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After studying the biographies of many spiritual men and the revivals that we have experienced in the past, we have come to the conclusion that revival is a law of the spiritual life.
Every organism has its own laws. Biology is the study of the laws of various organisms, including the phenomena and the issue of the operation of these laws. Our spiritual life also has many laws. For example, Romans 8:2 speaks of “the law of the Spirit of life,” and Hebrews 8:10 speaks of the laws that God will inscribe on our hearts. There is another law of the spiritual life related to revival. Although I have observed revivals and also experienced revivals, I never considered that revival is a law. Therefore, I have not given any messages concerning the law of revival.
In Christianity the word revival is often used in the context of a spiritual reawakening. This understanding is applied to a Christian who becomes cold, stumbles, goes back to the world, or falls into sin, but if he later rises up again to love and pursue the Lord, he has experienced a reawakening, a revival. This, however, is not what the Bible reveals as a revival in the normal experience of a Christian. It is true that a person who stumbles, becomes cold, or backslides needs to be revived. However, even if a person does not stumble, become cold, or backslide, he still needs a revival, because being revived is a law of the spiritual life.
The revivals in our spiritual life have the same function as the metabolism of an animal or a plant. In both the animal life and the plant life there is a metabolic function. The ability of an organism to grow and mature depends on the law of metabolism. If the metabolic function stops, the growth of life will also stop. The continual growth of a tree also depends on the seasonal cycles of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Under normal conditions a tree needs metabolic processes in order to grow well.
This principle applies also to our human life, which is the highest form of the created life. Medical doctors know that every cell in the human body is completely renewed about every seven years. This renewing requires that the metabolic functions in our body operate daily; that is, new nutrients must be absorbed to supply us, and old nutrients must be discharged. The old nutrients are discharged and replaced by the new nutrients. This is metabolism. Our body grows and becomes strong through this process, which is a law of the human life.
If we compare what the Bible says concerning revival with the experiences of believers, we can see that the spiritual life also includes a “metabolic” process. This process is a cycle that is repeated continuously. In our spiritual experience there is a beginning, a course, and an ending, after which we experience another beginning with another course and another ending. This cycle repeats itself, and each repetition takes us forward. The beginning, course, and ending are a spiritual metabolism. This is also a law of revival. Every new beginning is a new revival and is followed by a course. When the course reaches its fullness, the experiences in that stage come to an end. Then another beginning will ensue with another course and another ending. This is the cycle of revival.
If we know the law, or secret, to doing something, we will have the assurance of doing it well. Revivals are not an exception. If we understand the law of revival and touch the secret to revivals, it will be easy for us to experience a revival. For example, the people in a village in northern China contracted night blindness. Later, it was discovered that if they ate the liver of a certain fish, known locally as flatfish, their eyesight would be restored. From that time onward, those who were diagnosed with this disease were healed by eating the flatfish liver. Studies have shown that night blindness is due to the shortage of vitamin A in the body and that the flatfish liver is rich in vitamin A; hence, it was possible to cure the disease. This is an example of a law. As soon as this law was discovered, it was easy to cure the disease. Those who had the disease did not need to worry or fear. As long as they applied the law, they would be healed. Once a law is discovered, it is possible for help to be rendered.
Some saints have spiritual “night blindness.” They are always in anguish and feel oppressed. They long to rise up, but they are unable because they have not touched the law that can cure their disease. For the last ten years we have given messages concerning the aspects of our spiritual life, but we missed the matter of revival, the law of revival. Without this teaching we have suffered much and sustained much loss. We suffer, feel oppressed, and are not released, because we neither know the law of revival, nor do we know how to apply this law.
Several years ago many saints entered into the pause after the end of a revival and began to feel oppressed, weak, and in darkness. When they examined their situation, however, they realized that they had not stumbled and that they were stronger in the Lord. Nevertheless, they did not sense the same sweetness, freshness, or vitality. These saints remained in this condition for more than five years and could not find a way to be released. They suffered because we had not discovered the law of revival. Even though some saints were refreshed occasionally and could rise up when they touched the Lord, the help that they received was general.
