Each of the twelve major revivals in the Old Testament began as God’s people cooperated with him by following the same general blueprint. This blueprint – what I call the revival protocol gives us guidance for returning to the Lord. This process of returning to God sets the stage for his presence to be made manifest in our midst. “ ‘Return to Me,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘that I may return to you’ ” (Zech. 1:3). Before examining the revival protocol in detail it will be helpful to define the term.

Revival: Biblical revival is actually a two-stage process. The first stage of revival is a return of God’s people to Him. This requires a fundamental realignment of believers’ affection for, and obedience to God resulting in a positive change in attitudes and actions.

The second stage of revival is a gracious response by the Lord to His returning people. This is often seen as the “revival.” It is characterized by supernatural displays of His presence and/or protection, miraculous encouragement, and copious amounts of grace – all leading to greater unity, worship, and joy. Widespread repentance and conversion among the lost accompany this stage.

Protocol: World leaders and nations recognize protocol whenever dealing with dignitaries, foreign diplomats, and heads of state. Protocol expresses etiquette that displays appropriate honor for individuals, their relationships, and any agreements they have reached. Protocol determines the proper conduct in these situations. The word protocol is also used to describe standard procedures for the medical, scientific, and computer fields.

The Revival Protocol then, is the etiquette and proper conduct expected by our heavenly Head of State. It is the standard procedure to use when returning to Him.

The revival protocol consists of twenty elements repeatedly evident in the accounts of major revivals in the Bible. Taken together they define the etiquette, conduct, and procedure for returning to the Lord and inviting His presence. A consistent, albeit not identical, pattern using these components can be traced in each of the twelve major Old Testament revivals.

The first five components (in bold) are non-negotiable. They are present in each of the twelve revivals. All twenty components are important, and each revival has more than these core five. Even so, they are apparently essential in a return to God.

1. A Strong godly leader
2. A Shared vision
3. A Return to the Word
4. Gathering in unity
5. Obedience to authority
6. Praise/Worship
7. United prayer
8. Giving/Tithing
9. Covenant
10. Offering of sacrifices
11. Concern for the Temple
12. Confession/Repentance
13. Consecration
14. Destruction of idols
15. Prophetic ministry
16. Construction project
17. Fasting
18. Gathering of leaders
19. Teaching ministry
20. Moving forward