Skip to content
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
The Baptist Paper
The Baptist Paper
  • SBC 2025
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds
  • SBC 2025
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds

Guest editorial: What might happen if God’s people truly cried out to Him?

  • June 20, 2022
  • Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey
  • Latest News, Opinion, Rashional Thoughts
(Unsplash photo)

Guest editorial: What might happen if God’s people truly cried out to Him?

EDITOR’S NOTE — Editors, writers, photographers and a variety of other communicators from across the U.S. shared a press room, media tables and access to those leading various efforts of the recent Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Anaheim.  Fellow editor Shannon Baker’s article focuses on one quiet, yet powerful, presentation made in Anaheim. Shannon serves as director of communications and editor of BRN United for the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey. She also is the current president of the Association of State Baptist Publications.


By Shannon Baker
Association of State Baptist Publications

Believing our nation and the Southern Baptist Convention — if things are handled correctly — is on the precipice of revival, revivalist Bill Elliff offered ways communicators and others could prepare to “spread the fame of revival to spread the flame of revival.”

Speaking at a June 13 gathering of editors, Elliff shared how he is seeing some of the same signs of revival he experienced in the early 1970s when God poured out His Holy Spirit through the Jesus Movement.

Elliff, pastor/church director for OneCry! A Nationwide Call for Spiritual Awakening, recounted his time at Ouachita Baptist University where “there was an extraordinary atmosphere of revival,” he said.

“Many of us would pray all night long — long nights on end — and I thought that was just normal,” said Elliff, noting others around the nation were doing the same.

Elliff shared how students responded by confessing sin, getting right with each other and their parents and going to professors and confessing their cheating and dishonesty.

“It was my first taste of what I would call the manifest presence of God,” Elliff said, defining “manifest” as the “unmistakable, clear, visible and omnipresence of God.”

“Just extraordinary moments,” he said tearfully. “We call these moments, if people respond right, revival.”

‘Extraordinary movement’

Elliff shared how Richard Owen Roberts, president and founding director of International Awakening Ministries, defines revival.

“Revival is the extraordinary movement of the Spirit of God among God’s people that produces extraordinary results.”

History has shown how our nation has experienced revivals, where God’s people experience God’s presence and transformation, that led to spiritual awakenings, where lost people are awakened by the Spirit of God to their lost condition and are miraculously saved, every 30 to 60 years, he said.

The first Great Awakening was in 1735. “When that began to wane, people began to seek the Lord in the late 1700s again and then the Second Great Awakening happened from 1802 to about 1821, the longest movements we’ve ever had,” Elliff said.

“And when that began to wane a little while later, the 1857–58 prayer and revival happened. And then the Welsh Revival in 1904, which affected the whole world, literally.”

Revival transforms culture, Elliff said. “God accomplished in the Welsh Revival in nine months more than centuries of legislation could accomplish.”

But, he stressed, “Revival is just God. It’s God being placed on the throne of our lives and our churches.”

The problem isn’t Washington, Hollywood or anything or anyone else, Elliff said, explaining it’s God’s people not walking with Him.

Elliff shared three things we can do to prepare for revival:

Prepare for revival

First, “understand the preparatory work of God and revival. If you study it, you will see the same pattern. Ten years before every Great Awakening, God raises up voices, God brings the message of repentance to the foreground, and desperation grows, and people don’t know what to do … and then a united cry begins to erupt and then God says, ‘Here’s an answer.’”

Next, he said to “pray fervently and don’t be a spectator. Be a participant.” Pray for revival in your heart and report out of your experience, as well as what you observe.

Finally, “tell the story and be ready to tell it quickly.” He pointed to the telegraph that was instrumental in spreading the 1857 revival.

“As many men have said before, ‘the fame of revival spreads the flame of revival.’ With that task in mind, tell that story, and tell it well and quickly and get the broadest readership … that we might see a worldwide movement and the gospel will go to every tongue and tribe.”

Share with others:

Facebook
X/Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Latest News

  • Mississippi News June 19, 2025
    Mississippi News June 19, 2025
    June 19, 2025/
    0 Comments
  • Lawsuit against Dave Ramsey’s company moving forward
    Lawsuit against Dave Ramsey’s company moving forward
    June 19, 2025/
    0 Comments
  • Mother in Somalia loses husband, home for following Christ
    Mother in Somalia loses husband, home for following Christ
    June 19, 2025/
    0 Comments

Sign up for the Highlights

Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month.
Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

Related Posts

Lawsuit against Dave Ramsey’s company moving forward

At issue is a “righteous living” policy at Lampo, better known as Ramsey Solutions, which requires employees to abide by Christian values. Those values, Ramsey’s company has argued, include banning intercourse outside of marriage.

Mother in Somalia loses husband, home for following Christ

A mother of three children in Somalia is struggling to survive after her Muslim relatives drove her from their home and threatened to kill her for accepting Christ, she said.

First person: 15 questions for a six-month spiritual checkup

If you haven’t done a spiritual self-reflection yet this year, I encourage you to review the questions in this post to look at your life at an even deeper level. 

Supreme Court upholds TN law banning transgender hormone therapies for minors

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 18 in favor of a Tennessee law banning medical treatments and procedures, including puberty blockers, for transgender adolescents seeking gender transition.

Want to receive news highlights throughout the week? Sign up here!

Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

About

  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us
  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us

Explore

  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos

Submissions

  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy
  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
The Baptist Paper
Address:
3310 Independence Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35209
Copyright © 2025 TAB Media Group
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ

Email:
news@thebaptistpaper.org

About

  • Our Team
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Donate
  • Photo Galleries
  • Contact us
  • Hosted Church
  • Our Team
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Donate
  • Photo Galleries
  • Contact us
  • Hosted Church

Explore

  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your State News
  • Persecuted Church
  • Editorials
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • Submit your news
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your State News
  • Persecuted Church
  • Editorials
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • Submit your news

Subscribe

  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate

Log Out?

Lost your password?

Log In

Lost your password?

Log in

Become a part of our community!
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy/Terms of Use

Reset password

Recover your password
A password reset link will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy/Terms of Use
Back to
Login
×
Close Panel