Tag Revival

A Bible verse that we have probably heard many times is John 3:16, which gives us the core reason for our redemption through the belief in the name and the purpose of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Let us look back at David and his revelation of the greatness of God and His purposes for mankind described in Psalm 8:

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory
above the heavens.

2 From the mouths of children and infants
You have ordained praise
on account of Your adversaries,
to silence the enemy and avenger.

3 When I behold Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place—

4 what is man that You are mindful of him,
or the son of man that You care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the angels;
You crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler of the works of Your hands;
You have placed everything under his feet:

7 all sheep and oxen,
and even the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

How amazing that God would choose to make us in His likeness and then make us rulers us the work of His hands! Indeed, the Psalmist is baffled and astounded at the responsibility and honor given us, even though our earthly form is a ‘little lower than angels’! On a side note is it not amazing the nugget found in this Psalm that has to do with praise as a weapon of spiritual warfare that God has ordained to silence the enemy and avenger.

We then can see the relation with John 3:16 if we look at it more closely. Keep in mind that from Genesis chapter one, we are given an assignment to have dominion, or rule in other words, over God’s creation and to replenish the earth, subdue it and have dominion over every living thing. Now let’s take a closer look at the verse:

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16,17 (NIV)

The word used in the Greek translated ‘world’ is Kosmos. If it had to do with the earth it would have been ‘Terra’. When examined further the word Kosmos actually means ‘orderly arrangement, decoration and by implication the world and its moral order or system of moral governance (Strongs 2889). The word for love is ‘agape’, which is the highest form of love according to the Greeks, and if we are to then use these expanded meanings, we see that God is intent on restoring what David sees in Psalm 8 and what we read of in Genesis Chapter 1, which is a system of rule that had man in dominion and replenishing, subduing and having dominion and full authority over what God created on earth.

Why then is there a question of perishing and not having everlasting life? This is because when mankind fell through the sin of Adam and Eve, we lost the access to the tree of life and our bodies no longer carried the glory of God which we were supposed to be crowned with. The enemy lied to us and still does so today with the deception that we are not whom God has called us to be, with the purpose of us not having that relationship and all its rights and privileges restored as he is keen on our destruction in the end.

Praise God, as the Psalmist says, that His core character is love, and having loved the order of things, or Kosmos, that He had established in the beginning, He chose to give His only Son to pay the price so that all we had to do was just believe. No punishments. No fines. No retribution (John 3:17 ‘ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’). No payments on our part.

Just by simply believing in Jesus and by having this relationship restored we begin to understand and operate in the kingdom principles rooted in the love of the very Father who redeemed us under the instruction of the Holy Spirit as we walk with The Son, whom the Bible declares has ‘the government upon His shoulders’. Halleluya! We then begin to change our ‘kosmos’ as we have the authority restored, and as we obey His word and operate under His guidance we have dominion over every circumstance and situation. Sicknesses have to obey. The enemy is under our feet. We experience the miraculous because it is the natural to those operating in the Kingdom of God.

May God give us the grace to understand our purposes and to accomplish them according to His will as we meditate upon how mindful He was to us to give us so much in the first place. Be blessed! Believe!

In the book of Matthew Chapter 24 and verse 14, Jesus explains to his disciples the events leading to the end times and his return.
¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ((NIV)

Throughout history the gospel has been preached but let us examine what gospel, or good news, Jesus preached and commanded his disciples to preach. It certainly was not the gospel of Christianity, or a new religion. It was not a message of salvation for sure but it was clear that the good news would bring about mankind’s salvation. This begs us to ask why he insisted on it being the good news of THE KINGDOM. To understand the message of the kingdom one must understand what a kingdom is, how it is administered and ruled and who it’s subjects or citizens are as well as their responsibilities. According to the Merriam – Webster dictionary, a kingdom is defined as:

1 : a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen. 2 often capitalized. a : the eternal kingship of God. b : the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled.

Thus a kingdom can be agreed upon as a territory or community headed by a king. Obviously even a community has territory, hence being able to organize itself politically. Having established that we then see that Adam was given ‘dominion’ over the earth and all that was in it and commanded to ‘subdue’ it.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1: 26-28, NIV

At this point you see that there is a territory and its possessions (all the living creatures and the land on earth) and one who is assigned to ‘rule’ over that territory.

