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Preparation For True Transformation Workbook

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Preparation For True Transformation

Workbook

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Course Objectives: 1. Understand  the  principles  from  history  and  Scripture  that  can  affect  spiritual  and  sociological  transformation  of  cities  and  the  nations.  

2. Implement  an  action  plan  to  intentionally  begin  to  take  step  towards  affecting  spiritual  awakening  in  your  city.

Session One

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Revival and Transformation KEY  VERSES:    • “LORD,  it  is  time  for  you  to  act,  for  these  evil  people  have  violated  your  instructions”  (Ps.  119:126,  NLT).    

• “Then  the  Lord  appeared  to  Solomon  by  night,  and  said  to  him:  'I  have  heard  your  prayer,  and  have  chosen  this  place  for  Myself  as  a  house  of  sacrifice.  When  I  shut  up  heaven  and  there  is  no  rain,  or  command  the  locusts  to  devour  the  land,  or  send  pestilence  among  My  people,  if  My  people  who  are  called  by  My  name  will  humble  themselves,  and  pray  and  seek  My  face,  and  turn  from  their  wicked  ways,  then  I  will  hear  from  heaven,  and  will  forgive  their  sin  and  heal  their  land.  Now  My  eyes  will  be  open  and  My  ears  attentive  to  

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prayer  made  in  this  place.  For  now  I  have  chosen  and  sanctified  this  house,  that  My  name  may  be  there  forever;  and  My  eyes  and  My  heart  will  be  there  perpetually'”  (2  Chronicles  7:12-­‐16).  

 INTRODUCTION:  Sin  is  increasing  on  all  sides.  Intolerance  toward  Biblical  truth  has  become  the  norm  today  in  most  Post-­‐Christian  nations.  Spiritual  and  moral  rebellion  is  constantly  moving  to  levels  of  greater  degradation  and  decadence!  The  words  of  the  “New  Pledge  of  Allegiance”  penned  by  a  15-­‐  year-­‐old  anonymous  Arizona  high  school  student  adequately  describe  the  spiritual  and  moral  meltdown  we  are  currently  experiencing  in  America  and  many  Western  nations.

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NEW  PLEDGE  OF  ALLEGIANCE  “Now  I  sit  me  down  in  school  where  praying  is  against  the  rule    

For  this  great  nation  under  God  finds  mention  of  Him  very  odd.    

If  scripture  now  the  class  recites,  it  violates  the  Bill  of  Rights.    

And  anytime  my  head  I  bow  it  becomes  a  Federal  matter  now.  

“Our  hair  can  be  purple,  orange  or  green,  that's  no  offense;  it's  a  freedom  scene    

The  law  is  specific,  the  law  is  precise,  prayers  spoken  aloud  are  a  serious  vice.    

For  praying  in  a  public  hall  might  offend  someone  with  no  faith  at  all.    

In  silence  alone  we  must  meditate;  God's  name  is  prohibited  by  the  state.  

“We're  allowed  to  cuss  and  dress  like  freaks  and  pierce  our  noses,  tongues  and  cheeks    

They've  outlawed  good  books  and  the  Bible;  to  quote  the  Scripture  makes  me  liable.    

We  can  elect  a  pregnant  Senior  Queen  and  the  'unwed  daddy,'  our  Senior  King.    

It's  'inappropriate'  to  teach  right  from  wrong;  we're  taught  that  such  'judgments'  do  not  belong.  

“We  can  get  our  condoms  and  birth  control,  study  witchcraft,  vampires  and  totem  poles    

But  the  Ten  Commandments  are  not  allowed;  No  word  of  God  must  reach  this  crowd.    

It  is  scary  here  I  must  confess,  when  chaos  reigns  the  school's  a  mess.    

So,  Lord,  this  silent  plea  I  make:  ‘should  I  be  shot,  my  soul  please  take!’    

Amen’”

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THE  STATE  OF  NATIONS  IN  THE  LAST  DAYS  Paul  the  apostle  spoke  of  the  Last  Days:    

“You  should  know  this  Timothy  that  in  the  last  days  there  will  be  very  difficult  times.  For  people  will  love  only  themselves  and  their  money.  They  will  be  boastful  and  proud,  scoffing  at  God,  disobedient  to  their  parents,  and  ungrateful.  They  will  consider  nothing  sacred.  They  will  be  unloving  and  unforgiving;  they  will  slander  others  and  have  no  self-­‐control.  They  will  be  cruel  and  hate  what  is  good.  They  will  betray  their  friends,  be  reckless,  be  puffed  up  with  pride,  and  love  pleasure  rather  than  God.  They  will  act  religious,  but  they  will  reject  the  power  that  could  make  them  godly.  Stay  away  from  people  like  that!”  (2  Timothy  3:1-­‐5).  