After the end of a revival it is not necessary to experience a pause for a prolonged period of time. According to the law in our spiritual life, every revival has a course, after which there is a sense of being unsatisfied. This prepares us for a new revival. Hence, we should not feel weak and oppressed for a long time. We must remember that such feelings indicate that another revival will come. Furthermore, such feelings indicate that we need a new supply. This new supply is a revival. This is according to the law of revival.
Genuine growth in life is gained in the cycle of being revived, feeling unsatisfied for a period of time after the end of a revival, and then being revived again. This is also the way for our spiritual stature to increase. No matter how thorough a revival may be, it is not possible to gain every spiritual experience and become full grown in one revival. We must experience many revivals in our spiritual journey. This is the way for us to receive a fresh spiritual supply and to grow in the spiritual life. Those who do not pass through many spiritual cycles will grow slowly and will not gain much stature. In contrast, those who pass through this process many times will grow quickly and will mature.
In the physical realm a person needs to exercise in order to accelerate his metabolism. A person with a fast metabolism will experience proper growth and will be strong. This principle can be applied to our spiritual life. A person who passes through more cycles of being revived will grow fast. Regrettably, many saints have been in an oppressed situation for up to six years, and they have not experienced a new cycle of revival. Hence, their spiritual life is stagnant; they do not have much growth, nor are they learning new lessons. We could say that they have learned to be patient, but this may not be a genuine lesson, because even an unbeliever who is in a difficult situation for up to six years can learn to be patient without being spiritually experienced. Some saints have indeed made progress in their conduct, in the way they take care of matters, in their temperament, and in their habits. However, such progress might not be spiritual growth; it is possible that it is merely the outcome of being tried under difficult circumstances. There is a big difference between this experience and spiritual progress.
Genuine spiritual growth depends on the renewing of the inner life. This renewing in life is a revival. When we experience a revival, we will know and receive more spiritual things. After a period of time, what we know and have received will become old, and we will feel unsatisfied and weak. This means that it is time for us to be revived again in order to see and gain something new, that is, for the spiritual element to increase in us and for our spiritual stature to increase. Thus, another cycle will ensue, after which we will again become old and unsatisfied. Hence, we are renewed, become old, and are renewed again. Through this process we receive more spiritual elements. The new spiritual elements eliminate and swallow up some of the old elements in us. The more we are revived, the more spiritual elements will be added to us, and the more our natural elements will be swallowed up. The element of the self is discharged, and the element of God is added to us; we decrease, and the Lord increases. It is only through such a cycle of revival that we can grow.
When we are in the pause after a cycle of revival, that is, when we are not satisfied, we gain a particular knowledge concerning ourselves. This is also a law. We do not see ourselves in the time of revival, because everyone who is in a revival is like a person who is drunk with wine. We become clearer when we enter into the time of being unsatisfied at the end of a revival. When a person is low, his being tends to be still. It is during this quiet time that he becomes clearer. This is true not only in spiritual matters. This principle also applies to the physical realm. When we are excited, we are not as clear about the condition of things. We tend to be optimistic and feel good about everything. When we are calm after the excitement, we become sober within and are able to see things clearly. We see the advantages and disadvantages, the benefits and the harm, the right and the wrong, and the gain and the loss.
For example, when two people become friends, they initially cannot see each other’s condition clearly, because they are excited and affectionate. When the heat of the excitement dies down and they are calm, they will be able to see each other’s weaknesses and shortcomings. Similarly, during the time of a revival, a person is unclear about himself. He may feel that he has no problems and that all is well with him. Only when he is down will he see something particular related to his condition. In other words, when we are not satisfied, our real condition is partially exposed. As a result, we feel weak or short in the matter that is exposed.
