I believe there’s coming a time that Christianity will go through a second reformation.
There is an underground move of the Holy Spirit that is calling people to one unified purpose, and it’s like that of a spiritual militia. Like disgruntled, seemingly over-patriotic wilderness residents, there is an uprising of individuals who are no longer content with religion and traditional complacency. The stuff of earth is not important to these people, and they’re becoming resentful that supposed wise clergy is telling them otherwise.
People’s hearts are being stirred with passion for the King, and doing only the King’s will. These people are getting back to the basics of the old time Christianity, the Christianity that you find in the Bible; and they are setting their hearts on the eternal and spiritual, rather than temporary and earthly. Seeking God’s Kingdom requires us to see things in a worldview outside of what can be seen, heard, tasted or touched. Can a clay pot actually know the Potter’s mind and will? Let alone, can the pot know anything MORE than the Potter? This is impossible.
If you are a person who sees religion as a dead thing, or you just FEEL that there is something more to the services you attend, YOU ARE RIGHT! The times around the corner will be exciting times for the Christian Church! That is, people knowing Jesus personally and are developing an intimate relationship with Him without reservation. Church is not a building or a system or a set time of day. It is the believers themselves, and the group of believers they commune and walk with. THIS is the Church. THIS is the Body of Christ. It is very important that you are aware of this now. It is important that you keep an ear open to what God is doing with His Bride. “It’s almost like Jesus actually believes He purchased His Bride,” as Pastor David Hogan would say, jokingly sarcastic.
The refreshing move of God around the corner will blow our minds, and shake our worldviews. We all have our views based on nature and nurture, what we’ve been taught and what we have experienced. Allow me to tell you a recent, short story.
Sensing these things, and also reading up on some of these thoughts on websites that have to do with the “emerging church” and the “second reformation,” I’ve been drinking in the experiences of past revivals and renewals, such as the Great Awakening, Welsh Street, Pentecost, and even recent moves like Pensacola, Toronto, Australia and Kansas City. Amidst taking notes a few weeks back, I felt the Lord strongly impress in my spirit, “Why are you preparing for My move of Tomorrow by reading the newspaper clippings of Yesterday?”
How can I prepare for something I have never seen before? Like the military, I may know certain combat skills, know my weapon well, and have a sergeant who’s integrative, but if I don’t know the territory well and everything involved, everything I DO know amounts to nothing. What we know now about past revivals, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the depths and dimensions of the spiritual realm, will amount to nothing when God pours this fresh oil on us. It will confuse us. It will baffle us. It will cause many to fall away. It will, most importantly, question our own walk with the Lord and our purposes.
We will basically have to choose if this is of God and what will we do with it. There will be stuff, I believe, that will not be found biblically; because Jesus promised that we will do greater things than He. There will be renewed hearts for the Lord. True believers, not merely those who are church attendees, will fall passionately and deeply in love with Jesus, and will be filled with the Spirit, and become bold and confident in their ministry to others in need. We might as well call it “Pentecost Part 2” because of the newness and empowering move of God in every TRUE Christian’s life.
There will not be legalism or stagnant religion anymore within this emerging group of believers. God’s creation is SO dear to Him that He sent His own Son to die for the justification of His creation and His holiness. Are we not to expect the God, Lord of the universe, to desire to see His bride pure? Are we so arrogant to think that God doesn’t expect us to see things as He sees them? Are we not to desire the Kingdom of God to be revealed in our own lives, given that we are living testimonies of His sovereignty and faithfulness?
The time is coming! We cannot really be prepared, but we can be open. 1 Kings 19: 11-12 speaks of the move of God’s Spirit being a Wind, then an Earthquake, then a Fire. After these things tore everything apart, THEN God’s soft voice came. Our nice hairdos will be messed, our worldview will shake, and our religious works will burn up. Then the voice of God will speak to His people. Hebrews 12:26 promises this for the Body’s future.
Who are we to deny what God can do? Who are we to put God in a box? Who are we neatly put His Spirit between the pages of 66 chapters? We welcome You, Jesus! We embrace Your move! Come and woo us, Lord Jesus!
Steve Hudson (Souled Out) NocturnalApostle@Hotmail.com
Thanks for the articles, Steve. I hope God is planning to shake us up like you describe.
I’m troubled by 2 things you say:
This is the opposite of what tends to happen in a revival. Surely we can only judge by the fruits – we can only recognise God’s work when new believers come to him, rather than going away.
I hope you mean events and experiences, rather than theology. I would be worried if anyone claimed to have new revelations about God that “went beyond” the Bible or similar.
My final comment is a huge case of the pot calling the kettle black, but maybe you are too quick to condemn the church-going masses. I often feel that most Christians are stupid, sheep-like etc. but actually it turns out that I am no cleverer or more independent, and they are not only loved by God as much as I am, but also are saved and have real relationships with him, so I realise my condemnation of them is dangerous because it amounts to a condemnation of the bride herself, as you put it.
I’m still not convinced…
D4rk|y (Sole Doubt)
In revivals, there are many, many people added to the Church, yes. But when things start to happen differently, and when calls people to a higher level of commitment (which I’ll be writing in the 3rd part of this series) some people who are living a superficial, shallow Churchianity; these people will realize that they have to either know Jesus personally and passionately, or they must jump off the fence onto the “other” side.
A man cannot serve two masters, and I believe that in the future we’ll see more gray areas become more black and white, and people will have to get off the fence – especially when persecution continues to become an intense, global experience. When the costs are counted, people will choose and they’ll choose passionately.
God is calling people to obedience and sacrifice – this coming out of the heart, out of one’s character and relationship with the Lord (not suggestions or resentful “obligations”). I do not know people’s hearts or intentions, but when the fire is kicked up, we’ll see where people truly stand, and also where God’s grace will shock us by what He’ll do with us. 🙂
As for extra-biblical occurances, I do believe that Jesus did many many more things than Scripture lists – even John said this. And Jesus promised that we’ll do even greater things In His Name. Just because certain, future experiences may not be listed in Scripture, these things cannot be discounted simply because they aren’t listed in the “database.” But, like you said, we’ll have to see the fruit.
What brings you to believe these things? Personal revelation? If so, what steps have you taken to confirm this revelation? E.g. Biblical basis, discussing with others, specific revelations.
Concerning extra-Biblical occurences, as I said, I hope you are talking about events and experiences, not theology.