 LIGHT  IN  THE  DARKNESS:  The  call  of  the  Lord  during  times  of  spiritual  declension  is  that  His  people  would  arise  and  shine  forth  the  light  of  the  glory  of  the  gospel.  Isaiah  cried  out,  “Arise,  shine;  For  your  light  has  come!  And  the  glory  of  the  LORD  is  risen  upon  you.  For  behold,  the  darkness  shall  cover  the  earth,  And  deep  darkness  the  people;  But  the  LORD  will  arise  over  you,  And  His  glory  will  be  seen  upon  you”  (Isaiah  60:1-­‐2).  

The  Church,  rather  than  shining  in  the  darkness,  seems  to  be  asleep  in  the  light.  Many  of  the  cities  in  our  nation  that  boast  the  highest  churches  per  capita  ratio,  ironically,  are  plagued  by  the  highest  crime  rates!  Take  the  Dallas-­‐Fort  Worth  Metroplex  for  example.  Dallas  has  more  churches  per  capita  than  any  other  American  city,  but  it  also  has  the  worst  overall  crime  rate  for  cities  with  more  than  1  million  people.  According  to  an  FBI  study  conducted  in  2006,  Dallas,  Texas  had  the  highest  crime  rate  in  the  nation  with  one  crime  committed  for  every  12  people.  

It  is  time  that  we  be  honest  and  acknowledge  that  we  in  the  West  possess  a  dramatically  different  form  of  Christianity  than  we  read  about  in  the  Book  of  Acts  and  what  is  being  experienced  by  Christians  throughout  the  rest  of  the  world.  In  America,  our  churches  are  adept  at  pumping  out  large  volumes  of  information,  and  yet,  by  and  large,  we  see  no  transformation.  Paul  stated  that  in  the  Last  Days,  there  would  be  

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some  professing  Christians  that  would  be  characterized  as  having  a  “form  of  godliness  that  denies  the  power  thereof”  (2  Timothy  3:5).  Such  people  would  have  a  semblance  of  faith  that  would  be  void  of  the  life-­‐changing  power  of  the  Cross  of  Christ.  As  the  New  Living  Translation  so  aptly  states:  “...They  will  act  religious,  but  they  will  reject  the  power  that  could  make  them  godly....”  

A  recent  study  conducted  by  the  Barna  Research  Group  on  the  state  of  the  Church  in  America  in  2010,  discovered  that  the  postmodern  insistence  on  tolerance  is  winning  over  the  Christian  Church.  Essentially,  what  the  Barna  Research  Group  discovered  is  that  the  Church  has  become  silence  on  issues  of  Biblical  truth,  and,  consequently,  the  influence  of  Christianity  on  culture  and  individual  lives  is  now  largely  invisible:  

Our  biblical  illiteracy  and  lack  of  spiritual  confidence  has  caused  Americans  to  avoid  making  discerning  choices  for  fear  of  being  labeled  judgmental.  The  result  is  a  Church  that  has  become  tolerant  of  a  vast  array  of  morally  and  spiritually  dubious  behaviors  and  philosophies...There  are  fewer  and  fewer  issues  that  Christians  believe  churches  should  be  dogmatic  about.  The  idea  of  love  has  been  redefined  to  mean  the  absence  of  conflict  and  confrontation,  as  if  there  are  no  moral  absolutes  that  are  worth  fighting  for...Christianity  has  arguably  added  more  value  to  American  culture  than  any  other  religion,  philosophy,  ideology  or  community...The  primary  obstacle  is  not  the  substance  of  the  principles  on  which  Christianity  is  based,  and  therefore  the  solution  is  not  solely  providing  an  increase  in  preaching  or  public  relations.  The  most  influential  aspect  of  Christianity  in  America  is  how  believers  do-­‐-­‐or  do  not-­‐-­‐implement  their  faith  in  public  and  private.  

 RAISING  UP  AN  ARMY:  The  Bible  is  replete  with  examples  of  a  men  and  women  that  were  divinely  raised  up  in  their  days  to  confront  powerless  religion  and  bring  radical  change  to  society.  In  this  study,  we  are  advocating  that  it  is  certainly  possible  and  unquestionably  the  Church's  responsibility  to  contend  for  a  visitation  of  God  that  gives  Jesus  Christ  His  rightful  place  as  Lord  in  our  personal  lives  and  in  the  Church  resulting  in  spiritual,  moral  and  societal  transformation.  

