Matthew 9:37-38 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
The second great awakening took place around 1790 until the 1840s. This movement saw ‘circuit riders’, traveling preachers who spread the Gospel to the edges of the frontier, affecting the growing American populace. Camp meetings in rural areas outside the traditional church with the primary focus of soul winning, were like “brushfires” of the Holy Spirit, attracting people for miles.
Charles Finney, known by many as the ‘Father of Modern Revivalism”, began writing and teaching on the ‘baptism’ of the Holy Spirit. Through a series of articles later compiled into a book, “Power from on High” Finney renewed the church’s understanding of the spirit-filled life. Biblical revelation on the spiritual equality of women and slaves began to initiate major societal reforms such as abolitionism, and equal education for women and African-Americans. This paved the way for national suffrage and the abolition of slavery that took place in the late 1860s.
The first great awakening led to a personal relationship with the living God. The second great awakening continued the message of personal relationship and also “salted” the surrounding culture of society, as personal holiness and Biblical values influenced the mores of the day.
Your own personal revival will deeply affect your own personal relationship with God. This should inevitably influence your “society”; first, your family and friends, then your neighborhood, town, or community, and if God’s calling and anointing touch you, much wider influence may flow through your life in Him. Your fragrance and influence will depend on the depth and commitment of your personal relationship. But be careful not to seek influence for your own sake or reputation. Allow the Lord to expand it through the development of beautiful character, humility, and trust. Then, if God uses you for revival, it will be His divine will and empowering… and the glory will be His.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]In 490 B.C., the Athenians won a crucial and decisive battle over the forces of King Darius I of Persia, on a plain near the Greek coastal town of Marathon. Upon delivering the important message of their victory, the Greek soldier who came to tell the good news died — he had completed the 26 mile course running and bearing good news, and did it totally unreserved until the moment he died. Today marathons are run all over the world, commemorating that very event 2500 years ago.
The Bible begins with the creation of the heavens and earth, and ends with the creation of a new heavens and a new earth. Thus the Word of God delineates a complete story of everything from the beginning of the created world to the unending eternity toward which we are headed. The scripture also identifies Yeshua as the firstborn over all creation, [Colossians 1:15] and thus the Lord of all time.
Have you ever thought about how much power God releasing in our midst right now? Is it 20%… 50%… 100% of His great power?? I would venture to say that God is not even releasing a fraction of 1% of His power today. That might sound crazy to you, but think about it. If He were to release all His power on this earth, don’t you think that sin would be completely destroyed and righteousness and holiness would abound?
“On Sunday, believers arrived at a house church in the Soviet Union in small groups throughout the day so not to arouse the suspicion of KGB informers. They began by singing a hymn quietly. Suddenly, in walked two soldiers with loaded weapons at the ready. One shouted, “If you wish to renounce your commitment to Jesus Christ, leave now!” Two or three quickly left, then another. After a few more seconds…
This unique passage in Revelation has a warning and a blessing.
The first part of this verse was a warning about the suddenness of the Lord’s return as He is coming as a thief to the world not anticipating His return.
The Hebrew language contains numerous words that have the same root yet vast differences in meaning. On deeper examination however, these words can be related in illuminating ways. For example, the three Hebrew letters --"Lamed", "Chet", and "Mem"-- which spell, "lechem", or "bread" in English, are also the root letters for "fight" (lehilachem) and "war" (milchama). For centuries Rabbis have discussed and debated the connection between these three words.
When the twelve spies were sent out by Moses into the land of Canaan, ten came back with a bad report. Joshua and Caleb, however, returned with a good report, saying in essence, “If God is for us — then who can be against us?” The two courageous spies expressed their confidence in a way that was quite cool: “Do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us.” [Numbers 14:9]