The following post is an excerpt from the book “Make Disciples that Sustain Revival” which will be released in April 2023.

Whether its personal renewal or corporate revival, many people take a “wait and see” approach. When we observe a little burst of life, growth, progress or energy in a person’s life or in the culture and atmosphere of a spiritual community, some are hesitant to bless what’s happening until they’ve had time to discern. I get this. I really do. I also don’t want to hastily lay my hand on something that may not be from God.

However, the Kingdom of God often comes in the form of a seed. The seed does not look like the mature fruit. Waiting to see the fruit and being able to recognize the seed are not mutually exclusive. I know what an apple seed looks like, and I also know what an apple is. I don’t have to wait for the apple to be full grown before I can identify it. If I need the apple to be full grown before I can identify it, that doesn’t mean that I have discernment, it means that I lack discernment.

It’s possible that no spiritual fruit could be born because we didn’t water the seed when we should have. Anyone that’s ever grown a plant knows that you can’t just “wait and see”—we have to water while we wait. If the plant dies from lack of care, that’s not the plants fault, it’s ours.

I think that sometimes taking solely a “wait and see” approach to revival is just a form of self-preservation. If people are confessing sin and getting saved, what is there to “wait and see” about? Are you concerned that you also might be convicted of sin and sent to the mission field or called to some other form of radical obedience? The “wait and see” approach is predisposed to find imperfections and errors. But historically, revivals have occasionally had imperfections and errors. Perhaps if the “wait and see” crowd had participated, they could have prevented the errors from coming about with their discerning insights. (You can read the previous sentence both with and without sarcasm.)

Sometimes discernment is not passive. Sometimes you can be proactively discerning as you participate in something and contribute your wisdom. Passive discernment often becomes criticism and accusation.

I’m going to mix-metaphors here and say that in the Kingdom it is possible to get your hands dirty while also having clean hands. We get our hands dirty when we actively contribute, participate, steward and celebrate revival. We keep our hands clean when we discern from up close, providing insightful nudges as the momentum grows, rather than calling out criticisms from the sidelines. Sustaining revival takes all of us watering the seed while we wait for the fruit.