Acts 5:34-41 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. ... So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
As I’ve been writing about the "great awakenings" that took place over the past few days. I believe we could be witnessing such a move of God.
In laymen’s terms, the difference between a ‘revival’ and an ‘awakening’ is simply that moves of God transcend denominations and sects. While various ‘denominations’ have revivals at times, an ‘awakening’ shakes the body of Christ across denominational boundaries in spite of their differences.
While this may be controversial to some, true moves of God were always controversial … if it happened in Yeshua’s (Jesus) day, then nothing should surprise us.
It was during the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) that there was a dispute amongst the people saying, “He is a good man,” while others were saying, “He is leading people astray”; [John 7]. If people said this about Yeshua and His ministry, how much more controversial will revivals be among those who claim the name of Yeshua?
The Pharisees of Yeshua’s day watched Him closely to try to find fault in Him, as they carefully watched to see if He would heal on Shabbat. They were so busy fault-finding that they missed the very Son of God who was operating in the power of God in their very midst.
While there will always be opportunists and exhibitionists who will try to counterfeit genuine moves of God, this does not negate true moves of God taking place, as they have always been taking place since the birth of the church.
While it’s important to test all things, we also need to be careful of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In John Wesley’s day, people spoke out against the Wesleyan revivals, to which he wrote, “They take upon themselves to judge of the things which they know not.”
I spent some time on Facebook (which I rarely do) to see reactions to the events which took place over the weekend. I was astounded at the spirit of judgmentalism at such a genuine gathering of saints calling out for God’s mercy and seeking a move of God based on repentance. Amazingly, most that condemned the event, admitted they hadn't watched it. It was truly surreal to see believers being manipulated into slandering the saints.
Are we witnessing a “great awakening?” We’ll find out … for if it is of God … who can really be against it? The real question that faces each of us… “are we awakened?” If so, then the Lord is beginning a great awakening within each one of us! Isn’t this what a move of God does? May revival begin in each one of us … don’t worry about the controversies … the truth is controversial enough!
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]There is an old Persian fable of a hen, a mouse, and a rabbit who lived together in a little house in the woods. They shared all the work and lived in harmony. The chicken found the firewood, the mouse brought the water from a nearby brook, and the rabbit cooked the meals. Each did his work faithfully and contentedly.
In the most extreme moment of his life, when his entire household was threatened with annihilation, the Patriarch Jacob wrestled with a Man through an entire sleepless night. Somehow, after this astounding encounter, Jacob came to the realization that he had been wrestling with God, and face to face! Once again, the Lord God of heaven showed Himself as a human being to a man He loved; this time, for the purpose of rescuing, blessing, and preserving the man’s destiny.
As we continue our study of the men who followed David, let’s look at their boldness — the boldness of lions! We also need this boldness in the face of the enemy who is “like a lion”, himself….a roaring lion.
As we continue our study of the Mighty Men of David, another quality is worth pointing out — they were not procrastinators. Notice that these men decided to cross the Jordan river when it was at flood stage! They didn’t wait till the river receded, but rather, boldly crossed when it was the most dangerous!
As David grew in stature those who stood by him increased in number, devoting themselves to fight with him. Though it was a time of adversity for David, and a time of warfare, he found that there were many willing to join their lives to his; "...a brother is born for adversity"; and "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother". Again we note that David's anointing and his character made him a friend to many...and many became his loyal friends.
A program by National Geographic gives a powerful illustration for us. In the great annual wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park in Africa a giant herd, thousands of wildebeest, slowly move in groups across the plain. They are invariably followed by stalking lions. But the lions never attack the herd – they simply watch carefully for the stray wildebeest, either careless or seeking greener grass, who separates himself from the larger groups of animals. The isolated wildebeest will become the sudden prey of the lions who attack with lightening speed and ferocity.
50,000 soldiers from the tribe of Zebulun served in David’s army with UNDIVIDED (some translations: “not double-hearted”) hearts. Can you imagine a skilled army with this level of loyalty and devotion?