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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Reading Reflection: A God-Sized Vision
Submitted to Dr. William Brown
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
EVAN 500-D01
Spiritual Factors of Growing Churches
by
Mauricio Guerra
April 30, 2022
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Hansen, Collin and Woodbridge, John. A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and
Stir. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing, 2010.
Introduction
Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge have written a thoughtful book, A God-Sized Vision
that discusses the importance of revival using historical and chronological examples that helps
the believer build a stronger foundation of faith. The meaning of revival is not easy to define and
so based on its historical concept, the reader has one possible way of understanding how God has
worked with His people through time. Revival can be said to mean “to bring back to life.”1
Coming back to life is what today’s church needs, a revival is what the individual believer needs
now more than ever. There are so many important concepts that can be taken from this book that
will help the believer grow the ministry. The writer of this paper will address four concepts, one
is the importance of God’s refreshing movements, two will be the surprising signs God gives His
church, third will be the spiritual needs of people, and lastly, repentance and prayer.
Four Concepts
The first concept is a fresh movement of God upon His church. “Every revival is a
repetition of Pentecost, and it is the greatest need of the Christian church at this present hour.”2
The church is in desperate need of the Holy Spirit to move in a mighty way. As it has so many
times before.
The second Concept has to do with people's willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to move
in a mighty way. The way it happened in the 1730s to 1740s in North America. “The Great
Awakening, a diverse group of Protestant movements, ranging from Continental Pietism, Scots
1 Collin Hansen, and John Woodbridge A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010), 20.
2 Ibid. 26.
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Irish Presbyterianism, and Anglo-American Puritanism... would emerge and leave a lasting
legacy.”3
The third Concept deals with the people’s spiritual needs. Every revival came to be as
people’s spiritual life had become anemic. Revivals have not happened in today’s church because
the church has not stopped and checked itself out. Is the church to please man or God? “The
signs of physical decay were a stiff reminder of the region’s great spiritual need.”4
The fourth concept would have to be the importance of repentance and prayer.
Repentance clears the mind, body, and spirit so that prayer can flow out of the believer’s whole
being. “Believers seeking revival have seized on God’s promise.”5 that if they repent and go after
God’s heart, He will answer them.
Applications
God-Sized Vision illustrates, “Though God alone can instigate revival, the church need
not wait idly.”6 The application of these concepts is to be expected to be part of the believer’s
way of life. It starts with self-examination and repenting from any wrongdoing against God.
When the individual and the church by extension are honest and willing to change "God revives
his church, and then the new life overflows from the church.”7 Prayer comes alive as the church
begins to let God be God and “Bible prayers for revival implore God to quicken not me but us”
People’s spiritual needs begin to be answered as God’s Holy Spirit is welcome in people’s
hearts, minds, and bodies. As the individual, the church recognizes that we must come back to
3 Collin Hansen, and John Woodbridge A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010), 40.
4 Ibid. 121.
5 Ibid. 23.
6 Ibid. 35.
7 Ibid.
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God, we must repent, we must rest on His promise, and recognize that we need a fresh
movement of God in our Sanctuary, our heart the revival of our time will come to be a reality.
