All across America, church parking lots, sanctuaries, and fellowship halls ring with bold proclamations like the one above. Many in the body of Christ believe that God is about to usher in the greatest revival in world history.

With the decline of morality, the failure of many marriages and families, and the rise of violence among our youth, few Christians will argue that America needs reviving. Conventional wisdom seems to say that a fresh visitation of the Holy Spirit is what is most needed to sweep away the strongholds of sin and darkness that have crept insidiously into our culture. In fact, some see little hope for our generation without revival.

But conventional wisdom can sometimes be narrow in perspective. Jesus challenged the conventional wisdom of His generation. He taught His followers to do the same. In so doing, they turned the world upside down.

As we enter Christianity's third millennium, perhaps it is time to step back, take a deep breath, and critically examine our expectations of revival and beyond. Have we missed something? How does our hope for a "cure-all super-revival" square with the methodical discipleship of Jesus' Great Commission?

Through our new series of non-fiction essays entitled In the River of Revival, we hope to challenge Christians to look not only at revival with today's conventional wisdom, but also to consider fresh and new ways that God might desire to invigorate His Church with His power.

What if we, in our conventional thinking about revival, had overlooked a vital approach to God's work in our time? How does God look at revival? Does He see it as a mere destination, a place we are headed to on His River? Or does He see revival as something we should immerse ourselves in from the moment we enter into His kingdom?

After all, doesn't revival reflect the present condition of all who have been made alive in Christ? Are we not already awash in the River of God by virtue of the gift of the Holy Spirit? Do we not drink from the well of living water which is Christ?

As we travel this "River of Revival" we will need a vision of our goal, an idea of our route, and a spot-check of our course so we can make needed corrections along the way. We want to make certain that we stay in the center of Gods flow.

In the days when steamboats plied Americas rivers, captains took regular depth soundings because they feared running aground. Our new series, In the River of Revival, presents seven check-points or soundings for believers traveling God's River. Throughout the series we examine some of the dangers and pitfalls that lie concealed around the River's many bends and turns.

We submit these essays to the body of Christ with hope that they will stimulate contemplation and discussion. We believe in Christ's prescription of discipleship. We pray that God will change many lives and set our nation back upon its Judeo-Christian foundation. Whether a future, large scale Christian renaissance is coming, we cannot say. But regardless, let us remember that revival is not only a destination but also a joyful journey.

In the River of Revival is actually the Authors' Preface to RP's new seven essay non-fiction series of the same name. Visit the GroundWorks Home Page to learn more.

Mark Weaver and John Jenkins are the authors of The Century War Chronicles
and the founders of Reconciliation Press.

Write Mark at mark@reconciliation.com
Write John at john@reconciliation.com