REVIVAL: Every night or Regular Service Nights?
 

None of the above.... Thursday - Sunday. But all of those are regular service times except Friday being thrown in the middle.

Our Church has two revivals a year one spring, one fall. Tuesday - Thursday and Sunday. Very, Very Very Seldom more than one week.
Usually, DIfferent Preachers for them. However last year we had Bro. Gary Legg from SD for Both. He is one of the greatest preachers in our movement.

S'fast,

when i was very young, we had revival EVERY NIGHT! Then, they started giving us monday night off and worried that we might backslide between sunday and tuesday LOL LOL
NOW you can't hardly get folks to one mid week service let alone a weeklong revival.

some of our revivals lasted for months. i do not know how we did it but we did and the people loved it - those were the good ole days

Yes the pastors,if they have to preach more then three times a week now they think there working to hard and they need double pay if they have to knock doors.

I remember fondly those weeks long revivals. :) The longest one I can remember having was for 6 weeks straight, my pastor back then did not believe in "rest" nights LOL

The church I attend now holds it's revivals from Sunday to Tuesday nights usually.

I really miss how it used to be.

I remember the days when revival went for weeks with no "rest days" (and then sometimes MORE weeks) :ouch Some of the less fortunate women had a problem with their hair - I can even remember women coming to church on Saturday nights with their hair newly washed, rollers in it and a scarf tied around it. :ouch:ouch That was before the days of blow dryers, etc.

In those days, it was also common for nearby churches to visit when a revival was going on. We might have weeks of revival with an evangelist and a nearby pastor had brought his saints to our revival, like what he heard and booked the evangelist to come to his church. We would then visit his church and hear the same evangelist. I agree with whoever said that networking and fellowship was part of the key. Seems like there isn't much of that anymore. Too much diversity in what neighboring pastors want their saints to hear. :ohplease Evangelist would also be at Fellowship Meetings and Youth Rallys. Given a few minutes to speak - then the Holy Ghost could deal with whatever pastors were present, if that evangelist was someone who could be a help to their church.

To answer the question: at our church now, it is never the same schedule. I guess it depends on the evangelist's schedule or even what is going on at the church. This past summer we had "revival" when it was only Sundays and Wednesdays. We've had it Wednesday - Friday and then Sunday. We've had it Sunday - Wednesday. To say the least, our services don't follow any traditional old time Pentecost schedules. :toofunny

AIRFARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do remember the days of seemingly endless revival and long for it again, but I remember the evangalist and wife with two kids living in a 2 room camping trailer plugged into the church out back...

The airfare comment was about those evangelists who jet across the country to their various "meetings." (I'm NOT being critical - just stating facts.)

Yes, I remember the days of evangelists pulling a camping trailer behind a CAR. I also remember the church renting a little studio apartment for the evangelist's family. The ladies of the church would bring in prepared meals every day for them - or sometimes the evangelist's wife would request the opportunity to prepare their own meals (if the apartment had a stove/oven) and then the ladies would bring bags of groceries to them. Sometimes the evangelist's wife would give a "grocery list" so that she would receive things that she could fix that she knew her family would enjoy. I remember one evangelist's wife asked my mother if she would please bring a can of asparagus. She said, "I know it's expensive, but my husband enjoys it so much and we haven't had it in so long." If memory serves me correctly, my mother took several cans of asparagus.

Also, in those days, it seemed the evangelist was more likely to fellowship with the saints - and the pastor felt no threat. And there was no threat, the evangelist was there to help and knew that he would be moving on in a short (or not so short) time.

Steadfast, forgive us for hijacking your thread, but this has been a nice walk down memory lane for me.

In our home church we had a 13 week revival even changed evangelist because of scheduling and NO rest nights. Folks were tough back then is all I can say. But I do remember many of the saints took unofficial rest nights.:ohplease

Every night revivals wouldn't bother me. But I'm a unique individual, I don't know anybody else like me. lol

Unless there is some major schedule interference, I go to church at least 5 days a week all the time anyways. Twice normally (and occasionally 3 times) on Sundays, and then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Sometimes, fairly often, to something special on Fridays. And the occasional Monday - Monday being the least day anything ever goes on. lol

But YOU are wife-hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:shhh:toofunny :happydance

Hahaha.....yeah right. :p

If I was wife hunting I wouldn't be going to the churches that I go to a lot, there's no game in a lot of them. haha

To the contrary, I'm not wife hunting, because if I had one I wouldn't be able to go and do like I do. :)

LOL, and there are saints who STILL take unofficial "rest nights" even though you're only going 3 nights! :ohplease

I love revivals! I love to hear good men of God bring the Word to me with annointing... I can't get enough of them. It was in revival services as a young girl that God worked miracles in my own life. We had revival every night....7 days a week! I can still picture people dancing all over! I remember victory marches. People getting filled with the Holyghost! Yep! It was in one of those services that my faith was increased, even as a child of about 7 or 8. I had asthma and was going to the doctors several times a week. One night I told my mother that I was healed. She asked me how I knew and I told her that Jesus came and sat next to me and healed me. I never went to the doctor again nor have I had any asthma related issues..... I love it! Ok! Who's having the next revival??? I wanna go to church!!!

When you've got small children who get extremely cranky and don't sleep through the night, rest nights are required for sanity.

As someone who's been in the ministry I understand your vexation. As someone who's been out of the ministry, working full time, shift work I can understand the Saints.

The neat thing is, our church is in an amazing season of revival and we're not having a special evagelist speak every night in a row for a month. The prayer has been stepped up and God is moving.