Fast forward to the time of Jesus, and you find man in a state of struggle to subdue the elements and living creatures, let alone his own carnal desires which bring about every known evil perpetuated against fellow man. In this state God sends his son to remove the barrier between heavens authority caused by man’s rebellion against that authority (sin).

One would have expected that John the baptist would have preached the message of salvation but instead we see him in Matthew 3 preaching the following:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”^[a] Matt 3:1-3 (NIV)

When Jesus begins his ministry again the same message in Matthew 4:17 and 23,24:

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.

In Matthew 9:35 we see the same:

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

At this point it is clear that Jesus was not bringing a religion but proclaiming the sovereign nature of God and his right to represent him. He was not interested in systems of the world, and neither was he interested in overthrowing them. The word repentance has its root in the act of having a transformation of one’s mindset to move in a direction completely opposite to where they were pointed at. Mankind, unlike the fallen angels, did not fall from the kingdom. Mankind fell from their position of authority as representatives of the king on territory earth. As witnessed by miracles, signs and wonders (which are not supernatural in the heavenly kingdom, but just a restoration to what was supposed to be the natural), the kingdom of heaven or God reclaims territory and authority when God shows up. It is the very nature of a king to have dominion over his territory. His command is final. There is no democratic counsel, or option to do otherwise. Hence bacteria and viruses come under the dominion of God, as do body cells and parts. They submit to the final authority. This is commonly known as healing.

This explains why Jesus sent out his disciples with the following instruction in Luke 9:1,2:

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Notice once again he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God AND to HEAL THE SICK. Those two are not mutually exclusive and are a non-negotiable part of the contract. In Luke 10:9 we see another reference to healing the sick and the kingdom of God:

⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

This then is the gospel of the Kingdom. The restoration of the authority of God in territories by His presence manifested in those who have believed in the message of Jesus and embraced their redemption found in the work of the cross. Indeed by His stripes we were healed. This is not a declaration of possibilities or probabilities. It is the living word of God available to all who believe in Christ and who then receive the power to become sons and daughters of the King. The king always sent his representatives out with authority, for he knew that his glory was represented by their appearance.

In this last hour the Holy Spirit will quicken us to understand that the kingdom of God is one of power and authority, not for the sake of ruthless dominion but a loving restoration that will also see creation rejoice, even if for a brief period, in the manifest presence of the Father on earth as believers experience the last great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the world is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the see.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled. – Matthew 5:6, NIV

Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God. Matthew 5:8, NIV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3, NIV

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33, NIV

Holy Spirit we are hungry. Fill us with His righteousness and cause us to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and verify it with miracles, signs and wonders. Father, THY kingdom come and THY will be done here on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
    and give you a pleasant land,
    the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’
    and not turn away from following me.

– Jeremiah 3:19 (NIV)

inheritance (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

noun

in·​her·​i·​tance | \ in-ˈher-ə-tən(t)s , -ˈhe-rə- \

Definition of inheritance

1 : something that is or may be inherited
2
a : the act of inheriting property
b : the reception of genetic qualities by transmission from parent to offspring
c : the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations
3
a : TRADITION
b : a valuable possession that is a common heritage from nature

The word inheritance is mentioned 219 times in the Bible and something remarkable can be observed by its use. If we are to understand the Kingdom of God and how we inherit it we must first understand the concept of inheritance. An inheritance cannot be bought by the one who seeks to acquire it and neither can it be legally taken by force from its rightful owners. Inheritance by legal terms requires that the person inheriting whatever is theirs to fully posses it and and the powers over it only when the current owner dies.

This is why we enter into the inheritance of the Kingdom of God through faith and never by our works, as no amount of labour qualifies us to take possession of our inheritance. Jesus points us towards the manner in which we take hold of our inheritance of the Kingdom, by God restoring us to sonship through the work of the cross.

In Hebrews 9:15-17 Paul describes this as follows:
¹⁵ For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

¹⁶ In the case of a will,^[d] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, ¹⁷ because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. (NIV)

Throughout the history of mankind from Adam to the present day we see our Father orchestrating an amazing divine purpose by giving us our inheritance even before we were entitled to it. This is illustrated in the story of the prodigal son, who demanded his inheritance and left his home, only to squander it and yet still the Father ran to him when He saw the son whom he thought was dead and gone. He then gives him the signet ring after giving him new clothes and cleaning him up, and calls a celebration.

