Podcast Summary: “Revival Is Now! | Joel Siegel | Campmeeting 2019 | World Harvest Church | Murrieta, CA”
Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Speaker: Joel Siegel
Recorded: June 13, 2019, at Campmeeting 2019, World Harvest Church, Murrieta, CA
Theme: Embracing the present reality of revival, living in the flow of the Spirit, and moving from expectancy to action.
Episode Overview
In this dynamic and humorous message, Joel Siegel challenges listeners to move beyond passive waiting for God’s move and take hold of the revival and spiritual gifts already made available in Christ. Using vivid illustrations, biblical examples, and personal anecdotes, Siegel exhorts believers—and especially church leaders—not to camp around past expectations but to aggressively receive and flow with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit today.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Stop Waiting Around the Pool
- (07:40-15:46)
Siegel begins with John 5:1-9, the story of the Pool of Bethesda, where a multitude of infirm gathered, waiting for the stirring of the waters:- “They were waiting for the moving of the water. Tell me, somebody, how did all that waiting work out for them, huh? Did it prove to be an effective strategy?” (11:45)
- He humorously describes the chaos as people scramble for their miracle, only for most to be left disappointed.
- The core issue: Passive waiting isn’t faith.
- “Jesus came to this guy and he said to him, ‘Will you?’ Now, that’s an interesting statement. ... Evidently, just being present is not all there is.” (17:00)
- He applies this to modern believers: Many are “at the pool,” passively waiting for revival or the move of the Spirit.
2. The Greater Reality: The River Is Flowing
- (16:40-31:30)
- Siegel contrasts the Pool of Bethesda with the “river” of the Spirit described in Scripture—dynamic, abundant, and accessible to all.
- Cites Ed Dufresne’s vision of two “ships”: one “rowing and not going” (striving in the flesh), the other “flowing” (moving with the Spirit, full of spiritual gifts).
- “On that ship ... they weren’t rowing, they were flowing down a mighty river ... and in that situation ... all the bottles [gifts] jump up in your boat.” (29:50)
- Warns against manufactured or “forced” spiritual gifts versus the genuine, spontaneous operation in the river of God.
3. The Present Availability of Revival and the Move of God
- (36:20-46:40)
- “Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. ... Now is the day of healing. ... Now is the time of the moving of the Spirit. Now is the time of revival. Now. Now. Now, now. Now is revival.” (41:00)
- Revival is not something distant or future; it’s here. He shares how even his own thinking had to shift from “revival is coming” to “we’re in it.”
- Cautions against interpreting the move of God by outward appearances (“just a trickle”), emphasizing the need for a renewed, Scriptural mindset.
4. Shift from Asking for Revival to Receiving It
- (47:20-53:50)
- Explains that New Testament doctrine moves from asking God to send revival (as in the Gospels) to recognizing and receiving what’s already been poured out (as in the Epistles).
- “It’s not trying to get God to do. It’s not trying to get God to send. ... Can we just talk about receiving what we already have for a little bit?” (50:10)
- Direct quote from a personal revelation: “We’re in it. ... If we’re in it, then we’re not waiting on it. That’s God’s perspective.” (53:30)
- Explains that New Testament doctrine moves from asking God to send revival (as in the Gospels) to recognizing and receiving what’s already been poured out (as in the Epistles).
5. The Test: Do You Really Want Revival?
- (54:00-68:35)
- Siegel provocatively declares, “You can have revival anytime you want it, and if you don’t have it, it’s because you don’t want it.” (56:50)
- Cautions that many who loudly claim to want revival, especially some pastors, actually resist it when it arrives because it is disruptive and uncontrollable.
- Shares stories of ministers shutting down moves of the Spirit or being uncomfortable with manifestations of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating that “not everybody that says they want it really wants it.”
- “Problem is, when floodwaters rise and a rushing river rushes, it can be hard to control. Every aspect of what happens changes your landscape.” (66:30)
6. Personal Anecdotes on Flowing With the Spirit
- (32:50-34:50; 41:55-44:08)
- Describes a powerful visual of the Colorado River after a great precipitation, likening it to revival: “Whoa, I mean, a powerful flowing river with some whitewater rapids ... The word of the Lord came to me. ... ‘That’s what it should look like.’” (43:00)
- Playfully describes a Dufresne family rafting trip gone awry: “We ended up in a tree! ... When you get in a flowing river, you want to have somebody who knows how to navigate that thing.” (44:10)
7. Exhortation to Action and Commitment
- (70:00-End)
- Urges the congregation to stop waiting and to jump in, receive, and participate in the revival now. “We’re not waiting. I’m not waiting around the pool. I’m done waiting. The river has been released!” (71:10)
- Encourages leaders and believers to fully embrace the move of the Spirit, regardless of inconvenience or disruption, because “we’re in it already. It’s too late. You just committed.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On waiting at the pool:
“Did it prove to be an effective strategy, sitting around waiting, waiting for something, huh? No!” — Joel Siegel (11:50) -
On passivity vs. action:
“Evidently, just being present is not all there is.” (17:00) -
On forcing spiritual gifts:
“I’ve been in some services, oh my Lord, where people have forced a prophecy ... It doesn’t work. It really doesn’t.” (27:50) -
On the present reality of revival:
“Now is the day of salvation. ... Now is the time of the moving of the Spirit. Now is the time of revival. Now. Now. Now, now. Now is revival.” (41:00) -
On receiving and living revival:
“We’re in it. ... If we’re in it, then we’re not waiting on it. That’s God’s perspective.” (53:30) -
The bold challenge:
“You can have revival anytime you want it, and if you don’t have it, it’s because you don’t want it.” (56:50) -
On leadership reluctance:
“Problem is, when floodwaters rise ... it can be hard to control. Every aspect of what happens changes your landscape. And not every leader just exactly wants to. ... You sure you want it?” (66:30) -
On the irreversibility of revival:
“If you see it from God's perspective, you got these. ... It's too late. You got it. ... You just committed. ... You just gotta do what you do in the river.” (End)
Key Timestamps
- 00:00-03:40 – Opening prayer and humorous intro
- 07:40-15:46 – Deep dive into John 5 & the waiting pool
- 16:40-31:30 – Ship and river analogy; real versus forced gifts
- 36:20-46:40 – “Now” is the time; shifting perspectives; Acts 2 explained
- 47:20-53:50 – Transitioning from asking to receiving in the New Testament
- 54:00-68:35 – “You can have revival anytime you want it” challenge; leadership stories
- 70:00-End – Culmination: stop waiting, receive today
Tone and Language
The tone is enthusiastic, humorous, sometimes playfully confrontational, and bold. Siegel uses comedic analogies, personal stories, and direct scriptural teaching to challenge passive religious traditions. He underlines his message with urgency and practical calls to faith-filled action.
Summary Takeaway
Joel Siegel’s message is a clarion call: The revival and move of the Spirit believers long for aren’t distant promises—they’re present realities. It’s time to stop waiting passively at the “pool,” adopt God’s perspective, and joyfully immerse ourselves in the river of the Holy Spirit—right now.