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George  Otis  Jr.  of  the  Sentinel  Group  states  the  following  relative  to  the  transformation  of  culture  and  society:  

For  the  term  "transformed"  to  be  properly  applied  to  a  community,  we  believe  that  change  must  be  evident  not  only  in  the  lives  of  its  inhabitants  but  also  in  the  fabric  of  its  institutions.  In  the  end,  it  is  dramatic  social,  political,  and  even  ecological  renewal  that  sets  these  cases  apart  from  common  experience.  

In  short,  a  transformed  community  is:    

• A  neighborhood,  city  or  nation  whose  ____________________  and  

______________________  have  been  overrun  by  the  grace  and  presence  of  God.  

• A  place  where  divine  fire  has  not  merely  been  summoned,  it  has  fallen.    

• A  culture  that  has  been  _____________________  comprehensively  and  

undeniably  by  the  Kingdom  of  God.  

Such  a  transformation  is  really  the  proof  the  the  Kingdom  of  God  has  been  received  by  a  people  and  is  forcefully  advancing  on  the  earth.  “Thy  Kingdom  come;  Your  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven”  (Matthew  6:10).    Community  Transformation  is  indicated  when:  • ____________________  leaders  publicly  acknowledge  their  sin  and  dependence  

on  God  (II  Kings  11:17–18;  23:2;  Jonah  3:6–9).  

• New  laws,  curricula,  and  business  practices  are  put  into  effect  (II  Chronicles  19:4–

10;  Nehemiah  10:31).  

• The  ____________________  environment  is  restored  to  its  original  life-­‐nurturing  

state  (Lev.  26:4–5;  II  Chron.  7:14;  Ezekiel  34:27;  36:29-­‐30).  

• Economic  conditions  improve  and  lead  to  a  discernible  lessening  of  

____________________  (II  Chron  17:3–5;  Psalm  144:14;  Isa  60:5;  Amos  9:13)  

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• There  is  a  marked  change  in  social  ____________________  and  vices  as  Kingdom  

values  are  integrated  into  the  rhythm  of  daily  life  (Ezra  10:1–4;  Nehemiah  8:10,  

16;  Ecclesiastes  10:17;  Acts  19:17–20)  

• ____________________  and  ____________________  diminish  throughout  the  

community  (II  Kings  12;13–15;  Nehemiah  5:6–12;  Isaiah  60:17–18).    

• Volunteerism  increases  as  Christians  recognize  their  responsibility  to  heal  and  

undergird  the  community  (Isaiah  58:10–12;  61:1–4).  

• Restored  hope  and  joy  leads  to  a  ____________________  in  divorce,  bankruptcy,  

and  suicide  (Nehemiah  12:27–28,  43;  Isaiah  54:11–14;  61:3,7;  Jeremiah  30:17–19;  

31:11–13;  Hosea  2:15).  

• The  spiritual  nature  of  the  growing  socio-­‐political  renewal  becomes  a  hot  topic  in  

the  secular  media  (II  Chron.  20:29;  Neh.  6:16;  Isa.  55:5;  Ezekiel  36:36;  Acts  19:17).  

• Overwhelmed  by  the  goodness  of  God,  grateful  Christians  take  the  embers  of  

revival  into  ____________________  communities  and  nations  (II  Chronicles  17:9;  

Isaiah  61:6;  Acts  11:20–26).  

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COURSE  OBJECTIVES:  Understand  the  principles  from  history  and  Scripture  that  can  affect  spiritual  revival  and  sociological  transformation  of  communities,  cities  and  the  nations. Implement  an  action  plan  to  intentionally  begin  to  take  step  towards  affecting  spiritual  awakening  and  community  transformation  in  your  city.

Session Two

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PRINCIPLES  FOR  EFFECTING  REVIVAL  AND  TRANSFORMATION    KEY  VERSE:    “For  I  will  pour  water  on  the  thirsty  ground  and  send  streams  coursing  through  the  parched  earth”  (Isaiah  44:3,  The  Message).    INTRODUCTION:  Of  nearly  800  cases  of  authentic,  transforming  revival  in  the  last  15  years,  only  two  were  in  North  America,”  says  researcher  George  Otis  Jr.  In  light  of  this  alarming  statistic  we  must  ask  ourselves,  “Why  is  that  revival  and  transformation  has  become  so  rare  in  Western  society?  What  we  can  do  to  change  this?  

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Since  revival  and  awakening  is  historical,  there  are  lessons,  principles,  and  truths  to  be  recovered:    

God’s  presence  is  the  key  factor  in  producing  transforming  revival.    