For us to inherit the Kingdom and all its benefits the ‘death’ of the rightful owner had to occur for it to be legal. As Paul describes so aptly we could not receive the inheritance without that happening. How amazing then that we are restored to a place of righteousness by faith through grace which we do not merit in order to enjoy the full benefits of our inheritance both now and for all eternity! No wonder Jesus exhorts us to ‘seek first’ the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all that we need and more will be added to us.

According to the definition of inheritance we inherit the genetic traits, possessions and property of the living owner upon their death. Christ did not come to show us how to work for our inheritance, but rather to acquire it and then produce good fruit as we operated in our authority as heirs of the kingdom, as kings and a royal priesthood, fully equipped with the character, power and resources only available to heirs.

He thought we would call Him Father and we are to respond to Him as children. When Jesus tells us that we must become as children, it is not just in having the characteristics of childlike trust and behaviour but also encompasses the realization that we are indeed to grasp that we are restored to sonship, and children are not slaves or servants (do understand that children serve in a manner of speaking, by virtue of mirroring the characteristics and traits of their father in their actions which include dominion and trusteeship of His properties which are essentially theirs).

Romans 8: 14-17 (NIV)
⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[g] Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

May we indeed cry out “Abba, Father!” Be blessed! Be restored!

1949 – October: Hebrides Islands, Scotland (Duncan Campbell)

Duncan Campbell

Following the trauma of World War II, spiritual life reached a low ebb in the Scottish Hebrides. By 1949 Peggy and Christine Smith (84 and 82) had prayed constantly for revival in their cottage near Barvas village on the Isle of Lewis, the largest of the Hebrides Islands in the bleak north west of Scotland. God showed Peggy in a dream that revival was coming. Months later, early one winter’s morning as the sisters were praying, God give them an unshakeable conviction that revival was near.

Peggy asked her minister James Murray Mackay to call the church leaders to prayer. Three nights a week the leaders prayed together for months. One night, having begun to pray at 10 pm, a young deacon from the Free Church read Psalm 24 and challenged everyone to be clean before God. As they waited on God his awesome presence swept over them in the barn at 4 am Mackay invited Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) to come and lead meetings. Within two weeks he came. God had intervened and changed Duncan’s plans and commitments. At the close of his first meeting in the Presbyterian Church in Barvas the travel weary preacher was invited to join an all night prayer meeting. Thirty people gathered for prayer in a nearby cottage. Duncan Campbell described it:

“God was beginning to move, the heavens were opening, we were there on our faces before God. Three o’clock in the morning came, and God swept in. About a dozen men and women lay prostrate on the floor, speechless. Something had happened; we knew that the forces of darkness were going to be driven back, and men were going to be delivered. We left the cottage at 3 am to discover men and women seeking God. I walked along a country road, and found three men on their faces, crying to God for mercy. There was a light in every home, no one seemed to think of sleep.”

When Duncan and his friends arrived at the church that morning it was already crowded. People had gathered from all over the island, some coming in buses and vans. No one discovered who told them to come. God led them. Large numbers were converted as God’s Spirit convicted multitudes of sin, many lying prostrate, many weeping. After that amazing day in the church, Duncan pronounced the benediction, but then a young man began to pray aloud. He prayed for 45 minutes. Once more the church filled with people repenting and the service continued till 4 am the next morning before Duncan could pronounce the benediction again.

Even then he was unable to go home to bed. As he was leaving the church a messenger told him, “Mr. Campbell, people are gathered at the police station, from the other end of the parish; they are in great spiritual distress. Can anyone here come along and pray with them?”

Campbell went and what a sight met him. Under the still starlit sky he found men and women on the road, others by the side of a cottage, and some behind a peat stack all crying to God for mercy. The revival had come.

His mission continued for five weeks. Services were held from early morning until late at night and into the early hours of the morning. The revival spread to the neighbouring parishes from Barvas with similar scenes of repentance, prayer and preaching. People sensed the awesome presence of God everywhere.

