Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]?

1 Corinthians 3:16 (Amplified)

The Spirit who dwells within you is God’s ever-renewing presence and power.

When we learn to live in the truth, we will go from praying for revival to pursuing renewal. While revival is an off-and-on experience, renewal is a way of life. Many believers, however, are driven by an orphan spirit. They long for God to fill them as if they are empty vessels on the inside, not realising that the reality of His fullness already resides in them. They end up chasing after a revival experience rather living the renewed life in Christ by faith.

A revival is a visitation from God in a certain location, but in Christ we have more than we could ever ask for in Him. The Spirit of God comes and goes as He pleases in the Old Covenant, but in the New Covenant, the Spirit of God is glad to dwell in you because you have become God's holy habitation through Christ. This implies a visitation from God is for the moment, but a habitation of God is forever. You no longer need to get into God's presence since God's presence is always with you.

Should we thus pray for revival in our city?

If we choose to pray but do not obey what the gospel says about us in Christ, we should pray in repentance, not revival. The desire for a city-wide revival is pointless unless we are passionate about honouring Jesus by spreading His good news and making disciples.

Many previous revivals such as the ones ushered by John Wesley have seen a convergence of the gospel with social justice. They brought fundamental changes and remarkable reforms, not just within the four walls of the church, but everywhere. We don’t see that in many so-called modern time revivals. They fizzle out as quickly as they came. They cause more rivalry than unity and more competition than cooperation.

Revival is a fruit of renewal in the life of the Spirt; it cannot manifest itself without the help of the Holy Spirit. While we all want a fresh touch of God, we must first and foremost focus on what the Spirit is saying to us.