Upload
lyminh
View
215
Download
3
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
2
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
1
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
2
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.
3
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’”
1
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
4
2
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.
5
3
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)
6
4
• 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).
7
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
1
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?
2
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
_____________________________
8
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.”
9
1
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
10
2
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).
11
Session Text:
2 Chronicles 29-31
Session Three
1
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
2
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.
12
1
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.
13
2
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).
14
3
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“
16
1
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."
17
2
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."
18
3
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.”
19
4
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
20
1. What is the difference between “revival” and “transformation?”
2. List seven common characteristics that indicate when community
transformation has occurred?
1)
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)
Re
flec
tion
Q
ue
stio
ns