Revival and Reformation, Part 4
In Review
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. Each post builds on the next, so if you haven’t listened to or read the first three, 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 a large number of people coming to Christ, we refer to it as a 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 tomorrow’s post. Yesterday, I pointed out some of the differences in our goals regarding revival (Mark 16) and reformation (Matthew 28). I want to make several more comparisons between the two today, looking at their differences regarding messages and activities.
Messages
It stands to reason that with different goals regarding revival (Mark 16) and reformation (Matthew 28), the messages would also be different; they are, as is the method of delivery.
In Mark 16, Jesus told us to “preach the gospel,” which is the good news of Christ’s redemption; in Matthew 28, He told us to “teach” what He “commanded.” The difference between preaching and teaching is more than style and volume. The New Testament word for preaching means to announce or proclaim a message, whereas teaching means to explain, expound, instruct, etc. We announce the good news of Christ’s saving work; we teach His ways, precepts, desires, and the principles of His Kingdom. (Obviously, Mark’s commission must occur before Matthew’s can be accomplished. Only those who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, desiring to obey Him, can be taught and discipled according to His ways. Without this change of heart, they could only be coerced and forced, which is never God’s plan.)
In revival, we emphasize the provision of Christ–His Cross, mercy, and grace; in reformation, we teach the principles of Christ–His Word, justice, righteousness, and truth.
When we enter God’s family, the result of Mark 16, the emphasis is on our inheritance and rights as joint heirs with Christ; as we are discipled and mature, the result of Matthew 28, the focus expands to our assignment from Christ and our responsibility as citizens of His Kingdom.
As a person matures, naturally speaking, she or he should take on more personal responsibility and require less from others. They should serve more, be served less. Otherwise, they become narcissistic, believing life is all about their needs and desires. The same is true spiritually. As we grow in Christ, our focus should become more and more on serving the needs of others, and on the cause of Christ.
The American church is filled with narcissistic believers who have been taught that the goal of a church service should be to meet their needs and satisfy their desires. Never having been taught otherwise, everything revolves around them: the worship, the sermon, the fellowship–it’s all for them. It rarely crosses their minds to ask, “Where/how can I serve?” What does God need and want from me today? I don’t mean to criticize those in the pews; these believers are simply living what they have been taught.
Activities
And lastly, the church’s activities are different when accomplishing Christ’s two commissions.
In the family mandate of Mark’s gospel, we serve the needs of people: feeding, protecting, and nurturing our spiritual family; in Matthew’s, mandate, we serve the purposes of God, ministering our gift, sacrificing, accepting risk, laying down our lives for His cause.
To fulfill Mark’s commission, we gather to worship, be fed, filled, and empowered; we receive. To accomplish Matthew’s, we also gather, but to become trained, commissioned, and sent; we represent.
In revival (Mark 16), we release the power of Holy Spirit for signs, wonders, and miracles - performing the works of God; in reformation (Matthew 28), we speak and teach truth, doctrine, wisdom, and revelation in order to transform minds, the culture, government, laws and systems, aligning them with the ways of God.
As God’s family (Mark 16), our prayers are priestly–petitions, requests, and intercession offered heavenward; as the Ekklesia (Matthew 28), our prayers are kingly - decrees and declarations released earthward from our position with Christ.
To accomplish Mark 16, multiplying and nurturing God’s family, Christ’s ministry gifts of pastor, evangelist, and teacher are most active; to function as the Ekklesia (Matthew 28), producing the transformation and reformation of nations, Christ’s ministry gifts of apostle, prophet, and teacher are most needed.
In the Charismatic/Jesus People movements, the church failed to accomplish Matthew’s commission. We did not adequately disciple converts to Christ, and we most certainly did not disciple nations. Tomorrow we will examine the tragic results.
Pray with me:
Father, we have been entrusted with preaching “the glorious gospel” of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:11). You trust us to announce the good news of Christ’s provision and blessings. You want Your family - and those not yet in the family - to know the gifts and inheritance You made available through Jesus. In the growing revival, cause an increase in the anointings required to announce these blessings with clarity and power. Increase the strength and scope of this revival.
And as we harvest these new family members, enable the church to properly mature them into givers, not just takers. May every convert become a responsible citizen of Your Kingdom, employing the gifts You placed within them for heaven’s great cause. Raise up powerful reformers in all of the mountains of culture: family, religion, government, business, education, arts/entertainment, and media. Give them wise and brilliant strategies with which to transform. As You did for Daniel and his colleagues, make them wiser than those who do not know You (Daniel 1:20).
Send the greatest revival and reformations the world has ever seen or experienced. All of this we ask in Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Our decree:
We decree that anointed revivalists and wise, skilled reformers are arising throughout the earth.
Previous posts in this series:
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