The Discipleship Revival by Bryan Craig

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—  assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.  Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV

I was talking with a few staff members of a church the other day, talking about how we might integrate The Journey into their programming.  My old self, the passionate “Journey Salesman” would not have said the words that came out of my mouth.  I said, “What we are talking about is not another program or study, or even The Journey process or Influencers.  We are talking about creating a Discipleship Lifestyle (or Culture) into your church.” I could tell by the look on their faces that this surprised them and resonated with them.  

And I would take it a step further.  I have come to believe that a Culture of Discipleship creates Revival.  Now, for those of you new to this concept, the word “Revival” has been used in many ways in the church for the past several hundred years.  It has been used to describe a special event where time and space are created and a unique invitation for the Holy Spirit to move upon people.  i.e. “A Tent Revival.”  Sometimes, it is a surprising outbreak of the Holy Spirit at a prayer or worship gathering that so permeates those present that they do not want to leave His presence.  It goes on for days, much like the recent “Asbury Revival” that happened in Kentucky a few years ago.  But the most impactful version of Revival that interests me is one that affects churches, communities, cities and one that perseveres.

I wrote about Revival in a blog back in 2017 “The Next Great Revival”:

Selwyn Hughes references the Welsh Revival in 1904 and the three great characteristics that theologians say are indicative of true Revival:

He talks about coal miners in that time who were so struck by God’s presence that they no longer wanted to cuss.  This posed a problem for those who directed the horses in the mines and had trained them with swear words.  Following their conversion, they had to teach the horses a new language.  He also emphasizes that a deep conviction of sin accompanies spiritual revival…

… Legend has it that Corrie ten Boom, the Dutch Christian who was famous for helping many Jews escape the Holocaust during World War II, had a vision about 40 years ago of a legion of angels with swords drawn as she flew over the state of Arkansas. She was quoted as saying, “The next great Revival in America is going to come out of Arkansas.” Isn’t it interesting that 40 years ago, God would also call Rocky Fleming to Arkansas, and he would be given the vision of Influencers. 

As I’ve led 24 Journey groups through the years and been in countless meetings with Influencers around the country, I’ve seen and heard about transformation on par with what has been described in the Awakenings and Revivals in our history.  But these are not temporary changes associated with an event.  No, these are long-lasting changes that are redeeming family histories and creating new legacies in churches and communities.

I was reading Ephesians 4:17-32 the other day, which paints a great picture of the life Christ desires of us after we cross the Bridge of faith into His Kingdom.

Before, when we are in the “Refugee Camp” and lost in this world, Paul describes what we look like:

Keep in mind that some people who claim to be Christians may resemble the bullet points above, and if so, it should be a spirit check.  Perhaps, they do need “RE-vival”, which means at one time they were walking closely with them but their love has grown cold.  Paul goes on in Ephesians 4 to describe the one who walks across the Bridge of faith and surrenders to Christand Abides with Him, where there is a Revival of the Heart that happens which forges a Disciple.  It looks like this:

Where are you in these bullet points listed?  Do you know Christ as your personal Savior AND as LORD of your life?  Have you seen transformation in your life, where you no longer live the way you did before you knew Christ?  Do you know others whom God is trying to reach, calling them to a new life?

I have seen people who resemble both lists, and I love it when I see the transformative work of Christ that happens when believers abide in Him.  This is why I love The Journey process, and why I’ve given my life to serve Influencers.  I do believe there is a revival occurring through Influencers, where people are being radically changed in such a way that it is positively affecting our culture.  It is so gratifying to play a small part, as we lead Journey groups and make disciples and watch them change the world.

No matter where you are in your walk with Jesus, there is MORE.  Join the Discipleship Revival that is happening right before our eyes.