While a person is in a revival, he will often testify, “I am absolutely for the Lord; I am willing to pay any price for Him. My whole being — every drop of sweat, every ounce of blood, and every cell in my body — is for the Lord. My time is for the Lord, and my money is also for the Lord. I am willing to give Him my all.” We should not be so quick to give such a testimony. Perhaps in another six months the mood of our consecration will change. Perhaps we earn two hundred thousand dollars, and the Lord wants us to give two thousand for a particular need. We might count the two thousand dollars over and over, and eventually, we give only one thousand because we feel the pain in giving. Then we realize that we cannot easily overcome money. It seems as if the Lord can ask us for anything but not our money.
A brother may be irritable and quick to lose his temper. Then he is revived and testifies in the meeting, “Thank the Lord! He has delivered me from my temper. In the past weeks I encountered many trying situations in which I would have become extremely angry. But to my amazement I did not lose my temper, not even once. Praise the Lord! My temper has gone; it is a thing of the past and has been cast into the sea. I have been freed from my temper.” This testimony is true, and it is also false. This can be compared to seeing a mirage. While playing by the sea, a person might see a city in the sky with houses and streets. We cannot say that he did not see a city, but those who understand physics know that this is a phenomenon of the refraction of light, reflecting a distant city such that it appears to be in the sky. The city looks real, but it is false. A person who is revived can be compared to a person seeing a mirage. Although he sees something, there is no reality to what he sees. He sees that his temper is over, but when the atmosphere of revival ends, and he is no longer satisfied, he will discover that his temper is more difficult to deal with than he had thought. Although he may love the Lord more, he cannot overcome his temper. This will puzzle him.
A person knows himself better when he is down. When a person is down, his weaknesses and problems become manifest. This can be likened to a reef near the surface of the sea. At high tide the reef is submerged in the water and cannot be seen, but at low tide the reef is visible. When we are revived, the high tide of revival covers our weaknesses, and our real condition is not visible. However, as the high tide of revival recedes, our real condition will gradually appear, and our weaknesses will be clearly manifested. If we love money, our love for money will be manifested. If we are quick-tempered, our temper will be manifested. This is a law. After a revival our real condition will be manifested, and we will see our weaknesses.
We normally feel that our weaknesses are terrible. However, our knowledge and experience of Christ are based on the knowledge of our weaknesses. If we do not learn more concerning our weaknesses, it will be hard for us to know more concerning Christ. Hearing messages concerning Christ and reading verses in the Bible that speak of Christ will not give us genuine knowledge concerning Christ. In order to genuinely know Christ, we must first discover our weaknesses. The weaknesses that we discover will reflect a certain characteristic of Christ. We can then experience and gain Christ according to this particular characteristic. Hence, our experience and gaining of Christ depend on our knowing our weaknesses. Many Christians can testify to this fact.
While preaching the gospel, a brother may speak a clear word concerning the redemption of the Lord Jesus on the cross. Not everyone who hears and understands this word has a genuine knowledge of Christ, because what they hear is knowledge, theory, and doctrine; it is not genuine knowledge. The Holy Spirit must shine in a person’s conscience and even test him so that he may see that he is corrupt and sinful and that he is a hopeless sinner. Then the Holy Spirit will enlighten him further to see that all his sins were borne by Christ on the cross. It is after this that he will truly know the effectiveness of Christ’s redemption and will experience peace from the forgiveness of his sins. Hence, a person must recognize his sins in order to know and experience Christ’s redemption. Unless we recognize our sins, the messages that we hear concerning Christ’s redemption are useless to us. Our experience of Christ is reflected in what we know of ourselves. When we see a weakness in ourselves, we will also see a particular characteristic of Christ.
Let us use another example. We have heard many messages concerning Christ being our life and concerning Christ having the power of resurrection, but these truths may be mere doctrine to us. One day the Lord will bring us to the point that we are surrounded and besieged by mountains and hills in our environment. Instead of there being a smooth highway before us, we will be faced with obstructions and will be pressed beyond our power within and without. This situation may last for several years. Then one day, when we are in a low and deadened condition, we may hear a message concerning the resurrected and transcendent Christ, who is not held by death but rather has broken through death. Although we may have heard such a message before, it did not have any effect on us because we lacked knowledge of our condition and of Christ’s characteristics. This time, however, we realize that Christ has indeed broken through death, has ascended, is exalted, and is transcendent over everything. When we begin to know this aspect of Christ, we are released and transcendent, and we enter into a new revival.
