Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The third great awakening took place during the late 1850s into the beginning of the 1900s. It was during this era that the wave of revivals sweeping America began spreading throughout the world. The era saw the abolition of slavery, women’s right to vote, and the end of child labor in factories.
George Mueller began a movement of orphanages and Christian schools, and amazingly, was accused of raising the poor out of their ‘station in life’ as he educated over 120,000 children.
Elsewhere in Great Britian, William Booth’s Salvation Army outreach was birthed out of the third great awakening. His concern for rampant alcoholism led to the prohibition movement of the 1930s. Riding on a wagon through the streets, Booth called on alcoholics to stop drinking and come to faith in Jesus. His success led former drunks to coin the phrase, “I’m on the wagon”.
Meanwhile, in China, Hudson Taylor led an evangelical movement in the Far East, another arm of the “awakening”. And D.L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, and R.A. Torrey were leading revivals throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
D.L. Moody rarely spoke of His Baptism in the Spirit which took place in New York just after his church was burned down in the great Chicago fire of 1871. It radically changed his ministry, earning him the moniker, “Crazy Moody.” Yet, his preaching brought thousands to faith, and Moody Bible Institute in Chicago has educated thousands more for ministry since its birth.
The third great awakening saw God radically empowering believers by His Spirit to usher in a harvest in their generation which continues to impact society today.
Will you allow the Spirit of God to radically transform your life? This day and hour, when it seems so dark — is our time to shine; to be the beacon of light to this world that so needs the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus.
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Yeshua (Jesus) gave a remarkable parenthetic instruction in the middle of His Olivet discourse on the time of His coming and the end of the age. While it is unlikely that He himself said this, He certainly inspired Matthew to insert, “..let the reader understand”, concerning this critical event prophesied by Daniel, the Abomination of Desolation. His exhortation intended us (the readers of Matthew’s gospel) to learn what this means.
In John Bunyan’s best-selling book, Pilgrim’s Progress, the central character, Christian, begins his journey leaving the city of Destruction and ventures on his way toward the Celestial City. Early on his journey, Christian decides to depart from the narrow path onto an easier one which leads him to the territory of Despair and its stronghold, Doubting Castle.
The United States is currently experiencing a polar vortex—a surge of frigid air from the Arctic circle that blankets the country, bringing massive winter storms in its wake. As of now, over 350,000 people are without power. This sudden and unexpected cold snap brought to mind a story I’d like to share.
During this frigid weather across the United States and the devastating fires in California, millions have been grappling with widespread electricity blackouts. Thousands of people across the country remain without power. Across the United States, many teens are experiencing life without electricity for the first time—an adjustment that also means living without their cell phones. Can you imagine?
Mount Ibu, a volcano on Halmahera island in Indonesia’s North Maluku province, erupted on Saturday, spewing hot lava and sending a column of smoke and ash soaring over three miles into the sky. It’s a reminder of how volatile Indonesia can be as it has nearly 130 active volcanoes. All of this volcanic activity reminded me of another explosion that took place in 1991.
Following the devastating fires in California, we reported that the state’s insurer of last resort is nearing insolvency, potentially leaving many property owners with uncovered losses. This would be catastrophic for affected homeowners.
It reminded me of when we first arrived in Israel about fourteen years ago, my wife was almost eight months pregnant…
I suppose one of the hardest questions to answer is: “Why do I have to deal with so much adversity?!”