"WE ARE COMMANDED TO DO REVIVALS BY WITNESSING"
REVEREND GORDON WILLIAMS, AUGUST 2014
The proof is the "Signs, Wonders and Miracles” which confirm the preaching in Mark 16:16-20. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
People all over the world are praying for a tremendous out-pouring of the Holy Spirit in their cities and communities. I hear of people who are walking the streets of their cities and towns calling out to God for a revival. Revivals are not happening and will not happen because we are not told to pray for a revival. We are commanded to do revivals by witnessing to people on the streets. The result of a church revival is new born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit believers. This includes fallen believers repenting and taking their place in Jesus’ family, people receiving healing for all kinds of diseases, demons being cast out of people and other needs being met by Jesus Christ.
In 2004, when I was going to do ministry in Northern Ireland, I was also invited to go to Wales, where a hundred years ago there was what was called "The Welsh Revival”. It started when Evangelist, Evan Roberts had preached which caused a "pouring out of the Spirit” (Acts 2: 17). It started because a revived man took the revival to the people who were willing to listen and act on his preaching. I was told that there were 16 pastors who had been praying weekly for 8 years for another great revival. I was invited to be one of the evangelists. After doing ministry in Ireland, while praying about Wales, the Holy Spirit told me to cancel out my ministry in Wales (Acts 16:6). I was more than surprised! I called the pastor who had invited me and apologized but I just couldn’t come. His reply was, "That’s alright, Gordon, because on that Sunday the "Championship Soccer Game” is being played and we all want to go to see the game.” Then I understood.
There would never be a Second Revival in Wales. They were not men like Evan Roberts. If these 16 pastors, instead of praying for a revival had each led one person to salvation each week for eight years, there would have been eight hundred and thirty two salvations each year. After 8 years, there would have been 6,656 people who received salvation. That’s how we have revivals! They had thrown away their "great revival”.
Jesus never told us to walk the streets praying for a revival. He commanded us, "Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind.” "Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled (Lk. 14: 21, 23). As an evangelist, I assist pastors to have revivals by equipping the saints for ministry (Eph. 4: 11 – 14). When any sport becomes more important than Jesus’ ministry, we show where our hearts are (Lk. 12: 34; Matt. 8: 16). Jesus has given His church "evangelists” so that every church can have a revival. There is at time to stop praying and start witnessing and praying with people for their salvation. Let’s make 2014 a revival year!