We must remember that a revival is not a once-for-all experience. Every revival will come to an end, and we will again enter a time of being unsatisfied. However, during the time of being unsatisfied, we will discover another natural condition; that is, we recognize another natural weakness. This weakness will cause us to see a certain characteristic of Christ and experience Christ in this characteristic. Thus, we will again be revived and will know, experience, and gain more of Christ. The more we are revived, the more we will know Christ. If we stop being revived, our knowledge of Christ will also stop.
Hence, it is good that we have weaknesses, for our weaknesses enable us to see the characteristics of Christ. It is difficult for us to know the characteristics of Christ if we do not know our own weaknesses. We discover our weaknesses after a revival. At such a time our heart is downcast, and there is a matching difficult environment, which is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. These cause us to gain a deeper knowledge of ourselves. The Holy Spirit often raises up a special situation in our environment to coordinate with His discipline so that we can discover our weaknesses or our problems. What we see becomes a kind of reflection that enables us to see a particular characteristic of Christ that can deal with our weakness. When we see and receive this characteristic, we will immediately be revived.
If we are skillful in the application of the law of revival, it will not be difficult for us to be revived. It will be unnecessary for us to remain in a state of oppression for a long time. Whenever we feel oppressed, we will see a weakness in ourselves, and this weakness will enable us to see an aspect of Christ. Then we can be revived again. This corresponds to Paul’s word in 2 Corinthians 12: “Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me...For when I am weak, then I am powerful” (vv. 9-10). We will be able to say, “When I am low, then I am soaring; when I am suffering, then I am rejoicing; and when I lose my temper, then I am gentle.” If being quick-tempered is our weakness, this weakness will be manifested when we are low. Once this weakness is manifested, we can receive Christ as our patience. We should not continually look at our weaknesses, for they are manifested so that through them we would see Christ.
The problem with many saints is that they look only at their weaknesses, and as a result, they collapse. I once told a brother not to ask the saints to sing the hymn “O Lord, Shine and Shine on Me” (hymn #326 in the Chinese hymnal). The saints do not need to look at themselves, nor do they need more shining, because they are not able to rise up. If the members in a Christian group are confused, quarreling, and fleshy, then they will need to sing, “O Lord, shine and shine on me.” Among us, however, some saints know that they are fleshly, in the self, and cold toward the Lord; hence, they do not need to look at their weaknesses. The more they look at themselves, the more incompetent they will feel, and the colder they will become. We cannot rise up, because we do not apply the law of revival.
Therefore, we should never stay focused on our weaknesses. The weaknesses that we discover should only enable us to see an aspect of Christ for us to experience. When we gaze upon Christ, who is newly revealed to us in a particular characteristic, we will be enlivened within and revived. After we experience Christ in this way, we will not care about our weaknesses. Instead, we will look directly at our goal, the Christ who is able to supply us richly in all things and solve all our problems. Then we will be revived and experience another cycle of revival. When we see a weakness, we should immediately look at Christ. Then we will experience another revival. This is the law of revival. If we see this law clearly, whenever we are down and discover a weakness, we can receive Christ according to our weakness and enter into a new revival.
We do not need to beg in order to be revived. We only need to know the law of revival and apply this law. Whenever we see a weakness, we should simply receive Christ according to the need that has been revealed, and our inner being will rise up. This is a revival. Revivals do not last long; they come to an end. Then we see ourselves again and also see Christ; thus, we have yet another revival.
Therefore, feeling low, down, or oppressed is not something bad; it is a necessary process. But we should not linger too long in this state. The weakness that we see in ourselves should cause us to see something of Christ, which will be a new element to supply us, and we will have yet another revival. Those who exercise to be revived in this way will grow continually in Christ. Their stature in Christ will increase, the spiritual element will increase within them, and they will put off the self. It is through the repeated cycles of the law of revival that we can continue to grow and advance spiritually.
