Revival and Reformation, Part 3
We have been looking at the concepts of revival and reformation, and the fact that they are linked to Yahweh’s assignments to Adam and Eve - and therefore all of us (Part 1 [entitled: In The Beginning…] and Part 2). Each post builds on the next, so if you haven’t listened to or read the first two, please consider doing so. In Genesis 1:26-28, Adam and Eve were told to 1) multiply His family, and 2) govern/manage His earth. Christ re-commissioned the church to these assignments in Mark 16:15-20 and Matthew 28:18-20. In Mark’s gospel, He told us to “preach the gospel” in order to see people saved, i.e., multiply His family. When this happens with great momentum and large numbers of people coming to Christ, we refer to it as revival. In Matthew’s commission, Christ instructed us to teach His commandments in order to disciple nations - that is, steward/manage/govern the earth. When this occurs on a broad scale, we call it reformation. The fact that we did not focus on BOTH commissions in the charismatic/Jesus People movements caused us to lose much of the fruit and was devastating to America’s well-being. I’ll discuss this in Thursday’s post.
In yesterday’s post, I listed a few comparisons between revival (Mark 16) and reformation (Matthew 28) to help us understand the differences. I want to give several more today and tomorrow, breaking down the differences into three categories: our goals, our messages, and our activities. Today, we’ll look at the differences regarding the goals:
The goals of Mark’s and Matthew’s commissions are different:
The goal of Mark’s commission is to impact and save people, individuals; the goal of Matthew’s is to impact and save cities and nations.
Mark’s goal is to birth spiritual children; Matthew’s goal is to mature, train them as citizens of God’s Kingdom, and commission them as Kingdom soldiers, ambassadors, and legislators.
Through Mark’s commission, people receive God’s life and nature; through Matthew’s commission, they are trained to release His life and nature.
The fulfillment of Mark’s commission brings wholeness to and shapes individuals; the fulfillment of Matthew’s brings wholeness to and shapes cultures, societies, and nations.
Mark’s commission is intended to deliver people from demons and sin; Matthew’s is designed to deliver nations from principalities and powers, philosophies, laws, unrighteous systems, humanism, racism, and more.
In Mark’s commission, the fruit is internal, within believers and the body of Christ; in Matthew’s commission, the fruit is external, manifesting in societies and nations.
Mark’s assignment is to transform the heart, our nature; the discipling of Matthew’s is to transform the mind, our thinking.
Mark’s commission will heal individuals of brokenness, diseases, oppression, etc.; Matthew’s will heal nations of poverty, hunger, violence, and other evils.
The salvation released through Mark’s message fills individuals with Holy Spirit; Matthew’s teaching is intended to fill the atmospheres, the spiritual realm of regions and nations with Holy Spirit’s presence and peace.
In Mark, Holy Spirit is poured out; in Matthew, the Word and truth are taught. Mark’s is an outpouring; Matthew’s is an outworking.
Through Mark’s commission, personal destinies are awakened and accomplished; through Matthew’s, national destinies are awakened and accomplished.
Mark’s commission produces the family of God, the bride of Christ, worshippers; Matthew’s commission produces the Ekklesia, ambassadors and warriors of Christ.
The fact that many in the church have not fully understood what each of Christ’s commissions was meant to accomplish has greatly hindered our mission. A mission must be clearly defined in order to be fully accomplished. There must be a target to hit, a mark to press toward. Tomorrow, we will define this more, looking at the messages associated with each commission, as well as the different activities. We’ll see when to emphasize the provision of Christ, and when to teach the principles of Christ; we’ll look at our inheritance in Christ, versus our assignment from Christ. I’m confident it will be beneficial to you.
Pray with me:
Father, we thank You for Your heart to redeem and save. Thank You for the power of the gospel, of the name of Jesus, and of Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your Word, which transforms, instructs, and teaches us Your ways. And we thank You for Your promise that America shall be saved and revival will impact the earth.
We will partner with You in these endeavors, as Your Word instructs us. We will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. We will baptize those who believe, lay hands on the sick and see them recover, and cast out demons. This will produce the revival You speak of. We will also teach Your Word, Your commandments and ways, discipling individuals and nations. We will do so with Your authority, as You instructed us in Matthew 28. This will produce the reformation You have spoken of.
So, Father, we boldly and passionately ask You for the fullness of this revival and reformation. Let Your power and outpouring be such that they cannot be ignored. Awaken the church, save unbelievers, and transform nations. And all of this we ask for in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
Our decree:
We declare that the greatest revival in history has begun, and this will lead to reformation throughout the world.
And please remember to vote today! It’s important that we put feet to our prayers.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.