What  is  it  that  we  can  learn  to  attract  the  presence  of  God?    

Faith  

_____________________________  

_____________________________    

Fervent  United  Prayer  

_____________________________  

_____________________________    

Obedience    

_____________________________

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Do  We  Need  To  Be  Saved?  By  and  large,  the  Church  does  not  possess  an  ___________________  problem  as  it  relates  to  what  to  do  to  prepare  for  revival.  We  are  quite  aware  of  our  need  for  unity  in  the  Body  of  Christ,  fervent  united  prayer,  humility,  love,  repentance,  etc.  Absurdly,  we  do  very  little  to  implement  critical  actions  needed  for  change.  This  is  because  we  have  an  ____________________  problem.  Like  the  lukewarm  church  at  Laodicean,  we  are  self-­‐  deluded  and  assume  all  is  well,  when  in  reality  our  prospects  are  desperate!  (See  Rev.  3:15-­‐18).    Desperation  for  Transformation  George  Otis  Jr.  says,  “Not  long  ago  I  was  asked  to  contribute  story  material  for  a  Christian  magazine  that  asked  on  the  cover,  “Can  Prayer  Save  America?”  It’s  an  intriguing  question,  but  I’m  not  sure  it’s  the  right  question.  A  more  appropriate  one  might  be:  Do  Americans  and  American  Christians  in  particular,  think  they  need  to  be  saved?  I  know  there  are  polls  suggesting  that  people  are  worried  about  the  economy  and  other  social  uncertainties.  I’m  aware  that  politicians  are  facing  a  lot  of  voter  anger  and  that  some  cities  are  even  experiencing  loud  street  protests.  But...our  concern  isn’t  that  pronounced.  Most  of  us  are  bothered  just  enough  to  gripe  to  our  neighbors  and  hairdressers—and  maybe  cast  an  anti-­‐incumbent  vote.  

The  question  of  whether  we  will  actually  experience  transformation  depends  on  how  we  perceive  our  condition.  In  the  words  of  Norman  Grubb,  “Until  there  is  a  conviction  of  need,  there  can  never  be  a  desire  for  change.”  

“Although  desperation  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  features  in  transformed  communities,  it  is  a  concept  many  Westerners  find  unappealing.  Having  been  schooled  in  the  virtues  of  confidence  and  self-­‐sufficiency,  we  find  it  difficult  to  accept  any  suggestion  that  our  condition  is  beyond  human  remedy.  If  there  is  a  problem,  we  will  fix  it.  The  idea  of  gaining  ground  by  giving  up  (even  to  God)  reeks  of  laziness  and  irresponsibility.  What  some  of  us  do  not  yet  seem  to  understand  is  that  we  are  lazy,  at  least  spiritually.  The  reason  we  don’t  see  it,  to  quote  American  novelist  Vladimir  Nabokov,  is  because  “complacency  is  a  state  of  mind  that  exists  only  in  retrospect;  it  has  to  be  shattered  before  being  ascertained.”  

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Our  World  on  Fire  Only  God  can  transform  a  community,  but  there  are  several  things  we  can  do  to  prepare  for  His  arrival.  Here’s  a  short  list  of  considerations.  

1.Picture  true  success.    

In  short,  a  transformed  community  is  a  neighborhood,  city  or  nation  where  values  and  institutions  have  been  overrun  by  the  grace  and  presence  of  God;  a  place  where  divine  fire  has  not  merely  been  summoned,  it  has  fallen;  a  society  in  which  natural  evolutionary  change  has  been  disrupted  by  invasive  supernatural  power;  a  culture  that  has  been  impacted  comprehensively  and  undeniably  by  the  kingdom  of  God;  a  location  where  kingdom  values  are  celebrated  publicly  and  passed  on  to  future  generations.  

2.Discern  your  ____________________.    

Obscured  Jeopardy  Syndrome  is  a  condition  that  prevails  in  communities  where  serious  illnesses  are  not  readily  discernible.  The  primary  symptom  is  a  false  sense  of  security,  and  the  only  remedy  is  to  ask  God  to  help  us  see  things  as  they  really  are.  This  revelation  helps  us  avoid  superficial  assessments  based  on  how  circumstances  are  affecting  us  personally,  as  well  as  what  prior  experience  has  taught  us  is  normal.  

3.Work  up  an  ____________________.    

We  all  possess  a  long  list  of  life  hungers.  Some  are  base  appetites—food,  sex,  sleep—essential  to  our  survival  as  a  species.  Others  are  unique  to  us  as  individuals.  These  might  include  a  hunger  for  reputation  or  security.  The  salient  question  is:  Where  on  this  list  do  we  rank  our  hunger  for  the  presence  of  God?  The  process  of  transforming  revival  is  triggered  when  our  appetite  for  God’s  presence  trumps  all  other  hungers.  

