Henry Blackaby, Claude King, Richard Blackaby, and Anne Lotz, Fresh Encounter: God’s Plan for Your Spiritual Awakening, Revised and Expanded. Broadman and Holman, 2009.
Referenced in: Congregational Renewal through Spiritual Revival
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is one of the most popular modern resources on the subject of revival. Three of the authors, the Blackabys and Claude King, are also the authors of the multi-million seller, Experiencing God. Here they team with Anne Graham Lotz to provide what is perhaps one of the most comprehensive revival guidebooks one can find.
To appreciate this text, one must understand the genre of revival literature. Revivalism focuses on the movement of God in bringing about deep transformation in individuals, churches, and whole groups of people. It tends to take scripture quite literally, and does not maintain a scholarly distance from the text, but instead emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about a “fresh encounter” with God resulting in repentance and reformation. Harkening back to biblical revivals and historical epochs such as the First and Second Great Awakenings, revivalism stresses the departure of man from God, the judgment of God against rebelliousness, the role of godly men and women as instruments God uses to call his “backslidden” people to return to him, the consequences for those who reject, and the blessings for those who receive.
Revival literature is not without its critics. Fresh Encounter, and works like it, describe the work of God in very sequential, patterned terms, and then spell out specific steps individuals and churches must take in seeking and experiencing revival. Some may not like this fundamentalist, formulaic, “direct encounter” approach. Others may not appreciate what they perceive to be a highly emotional experience that is sometimes characteristic of revivals. It is also important to remember that authentic revival has value for times and seasons that require a prophetic voice focused on conviction of sin, repentance, and restoration. It is not the best choice for those who need encouragement and consolation. Some messages comfort the afflicted, but revival literature afflicts the comfortable. Both have their place. Critics raise some legitimate concerns, especially as they relate to select phenomena often associated with so-called revivals. On the other hand, criticism may mask of spiritual lukewarmness indicative of the need for genuine revival.
That said, it is simply impossible to deny the occurrence of transformative revivals in scripture and religious history. The important task in appropriating God’s work in revival, however, is to distinguish between true and counterfeit experiences. Fresh Encounter does a respectable job in making this distinction, especially if balanced alongside other works such as Walter Kaiser’s Revive Us Again, that benchmarks the revivals of the Old and New Testaments. One may also profit from the critical assessment of current revival phenomena in Hank Hanegraaff’s Counterfeit Revival. Also a probing evaluation of mystical spirituality, sometimes characteristic of revival literature, appears in an older volume by In the Face of God: The Dangers and Delights of Spiritual Intimacy. Each of these is referenced in the guiding essay on Spiritual Revival.
Fresh Encounter is not weighty scholarship, but gives biblical exhortation and practical advice on the subject of revival. It begins by helping readers assess their need for revival. From there it defines revival, demonstrates the current need for revival, recounts the biblical record or revival, explains the biblical foundations and pattern of revival, describes the fruit of revival, and suggests how individuals and churches can best prepare for a participate in revival. A helpful four-part appendix provides resources for those who feel inclined to lead revival in their contexts.
Anyone interested in revival for his/her church will benefit from this book. It would be an excellent place to start. Readers may also be interested in the authors’ other popular works.
- Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, and Claude King, Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God. Revised and Expanded. Also the companion volume: Experiencing God: Knowing the Doing the Will of God, Leaders Guide Updated.
- Henry Blackaby and Holman Bible Editorial Staff, Experiencing the Word New Testament.
- Henry and Richard Blackaby, Experiencing God Day by Day: A Devotional and Journal.
- Henry and Richard Blackaby, Hearing God’s Voice.
- Henry and Richard Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda.
- Henry and Richard Blackaby, God in the Marketplace: 45 Questions Fortune 500 Executive Ask About Faith, Life, and Business.
- Henry Blackaby, Experiencing the Cross: Your Greatest Opportunity for Victory Over Sin. Also the companion volume, Experiencing the Cross Study Guide.
- Henry and Melvin Blackaby, Experiencing the Resurrection: The Everyday Encounter that Changes Your Life. Also companion volume, Experiencing the Resurrection Study Guide.
- Henry and Melvin Blackaby, Experiencing the Spirit: The Power of Pentecost Every Day.
- Henry and Norman Blackaby, Experiencing Prayer With Jesus: The Power of His Presence and Example.
From the Publisher
From the multi-million bestselling authors of Experiencing God comes Fresh Encounter, a book for church laypersons and leaders that illuminates God’s pattern and plan for personal revival and spiritual awakening.
Greatly revised from the original 1996 edition with forty percent new material, Fresh Encounter looks to examples of revival throughout the Bible to better understand what it will take to bring about true and lasting spiritual renewal in the world today. Among the new topics here that were not covered in the first edition are:
- Why does revival tarry?
- Corporate hindrances to revival
- The role of prayer in revival
- Maintaining revival
About the Authors
Henry Blackaby is founder and president emeritus of Blackaby Ministries International, an organization built to help people experience God. He and his wife have five children, fourteen grandchildren, and live in Rex, Georgia.
Richard Blackaby is president of Blackaby Ministries International and the oldest child of Henry and Marilynn Blackaby. He holds degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dallas Baptist University. He lives with his wife and children in Canada.
Claude King is editor-in-chief for undated resources at LifeWay Christian Resources. He holds degress from Belmont College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and lives with his wife in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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