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Revival is core to what New Hope InternationalChurch is about. We want to see people,
families,churches, and cities in revival. Accordingto the dictionary, revival means to move froma
seemingly dead state to a live one. For Christians,revival means to move from man-madereligion to a
vibrant relationship with God, withundeniably miraculous results following.

The specific term "revival" comes from Englishand American history and describes periodswhere the
Holy Spirit acts principally to stirpeople's spirits. As a result of these episodes,Christians' passion for God
is renewed and thelost are inexplicably converted. As masses ofpeople repent and are transformed by
the loveof God, the society around them changes forthe better. The "Second Great Awakening" inthe
1800s gave birth to the abolitionist movement(to end slavery) in the United States, forexample.

But revival is much more than a historical term.Revival is also prophesied about in the Bible,especially in
Ezekiel when God promises toreplace Israel's stony hearts with hearts offlesh, and in Ezekiel's vision of
the valley ofdry bones that are made into a living army(read Ezekiel 36:22 - 37:28). When readingthese
verses, we find that God emphasizes that He is the one who revives His people. Thisis an essential aspect
of revival that we mustunderstand-true revival is the obvious productof God, the Sovereign Lord, not
man. It is notmanufactured or engineered. It is not learnedthrough teaching, dependent on human
resources,or honed by market research. Revivalonly occurs when God moves freely in Hischurch. This
means there is nothing we canadd of ourselves to revival-any human manipulationwill only serve to
obstruct and distractfrom the move of God.

Revival is part of God's plan to prepare Hischurch for the end times and Jesus' return.Although God is
always at work in His church,His relationship with the church is a tremendousstory that winds through
history.In the same way that God periodicallymoved to spiritually revive the nation ofIsrael (followed
with physical blessing) inthe Old Testament, God also pours outdeliverance, power, and love to His
churchin certain places and times.

What is a revival church?You can't have a church in revival withoutpeople in revival. Revival starts in our
ownhearts. It starts when each person repentsof sin and desires God. The Bible gives usa recipe for
revival in James 4:8, "Comenear to God and he will come near to you.Wash your hands, you sinners, and
purifyyour hearts, you double-minded." Althoughwe cannot dictate when God will bring revival,we can
prepare for revival by repentingand hungering for the things of God.

We believe that each person in a revivalchurch needs to have an intimate relationshipwith God that
radically changes theway they relate to their family, coworkers,and friends. In a sense, each member of
arevival church should become a "carrier ofrevival." This is consistent with history andthe biblical model
of revival. The first-centuryChristians saw tremendous revival becauseof how individual believers lived
andevangelized. Their success had very littleto do with church organization and camein spite of
opposition from Roman authorities.

The success of more modern revivalswas also dependent on individuals. Eventhough we know the
names of past revivalists,the reason those people's ministrieswere powerful was because of the
radicalchange produced in their hearers'lives-revival is not just a meeting,but a lifestyle.
Also, a revival churchseeks the genuinemove of God by allowing the Holy Spirit tooperate freely. This is
more difficult thanit soundsͶwhen God moves, He oftenbreaks man-made traditions, pays no
attentionto denominational organization,and offends people's sensibilities of whatis proper. Jesus' own
ministry is an exampleof how the move of God goes"against the grain" of established,
institutionalreligion. In the same way, more modernmoves of God have encountered oppositionbecause
of unconventional methods.

George Whitefield and JonathanWesley, for example, drew criticism becausethey preached in openfields
to accommodatelarge crowds and becausetheir hearers sometimes had physicalmanifestations of God's
inward work. Fromopen-air preaching to holy laughter, Goduses new (but biblically consistent)
methodsto touch people's hearts.

Because God uses new methods to bringrevival, we at New Hope InternationalChurch are careful not to
"put God in a box"by strict adherence to man-made traditionsand practices. This mindset is most
evidentin our Sunday services, where we try tostructure the service to facilitate, not constrict,the move
of the Holy Spirit throughprayer, worship, and preaching. We are notashamed of unorthodox methods if
thosemethods deliver people from sickness andthe bondage of sin, and produce the life-changethat is
characteristic of revival.

Another key to being a revival church is toobey the specific call of God, whether on achurch level or an
individual level. God hasa particular fit for each local church in theBody of Christ, and a particular role
for eachperson to play within his or her local church.

We believe God has called our church tobring revival to the nations, which means:
1. Encouraging revival in our own churchand community
2. Supporting our pastor's calling to spreadrevival and work as an apostle to other revivalchurches

Today, our society is ripe for revival. Peopleare disgusted with institutional religion, ensnaredby sin,
bound by sickness and povertyͶand at the same time longing for a moreauthentic experience of God. If
we act as ahuman-run organization, depending on wisdomborrowed from the world and our ownability,
our church cannot hope to meet thisneed. Instead, we at New Hope InternationalChurch aim to be a
revival church that isopen to the authentic move of God, recognizesand obeys the call of God, and
continuallyfosters a lifestyle of revival amongour members.