4.Find  faithful  ____________________.    

It  is  important  to  pray  with  others  who  share  both  our  desperation  for  God  and  a  genuine  spirit  of  unity.  In  looking  for  these  qualities,  we  do  well  to  remember  that  God’s  choicest  servants  often  come  in  unconventional  packages.  In  addition  to  

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pastors  and  intercessors,  our  initial  core  might  very  well  consist  of  tax  collectors,  shepherds  or  even  children.  

5.Pray  with  focus.  

 It  goes  without  saying  that  prayer  is  the  incubator  and  furnace  of  revival.  If  it  is  neglected  or  dies  out,  all  forward  progress  will  cease.  For  this  reason,  and  because  today’s  wealth  of  information  often  leads  to  a  poverty  of  attention,  mastering  our  digital  life  and  calendar  is  essential.  

6.Get  on  the  ____________________.    

Last,  if  we  are  to  realize  transforming  revival,  we  must  migrate  from  wishful  hoping  to  biblical  expectancy.  This  means  temporarily  shutting  down  aspects  of  “normal  life”  to  prepare  for  something  extraordinary.  And  just  as  the  actions  of  elite  athletes  are  motivated  by,  and  measured  against,  the  looming  prospect  of  the  next  Olympiad,  having  a  time  frame  is  key  (see  Prov.  13:4,  Hosea  6:3).  

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Session Text:

2 Chronicles 29-31

Session Three

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KEYS  TO  TRANSFORMATION    Introduction  Sadly  there  have  been  seasons  in  church  history  when  the  spirituality  of  God's  people  has  so  decayed  that  religious  ritual  and  formality  end  up  becoming  cheap  substitutes  for  fervent  worship  and  authentic  devotion  to  God.  It  is  at  this  juncture  that  the  church  forfeits  its  spiritual  authority  and  is  no  longer  able  to  exercise  godly  influence  on  society  resulting  in  a  moral  and  social  breakdown.  By  and  large,  the  Church  in  North  America  is  vastly  different  than  the  Church  we  read  about  in  the  Book  of  Acts.  We  are  not  establishing  His  Kingdom  of  justice  and  peace  on  the  earth.  Among  those  that  attend  our  

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churches,  many  are  bound,  need  healing  and  have  fallen  from  their  first  love.  We  are  desperately  in  need  of  a  spiritual  awakening.  Such  an  awakening,  though  desperately  needed,  will  never  occur  through  technical  church  growth  formulas  or  more  innovative  approaches  to  ministry  as  good  as  these  things  may  be.  What  is  truly  needed  is  a  profound  kind  of  repentance  that  digs  beneath  the  way  things  appear  and  deals  with  the  very  root  causes  of  the  sin  and  apostasy  that  is  in  this  nation.  Such  repentance  is  the  only  true  way  to  a  restoration  of  the  blessings  of  God  upon  our  lives,  churches  and  our  nations.

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KING  HEZEKIAH  When  Hezekiah  assumed  the  throne  of  Judah,  the  spirituality  of  the  nation  had  deteriorated  to  a  pitiful  state.  Hezekiah's  father  and  predecessor,  Ahaz  was  responsible  for  plunging  the  nation  into  moral  decay  by  virtually  eliminating  the  worship  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  in  the  Land.  2  Chronicles  28:22-­‐25  eulogizes  his  life.  “In  his  time  of  trouble  King  Ahaz  became  even  more  unfaithful  to  the  LORD.  23  He  offered  sacrifices  to  the  gods  of  Damascus,  who  had  defeated  him;  for  he  thought,  "Since  the  gods  of  the  kings  of  Aram  have  helped  them,  I  will  sacrifice  to  them  so  they  will  help  me."  But  they  were  his  downfall  and  the  downfall  of  all  Israel.  24  Ahaz  gathered  together  the  furnishings  from  the  temple  of  God  and  took  them  away.  He  shut  the  doors  of  the  LORD's  temple  and  set  up  altars  at  every  street  corner  in  Jerusalem.  25  In  every  town  in  Judah  he  built  high  places  to  burn  sacrifices  to  other  gods  and  provoked  the  LORD,  the  God  of  his  fathers,  to  anger.”  

