the revival we've been praying for.

Have you heard of the term deconstructionism? It was first coined by philosopher Jacques Derrida in the 1960s. In his words, deconstructionism is "a theory of literary criticism that questions traditional assumptions about certainty, identity, and truth; asserts that words can only refer to other words; and attempts to demonstrate how statements about any text subvert their own meanings".
Throughout history, this process has been used without specifically being named and is more common than you think (and Derrida would agree). He himself believed that deconstructionism wasn't an additional method or doctrine, but a thorough step in internalizing literature just like turning a page or finishing a sentence.
​Now why is that term important? As of late, this term has been used within Christianity to describe the process of former evangelical Christians deconstructing their beliefs in order to refine their faith. (This term could also be referred to as 'disenculturation', however I personally believe that the latter is a fancier word to distance the blame of deconstructionism from the church.) This process usually includes removing themselves from the mainstream 'traditional' church and finding other ways of worship and spiritual renewal.  This could look like forming house churches or even attending multiple churches online with friends rather than attending a church in person. 

While this might look like a negative in the eyes of the mainstream church, I think that this is exactly what Christians have been praying for. ​

You see, for decades Christians have been pleading and contending with God for a large revival. Yet while praying for a large revival, denominations have been mourning the decline in church membership in Western culture instead of recognizing the very same people who are leaving their churches are people leaving to seek out Jesus.
In short, people are becoming observant. They're asking questions. They're pushing back.
They're looking for Jesus in their churches and they're getting lost. 
The most heartbreaking piece of this is that the people who are leaving are the people who are seeking for the heart of Jesus harder than some church leaders are. 
These people are actively wanting to know God and to serve God more than some leaders are. They're praying more than some leaders are. 
They're evangelizing more than some leaders are. 

They are the leaders the church needs, and we're pushing them away. ​

When we pray for a revival that looks exactly like we want it to be, we start to sound like the Jews in John 2. After Jesus had stormed the temple they asked Him "What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Jesus answered them saying "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." However the Jews were thinking literally. Just like us, they envisioned exactly what they thought the temple tearing down and rebuilding looks like. If the Gospel has taught us anything, it teaches us that the Lord does much more than just answer our prayers: He meets the needs of His people. 
His people don't just need a building, they need a Savior. 
For this world to know Jesus, it needs people seeking out the heart of Jesus. 
Maybe the people pointing the world to Jesus are not who we're looking at. 
Just like King Solomon or King David or Simon Peter or Zacchaeus or Paul or the woman at the well: the Lord creates leaders out of the most unlikely stories.
If Jesus is being found through deconstruction, let us praise God; not just for destroying the temple but for raising it again in three days. 
Revival is bigger than bodies in a church building. 
Revival is bigger than numbers on a chart. 
Revival is the power of the Holy Spirit at work. 
May we internalize that our expectations are nothing compared to God's handiwork. 
May we learn to seek the Lord rather than seek the church, and through our learning (and unlearning), may we lead people to the cross before we lead them to their seat.