That move of God in answer to prevailing prayer continued in the area into the fifties and peaked again on the previously resistant island of North Uist in 1957. Meetings were again crowded and night after night people cried out to God for salvation.

The Hebrides revival, experienced in a Presbyterian context, illustrates how the impact of the Spirit floods and transcends any context. Campbell emphasised the importance of a baptism in the Spirit, as had been a common theme in the Welsh revival.

Source: Renewal Journal – Geoff Waugh

Luke 15:17 NIV17
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

If ever there was a more astounding yet incredible description of God’s character as a father it is this one. One can read it a thousand times over and still not understand how deep the fathers love is for us. How many times have we sung songs that describe God as being far away, or up there somewhere, or hidden, yet this one account by The Son demolishes all our preconceived ideas of God’s behavior. Indeed we are told of how heaven drops everything to rejoice when a sinner returns home and accepts the redemption available in the work of the cross.

I cannot help to think that God seeing us from afar does not wait for us to draw near but literally runs towards us even before we are close to Him. In the Old Testament we see admonitions to seek His face. After the veil is torn by the work of the cross we see an admonition to open the door to allow Him in.How then can we in all earnest sing Pass, me not O gentle Saviour,Hear my humble cry.While on others Thou art calling,Do not pass me by?when He said “I will never leave you, nor forsake you”? Much as the writer meant well and the following verses elaborate further, it brings about a state in our minds that has us declaring that the Saviour is away from us and regularly calls, so as He calls on others He should not pass us by. He promised that He would not leave us as orphans but would send us a helper to always be with us and remind us of His presence and empower us to do His will and triumph over the world, sin and even death.

On the day of Penetcost the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was promised was accompanied by a manifestation of God’s presence. The physical sound of a rushing wind. What appeared to be tongues of fire descending upon each one’s head. The speaking of languages that other people hearing could understand, and for the most part praising God. In modern days God has manifested Himself in locations with accompanying phenomena including buildings actually shaking. It is indeed a wonder that the power that is every atom and molecule and electron and matter or energy in the universe will make the decision to manifest itself in one location. (28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring. – Acts 17:28 NIV)Moses was told that no flesh could see Him and live. The paradox is that He asks the people to seek His face. And then we come to the account of a Father seeking us and running out to meet us from afar.

I refuse to believe that God is somehow so far off and so distant and that He somehow needs some manipulation or preparation or convincing to be among us. We are compelled to do but one thing and that is to believe His word and act on it. Instead of trying to prepare the table for the Father and Son to come and dine before we open the door why not open it first and let Him in? He has sanctified us by the blood and baptized us with His fire. Where there was once judgement and ruin there is reconciliation and restoration.

Every revival account is one of repentance accompanying the presence of God and every encounter we see in the Bible from Elijah, Isaiah and Daniel to John in the Revelation shows how our persons realize how weak and helpless and unclean we are in the presence of His goodness and power.It is thus clear that we cannot claim God’s manifest presence unless it is accompanied by transformation and not just goosebumps. Miracles, signs and wonders follow but they are not the drivers of the encounter…it is that incredible deep sense of love and belonging and desire to be closer to Him that bring it about and I am convinced it is HE that starts it when HE runs towards us.

We may be seeking Him earnestly and shall be rewarded for it (“Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you shall find”) but the encounter is more fruitful and satisfying when driven by His Holy Spirit showing us a mighty God so in love with us that He forsakes His throne for a cross. When we see our Father running towards us we realize how far we have kept Him away from our lives, even as we feel we are doing our best to do His will and be good children. I do not believe God is displeased with us or trying to play hide and seek. He is standing right there in front of us and we are just not able to see.

As the Holy Spirit prompts you into even more fervent prayer in this season willingly go with Him in that journey, for it is God in you speaking forth the things that are not and connecting you even closer with the love of God in Christ Jesus. Pray in the Spirit and pray in earnest. Do not take lightly the gentle waking in the late hours…I have consistently found myself being woken up at 3:00am in the middle of the night and at 5:00am. In the next few weeks the thirst for prayer will increase and many will start having dreams and visions. Some already have started. Your Father is running towards you. Hold your arms open wide. Be blessed and be a blessing!