The  Leaders  of  God's  House  had  Did  nothing  to  resist  his  actions.  They  stood  still  and  watched  as  righteousness  and  true  devotion  to  God  was  replaced  by  rampant  idolatry  and  gross  immorality.  King  Hezekiah  points  this  out:  "My  sons,  do  not  be  negligent  now...."  (2  Chronicles  29:11).  He  was  implying  that  the  Priests  and  Levites  had  shirked  their  responsibility.  An  alternative  translation  reads:  “My  dear  Levites,  do  not  neglect  your  duties  any  longer!”  NLT  

The  Levites  and  Priest  had  failed  to  stand  up  for  the  truth  and  the  Enemy  had  established  Himself  in  the  midst  of  God’s  dwelling  place.  Yet  in  spite  of  these  grim  circumstances,  King  Hezekiah  was  determined  to  lead  His  people  back  to  the  Lord  and  see  Holy  Ghost  revival  engulf  the  Land.  In  2  Chr  29:10  we  read  of  his  determination:  “Now  it  is  in  my  heart  to  make  a  covenant  with  the  LORD  God  of  Israel  that  His  fierce  wrath  may  turn  away  from  us."  

King  Hezekiah  accomplished  his  goal.  In  his  time  revival  and  transformation  occurred  and  judgment  was  stayed.  The  spiritual  success  he  achieved  hinged  on  the  implementation  of  at  least  three  spiritual  principles.  These  principles  are  divine  in  origin  and  immutable  in  nature.  Without  exception,  they  will  produce  the  same  results  today  as  they  did  in  Hezekiah’s  time  whenever  a  people  are  courageous  enough  to  fully  implement  them  from  submissive  hearts.  

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These  pre-­‐  requisites  of  revival  are:    

•  ____________________    

•  ____________________    

•  ____________________  

 

SATURATION  2  Chronicles  28:24-­‐25  informs  us  that  prior  to  the  rule  of  Hezekiah  the  Temple  had  been  desecrated  and  its  doors  had  been  sealed  closed.  “So  Ahaz  gathered  the  articles  of  the  house  of  God,  cut  in  pieces  the  articles  of  the  house  of  God,  shut  up  the  doors  of  the  house  of  the  LORD,  and  made  for  himself  altars  in  every  corner  of  Jerusalem.  25  And  in  every  single  city  of  Judah  he  made  high  places  to  burn  incense  to  other  gods,  and  provoked  to  anger  the  LORD  God  of  his  fathers.”  

As  a  direct  result  of  the  doors  being  sealed  closed,  the  people  were  unable  to  approach  the  Divine  presence.  2  Chronicles  29:7  says  that  the  lamps  were  put  out,  incense  was  not  being  burned  and  burnt  offerings  had  ceased  to  be  made  in  the  holy  place  to  the  God  of  Israel.  

To  rectify  this,  the  first  executive  order  given  under  Hezekiah's  leadership  was  the  unstopping  and  repairing  of  the  entrances  to  the  Temple.  In  2  Chronicles  29:3  we  read,  "In  the  first  year  of  his  reign,  in  the  first  month,  he  opened  the  doors  of  the  house  of  the  LORD  and  repaired  them."  The  re-­‐opening  of  the  Temple  doors  would  assure  access  again  to  the  Holy  of  Holies  where  the  presence  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  dwelt  between  the  two  cherubim.  The  people  could  once  more  draw  near  to  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  The  root  cause  of  sin  and  apathy  is  becoming  insensitive  to  the  presence  of  God!  Consider  the  following  scriptures:  

•  “Where  there  is  no  vision,  the  people  are  unrestrained...”  (Proverbs  29:18,  NAS).  •  “He  answered  me,  "The  sin  of  the  house  of  Israel  and  Judah  is  exceedingly  great;  the  land  is  full  of  bloodshed  and  the  city  is  full  of  in-­‐justice.  They  say,  'The  LORD  has  forsaken  the  land;  the  LORD  does  not  see’”  (Ezekiel  9:9).  

 

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If  we  are  going  to  experience  revival  in  our  churches  and  in  our  nation,  it  is  imperative  that  we  re-­‐position  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  and  allow  His  Spirit  to  search  our  hearts  and  minds  in  order  to  reveal  to  us  our  true  condition.  The  Bible  calls  for  this  type  of  transparency:  

• “Humble  Yourselves  in  the  sight  [face]  of  the  Lord”  (James  4:10).    • “The  human  heart  is  the  most  deceitful  of  all  things  and  desperately  wicked.  Who  really  knows  how  bad  it  is?  But  I,  the  LORD,  search  all  hearts  and  examine  secret  motives”  (Jeremiah  17:9-­‐10).  

