True Revival

"The church will never have a revival until it comprehends the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man, out of which true brokenness comes.... true revival isn't people saying, "We've arrived spiritually"; it's people being broken over the sense that they have not arrived. So if you wonder whether current trends in Christianity mark a genuine revival, ask yourself, "Does it mark itself by an overwhelming sense of the holiness of God, a comprehensive sense of the depth of sin, a spiritual experience that results in brokenness rather than self-congratulation? That's the stuff that makes for true revival. Because what you have in the church today is this incessant talk about love, acceptance, tolerance, self-esteem, and the presumption that God wants you healthy, wealthy, and happy, then you are really at the very opposite pole from the elements of genuine revival. And the reason for this is that the church, not understanding the holiness of God, doesn't deal with the sinfulness of sin and consequently never purges itself. —John MacArthur

Excerpt taken from a sermon preached by John MacArthur titled "The Discipline of God's Children (Part 3)"