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Rating: 
Summary: Incredible, unique, and right-on view of fasting & prayer
Review: Written by one of the greatest spiritual leaders ever(?)- maybe his best & most exciting book- Bill Bright has had a unique place in my heart as a believer from the very start of my Christian life. His simple yet dynamically impacting presentation of spiritual truths will easily stand the test of time, even to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
This is a great work on fasting and prayer! Endorsed by many of today's top evangelical leaders, it cuts right through many of the divisive issues in the church to the heart of spirituality, which is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But why is the church seemingly so impotent today? Why has our relationship with Jesus not been impacting our country in any obvious ways? Is it real, or is our relationship with God completely out of touch with the needs of the world around us? How exactly do we get 'in touch' with God anyway? What does it all mean, and how can it all start with me? What's my part in all this?
Bill Bright explains, in his wonderfully simple way, that it's all about drawing near to God by humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God's face and turning from our wicked ways: then, and only then, will God hear our prayers and heal our land. The power of fasting and prayer in relation to all this is what this book is about. Packed with information from start to finish- the Appendixes 40+ pages may actually be the best part(!). This is truly an incredible book!
It's about the only book on fasting relating to prayer I've ever read, and it's certainly true that in giving instructions on fasting Jesus said 'when' we fast and pray, and not 'if'. Fasting has already been a blessing to me, but I'm not anywhere near a forty day fast... yet. My only criticism of the book, and the reason for my originally giving it 4 stars instead of five, is that I get a little uncomfortable with language that seems to tie our nation too closely to the Christian faith. I say it with the deepest sense of humility though(!), because I've been greatly blessed by Bright's teachings in my life. More specifically, my complaint is in regards to when he says that failing to vote is a sin against our country (p.130). I believe in the right not to vote, as well as the right to vote. But I want to be absolutely clear on this: I'm practically nit-picking here! Ultimately, we are not just citizens of this world, and our kingdom is not to be considered an earthly kingdom. Bill Bright, being one of the greatest evangelical leaders of our time, surely understood this point. It's just that I like to hear more about the salt and light of believers, and less about the role of the United States in the world. Having said that though, I still think it's a 5 star work! It's not easy uniting more than 600 influential Christian leaders, representing more than a hundred denominations & religeous organizations, together at one place in time for a common cause. And yet Bill Bright has succeeded in doing just that! The common cause is fasting & prayer for America: the book is exactly about this. Praise God for the leadership of Bill Bright, and his work on fasting and prayer! (First Reviewed December 6, 2002. Bill Bright passed away July 19, 2003. He's still one of "today's" greatest spiritual leaders!).
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible, unique, and right-on view of fasting & prayer...
Review: Written by one of today's greatest spiritual leaders, Bill Bright has had a unique place in my heart as a believer from the very start of my Christian life. His simple yet dynamically impacting presentation of spiritual truths will easily stand the test of time, even to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.The Coming Revival is a great work on fasting and prayer! It cuts right through many of the divisive issues in the church to the heart of spirituality, which is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But why is the church seemingly so impotent today? Why has our relationship with Jesus not been impacting our country in any obvious ways? Is it real, or is our relationship with God completely out of touch with the needs of the world around us? How exactly do we get 'in touch' with God anyway? What does it all mean, and how can it all start with me? What's my part in all this? Bill Bright explains, in his wonderfully simple way, that's it's all about drawing near to God by humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God's face and turning from our wicked ways: then, and only then, will God hear our prayers and heal our land. The power of fasting and prayer in relation to all this is what this book is about. It's about the only book on fasting and prayer I've ever read, and it is certainly true that in giving instructions on fasting Jesus said 'when' we fast and pray, and not 'if'. Fasting has already been a blessing to me, but I'm not anywhere near a forty day fast... yet. My only criticism of the book, and the reason for my giving it 4 stars instead of five, is that I get a little uncomfortable with language that seems to tie our nation too closely to the Christian faith. I say it with the deepest sense of humility though, because I've been greatly blessed by Bright's teachings in my life. More specifically, my complaint is in regards to when he says that failing to vote is a sin against our country (p.130). I believe in the right not to vote, as well as the right to vote. But I want to be absolutely clear on this: I'm practically nit-picking here. Ultimately, we are not just citizens of this world, and our kingdom is not to be considered an earthly kingdom. Bill Bright, being one of the greatest evangelical leaders of our time, surely understands this point. It's just that I like to hear more about the salt and light of believers, and less about the role of the United States in the world. It's just a humble opinion, though, on the book, and not the man who wrote it. Praise God for the leadership of Bill Bright, and his work on fasting and prayer!
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