• Ephesians  5:13  “But  all  things  that  are  exposed  are  made  manifest  by  the  light,  for  whatever  makes  manifest  is  light.”    

• Psalm  139:  23-­‐  24,  “Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart:  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts:  And  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting.”  

CHECKING  FOR  BLIND  SPOTS  “So  I  tell  you  this,  and  insist  on  it  in  the  Lord,  that  you  must  no  longer  live  as  the  Gentiles  do,  in  the  futility  of  their  thinking.  18  They  are  darkened  in  their  understanding  and  separated  from  the  life  of  God  because  of  the  ignorance  that  is  in  them  due  to  the  hardening  of  their  hearts.  19  Having  lost  all  sensitivity,  they  have  given  themselves  over  to  sensuality  so  as  to  indulge  in  every  kind  of  impurity,  with  a  continual  lust  for  more”  (Ephesians  4:17  –  19).  

1.Selfish  ____________________:  

John  3:21,  But  he  who  practices  truth  [who  does  what  is  right]  comes  out  into  the  Light;  so  that  his  works  may  be  plainly  shown  to  be  what  they  are—wrought  with  God  [divinely  prompted,  done  with  God's  help,  in  dependence  upon  Him].  

2.God’s  Will  Done  ____________________      ____________________:    

3.Done  out  of  ____________________:  Revelation2:2-­‐4“  

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Session Text:

2 Chronicles 29-31

Session Four

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KEYS  TO  TRANSFORMATION    Continued…  

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CONSECRATION    The  promise  of  God  awakening  and  healing  nations  is  firmly  rooted  in  His  word.  2  Chronicles  7:14  informs  us  of  the  conditions  and  the  promise:  “If  My  people  who  are  called  by  My  name  will  humble  themselves,  and  pray  and  seek  My  face,  and  turn  from  their  wicked  ways,  then  I  will  hear  from  heaven,  and  will  forgive  their  sin  and  heal  their  land.”  God  has  promised  that  if  we  approach  Him  in  obedience  to  His  word  and  according  to  His  conditions  that  we  will  receive  what  He  has  pledged  to  give  to  us!  What  God  has  promised  will  come  to  pass  in  a  timely  fashion.  It  is  not  His  will  that  we  wait  for  years  for  His  promise  to  be  experienced  in  our  lives:  “'And  will  not  [our  just]  God  defend  and  protect  and  avenge  His  elect  (His  chosen  ones),  who  cry  to  Him  day  and  night?  Will  He  defer  them  and  delay  help  on  their  behalf?  I  tell  you,  He  will  defend  and  protect  and  avenge  them  speedily'”  (Luke  18:6-­‐8a).  The  determining  factor  is  if  will  prevail  in  faith.  “'However,  when  the  Son  of  Man  comes,  will  He  find  [persistence  in]  faith  on  the  earth?'”  (Luke  18:6b).  

When  the  leaders  and  the  people  came  before  the  Lord  in  true  repentance  and  surrender  God  promptly  responded  to  their  plea  and  blessed  them!  

• “Then  Hezekiah  and  all  the  people  rejoiced  that  God  had  prepared  the  people,  since  the  events  took  place  so  suddenly”  2  Chronicles  29:36.  

There  are  at  least  two  reasons  why  our  churches  are  not  experiencing  true  revival  and  awakening  today.  First,  there  is  an  absence  of  genuine  consecration  to  God  among  the  leaders.  Secondly,  The  House  of  the  Lord  has  not  been  set  in  order.  

 

ABOMINATIONS  IN  THE  HOUSE  Upon  reopening  the  Temple's  entrances,  King  Hezekiah  commanded  that  the  Levites  first  consecrate  themselves  to  the  Lord  followed  by  the  consecration  of  the  House  of  the  Lord.  2  Chronicles  29:4-­‐5  reads:  "Then  he  brought  in  the  priests  and  the  Levites,  and  gathered  them  in  the  East  Square,  and  said  to  them:  "Hear  me,  Levites!  Now  sanctify  yourselves,  sanctify  the  house  of  the  LORD  God  of  your  fathers,  and  carry  out  the  rubbish  from  the  holy  place."  

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Starting  with  the  leaders  themselves,  a  profound  type  of  repentance  was  enacted.  Jeremiah  7:10  Amplified  Bible:  “And  [then  dare  to]  come  and  stand  before  Me  in  this  house,  which  is  called  by  My  Name,  and  say,  [By  the  discharge  of  this  religious  formality]  we  are  set  free!-­‐-­‐only  to  go  on  with  this  wickedness  and  these  abominations?”  