When you have service 6-7 times a week it builds momentum. But I don't know about every night, especially if the evanglist is getting older :toofunny

I understand what you are saying.:ouch. And I am not trying to pick that apart, BUT, I found that in those times of sacrifice that I got the most out of service. And I was not the mother who kept their child in the nursery. They learned how to sit in church and it was very very hard at times, but it paid off. In revival times, I had no problem with them falling asleep! In fact, I looked forward to those times! But looking back, I would not change those week long revival services for anything.

I would be one to attend faithfully today and I am not just saying that. When the preacher has heard from God after prayer and fasting, I don't wanna miss it. I've been in both kinds of revivals.. Services where 2 or 3 hours seems to go like a couple of minutes and then you have some that speak for 30 minutes and you know you've been there for 3 hours! LOL

:toofunny

I am afraid there is much truth to this. Today's generation want a million dollar blessing on a penny sacrifice.

I don't keep my children in the nursery either. My two year old is in with us every Sunday night (Sun AM he's in Sunday School) He is being taught to behave in church, that's the reason I don't put him in the nursery. But he can only sit still for so long and he starts to get tired and very cranky. I do take small snacks and a few "toys" to occupy him.
There are some services where I have to spend the service out in the lobby.

You must have had laid back toddlers?

My toddler is anything but laid back.. and he can't talk very well so he makes this growling/screaming type noise when he's ticked off... it's very loud and can be very disruptive. He is indeed in the "terrible two's" right now. Very strong willed like his dad! :toofunny

When he's four and has learned to behave things will be different. But I still won't be taking him night after night for a week till midnight or later like the old revivals used to go when he's only young.

I also have a newborn, he was three months on Sunday. They don't stay quiet either. That's quite impossible. So while I totally hear what you are saying, and it would totally work if they were a bit older... it totally doesn't work for me now. Believe me I've tried... :ouch

There was a time that I wouldn't miss a special service.. because I wanted all I could get from God. I still want all I can get but I have very small children right now and I know the Lord visits me in my quiet times at home too.
It's the season I'm in right now.. all too short I'm afraid. My kids will be grown before I know it.

It's from this vantage point that I understand those who can't go every single night of "revivals" but need to have nights off.

I wasn't crackin' down on ya! Please so misunderstand. My boys were far from laid back! :) lol! It was hard but I did it! I wasn't "allowed" to miss. My husband and I were the musicians.! lol... I guess my point was that it was a sacrifice for me and it was hard because if they did fall asleep then they'd wanna stay awake all night after we got home. I would have loved to been able to get in bed at a decent time, but looking back, the blessings and renewings I received were so great, I'd do it all over again. Please don't get me wrong, I wasn't coming down on ya. Just talking from my own experiences! :queen

My children are a little older now and all those services they spent in training have paid off! WooHoo!

I'd gladly attend some revival services! We need it!

You are right on! One will never truly experience what their soul is longing for with any sacrifice. One will never know what it is like to have God fully working in their own life, until they learn what a true sacrifice is!

So my question is are all the apostolic churches backslidden? I mean, if you used to have revivals for weeks and now can only muster a couple of days that does mean something is wrong?

Does more church equal closer to God?

Scheduled Revivals at our church are rare, but they held on regular service nights with the exception of children's revival - that is held once a year and Wed- Sun.

Sorry!

Can't do it. I'm too full, and too much asleep. Didn't you see the "Do Not Disturb" sign?

But, I will make an effort. I will see you Sunday if the Football game is not on or if I have company. I'll do my best.

So if the trend continues what's going to happen?

The trend will continue to happen.

One of two things will happen to us. We will have a trajic wake up like China burning our cities with nuclear bombs. Or, we will go through a long night of Apostsy like the original Apostolic church did after Paul's wolves came in, not sparing the flock who put them into the sleep of death. After all, if we would remember the parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins. They all slept...all ten. But there were some who still had oil in their lamps when the midnight cry went out..."go ye out to meet him."

My little guy never falls asleep for me in church... not sure why. He konks out when he sits with my parents once in a while. He tends to play good, eat a snack.. play some more and then suddenly when he's sick of it all the howling begins.

I do understand what you are saying... and because I've followed your posts since I've joined the forum I know you aren't criticizing my choices. I appreciate your spirit... and your great love for Chocolate.

You know something? I think I said this before... it's sounding familiar in my brain.. so forgive me if I'm repeating myself...

But our church is in the midst of "revival" right now. And we're just having our regular services. Prayer has been put in the forefront and things are happening in our church.

As much as special services are needed, I think revival can happen in a church without a special preacher or extra services... after all, revival in a church and city is all about getting out there and witnessing.. and what I've found, is the majority of people won for the kingdom are won... one on one.
With witness, friendship.. home Bible studies etc.

Well said sister. That is the right spirit. I agree entirely. Any person, any church, any fellowship can stir themselves if they so desire and so moved to do it.

In Eph 5th chapter, the word says, "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."

Notice, that is up to us. We can do it if we will. The power of volition is always our own to exercise. God will never over rule or over power our wills.

... and there are sleepy people everywhere aren't there?
In every church in North America I dare say.

I think that you are leaving out one other possiblity, because the Lord has done it before, and that is he could raise up a new group of people.

Mrs LPW,

I admire the fact that you keep the kiddos in church.. yes for some the nursery is a good thing but for me it was the worst.. mine were horrible if I ever tried to keep them in church so one night my papa who was the pastor told me... just keep them out here... they do better and if they cry they wont bother me... it was a very large church so he had a point..

One night my youngest started to squall and I went to take her to the nursery.. got back and from the pulpit he said ummm go get that kid... my kids gonna know how to act in church and if she cries again she can come preach with me... I did.. he did... hold her while he preached that night and I guess she learnt a lesson lol.. she never cried in church again... I know thats not the case with all but I admire anyone who keeps them in church and lets them learn from even an earlier age!