley)
1780 Second Great Awakening
1830 The Great Awakening
1857 Laymen’s Prayer Revival (Moody)
1900s 1904 Revival (Wales, Azusa)
1935 WWII Revival
1960-70s Baby Boomer Revival, Jesus Movement, Asbury
So what constitutes an actual revival in comparison to a movement of God? According to Biblehub.com:
The term “revival” refers to a distinct and powerful move within a community of believers that rekindles love for God, deepens repentance from sin, and spurs widespread spiritual transformation. It involves an extraordinary work that renews the strength and devotion of individuals, fosters visible change in congregations, and often leads to renewed evangelistic zeal. While personal renewal may happen constantly in the life of any believer, a revival often describes a larger, collective stirring in the larger Body of Christ.
A trend I noticed, is that the revivals were growing closer together in the 1900s. But that would not explain the dry spell from the 80s until now. Personally, I thought that there was revival in the 80s which included John Wimber and the Vineyard Church, but from what I’ve discovered many believe it was more of a movement than revival (at least compared to the other revivals). There has also been quite a bit of movement among the youth recently. But it seems to only be waves here and there. Unfortunately, there is no solid evidence of a current revival…yet.
So how is a revival actually determined? As Biblehub.com explained a few things need to be present to call it an actual revival. But a few things that need to be considered are:
-Is it Biblical?
-Did it confirm God’s presence?
-Were Christians moved to act?
-Was there evidence/documentation that it happened?
There was also the expectation that it would produce fruit and multiplication. Most importantly, there would be evidence that lives were changed (for the better). You cannot be full of the Holy Spirit and continue living a life of sin.
PRAYER, REPENTANCE & GOD’S WORD
Revival comes through two things: prayer and repentance. Though each revival of the past was unique in its own way, these two things were always consistent. Additionally, the Word of God plays a key part. Knowing, hearing, cherishing and studying scripture seemed to fuel the flames of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. Acts 10:44-45
Scripture has such a beautiful way of cutting through deception and bringing clarity. The Word divides truth from deception and brings love into the hearts. God’s Word is a crucial part of revival.
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:11-13
INCONSISTENCIES
What I found interesting is that there really isn’t a solid model or pattern to follow with revivals. Sometimes they came because of the moral decay of society and sometimes because of tragedy. Sometimes it was just a little trickle of the Holy Spirit’s presence and sometimes it remained and continued for years.
God can quickly turn off revival when fake posturing Christians show up and/or try to force unnatural manifestations. It can also be halted by greed as we’ve seen with televangelism using awkward tactics to get people to open their wallets to contribute to a cause which isn’t always rooted in Christ. But when genuine leaders put their hearts into glorifying God it can be a beautiful thing.
THE HUMBLE MOODY
One famous revivalist I want to mention is Dwight Moody. He was genuine and humble. An unlikely candidate for revival, as he was an uneducated shoe salesman who didn’t really know the Lord at first. However, he was powerfully moved by the Lord when he was called to faith. After his conversion he started a Mission School in a really poor area of Chicago. After much growth, the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) took it over and through that organization there was great influence on society.
His success may have been due to his tender relationship with the Lord. Moody had a powerful experience in the presence of God and described God’s great love as ‘thawing out his heart’. This experience helped him understand the love of God more deeply and as a consequence, he was able to deeply love others.
IN CONCLUSION
As a result of my studies, I find it interesting that after all these years of studying, I had little understanding about revival history. Studying revival brings to light some concerning issues happening in our modern church. I feel we are so divided, yet we have access to more biblical knowledge than ever before. Many Christians don’t know history or the scriptures.
HAVE YOUR WAY LORD
I think we all need to be praying for revival. However, we must begin with our own household. Having a tender heart toward God so we know how to move with Him is important. That way if there are things we need to change or press into in our own lives we can begin to work towards those things. The Lord is faithful, let us press on and be hopeful and expectant that a move of God will happen…soon!
Do it again Lord!
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
Revival definition, Biblehub.com, https://biblehub.com/q/what_defines_a_christian_revival.htm, December 2025
Billy Graham, quote – https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/inspiring-quotes-billy-graham, November 14, 2025
Scripture references are from Bible Gateway, English Standard Version, November 2025 – Biblegateway.com
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