 

A  PATTERN  FOR  TRUE  REPENTANCE:  1._______________________:    

2  Chr  29:15.  “And  they  gathered  their  brethren,  sanctified  themselves,  and  went  according  to  the  commandment  of  the  king,  at  the  words  of  the  LORD,  to  cleanse  the  house  of  the  LORD.  

 

2.PROFOUND:    

2  Chronicles  29:16,  “Then  the  priests  went  into  the  inner  part  of  the  house  of  the  LORD  to  cleanse  it,  and  brought  out  all  the  debris  that  they  found  in  the  temple  of  the  LORD  to  the  court  of  the  house  of  the  LORD.  And  the  Levites  took  it  out  and  carried  it  to  the  Brook  Kidron.”  Inward  Defilement:  “It  is  what  comes  from  inside  that  defiles  you.  For  from  within,  out  of  a  person’s  heart,  come  evil  thoughts,  sexual  immorality,  theft,  murder,  adultery,  greed,  wickedness,  deceit,  lustful  desires,  envy,  slander,  pride,  and  foolishness.  All  these  vile  things  come  from  within;  they  are  what  defile  you”  (Mark  7:20-­‐23  NLT).  

1  Thes  5:23  "Now  may  the  God  of  peace  Himself  sanctify  you  wholly;  and  may  your  whole  spirit,  soul,  and  body  be  preserved  blameless  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."    

'Wholly'  =  "through  and  through,  complete  to  the  end."  

 

 

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3.________________________:    

2  Chronicles  29:16,  “Then  the  priests  went  into  the  inner  part  of  the  house  of  the  LORD  to  cleanse  it,  and  brought  out  all  the  debris  that  they  found  in  the  temple  of  the  LORD  to  the  court  of  the  house  of  the  LORD.  And  the  Levites  took  it  out  and  carried  it  to  the  Brook  Kidron.”  

• Kidron  =  "place  ashes”  by  implication”  mourning."  

 

4.________________________:  

Prolonged  Commitment:  No  time  limit!  –  2  Chronicles  29:17  “Now  they  began  to  sanctify  on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month,  and  on  the  eighth  day  of  the  month  they  came  to  the  vestibule  of  the  LORD.  Then  they  sanctified  the  house  of  the  LORD  in  eight  days,  and  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  the  first  month  they  finished.  

 

5.________________________    

True  holiness  includes:  Carrying  out  the  uncleanness  v  16;  but  also  carrying  in  the  holy  and  good!  “Then  they  went  in  to  King  Hezekiah  and  said,  "We  have  cleansed  all  the  house  of  the  LORD,  the  altar  of  burnt  offerings  with  all  its  articles,  and  the  table  of  the  showbread  with  all  its  articles.  19  "Moreover  all  the  articles  which  King  Ahaz  in  his  reign  had  cast  aside  in  his  transgression  we  have  prepared  and  sanctified;  and  there  they  are,  before  the  altar  of  the  LORD”  (2  Chronicles  29:18-­‐19).  

Ephesians  4:22,  24  -­‐  “...that  you  put  off,  concerning  your  former  conduct,  the  old  man  which  grows  corrupt  according  to  the  deceitful  lusts  and  that  you  put  on  the  new  man  which  was  created  according  to  God,  in  true  righteousness  and  holiness.”  

 

 

 

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PROCLAMATION  After  setting  the  House  of  the  Lord  in  order  and  restoring  true  worship,  King  Hezekiah  wrote  letters  and  sent  them  by  couriers  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  Judah  and  Israel  summoning  them  to  assemble  in  Jerusalem  (2  Chronicles  30:1-­‐13).  Likewise,  after  we  have  prepared  ourselves  and  the  house  of  the  Lord  is  “set  in  order”  we  can  with  assurance  and  authority  begin  to  expend  our  energy  on  proclaiming  the  Gospel  to  our  cities!  We  must  do  more  than  pray,  but  we  cannot  do  more  until  we  pray!  

 

PROMISES  TO  A  REPENTANT,  CONSECRATED  PEOPLE  1.THEY  WILL  EXPERIENCE  ____________________  IN  THEIR  COMMUNITY:  (30:10-­‐14).    

2.EXPERIENCE  INCREDIBLE  ____________________:  (30-­‐18b-­‐20,  27).    

3.HAVE  SUFFICIENT  ____________________  TO  FULFILL  THE  ____________________:  (31:2-­‐12)  

Ps  110:3  -­‐  Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power

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1. What is the difference between “revival” and “transformation?”

2. List seven common characteristics that indicate when community

transformation has occurred?

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2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

3. List at least five things that can be done in order to attract the

presence of God and prepare for His arrival:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

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