REVIVAL: Every night or Regular Service Nights?

[Sweet Pea]

Originally Posted by scotty

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.

[Steve Epley]

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.

[chseeads]

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

[Steve Epley]

Originally Posted by chseeads

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chseeads]

Hahaha.....yeah right.

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.

[MawMaw]

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

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.

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

Originally Posted by Sweet Pea

I remember the days when revival went for weeks with no "rest days" (and then sometimes MORE weeks) 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. 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. 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.

Those were 'the days', weren't they? Instead of a 'revival when we can' it was more of a 'revival until God's done'.

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

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.

It's those 'unofficial rest nights' that vex my spirit as a Pastor when I've already carved away as many nights as possible and still call it revival! We generally do a Sunday through Wednesday leaving them the entire weekend and some still take the 'unofficial rest night'.

It's almost like they don't realize that we can, if necessary, have revival without an Evangelist but it's impossible to have revival without THEM!

[LadyChocolate]

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!!!

Does anybody notice that almost every person posting on this thread speak fondly of the 'every night until God is done' type of revivals? The general attitude is that God got more done in their lives during those times...

QUESTION: Could it be that we don't see more because we sacrifice less by our 'revival when we can' instead of 'revival until God's done' mentalitites?

QUESTION: How many of us posting would be faithful to 'every night until God is done' revivals again?

Funny how we can talk fondly of them but most wouldn't pay the price to go back to them in our generation.