Revivals Verses Awakenings. Question! How do we equip the body of Christ with the tools necessary to do the work of the ministry. A word that I heard from the Lord was that a formidable method of equipping the body of Christ with the tools necessary to do the work of the ministry is to equip them with an understanding of the difference between a revival and an awakening, so that they my think on these things with clarity of thought and precision of expression. Historically, revivals have been identified by the physical manifestation of the glory of God. That is, the Shekhinah or visible glory of God, or the seeable Glory of God. That is, revivals have been associated with large scale, supernatural, divine healings. In contrast, a particular type of revival characterized by the title of awakening, have historically been identified by the mental manifestations of the glory of God. These were a series of revivals representing a period of religious awakening and reform. They were a series of religious revivals that swept over the American colonies that were led by evangelical Protestant ministers. They represented significant changes in the thinking of large numbers of people, that was sustained over a long period of time leaving a permanent impact on American religion. Let us take a moment and look at the 1st and 2nd great awakenings. The 1st great awakening occurred in the 1730s and 1740s. It was about people having lost confidence in the Catholic Church. The church was telling them that only the priest could correctly discern the scripture. They were told that they lacked the intellectual ability and the spiritual fortitude, to rightly divide the word of truth. Nevertheless, they were persuaded that they were intentionally being deceived by the church. Thus in the first great awakening they were awakened to the realization that they were graced with the ability to rightly discern the word of God. The 2nd great awakening shortly followed around 1790, and was a Protestant religious revival during which people regained faith in the churches' motives in addition to its ability to correctly decern the word of God. This Second Great Awakening gained momentum by 1800. After 1820 membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations whose preachers led the movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The impact of the first and second great awakenings was, both awakenings were overlaid with people's change in their thinking, and their relationship with their God. The fundamental issue was salvation by grace in contrast to salvation by works. The awakening resulted in a major change in thinking that has lasted until this very day. Yet, as revelation says, and they did not repent. Large numbers of people, did not, an will not, repent. Nevertheless, large numbers of people, did and will repent, during these last days. Likewise, large numbers of people, will not be awakened in the next great awakening. Yet, those who know their God will work exploits. Thus, large numbers of people, will be awakened. Healings allow us to survive long enough to get to the awakening. We have to keep in mind that the objective is to get to the awakening, to think differently, where you can heal yourself. All too often, great healers like Kenneth Hagin have come to recognize, that there is a need for teaching about healing. We know that Jesus never taught healing. He just did it. Nevertheless, so many false doctrines have crept even into the church. Thus, a need for teaching healing, has arisen, to overcome these false doctrines. See my teachings on Paul's thorn in his side, be angry but sin not, understanding the Godhead and its relationship to the trinity, and etc. Far too often, after the healing the dog would return to his vomit. These healers had to confess that there was a strong need for people to think differently. Thus they would begin to teach healing, to change the way that people thought about the Kingdom of God and their part in its healing. To that end let me take a moment to conclude with a healing prayer. --- If all hearts and minds are clear, let us assume an attitude of prayer, that is, stand on our feet, bow our heads and close our eyes, or, look at me as I look at you, if you can. (Acts 3 4). Let us pray. Lord we set aside this moment of our time to thank you for all that you have already done in our lives. We thank you for what you are currently doing and what you are yet to do. We pray that we will do the work of the ministry which is to go yee therefore and teach all nations, and when we teach them we have set our hearts and minds on teaching them all things. Lord we know that we cannot teach what we don't know. Nor can we lead where we won't go. Therefore, we set our hearts and minds on knowing you. Not just an intellectual knowledge, but to know you as Adam knew eve. That is that we might have an intimate and personal knowledge of you oh Lord our God. For the bible says that, all men should study to show thyself approved, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Likewise it says, come let us reason together. The word goes on to say, that you have equipped us with the tools to do the work that you have called us to do. For Lord you said in your word that, now all power is given unto us, as men, that we might go yee therefore and teach all nations. Lord your word declares that you sent all men out with your faith. Not just a measure of faith, but you sent us out with, the measure of faith necessary to do the work that you have called us to do. For your word declares that every man is given the measure of faith. Then your word goes on to say in Romans 3:23 that the righteousness of God comes by the faith of Jesus Christ. Not by our faith, but by your faith. For our faith was as dirty rags. So, Lord you gave, or made available to, every man the measure of your faith. Everything that you did, you did using your faith. Therefore, if we have your faith, then surely we can do the things that you did. We had the imputation of sin, not our sin but Adam's sin. We have the imputation of righteousness. Not our righteousness but your righteousness. And now, here in Romans 3 23, we have the imputation of faith. Not our faith, but we have access to your faith, to get to your righteousness. This understanding, that the righteousness of God, comes by the faith of Jesus Christ, or salvation itself came by the faith of Jesus Christ, this is the next great awakening. Just as in the last great awakening we came to the acknowledgement of salvation by grace instead of by works. The idea was always there in the scripture, but we were not always aware of it. We resisted it. For how can these things be? Even now we still resist the fact that we have unlimited access to your faith. Not simply a measure of faith, or the measure of faith, but we have access to, your faith. When we use the measure of faith that is given to every man, then we can access, the gift of faith, which is available to every man. Your faith will allow us to do even the greater things. Who will it allow? Every man. When we truly are awakened by this realization, and stop limiting our faith by saying, I am simply not there yet, or by saying you had the full anointing of the Holy Spirit, because you are God. Yet, we are not God, therefore we only have a partial access to your faith. We can only do some of the things that you did. No! You had the full anointing of the Holy Spirit, as a man. You were fully God and fully man. As you were so are we in this world. Our understanding that we have unlimited access to your faith, will be the next great awakening. Lord, on another occasion you told me that if I do not give the people the Ramah word that you gave to me, that you were not going to give me another Ramah word. Like you said to Jeremiah, you said to me, do not be afraid of the people. Do not say that they are not going to see me as a charismatic theologian. Just say what I have already said. The next great awakening will be one such that men, when speaking of us would say as they said of you, "what manner of a man is this, even the winds, respond to our will, because our will would be aligned with your will. An awakening such that the devil himself will say Jesus I know, and Paul, I know, and now, Herman I know. An awakening such that we can with confidence say for as he is so are we in this world. An awakening so that we can with confidence say that the things that you did we can do also. An awakening so that we can say with confidence that we understand the meaning of the scripture which sayeth, God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods and God himself have said, Yee are gods; But yee shall die like men. An awakening such that we might understand the difference between the unconditional authority which Adam had and Satan stole from him; and the conditional authority which angels have, which is contingent upon being obedient to your word. Thus you said although yee are Gods, you will die like men. An awakening so that we can with confidence say what you Jesus said, "Is it not written in your law, I said, Yee are gods?" An awakening such that we can without shame, talk about those things that are not, as though they were, Devar, and expect that they will come to pass before we get to heaven at an age of 120. An awakening such that we can begin to comprehend that, because with God there is no difference between a thousand years and a day, therefore, we would not be the victims of impatience. Conversely, an awakening that would cause us to realize that, also with God, a thousand years is as a day. Therefore, the thing that we think would take a thousand years to come to pass, may very well happen overnight. Thus we can look forward to eternity invading time, where we don't have to wait a thousand years to enter into that Shekinah Glory, so that your will, in our lives, is done on earth as it is in heaven. So let it be. Let us go yee therefore and teach all nations. Though this prayer was long, may God bless you for having an ear to hear. May you Lord be glorified, may we be edified, and may an alarm be sounded. Amen.