Revivals are often victimized and intellectually assaulted by the church of its day. Surviving this barrage, and having leadership that can responsibly weather such onslaught, is what determines how transformative and far-reaching the revival will be in its world culture.

If the arguments and complaints that come from others in the church-world proves to be minimal in slowing the advancement of a spirit-born movement, it is likely that the revival can evolve into an awakening that fully affects its era.

However, if too much friendly fire begins to prevail in usurping their heady slanders of any and all new stirrings or happenings, the revival’s chances of reforming society will greatly suffer.

You see, if a revival and its leaders are hampered by the distraction of continually having to defend and explain itself, the momentum can be slowed, the workers can get exhausted, and the overall joy or emotional fuel can be drained…thus, stifling the movements advance.

Conversely, if revivalists have been touched with fresh fire and enough purpose, they sometimes take the offensive charge, as opposed to the defensive struggles.

A revival born with a running charge is one that is willing to call out:

A. the sins and dangers of its day, as well as B. the inefficiencies and backslidings of the church itself. Either way, revival is an act of war. It is heavily attacked, forcing it to become defensive from the ire of brothers and sisters until it is mostly quenched and cornered… or, it burst forth on an offensive, advancing mission with furious, fiery, raised voice and reason-ready pleadings that cause it to plow ahead with full show of emotion and purpose. But, rarely does a revival arrive on the platonic and tentative tip-toes of apathy.